Costa Rica 2017

Itinerary
3-5 aug      2n  San Jose
5-8 aug      3n  Tortuguero usd 235*
8-9 aug      1n  Sarapiqui usd 159?
9-12 aug    3n  La Fortuna usd 155
12-15aug    3n Monteverde NP  usd 259
15-19 aug   4n Samara usd 198 
19-23 aug   4n Manuel Antonio usd 305
23-24 aug   1n San Jose   usd  198

*) prices transport through Morphovans

Hotels

San Jose: Courtyard San Jose Airport Alajuela 75 euro, Alameda Cariari Boutique 72eur, Brilla Sol 85eur

Tortuguero: Cabinas Icaco Tortuguero excl. br 41 eur (4BB)
Sarapiqui: El Bambu 115 eur incl. br, pool, free night tour,  Tirimbina Lodge 93 eur incl br. and entr. nat park/shared bath/bunk beds/regular bus to la fortuna/pool neigh. hotel $3, 

La Fortuna: San Bosco Inn incl. br 70 eur (22), Hotel Bijagua excl. br 81 eur (1BB),  Arenal Hostel Resort 60 eur (5BA), Hotel magic mountain 104 eur (20), Secreto la Fortuna

Monteverde: Monteverde Inn incl. br 90 eur (5), Camino Monteverde incl. br 80 eur (1BB)
Samara: Casa del mar incl. br 108 eur (11BB), Locanda Samara Beach incl. br 122 eur, Tico Adventure Lodge 108 eur excl. br (4BA)

Manuel Antonio: Villas Lirio 139 eur (2BB), Tabulia tree hotel incl. br 110 eur (5Bb), Falls resort 150 eur (6), La Posada jungle Bungalows 150 eur (17), Waterfront Verde Mar 103 eur (28), Hotel Tres Banderas 114eur (34)

 

3 aug      San Jose

Arrival and transport hotel

4 aug      San Jose

Rest day

5 aug Tortuguero
It will take 3 hours (111km) by bus (with tour guide) to get to a small fishing village La Pavona, from where you and your luggage will be transferred to a boat for the final trip into Tortuguero (1 hour). This is a fun part of the journey! As you cruise down the La Suerte River, keep your eyes open for caymans and Jesus Christ Lizards. They say that the river is infested with Piranha as well, so keep your hands in the boat! You will spend most of your day getting to the lodge.

6 aug Tortuguero

You will want to take the boat tour during the morning today. This will leave very early because that is when the wildlife is most active. You will most likely get a good look at toucans and some of the 1000+ other bird species, caymans, howler monkeys, bats, spider monkeys, and even tayras. This National Park is also the prime nesting site for the green and leatherback sea turtles from June to October, during which months an optional turtle nesting night- tour will be available.
Tortuguero video


7 aug Tortuguero
In the afternoon, enjoy a Nature Walk where you will be shown a variety of plant species like cacao as well as a few animals that you may happen to see on the property grounds. You will also see a butterfly farm and frog garden.

8 aug Sarapiqui 1 hour boat + 2,5 hour drive (95km)
Travel day

9 aug Sarapiqui to Arenal/La Fortuna 2,5 hour drive (101km)
White water rafting in the morrning.Sarapiquí River is one of Costa Rica’s loveliest and most exciting destinations for rafting. This tour takes you down some of the swiftest parts of the river, including some Class III and Class IV rapids. Sarapiqui Outdoor Center or  Aguas Bravas


10 aug Arenal 
Visiting the Arenal Volcano National Park. Hike around on your own as or get a professional guide. The guides are better able to spot wildlife. I saw a tiny eyelash pit viper on the Coladas Trail and a giant Ciebo tree astride the Cieba Trail. Large rodents called agouti scurried around in the undergrowth near the trail, and there was a nice panorama where an older lava flow had swept the mountainside clear of the jungle, providing a sweeping view not only of the perfectly conical mountain, but also the deep blue namesake lake below it. Allow at least a half day if you take both trails (Ciebo and Heliconias). La Fortuna video

