Costa Rica Nature's Paradise of Costa Rica - Itinerary
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Day 1: San José - Arrivals On your arrival at the San José International Airport, you will be met by a Sights and Soul Travels representative for your private transfer to the hotel. After some time to refresh and rest after your flight, we will meet in the evening for a welcome dinner, and enjoy our first meal together, as we're getting to know other travelers and share in the anticipation of our upcoming adventures. Day 2: San José to La Fortuna via the Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens After breakfast, today our true Costa Rican adventure begins! Leaving San José, we will travel north, towards the famous Mango Park, through fern forests and strawberry fields. Our first stop will be at a family-run organic coffee plantation, where we'll learn about the cultivation and processing of Costa Rica's golden bean, and of course taste some freshly made coffee. We'll taste different roasts and will be able to purchase some beans to take home. From there, we'll continue to one of Costa Rica's most spectacular volcano, the Poas Volcano, and if it's not too active, we'll be able to admire impressive blue crater and sulfur fumaroles, take an easy walk to Botos Lagoon, and learn about the park's different ecosystems. Afterwards, we'll continue to La Paz Waterfall Gardens, with its butterfly observatory and the White Magic Waterfall. We'll enjoy a delightful lunch, then continue towards La Fortuna to the Royal Corin Resort and Spa, our home for the next four nights. Day 3: La Fortuna: Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Hot Springs This morning, we'll set out to explore the Arenal Volcano. Rising majestically above the town of La Fortuna and Lake Arenal, the volcano has been producing ash columns, massive explosions and streamers of glowing molten rock almost daily since 1968, while miraculously retaining its picture-perfect conical shape. We'll start the day taking the slow-paced Sky Tram gondolas, soaring smoothly above the rain forest to the perfect lookout offering the best vistas of the volcano and the tropical forest surrounding it. From here, we'll have an option to return by Sky Tram or take the world famous zip lines down. After all this excitement, we'll spend the afternoon relaxing at the fabulous Tabacon Hot Springs. Tabacon is famous for its mineral river heated by the volcano to nearly 100 degrees. The river divides into a number of separate pools and waterfalls, where we can wander and soak in the beautifully landscaped hot pools. It's a recreation of the Garden of Eden on Earth. Day 4: La Fortuna: Arenal Hanging Bridges and Cooking Class The adventure continues today. In the morning, we'll have a chance to experience the famous Arenal Hanging Bridges. Accompanied by a biologist guide, we'll follow a trail leading through the virgin rainforest, as it loops around and twists, passing over several impressive hanging bridges, while watching the howler monkeys frolic in the branches and enjoying panoramic views of the lake and the volcano. In the afternoon, we'll enjoy a private cooking class. We’ll learn about Costa Rican food and local agricultural products such as yucca, tiquisque, mamón chino and sugar cane, as we get an understanding of what it takes to get Costa Rican food from the farm to the table. Afterwards, we'll follow the instruction of a local chef, as we prepare some Tico-style tortillas and “guisados”, then we'll have the opportunity to taste our creations at a delicious sit-down dinner. Day 5: La Fortuna: Chocolate Tour This morning, we'll start with the most delicious experience: learning about the Ancient Secrets of Chocolate, from its discovery and history to the processing of the chocolate we know today. Considered "a gift of the Gods", the cocoa tree was very important to the ancient Mesoamerican culture, it was not only used as a ceremonial drink, but its seeds were also used as currency. We'll have the opportunity to participate in all the production process, from the harvesting of the fruit, drying and grinding of the seed, to preparation of the traditional drink of our ancestors, and of course enjoying a high quality organic chocolate. The afternoon will be free to enjoy the hotel's beautiful gardens, outdoor thermal springs and swimming pools, waterfalls, thermal steam sauna, and a thermal river. At dusk, as the sun starts to fall, we'll enjoy the mystic way the light disappears from the sky, while listening to tropical birds. In the evening, we'll enjoy another festive dinner, while sharing our stories from the day. Day 6: La Fortuna to Herradura via the Tarcoles River After breakfast, we'll leave the Arenal Volcano area and drive south towards the stunning beaches of Costa Rica's Pacific Coast. We'll drive through the enchanted cloud forest, created by the high moisture coming from the northeast which provides consistent cloud cover and creates a climate that remains consistent throughout the year. This unique environment provides a home for a wide variety of animal and bird species. We will stop for lunch at a local restaurant, before reaching the Tarcoles River, where we'll board a comfortable boat and observe up close the largest population of American crocodiles. After our encounter with these large reptiles, we'll arrive at our beachside resort in Herradura in the afternoon. We'll be able to enjoy the hotel's beautiful location and extensive amenities, explore the palm tree lined beach of Los Suenos, take a walk through the rainforest, enjoy the spa, or simply sip a drink by the pool, before getting together for dinner. Day 7: Herradura: Free Morning at the Beach and Catamaran Cruise Today, we can spend most of the day relaxing on the beach and enjoying the hotel's amenities. In the afternoon, we'll board our private boat to spend a few hours enjoying the dramatic beauty of the coastline and some of the nearby islands, watching for dolphins and other marine life while sipping Costa Rican cocktails, then snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean and admiring some of the area's best coral reefs and aquatic life. Afterwards, we'll enjoy dinner with the view of the ocean, as we watch the sunset, and toast the new friends and great memories we've made so far in Costa Rica. Day 8: Manuel Antonio: National Park tour and Mangrove Tour by Boat This morning, we'll take a short transfer to Manuel Antonio. On arrival, we'll take a guided nature walk of the national park to learn about the exotic plant and animal life in the rain forest. We will have the chance to smell, touch, observe, and even taste the real Costa Rican jungle, home to many exotic species of wildlife. Afterwards, we'll continue to lunch at the famous El Avion Restaurant, a converted C-123 Fairchild cargo plane. Afterwards, we'll continue our exploration of Manuel Antonio with a guided tour of the Damas Island's mangrove wetland, part of the biggest mangrove ecosystem in Central America and the most puzzling ecosystem in Costa Rica. During this educational and eco-friendly tour, we'll learn about the history of Quepos and see the native wildlife in their natural environment. There are hundreds of different types of wildlife like birds, mammals, reptiles and fish that we'll be able to easily spot from the boat. Afterwards, we'll return to the hotel, and the rest of the evening will be free to enjoy the beach, relax by the pool, or get a spa treatment at the hotel. Day 9: Herradura to San Jose: Guided City Tour In the morning, we'll travel back to San José and check into our hotel. In the afternoon, we'll set out to explore Costa Rica's capital city with a private guide. During the panoramic tour of the city we'll see the Morazan Park, the National Theater, Central Park, and the Metropolitan Cathedral. In the evening, we'll celebrate our Costa Rican adventure with a farewell dinner at an exclusive San José restaurant, and share our best memories from the trip. Day 10: San José: Departures Sadly, today we must say goodbye to Costa Rica and to the new friends who made this adventure so much more meaningful. After breakfast, we will arrange for your private airport transfer in accordance with your flight's departure time.
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