Itinerary
- Day 1
San Jose
You'll land at the airport where someone from the hotel will meet you for a private transfer to San Jose. After you check in, the rest of the day is open for you to walk around the city at your own pace and get a feel for the place.
- Start point
- Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría (SJO), Ruta Nacional 1, Alajuela, Alajuela 20109, Costa Rica (Guide will be at the main entrance)
Optional Activities
- Explore San Jose
- Day 2
San Jose to Tenorio National Park
You'll drive north from San Jose through changing landscapes, passing green hills, small villages, farmland, and tropical forests on your way to Tenorio National Park. The road winds through mountains and valleys before you reach the jungle entrance at the park.
Landmarks Tenorio National Park 
- Day 3
Tenorio National Park
A guided hike takes you through secondary and primary forests where you'll see insects, birds, and animal tracks (trails can get muddy during rainy season). You'll visit the waterfall, see three volcanic craters, check out the Blue Lagoon, walk through areas with volcanic sulfur gases, and find where two rivers meet and the water turns blue.
- Meals
- Lunch
Included Activities
- Rio Celeste and Tenorio Guided Hike
- Waterfall viewing
- Tenorio Volcano crater viewing
- Blue Lagoon visit
- Borbollones volcanic sulfur gases viewing
- Teñideros river confluence viewing
Landmarks Rio Celeste Tenorio Volcano - Day 4
Boca Tapada
Based in Boca Tapada near the San Carlos River, you'll join a naturalist guide for an evening walk through the hotel grounds and surrounding forest. This night walk offers chances to spot alligators, frogs, nocturnal birds, snakes, and spiders while learning about local plants and wildlife.
Included Activities
- Night Walk in Boca Tapada
Landmarks Boca Tapada Maquenque Eco Preserve - Day 5
Boca Tapada
You'll paddle down the Tres Amigos River through the rainforest with a naturalist guide who teaches paddling technique and points out wildlife like crocodiles, turtles, iguanas, monkeys, and waterfowl along the way.
Included Activities
- Sarafi Float Raft in Boca Tapada
Landmarks Tres Amigos River - Day 6
Sarapiqui Rainforest
You'll head to Sarapiqui in Heredia province where the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiqui rivers meet. There you'll take a cooking class with a local Costa Rican family, learning to prepare traditional recipes and understanding how they grow and harvest their ingredients.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner or Coffee (Prepared during Cooking Class with Costa Rican family)
Included Activities
- Cooking Class in Sarapiqui Rainforest
Landmarks Sarapiqui - Day 7
Sarapiqui Rainforest
Two optional activities are available. First, a chocolate tour crosses the Tirimbina hanging bridge to an old cacao plantation where you'll learn how cacao becomes chocolate and taste organic chocolate. Second, a horseback ride (2 or 4 hours) takes you through pastures, jungle, and rivers with a helmet and poncho provided.
Included Activities
- Chocolate Tour in Sarapiqui Rainforest
- Horseback Ride Tour, 2 Hours in Sarapiqui Rainforest
Optional Activities
- Extended 4-hour Horseback Ride Tour
Landmarks Tirimbina Hanging Bridge - Day 8
Turrialba
You'll travel to Turrialba in Cartago Province, a rural farming town surrounded by natural sites. The area has the active Turrialba Volcano nearby, two rivers popular for whitewater rafting, and Guayabo National Monument, which is Costa Rica's only open-access pre-Columbian archaeological site.
Optional Activities
- Turrialba Volcano viewing
- Pacuare River whitewater rafting
- Reventazon River whitewater rafting
Landmarks Turrialba Volcano Pacuare River Reventazon River - Day 9
Turrialba
At Guayabo National Monument, Costa Rica's most important archaeological site, a guide shows you through the park explaining what archaeologists have found. This ancient city once had over 10,000 residents before disappearing just before Spanish arrival in the 1500s.
Included Activities
- Walk to Guayabo National Monument in Turrialba
Landmarks Guayabo National Monument - Day 10
Los Santos Area
You'll travel to Los Santos in the highland Talamanca Mountains of south-central Costa Rica, known for birds like woodpeckers, warblers, falcons, and the resplendent quetzal. The region produces some of the world's best coffee, so you'll visit a coffee plantation and local shop before heading to Los Quetzales National Park for hiking.
Included Activities
- Quetzal Birdwatching Tour in Los Santos Area
Optional Activities
- Coffee plantation visit
- Local coffee shop visit
- Los Quetzales National Park hiking
Landmarks Los Quetzales National Park - Day 11
San Gerardo de Dota
Based in San Gerardo de Dota, a naturalist guide takes you to spots where resplendent quetzals feed on their favorite fruit. This location offers the best chance to see this bird, which the Aztecs considered a sacred creature.
Included Activities
- Quetzal Birdwatching Tour
Landmarks San Gerardo de Dota - Day 12
Uvita Beach
You'll head to Uvita, a small coastal town on the south Pacific side with shops, restaurants, and bars. From here, you can access Marino Ballena National Park which protects the coastline and sea, known for humpback whales that come to breed August through October and January through February.
Optional Activities
- Marino Ballena National Park exploration
- Beach activities
- Whale watching (seasonal)
Landmarks Marino Ballena National Park 
- Day 13
Uvita Beach
Starting at low tide, you'll sea kayak for 30 to 45 minutes to reach snorkeling areas with fish and coral. After spending 45 minutes to an hour and a half in the water, you'll paddle into a mangrove forest where you can see sea birds, toucans, and small reptiles.
Included Activities
- Sea Kayaking at Ballena Marine Park
Optional Activities
- Snorkeling at Marino Ballena National Park
Landmarks Marino Ballena National Park - Whale's Tail - Day 14
Uvita to San Jose
You'll drive back to San Jose from Uvita, following the same route through varied landscapes you saw when heading south earlier in the trip.
- Day 15
San Jose to Airport
A driver picks you up from your hotel and takes you to Juan Santamaria International Airport for your flight home.
- End point
- Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría (SJO), Ruta Nacional 1, Alajuela, Alajuela 20109, Costa Rica (Drop off at the mail entrance)
Landmarks Juan Santamaria International Airport
