Hotel Villa Los Candiles

Day 1

Upon arrival in San Jose you will be met and privately transferred to Villa Los Candiles.

Pacuare Lodge

Day 2 & 3

You will be collected early this morning by a representative of the lodge, aftr breakfast en route you will raft for 1 - 1.5 hr into the lodge (water levels permitting). You arrive in time for lunch. Enjoy the afternoon doing some of the many activities on offer here (2 activities per day are included), including zip-lining, guided hikes, bird-watching.

Arenal Springs Hotel

Day 4, 5 & 6

Raft for about 3.5 hrs out of the lodge (Class 3-5 rapids). This stretch of the Pacuare River flows through canyons and past waterfalls and virgin rainforest. You are likely to catch glimpses of varied birds and other wildlife during the quiet stretches. A deli-style lunch will be served on the riverbank en route, after arrival at the Pacuare Lodge facilities you will have a chance to change into dry clothes before receiving your rental car and driving to the Arenal area.

For the next 3 nights you will be based at the Arenal Springs Hotel which is located just outside the town of La Fortuna, 20 minutes drive from Arenal Volcano site. It offers the perfect combination of relaxation, comfort, and tropical scenery. Here you can enjoy a private guided Arenal volcano hike with a picnic lunch or a private guided full day tour of the Arenal Hanging Bridges and Waterfalls. The Hanging bridges forest reserve comprises 243 hectares of protected forest. Some of the animals that inhabit this type of forest include three species of monkeys, multiple species of birds, serpents, wild boars, frogs, and others.

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel, Tamarindo

Day 7, 8 & 9

Today you will drive on to the coast. The luxurious Cala Luna and Villas are located on the northwestern coast of Costa Rica, just outside of Tamarindo. The hotel is surrounded by tall indigenous trees home to howler monkeys, tropical birds and butterflies.

You have a full day at leisure to explore the area. This lively little village in the province of Guanacaste on the Pacific has developed into one of the most popular beach towns in Costa Rica in recent years. The broad, sandy beach is about 4 km long and depending on tides between 20 and 200 meters wide. Both surfing and windsurfing are good here, and there is a wildlife refuge and marine national park nearby. The beach is large enough that non-surfers can still find quiet stretches.

The beach of Tamarindo is bordered on both sides by rivers, both of which are protected mangrove forests in their tidal area. At low tide, both rivers can be bridged through. To the south of Tamarindo lies the deserted Playa Langosta and to the north the Playa Grande. Both beaches are protected by nature, with Playa Grande being one of the most important nesting sites for the Leatherback Turtles from October to March. Tamarindo offers everything you need in a beach town and numerous excellent restaurants or cute beach bars, as well as a nightclub, provide entertainment during the high season from Christmas to Easter. In the remaining months, most of the places are also open, but it is much more laid back.

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Senda Monteverde Hotel

Day 10 & 11

Our accommodation for the next two nights is just a stone´s throw from the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Here you enjoy the flora and fauna of the Cloud Forest. Animal lovers will find more than 100 species of mammal, approximately 1,200 varieties of amphibian and 400 varieties of birds in the reserve, as well as tens of thousands of unique insect types. Animals known to live in Monteverde include the Baird's tapir, the three-toed sloth, the jaguar, the resplendent quetzal and the keel-billed toucan.

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Gaia Hotel & Reserve, Manuel Antonio

Day 12, 13 & 14

Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica´s smallest national park, with seven square kilometers, including twelve small islands on the coast. In addition to over 350 different plant species there are 109 different mammal species, for example Sloths, Coatis and many monkey species including the endangered Squirrel Monkey. In the park, there are several pristine beaches where you can snorkel and observe wildlife. The small town of Manuel Antonio has some nice bars and restaurants that invite you to end the evening with a view of the Pacific Ocean. You will be based at the Gaia Hotel. With the Manuel Antonio National Park right on the doorstep, the Gaia Hotel is a sophisticated hilltop retreat with its own nature reserve providing its guests with breathtaking views of the surrounding wildlife.

Here enjoy a half day guided tour in the National Park. Though the highlights of the park are its two white sand beaches - Espadilla Sur and Manuel Antonio - it also protects coastal rain forest, a mangrove swamp, coral formations and 12 islands that serve as seabird sanctuaries. Your guide will teach you about the park's distinctive plant life and locate camouflaged fauna, which includes 109 mammal species, such as 3 species of monkeys, agouti, three-toed sloth, deer, as well as 200 species of birds such as toucans, flycatchers, hawks and hummingbirds.

Depart Costa Rica

Day 15

Drive back to San Jose airport for your flight home.