San Jose
Day 1 USA - San Jose
Day 2 San Jose
In San Jose our centrally located hotel is a good base from where to go on a city walk. Located at an altitude of 3300 ft. the temperature here is very pleasant all year round, especially in comparison to the sometimes very warm and humid regions in the lowlands. San Jose has something for everyone. You can wander around in the center where all kinds of things are sold and culture lovers can visit one of the many museums San Jose possesses.
Samara
Day 3 San Jose - Samara
Day 4 Samara
After a day of acclimatizing we drive for about four hours with our own air-conditioned bus to the coastal town Samara. When the weather is nice it is worthwhile to take a little detour past the Poas volcano with its’ blue crater-lake. Playa Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula has one of the most beautiful, most outstretched beaches of Costa Rica. It is fun to rent a bicycle in Samara and to explore the surroundings in this way. Of course it is also possible to participate in various water-sports like snorkeling, fishing and diving. Just hanging out on the beach is of course also possible. Maybe you are lucky and you will see turtles laying their eggs on the beach.
Monteverde National Park
Day 5 Samara - Monteverde
Day 6 Monteverde NP
The trip to the rain forest of Monteverde takes about three hours. The last miles go straight uphill over a bumpy dirt road. Our hotel is situated at a short distance to the entrance to the “Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde”. This is again situated in a beautiful nature area. Because of the position high in the mountains of the Tilaran Mountain Range, clouds of mist are almost continuously present between the high trees, hence the name “mist forest”. Here you have a choice of several nice hiking trails of varying distances where you walk amongst the enormous “forest giants”. The branches of these huge trees are overgrown with epiphytes: plants that grow on trees like orchids, ferns, bromeliads and mosses. Here, during certain months of the year, if you are very quiet and a little lucky you might get to see the very beautiful quetzal. For those who feel really inspired there is the “canopy tour”, on which you swing from treetop to treetop in a harness. Because of the high humidity in the air it is recommended that you bring a rain jacket.
Fortuna
Day 7 Monteverde – La Fortuna
Day 8 La Fortuna
We travel along a beautiful route to Arenal, the most active volcano of Latin-America. We cross the largest reservoir of Costa Rica with a small boat. The village of Fortuna lies at the foot of the “fire-spewing” volcano and so from here you have a beautiful view of the 5,000-foot high peek in the green surroundings. Often you hear a rumble and the volcano spits a glowing cloud of ashes and dirt into the sky again. Lava continuously flows from the open crater. On clear days that offers a fantastic spectacle whereby just after the sun sets the sky turns red and you see the glowing lava flow down the mountain. This spectacle can nicely be enjoyed in a relaxed way from one of the pleasant thermal baths, with a cocktail in hand. An excursion to the Cano Negro Reservation is a great possibility for bird lovers to view various species of water birds like serpent-neck birds and ibises.
Dominical
Day 9 La Fortuna – Dominical
Day 10 Dominical
We travel to the village Dominical on the Pacific Ocean, usually a 7-hour drive. Sun worshippers can thoroughly enjoy themselves here in the tropical hotel garden with swimming-pool. You can admire the surfers from the beach. If you want to go exploring there are various options from Dominical. You can take beautiful walks or you can take a daytrip to the nearby situated Isla del Cano, a true paradise for snorkelers and divers. During this trip it is possible that you will encounter dolphins and possibly humpback whales. You can also visit the world famous National Park Corcovado.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 11 Dominical - Quepos
Day 12 Quepos, excursion to Manuel Antonio NP
Day 13 Quepos, excursion to Manuel Antonio NP
Day 14 Quepos - San Jose
Day 15 San Jose - Return to USA
We continue our trip traveling one and a half hours, via the beautiful Hacienda Baru, to the small city of Quepos. Quepos is very popular amongst sports fishermen who catch large marlins and barracudas at the coast here. The biggest attraction is the National Park Manuel Antonio, located at a distance of 4.35 miles. By way of a steep coastal road you reach the entrance of this protected nature area in 20 minutes. Unique for this reservation is the close jungle that grows right up to the beach. This is an ideal situation to take a beautiful hike along the paths and to enjoy the white beaches and the azure blue ocean. With a bit of luck you will be able to catch sight of various kinds of apes, iguanas will scurry away at your feet and you will discover brightly colored birds or a resting sloth between the leaves. It is humid and warm here all year round, so bring plenty of drinking water and don’t forget your sunscreen because even if it is overcast you can still catch quite a bit of color on the beaches here. In the course of the afternoon we will drive to San Jose, where in the evening it is nice to hang out in one of the many cozy restaurants. After we spend the night we set out for our return trip back to the U.S.
