Costa Rica East to West

Highlights

  • See Costa Rica from Coast to Coast
  • Spot sea turtles, monkeys, hummingbirds and more, in a country of richly diverse wildlife
  • Swim under waterfalls and in a geothermal lagoon in the jungle
  • Ride the longest zipline in Latin America, above the cloud forest!
From £2720 pp*
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What you'll do

Overview

Discover mighty volcanos, lush cloud forest, incredible wildlife, stunning beaches, local hidden gems and quirky cultural experiences as you get under the skin of this unique country. Thanks to your local hosts and guides, you'll come away having not just seen Costa Rica, but having experienced it like a local.

Tour Summary

Day 1         San Jose
Day 2 & 3 Torteguero
Day 4,5,6  La Fortuna
Day 7 & 8  Monteverde
Day 9 – 13  Nosara
...Read All

Arrival Day

Arrive at San Jose International Airport and meet your driver, who will take you straight to your accommodation to relax, refresh, and get ready fro your Costa Rican Adventure.

 

 

 

Accommodation

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel or similar

Located 20 minutes from the Juan Santamaria International Airport and in close proximity to San Jose city. Your comfortable room will include air-conditioning and free Wifi, there is also a restaurant ...Read All

Journey to Tortuguero National Park

Today you’ll have an early start at 6am, diving straight into your once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Costa Rica.

After just twenty minutes of driving out from San José towards the Caribbean lowlands, you will have an early introduction to Costa Rica’s natural highlights, as you pass by the magnificent Braulio Carrillo National Park, with a rich variety of wildlife and through agricultural farmland with pineapple and banana plantations.

After another half hour, you wil...Read All

Explore Tortuguero National Park

Today you have a full day to explore the Tortuguero area, you will take guided boat trip  the  jungle-fringed waterways behind the beach are teeming with bird, animal and insect life. More than half of Costa Rica’s bird species can be found here along with monkeys, sloths and for the lucky alligators, tapirs, ocelots, peccaries and ant-eaters.

You will have free time to hike to Tortuguero Hill for a spectacular view of the area – the walk is a short but sharp climb, with ...Read All

Volcanoes and Hot Springs

After breakfast today you will leave the beautiful Caribbean coast via the beautiful rivers of the North Caribbean, and arrive back at the pier to jump into the bus for your drive to the northern plains.

In 1968 the Arenal Volcano, which until then was unassuming and dormant, erupted and the lava and ash completely buried the community of Pueblo Nuevo.

Little by little, the spectacular eruption attracted tourists and La Fortuna has transformed from a simple agricultural area to ...Read All

Waterfalls and Local Lunches

Today you will explore the area around Arenal Volcano – a La Fortuna waterfall visit and a volcano hike is on the itinerary, and is one of the most memorable days of the entire adventure.

The day starts late in the morning at 11am, so you have time to enjoy a nice breakfast, explore the surroundings of the hotel and relax a little before your pick up.

Wear your swimming gear and take a leisurely hike down 500 steps that lead the way to a magnificent waterfall. On the way d...Read All

Tenorio Volcano National Park hike

Set in the north of Costa Rica, Tenorio Volcano National Park is home to a magnificent volcano from which it received its name, best known for the beautiful Río Celeste, whose light blue waters are caused by a reaction between sulphur and calcium carbonate in the river. The park is covered in natural tropical forests and decorated with rivers and waterfalls. One of the many highlights here is a hike to the magnificent Celeste Waterfall, known for its stunning blue waters. Visitors can also...Read All

Lake Cruise and Travel to Montverde

Today you will travel from La Fortuna to Monteverde, crossing the Arenal Lake. First you’ll travel by land to the lake, where you’ll board a boat for a one-hour cruise to Monteverde.

This is the fastest way to travel, but it is also an incredibly scenic journey where you can admire beautiful views of mountains, sky and the colossal Arenal volcano.

When you reach the other side of the lake, you will be picked up and driven to your hotel in Monteverde. It might be a t...Read All

Forest Canopies Zip line and Cuisine

In the morning, you will have the experience a canopy tour with an added adrenaline rush as you swing from platform to platform on the longest zipline in Latin America!

Enjoy the unique, spectacular panoramic views that can only to be seen from this lofty perch.

A walk through a cloud forest in Monteverde reveals a lush garden of mosses, ferns, flowers and epiphytes growing thickly on every tree. Clouds drift in and settle among the slopes, providing the plants with the continuo...Read All

Local Crafts and Cooking

Today, you’ll transfer to Nosara, on the Nicoya Peninsula known as the land of yoga and surf.

The pacific beaches are wide and sandy with long surf breaks, it has a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

Enjoy wandering the small, quaint towns of Nosara and Guiones, take a dip in the amazing waves of the protected beach, and spot the wildlife in the forest and perhaps even the nesting Olive Ridley turtles on Ostional Beach between July and February.

Today you will be visiting...Read All

Relax on the Beach

For the last few days of your holiday, enjoy a relaxing time at the beach!

Fill your time surfing, practicing yoga, or perhaps visit the village of  Ostional.

Located on the western coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, the small fishing village of Ostional is known for its unspoilt nature and fascinating nesting turtles.

