Mystic Forests of Costa Rica

Itinerary

ARRIVAL SAN JOSÉ

Your Costa Rican adventure begins the moment you land at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose. Once you reach the Arrivals hall, our tour representative will be waiting to meet and greet you. You’ll then be accompanied to the private transfer that will drop you off at your hotel in San Jose. After checking in, you are free to spend the rest of this first day at leisure, be that by putting up your feet after the flight and taking advantage of the services available at the hotel, or by heading out to the streets to start exploring these fascinating new surroundings at your own rhythm. Just make sure you get enough rest before the following day, when the real adventure begins.

Overnight in San José

SAN JOSE – TORTUGUERO (135km – 4 hrs by road / 2 hrs by boat)

Wake up early in the morning and wait for a shared bus transfer to pick you up at 6:30. You’ll then be driven through the breath-taking Braulio Carrillo National Park towards the Caribbean plains. Along the way, relax and enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery and quaint villages that will roll by your window. Breakfast will be served en route at about 8:30 in a restaurant in Guapiles. Then it’s time to continue your journey through the jungle by boat. Cruise the rivers and canals of the fabulous Tortuguero National Park. You’ll arrive at the eco-lodge where you’ll spend the next two nights in time for a well-deserved lunch. After replenishing your energy, your guide will invite you to go on a hike around the town of Tortuguero. Along the way, you will get to visit the Turtle Museum ($1 mandatory donation) before going back to your accommodation for dinner. 

Overnight in Tortuguero

TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK

Make the most of your stay in the paradisiacal Tortuguero National Park; wake up early in the morning and meet your guide at 6:00 for an early-bird walk along the trails and gardens of the Lodge. Then return to the hotel for breakfast and, at 9:00, join a thrilling two-hour boat trip along the Tortuguero canals, an essential activity while vacationing in Costa Rica. Explore this vast network of canals, lagoons and dense rainforests on this relaxing tour, during which you will be accompanied by an expert naturalist guide who will tell you all about the interesting fauna and flora you come across. Abundant wildlife inhabits Tortuguero, including 57 species of amphibians, 111 species of reptiles and 60 species of mammals. After this intense morning, the rest of day is free for you to spend at leisure. But if you are up for more adventure, you can also join one of the many optional tours available. Dinner is served at the hotel. 

Overnight in Tortuguero

TORTUGUERO – ARENAL (210km – 5 hrs by road / 2 hrs by boat)

This morning, after breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell to Tortuguero. You’ll leave the park at about 9:00 on a shared boat and then continue your journey via land transfer all the way to Guapiles. Here we’ll make a stop for lunch in a local restaurant at around 13:00. You will then be picked up by a shared transfer and driven to the Arenal area. After being dropped off at your hotel at about 17:00, you can check in and spend the rest of this day at leisure, perhaps hitting the road and getting to know this fascinating new location a bit better. 

Overnight in Arenal.

ARENAL

Charge your batteries with breakfast at the hotel, then meet your guide at 8:00 to go on a tour of the Arenal Volcano National Park. The guide will tell you all about the volcano’s past periods of activity. Enjoy the verdant landscapes and the backdrop of the now-dormant volcano as you keep a lookout for wild animals; you might spot sloths, howler monkeys, anteaters and many others. Then return to the hotel at 12:30 and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure or join one of four available optional activities: ‘Guided Walk along the Hanging Bridges of Mistico Park’, a magical experience combining suspension bridges and platforms built in a forest canopy; ‘La Fortuna Waterfall’, a hike to the magnificent 60-metre waterfall where you can swim in its crystal-clear waters; ‘Tabacon Hot Springs with Dinner’, a trip to the pools and thermal waters of Tabacon, which are warmed by the veins of the majestic Arenal Volcano; and ‘SkyTrek (Zipline) at SkyAdventures Park’, a tram ride up a mountain to then whizz down along a series of 7 riveting ziplines. The choice is yours!

Overnight in Arenal

ARENAL – MONTEVERDE (170 Km – 4 hrs)

Begin the day with an early breakfast at the hotel. Then check out and meet your guide at 7:30 to head towards Monteverde, where you will arrive at approximately 11:30. Admire the changing landscapes as you drive from rainforest to cloud forests and reach an altitude of 1,200 metres above sea level. Located in the Puntarenas province, Monteverde is a place of cloud forests and mist, coffee plantations, monkeys, and friendly locals. The town of Santa Elena is small and quaint, filled with inviting restaurants and folksy artisan shops, while the nearby rainforest hosts a remarkable amount of biodiversity. Enjoy the day at leisure or join our optional zipline adventure through the Costa Rican forest canopy. This optional tour begins with a gondola ride from the ground to the highest point of the mountain, where you’ll be dropped off at an observation area to admire the fantastic views of the surrounding forests, the Arenal Volcano and the gulf of Nicoya. From this point, you will start riding down a unique zipline circuit that stretches across canyons, going from one mountain to another, and in between treetops. It truly is an exhilarating adventure.

Overnight in Monteverde

MONTEVERDE

Follow breakfast at the hotel with a guided tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve starting at 7:00. This is one of the most impressive natural reserves in the world, with a network of trails that branch out across 13 kilometres of forest. Walk along the continental divide, with one foot on the Caribbean side and another the Pacific side. With views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, this reserve has a large variety of tall trees laden with remarkable epiphytic plants. You’ll return to the hotel at about 12:00 and can the spend the rest of the day at leisure or join an optional tour. One option is a walk along a series of suspended bridges through the canopies of the cloud forest. This spectacular guided tour invites you to discover the exuberant tropical forests of Costa Rica from a privileged vantage point. Hike deep into these magical forests to admire the exuberant plant and animal life found here. Alternately, you can join an optional Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Tour, where you will learn about the history of these free foods and then get to see their respective production processes.

Overnight in Monteverde

MONTEVERDE – SAN JOSÉ (140 Km – 3 hrs)

Enjoy your last breakfast in Costa Rica and after checking out, you will hop onto a transfer at the scheduled time to head to Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose. Here you’ll say goodbye to this beautiful country and board the flight to your next destination. We hope the memories you have gathered during this trip will last you a lifetime.