[gta_package_book_it_button packagename=’Volcano, Jungle and Beach’]
This trip combines some of our favorite highlights of Costa Rica! If you’re planning to have a trip to Costa Rica you should include this tour. Experience the stunning mountains, the lush rainforest in Costa Rica and the jungle-hugged exotic beaches of Costa Rica’s Caribbean for an unforgettable trip.
There are lots of ways you can customize your package – extend days, change tours and even add destinations. Here’s what your trip will look like.
Itinerary
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Day 1 & 2: Arenal
Your day starts with morning pickup from your San Jose hotel. You will travel in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus to La Fortuna, a small town located next to Arenal Volcano and will be dropped off at your hotel (as chosen by you; budget, midrange or luxury).
After you’ve settled in, we will take you to the west side of the volcano which is one of the best places for exceptional night-time viewings. After that, you will go to Tabacón Hot Springs Resort where you will enjoy a variety of hot spring pools. Tabacón also features water slides, waterfalls, and 12 different pools! Dinner is served buffet style with great views of this famous Costa Rica volcano.
Note: If you are planning time on the Pacific Coast beforehand, we can also pick you up on day 1 from your hotel at most Pacific Beach towns for no additional cost.
On day 2, you will be picked up at 8 a.m. for an adventurous horseback riding tour to visit the waterfall of La Fortuna. Returning to your hotel, you will have a free evening to explore La Fortuna. If cloud-cover affected your volcano view in the morning, you’ll have another chance to see it at night as it’s visible from the whole town!
Or you can choose to do a zip line/canopy tour instead!
Day 3: Rafting to Puerto Viejo
Spend the day whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River to the Caribbean!
We’ll pick you up early in Arenal for an all-day adventure on Costa Rica’s most popular river. You’ll get the chance to enjoy a hearty breakfast at the rafting center where your luggage is stored in a locked container. Then it’s an intensive full-day river trip with lunch included.
At the end of the day, you are transported to Puerto Viejo for a two-night stay at your choice of hotel (or even add more nights; we recommend this place a lot!).
Day 4: Puerto Viejo
Breakfast at your hotel (included with most hotels, see hotel details below).
Pickup for your choice of our combo Animal Rescue Centre/Waterfall/Chocolate Lady tour, a snorkel, boat and hike tour of Cahuita National Park or our Full Day Jungle Adventure ($36 extra per person).
The Animal Rescue Center/Chocolate Lady and Waterfall tour takes you to the Animal Rescue Center, which offers shelter, treatment and protection to ill or wounded wild animals in the South Caribbean area. It is a sanctuary for wild animals who try to accommodate their jungle guests as well as they can: terrariums for the snakes, large spaces for the monkeys to rest in after spending the whole day playing in the trees, special quarantine cages for the seriously injured animals, a large supply of medicine and an operating theatre for emergency surgery if necessary. Your visit helps support the work of the center.
Next you visit an indigenous family growing cacao trees on their land. They are eager to show you the entire process of cacao fruit becoming a bar of chocolate. You will have the opportunity to purchase some of their chocolate or other indigenous handmade crafts. Please note that only part of the family speaks very limited English, so if you don’t speak Spanish, your explanation of the process may be in the form of a pantomime! You will also hike to a beautiful waterfall for our third destination.
The Cahuita National Park option combines a guided hike through the rain forest, a boat ride to Punta Cahuita and snorkeling. This is the #1 destination in the area and you are sure to see plenty of wildlife, in and out of the water. All snorkeling equipment is provided.
If you want a more action-packed day, you can choose our Full Day Jungle Adventure that includes transportation, canopy, Tarzan Swing, tree climbing, hiking, and rappelling. This option is $36 extra per person or an additional $95 if you choose to do it in addition to the Animal Rescue Center/Chocolate Lady and Waterfall tour or the Cahuita National Park tour (additional day required).
If more than one of these options sounds good to you, then you can easily add on extra days in Puerto Viejo to experience more of our great activities! If you just want time to explore the area (by bicycle is an excellent option) and relax on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, then choose the option to add extra nights in Puerto Viejo.
Day 5: Back to San Jose
On the final day, have breakfast at your hotel, enjoy your morning at the beach. and then you will be transported back to San Jose by comfortable air-conditioned minibus.
Optional add-on trips
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Monteverde
Monteverde is famous for its world-renowned cloud forest, which, by some, is regarded as the best rainforest in Costa Rica. This high altitude rain forest has plenty of unique flora and fauna lending an almost magical air to those who experience it.
We’ll pick you up in Manuel Antonio and escort you to your Monteverde hotel for a one-night stay. You can opt to explore on your own or do the highly recommended Sky Trek zip line tour or even a hiking tour to the refuge.
The next morning you’ll travel by van and boat across Lake Arenal to La Fortuna.
Tortuguero
Optional add-on to Tortuguero starting at $150 per person.
Tortuguero National Park is an isolated area on the north part of the Caribbean coast reachable only by boat or by air. Pure and untouched nature, turtle watching and jungle canals await you.
We’ll pick you up at your Puerto Viejo hotel, bring you to Tortuguero by mini-bus and boat for a one night stay at a lodge. All your meals are included as are tours of the canals and town. Boat and shuttle transport to San Jose is provided on the following afternoon.
Bocas del Toro
Optional add-on to Bocas del Toro from just $179 per person.