Enjoy the crystal-clear waters lapping at the beautiful beaches, creating the perfect habitat for these protected animals. The beach of the Ostional Wildlife ...Read All

Coffee Plantation Finca Rosa Blanca

Today, you’ll say goodbye to the coast and head back to the Central Valley, and your final stay is at a charming, sustainable boutique hotel on an organic coffee plantation, which is a global leader in responsible tourism.

Finca Rosa Blanca is a friendly boutique eco-resort set within a coffee farm plantation only 25 minutes from the international airport.

All 15 rooms are individually designed and have a Jacuzzi bath along with spectacular views. There is a strong emphasi...Read All

Departure Day

Today, the time has come to fly home. You’ll be transferred to the airport and waved off by your driver.

We hope you’ve had an amazing time in Costa Rica, and really felt as if you know the country, its culture and its people intimately, and haven’t simply been a tourist, but have travelled like a local.

What's included

Included

  • Private transfers from and to the airport
  • 1 night at Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel BB
  • 2 nights at Laguna Eco-Lodge HB+ (dinner, bed & breakfast & tea/coffee/soft drinks included)
  • 3 nights at Arenal Manoa Village Resort BB
  • 2 nights at Koora Hotel Monteverde BB
  • 5 nights at Olas Verde Hotel BB
  • 1 night at Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation Resort BB
  • Shared bus from/to Tortuguero
  • Tortuguero Village Tour
  • Tortuguero Canals (includes National Park entrance)
  • Arenal Volcano National Park guided hike and entrance fee
  • La Fortuna Waterfall guided visit and entrance fee
  • Tenorio Volcano National Park guided tour and entrance fee
  • Zip lining experience
  • Guided Coffee/Coco/Sugar Cane Farm visit in Monteverde
  • Authentic community experience: ceramic and cooking classes in a house-museum
Your local host

Roberto

I was born and raised in Costa Rica and have lived here my entire life. And ever since I could, I’ve been travelling the world. Soon after I left school, I travelled around Costa Rica and discovered every single part of it! Although, we do have a fairly small country, there’s an insane amount to explore, and I’m still exploring it today, seeking out new hiking trails, new lagoons, different viewpoints, that take you to places you hadn’t even knew existed before, it really is fascinating.

My deep knowledge of countries extends far beyond just Costa Rica as well, I’ve been lucky enough to have a broad knowledge of most of the other Central American countries, as well as, a lot of the South American coun... Read All

I was born and raised in Costa Rica and have lived here my entire life. And ever since I could, I’ve been travelling the world. Soon after I left school, I travelled around Costa Rica and discovered every single part of it! Although, we do have a fairly small country, there’s an insane amount to explore, and I’m still exploring it today, seeking out new hiking trails, new lagoons, different viewpoints, that take you to places you hadn’t even knew existed before, it really is fascinating.

My deep knowledge of countries extends far beyond just Costa Rica as well, I’ve been lucky enough to have a broad knowledge of most of the other Central American countries, as well as, a lot of the South American countries, allowing me to extend tours over there as well.

You might be surprised to know that I started out in a completely different field altogether, I studied engineering at university and worked in this industry for a little while. But, a little while later, due that passion for discovery and exploring new places eating away at me, I started my immersive travel company with a friend (14 years ago to be exact) and began having way too much fun helping people discover my wonderful country and the countries around it, so as soon as the possibility came around I just grabbed it, decided to leave engineering behind and have worked in the industry ever since.

What inspired you to work in travel?

As I’ve mentioned, I do have a bit of an obsession when it comes to showing people the beauty of Costa Rica. But apart from this, I’ve always been very much pro environment and have a keen interest in conservation. One of the best things about travel is that it can have a large component of conservation, at some point before I started working in travel, I thought I would work within conservation. So travel is a great bridge between my passions of discovery and conservation. Because if tourism is done right can help change both people’s lives and the world, and that’s really powerful.

What makes your experiences special?

Firstly, supplier and destination selection is key for us when choosing our experiences. If you get these right, you have a pretty good shot of having a truly authentic experience. So, we choose destinations that are not the same as all the other tour companies out there, those that are emerging or have something special about them, that most people don’t know about. An example would be, Drake Bay in Costa Rica, there’s a few things that everybody does e.g. the Corcovado National Park, a must visit for this area. But the difference between us and the other companies is that we use the local companies, that employ real locals, so this gives smaller companies a chance to compete with the large companies. When we choose hotels, we choose those that are sustainable, away from the normal ones.

And we always ensure the places/people we work with are committed to sustainability, it’s our mission to spread the wealth of toursim, to make sure money just doesn’t go to all the large companies, we think it should be shared equally to everyone in the country. So our suppliers are always real local people, that truly love their country and are trying to make an honest living out of it.

 

Location

You’ll be picked up from Juan Santamaria International Airport, before embarking on an incredible itinerary that takes in both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the jungle interior of Montverde, and the mountains and villages of La Fortuna.

At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off back at the airport, and all transfers are taken care of.

1. San Jose
2. Torteguero
3, La Fortuna
4. Monteverde
5. Nosara
6. San Jose

FAQs

What clothes should I pack?

Lightweight cotton and linen clothing is recommended for most of the year with warmer clothes for cooler evenings. Waterproofing is necessary during the rainy season. Loose-fitting clothing is best. Wear neutral browns and greens for birding and wildlife viewing. Always bring mosquito repellent for both day and night.

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