11 aug Arenal

La Fortuna Waterfall is worth a visit and easy to get to (down a poor dirt road) not far from town. Allow another half day. Hike down into the canyon with your swimsuits in your backpack. Bring food and water. There’s no concession at the bottom. The trail is steep and not for the badly out of shape or disabled. You can swim in the natural pools at the base of the fall or in one of the smaller pools downstream from it. The water is cool, not bone-chilling.
Or head to the Tabacon Hot Springs. This is an expensive side trip, so don’t go unless you intend to linger. I came expecting some cheesy tourist rip-off but was pleasantly surprised. It is a veritable fantasyland of tiered geothermal hot springs cascading through manicured grounds crisscrossed by delicately arched bridges and cozy bubbling grottos.

12 aug Monte Verde 3 hour taxi-boat-taxi (106km) transportation options
Night tours provide you with the opportunity to see critters that are nocturnal. Expect to see lots of bats, frogs, and spiders, and snakes, with an off-chance of catching a giant anteater on the prowl.

13 aug Monte Verde

Go to Selvatura Park This is the best place to zipline in Costa Rica because of the mist and the fact that there are so many runs (one a kilometer long!). The canopy experts are very safe and professional. You can wait in the hummingbird exhibit for your zipline adventure to begin. You should allow 4-6 hours including drive time from Saint Helena, depending on how much you do at the cloud forest.



14 aug Monte Verde 
In the Cloud Forest you can enjoy a guided or unguided canopy tour, a hummingbird aviary, a butterfly graden, insect exhibit, serpentarium, hanging bridges.

15-19 aug Samara 3 hour drive (137km).
Beach.
option: Ostional Wildlife reserve: Turtles: At night, when there is an arribada, you must check in with the ranger booth at the southern end of Ostional where you pay the entrance fee of $ 10. No flashlights or flash photography is permitted.option.





19 aug Manuel Antonio 5 hour drive (285km).
Make a stop at: Tarcoles river: Jose’s crocodile tour $ 35pp

20-21 aug Manuel Antonio
Today is a relaxation day at the beach.

22 aug Manuel Antonio

In the Park, along the initial route before turning down to the beach, mostly on the left you will see families of spider and/or howler monkeys. If you take a guide, they know how to call to the animals so that they will come closer. I also got almost close enough to a deer to touch it! Lots of butterflies on the way as well. The entire park is covered in tall trees: you will see cedars, mangroves, silk cottons, coconuts, and more. At the first beach you come to (Manuel Antonio) you will see coatis, and they are unafraid of you, so they are easy to film. Behind the facilities, there are sometimes spider monkeys in the low trees very close to the trail. Punta Cathedral. It is a steep hike, but the views are panoramic and it is well worthwhile.

Of course, there are lizards everywhere. Many people just hang out at this beach, but it is worthwhile to cross over the peninsula (you are still on Park Trail and there is a map) and see the other beach (Espadilla Sur). I saw a huge iguana on a log there. From there, to the left you will find a loop trail that goes up the high bluffs overlooking the ocean. This is called

23 aug San Jose
3 hour drive (160km) back to San Jose

24 aug San Jose
flight home


Extra day San Jose
The tour begins with an early pick up at your hotel. Drive to the Poás Volcano along a road dotted with fern, flower and strawberry farms. At the volcano, you can explore segments of the park with a light hike and peer into an impressive crater steaming with fumaroles. You’ll also visit the beautiful Botos Lagoon and learn about the various ecosystems that are present within the region. 

After visiting the volcano, you’ll continue on to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Once here, you’ll walk along a forested trail that leads to the spectacular waterfalls. This area is between 4,000 feet and 5,000 feet (1219 m to 1524 m), which allows for the coexistence of both a rainforest and cloud forest.
Other suggested stops:Doka Estate Coffee Farm and strawberry farms.