Our Bocas del Toro trips include transportation from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro via shared van; then on by boat to the islands and accommodation – either luxury on the main island or a bit more simple but with stunning views on Isla Solarte. Breakfast is provided and depending on how many days you stay, an afternoon activity or a full day tour with lunch is included. The option to return to San Jose by land or air is also available.
If you are staying for one night only, you can either go snorkeling or deep boarding in the afternoon before enjoying a nice dinner in Bocastown or at your lodge. The next morning is free for you to discover the islands or relax on a secluded beach. At noon, you will start the trip back to Puerto Viejo.
If you stay two nights, you will have the rest of the day available to visit one of the nearby islands or explore the town. On the second day, you will go on a tour to Cayo Zapatillo, where you can try out deep boarding, the new way to snorkel. The tour includes lunch and snorkeling equipment. After a day on and in the water, you can enjoy the evening in Bocastown or at your lodge and then return to Puerto Viejo the next day after breakfast. If you require an additional morning to explore Bocas, we can also organize an afternoon shuttle (not possible for San Jose).
Package Information:
| Depatures: | Daily from your hotel in San Jose, Monteverde or Pacific Beach towns. Enquire about other starting locations. |
| Duration: | 5 complete days/4 nights. Additional days can be added. * Note this package departs early on the first day and finishes late-afternoon/early evening of the last day. If you are planning your international flights, you should arrive in San Jose at least the day before your departure and leave the day after the tour ends. |
| Cost per person: | From $659 per person for a 5 day / 4 night package, depending on hotel and tour options chosen and package dates. Additional nights can be added. * Rates are for double sharing / low season. For other dates and room types please enter your details on the booking form or inquire with us for a custom package quote. |
| Includes: | ● Return transportation as indicated in itinerary ● 2 nights of accommodation in La Fortuna (base rate includes San Bosco, other choices will increase or reduce your package price) ● 2 nights in Puerto Viejo ● Tours and activities as described above ● Breakfast on most days, lunch on the rafting trip day ● Gecko Trail Costa Rica service charge ● Optional accommodations in San Jose before your trip if you’d like us to arrange this for you (select this option on the booking form to see prices). |
| Not included: | ● Rates shown are based on double rooms. If you require a single room, an extra charge is applied. For triple or quad rooms, a discount will be applied. Please enter your details on the booking form for pricing. ● As some of these hotels are further from La Fortuna, they might also require an additional fee from the tour operator for pickup; we will advise if there is an additional charge. ● Private transfer option where a Costa Rican private driver will directly meet your flight. |
| What to bring: | Swimsuit, shoes or sandals that can get wet from a rafting trip, sunscreen, pants, insect repellent, and hiking boots/shoes. |
Details on add-on trips
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Monteverde
| Duration: | One day/one night. Additional days can be added. |
| Cost per person: | From $75 per person as an add-on to package depending on hotel and dates chosen. |
| Accommodations: | Includes accommodations at Arco Iris, Claro de Luna or similar. If you have a particular hotel request, let us know, and we’ll advise if we can book that for you and what the price difference would be. |
| Includes: | ● Minibus transport from San Jose to Monteverde ● One night of lodging at a hotel in Monteverde (private bath, hot water, breakfast) ● Van/boat/van transportation to your Arenal hotel |
| Tour options: | ● Add guided hike of Monteverde Cloud Forest ● Add Sky Adventures canopy/zip line tour including hotel pickup |
| Not included: | ● Supplement for single room |
Tortuguero
| Duration: | Two days/one night. Additional days can be added. |
| Cost per person: | Standard room with swimming pool and open buffet meals from $155 per person, if you choose shuttle transportation for the main package. Otherwise $219 per person. Additional nights can be added; There is no single supplement for the Tortuguero add-on. |
| The 2 day/1 night package Includes: | ● Transportation from Puerto Viejo with drop-off in San Jose. ● One night of lodging. ● Five great meals (2 breakfast, 2 lunch, 1 dinner). ● Two canal tours in the national park, in search of a close-up view of the wildlife. ● One guided hike in the national park. ● One trip to the interesting town of Tortuguero with a visit to the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. |
| Not Included: | ● National park entrance fees ● Optional night turtle tour (July-October) ● Alcoholic beverages |
Bocas del Toro
| Duration: | 2 days/1 night or 3 days/2 nights. |
| Important Note: | We cannot confirm your booking until we have received complete passport information for ALL passengers. Not providing this information in a timely manner will be treated as a no-show. |
| Cost per person: | 2 day/1 night package: from $185 p/p (economy) or $225 p/p (luxury) 3 day/2 night package: from $285 p/p (economy) or $355 p/p (luxury) Note – Rates are not valid for holiday seasons. |
| Includes: | • Return transportation from Puerto Viejo area hotels to Colon Island or Isla Solarte in Bocas del Toro, Panama • One or two nights of lodging in one of our partner hotels • Local activity or one day tour to Cayo Zapatillo • Gecko Trail Costa Rica service charge |
| Not Included: | • Exit and entry fees to be paid on both sides of the border (calculate another $16 for round trip) • Bocas airport departure tax for those choosing the return to San Jose by air option • Single supplement if single room(s) needed • Transportation from and to tour(s) |
| What to Bring: | Bathing suit, sunglasses, sunscreen, towel, passport and onward ticket leaving Costa Rica (or Panama if you are ending the tour there) for border crossing |
[gta_package_book_it_button packagename=’Volcano, Jungle and Beach’]