Nine nights - Costa Rica Classic Loop
Enjoy airport pickup and a private van transfer to the La Fortuna/Arenal area. The ride takes around 3 hours. Your driver will stop as necessary or requested for food, bathroom and sightseeing breaks.
Upon arrival, you will check in to your hotel. Some of our most popular options, in rough budgetary order from most economical to most expensive are:
Options here include guided hikes in the Arenal National Park and surrounding rain forest, Zip-Line Canopy Tours, waterfall rappel canyoneering tours, white water rafting on the Rio Balsa or Rio Sarapiqui, a safari float on the Peñas Blancas river, a gentle hike at the Mistico Hanging Bridges, horseback riding, a visit to the La Fortuna Waterfall, mountain biking around the shores of Lake Arenal or through the nearby hills and farmlands, stand-up paddling, kayaking or canoeing on Lake Arenal, local cooking classes, a Chocolate, Coffee and Sugar Cane Farm tours, and more.
In the morning, take a Van-Boat-Van (also known as Jeep-Boat-Jeep) transfer to Monteverde. The whole trip takes around 2.5 hours, and includes a quick, but scenic boat ride across Lake Arenal.
Upon arrival in Monteverde, you will check in to your hotel. Some of our most popular options, in rough budgetary order from most economical to most expensive are:
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and other neighboring cloud forest reserves are the main draw here. This is an area of unique, primary tropical cloud forest that is home to an amazing variety of flora and fauna. One of the more spectacular residents here is the Resplentant Quetzal. That said, the most popular activity here is hiking in the surrounding Cloud Forests. Hikes are offered inside the namesake Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the San Louis Cloud Forest, and the new CuriCancha Reserve.
Other potential tours and activities here include horseback riding, ziplines and hanging bridges, an ATV ride, night tours of the nearby reserves, and self-guided visits to exhibits like the Orchid Garden, Hummingbird Gallery, Bat Jungle, Serpentarium, World of Insects, and Frog Pond of Monteverde.
At the time of your choosing, a private van and driver will take you from your hotel to Manuel Antonio. The ride should be around 4-5 hours total, with the driver stopping as requested or necessary for food, bathroom and sightseeing breaks.
Upon arrival in Manuel Antonio, you will check in to your hotel. Some of my most popular options, in rough budgetary order from most economical to most expensive are:
While in Manuel Antonio, you can hike the National Park (lots of wildlife, including all 4 monkey species), hang on the beach, take surf lessons, do a zip-line tour, take a boat trip through the mangroves of the Damas Island estuary, and/or a sail and snorkel trip on the Pacific ocean, go horseback riding, take an ATV tour, go white water rafting on the Savegre river, and much more.
Cultural tours offered here include Villa Vanilla, a great tropical spice, flower and fruit farm, as well as the full-day Santa Juana Village tour, where you can go horseback riding, make tortillas, visit a traditional sugar mill (trapiche), swim in a waterfall pool, fish for trout, and enjoy a traditional, home-cooked local meal.
Again, as we move forward in refining the itinerary together, we can plug specific activities and adventure into specific time slots, or leave time for relaxation, improvisation or self-exploration.
A private van and driver will take you from Manuel Antonio to San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in time for your flight home. The ride should take around 2.5 hours and will be timed according to your departure flight.