Summary
During this amazing 15-day tour to the Caribbean (Puerto Viejo) and Pacific Coasts (Tamarindo beach) of Costa Rica you will discover amazing biodiversity, heavenly beaches, two live volcanoes, cloud forest and jungle. These 15 days in Costa Rica will allow you to see fascinating attractions and have authentic experiences visiting such natural “gems” as Cahuita National Park, Tortuguero National Park, Arenal Volcano, Rio Fortuna Waterfall Reserve and Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. You will enjoy lying on the Tamarindo Beach in Guanacaste, a true tropical paradise on the coast of northern Costa Rica. It is a long beach (3 km) with nice white sand, excellent waves, coastal charm and world class sunsets. This is definitely a jewel where you will have free time to practice surf or enjoy the views of the beach and the ocean on your own. The tour includes a certified guide who will accompany you throughout the entire itinerary, except the days at the beach in Guanacaste (the same tour can be offered only with a local guide during the activities included in the itinerary for a lower price).
Individual travel request form Enjoy a private tour
Gabriela
Local travel expert in Costa Rica
I will be delighted to create amazing experiences for you in Costa Rica and show you what my beautiful country has to offer. Let’s design together the itinerary of your dreams, let’s make this trip the most memorable of your life.
Itinerary
On arrival in San José, Costa Rica you will be welcomed at the airport and transferred to the hotel.
The rest of the day is free. The capital is located in the middle of the central valley and the centre of the country, thus becoming a strategic place from which to make endless daily activities. In addition, you will have a varied cultural offer, with theaters, auditoriums, museums, historic buildings and beautiful parks to visit. If you prefer, you can also make purchases in one of the shopping centers and craft markets or go out to dinner in one of the many restaurants in the city, some of them, with stunning views of the great valley.
Accommodation in San José.
In the morning you will be transferred to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast. This active town is 34 miles southeast of Puerto Limón and 102 miles south of Cahuita. Puerto Viejo with its unique charm was formerly a small and peaceful fishing village. It has increased its popularity especially with young people and is listed as one of the most important destinations in the world for surfing. With a relaxing atmosphere and its combination of Latin, Afro-Caribbean and indigenous Bribri cultures, Puerto Viejo becomes a charming place to have an entertaining and relaxing vacation.
This town has a variety of bars, discos and restaurants. Additionally, there are innumerable opportunities to make excellent purchases. With its golden sand beaches, tropical vegetation and interesting attractions nearby such as the Cahuita National Park, the Talamaca Indigenous Reserve and the Gandoca Manzanillo more Wildlife Refuge, visiting Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a great opportunity to experience the best of the Caribbean Coast.
Accommodation in Puerto Viejo.
This day you will visit Cahuita National Park. The name Cahuita comes from the terms “Kawe” which means “Sangrillo” (tree in the area) and “Ta” which means “punta”, that is “Punta Sangrillo”. This national park has 23,290 hectares of marine coverage and 1,102 hectares of land. In this territory there is a set of ecosystems, such as coral reefs, which due to their structure and diversity, are considered the most developed in the Costa Rican Caribbean. Beaches of white sand, a turquoise sea and a diverse marine life are some of the attractions that await you in Cahuita National Park, in the province of Limón. In this ecosystem, nestled in the Caribbean, but with a forest environment, you will find species such as raccoons, coatis, sloths, iguanas and basilisks. You will also see snakes like tinsel and tamagá, and birds like the hawk.
Accommodation in Puerto Viejo.
Very early in the morning, you will be transferred to Tortuguero National Park. Your journey will take you through small towns and extensive banana plantations, until arriving at the pier. At this time, your travel will continue by boat for about two hours on rivers and channels until you reach the hotel.
After lunch, you will visit Tortuguero village.
Accommodation in Tortuguero.
In the morning, you will take a boat tour through the channels of Tortuguero National Park. Tortuguero National Park is famous for being the habitat of five species of sea turtles and a great diversity of birds, amphibians and other animals.
After lunch, you will have free time to stroll and enjoy the surroundings of the hotel. The optional night excursion to see turtle nesting (July to September) is also recommended.
Accommodation in Tortuguero.
You will begin the day by travelling back through the channels of Tortuguero to reach the pier where your ground transportation will meet you. In the Northern Plains you will see the impressive Arenal Volcano, a natural wonder offering you the chance to witness the cone-shaped crater. Along the way there, you will see various agricultural and ornamental plant plantations and cattle ranches, until you reach the town of La Fortuna. The town is worth visiting for walking and having lunch or dinner. Your hotel is strategically located in order to admire the volcano.
Accommodation in Arenal Volcano area.
In the morning you will enjoy a chocolate tour. It´s hard to imagine that something as delicious as chocolate could come from a tree but it´s true and considered as a gift of the God. During the walk, you will be explained the natural and cultural history of cacao. You will be revealed the secrets of transformation of this fruit into chocolate. The cacao tree was very important to the ancient culture, it was not only used as a ceremonial drink, but its seeds were also used as currency, including Costa Rica. You will participate in all the production process of the fruit, harvesting, drying, grinding, and of course enjoying a high quality organic farm chocolate.
Afterwards, you will have a walk through Rio Fortuna Waterfall Reserve. With more than 4000 ml of rainfall per year, it will give you the opportunity to enjoy a descending walk until you reach the base of the 70 meter high waterfall, more through the tropical rain forest. At the base of this beautiful waterfall, a natural pool forms where you can swim while the birds are singing. The sound of the water and the charm of the forest will make you enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility.
Accommodation in Arenal Volcano area.
In the morning you will be transferred to Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. You will be immersed in the exotic cloud forest and experience a world full of biodiversity. You will look at the top of the huge trees where over 500 bird species live, a paradise where the main stars are the majestic quetzal and the three-wattle bellbird. Besides, you will admire more than 3000 plants, 500 of them being orchids, 120 species of reptiles and amphibians, and with a little luck one of the 130 mammals.
One of the main attractions of Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is its 13-kilometer network of trails. While walking the trails, visitors are presented with a number of options. One alternative is the walk up to "La Ventana" scenic overlook, where they may witness the contrasting panoramas exhibited naturally by the continental divide, a geographical feature that traces the main mountain more ranges of Costa Rica. At this location, visitors can experience the force of the moisture-laden trade winds blowing in from the Atlantic coast, and witness how they descend at high velocity toward the Central Pacific and Northern coastal plains of Costa Rica.
Accommodation in Monteverde.
The day will begin with a visit to Selvatura Park. There are many bridge systems in the world, few of them hanging bridges, and even less those located within an authentic cloud forest. The hanging bridges of Selvatura Park offer the best way to admire the canopy of the cloud forest.
The Hanging Bridges tour consists of 3.06 kilometers of trails in which our visitors will find eight bridges of different sizes, which oscillate between 57 and 170 meters in length. Each bridge has a width of 1.50 meters and a capacity of up to 80 people per bridge which makes the hanging bridges of Selvatura Park not only the largest in the system of hanging bridges, but also the toughest of Costa Rica. Additionally, the hanging bridges of Selvatura Park are certified by the Federated College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica, which ensures that these have been built following the best construction more standards, as well as offering the best quality possible. You will admire these magnificent structures which were assembled in San José and then transported to Monteverde to be carried by the workers in the forest and in this way minimize the damage to nature.
You will then be flying through 15 cables and 18 platforms with an optional Tarzan Swing at the end of the adventure. At Selvatura Park you can enjoy one of the longest Canopy Tours in Costa Rica. It is also the only canopy tour located inside Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Afterwards you will have a cooking class during which you will learn how to cook traditional Costa Rican food.
Accommodation in Monteverde.
This day you will be transferred from the cloud forest to the Northern Pacific - Rincón de la Vieja Volcano. You will enjoy a beautiful trip to the warm climate of the Tropical Dry Forest which has vast savannas, beautiful ranches, and the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano with its exotic bubbling volcanic clay pools.
Accommodation in Rincón de la Vieja area.
Today you will enjoy a hiking tour at Rincon de la Vieja National Park, dominated by two volcanoes and divided into two sections: Las Pailas and Santa Maria. The Las Pailas section includes the active volcano, Rincon de la Vieja, featuring fumaroles, bubbling mud cauldrons emitting steam clouds, as well as a large number of waterfalls. Or, you can enjoy many adventure activities in the area: Canyoning, canopy tour, horseback riding, river tubing, hiking and bird watching.
You will finish the day with a cup of coffee watching a spectacular sunset.
Accommodation in Rincón de la Vieja area.
In the morning you will be transferred to Tamarindo Beach.
If you think about a true tropical paradise, it will surely be a place like Tamarindo, on the coast of northern Costa Rica. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Tamarindo has an extremely popular reputation among visitors who can also enjoy the beauty of Tamarindo town in Guanacaste. This is a very popular destination among tourists due to its modern development, as well as the paved roads where there are so many activities for all kinds of tastes.
Tamarindo Beach is a long beach (3 km) with nice white sand, excellent waves, coastal charm and world class sunsets. This is definitely a jewel where you will have free time to practice surf or enjoy the views of the beach and the ocean on your own.
Accommodation in Guanacaste (Tamarindo).
Free day to enjoy the beach and Tamarindo town.
Accommodation in Guanacaste (Tamarindo).
Free day to enjoy the beach and Tamarindo town.
Accommodation in Guanacaste (Tamarindo).
At the appointed time, you will be transferred from your hotel to San José International Airport for your departure flight. While waiting for you flight you will be able to remember the most precious moments of these 15 days in Costa Rica!
Please note that airlines in Costa Rica request check in at the airport at least 3 hours before departure time.
Prices
Travel dates
Upon request for individual travellers
Price per person in €
2 Pers.
6 Pers.
18 Pers.
B category hotels (May - November)
3717€
2139€
1736€
B category hotels (January - April; July - August)
3844€
2267€
1864€
| Travel dates | Accommodation | Price per person in € | ||
| 2 Pers. | 6 Pers. | 18 Pers. | ||
|
Upon request for individual travellers |
B category hotels (May - November) | 3717€ | 2139€ | 1736€ |
| B category hotels (January - April; July - August) | 3844€ | 2267€ | 1864€ | |
What's Included
- 14 nights accommodation in a double (DBL) or twin (TWN) room at B category hotels;
- Breakfast at the hotel;
- Lunch on day 4, 5, 6, 9 of the itinerary;
- Dinner on day 4, 5 of the itinerary;
- Excursions on the entire itinerary;
- Entrance fees according to the itinerary;
- Cooking class;
- Transportation according to the itinerary;
- English speaking guide during the entire itinerary (except the days at the beach in Guanacaste).