Arrive at the San José Airport (SJO) where you will be met by Gustavo Orozco your Nature guide.

Transfer to your hotel: The shuttle bus will transfer you to your hotel where you’ll settle in and spend the remainder of the day to relax and enjoy the wonderful gardens of the hotel at your leisure.

Lodging: Bougainvillea Hotel

Type of room: Standard

Hotel Amenities: Swimming pool.

Meals: Welcome dinner

This morning we drive to the summit of the Volcano. The foothills of Irazu are considered the breadbasket of Costa Rica.

Our visit will be of 1 hour and 30 minutes due to altitude. Gorgeous mountain setting and beautifully surrounded by mist Irazu Volcano National Park has a unique flora, typical of tropical Paramos where we can find, poor men's umbrella, orchids, mosses, ferns, and dozens of other species of plants unique to the high elevations of the tropics. On Clear days one can see both coast, Pacific, and Caribbean, as well as the extent of the impressive low land forest of the eastern watershed.

The average temperature of Irazu is between 40- and 50-degrees Fahrenheit. Many rivers that drain to the easter watershed are born here. 

Lodging: Villa Florencia

Type of room: Superior grade rooms

Hotel Amenities: Swimming Pool, Jacuzzi, Beautiful Gardens.

Meals: Breakfast

The CATIE Botanical Garden is made up of an invaluable collection of genetic material that is conserved for research and education purposes, it houses more than 4000 genetic samples that represents around 400 species of plants from different parts of the world’s tropics, some of them are even in danger of extinction.

Lodging: Villa Florencia

Meals: Breakfast

This morning we drive early to get to the lowlands in time to catch our boat to get to Tortuguero National Park, one of the largest parks in the eastern lowlands of the country a probably the most important nesting site for green sea turtles in the western hemisphere. We will be on a boat for about two hours through the flooded forest of the park. Tortuguero has an impressive canal system, one of the most intricate in the country and the closest one can be to the versea forest in the amazon.

After an early dinner we must get ready for our turtle expedition on the tortuguero beach. This walk will last 2 hours, and we must walk in the dark due to the prohibition of using flashlights at night. Only a red flashlight can be permited with restrictions even as we walk along the beach. Once we find a turtle only our designated turtle guide will use a flashlight to show us the laying eggs process. Dark clothing is also suggested not to startle the turtle.

Note: Turtle season is from June to October. If this tour is offer in other times of the year, turtle watching will not be offered.

Lodging: Mawamba Lodge

Type of room: Standard grade rooms

Hotel Amenities: Swimming Pool, Butterfly Garden, Frog Pond. Beach Front Property. Tortuguero National Park

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

 Hotel with no A/C

Morning exploration of the Tortuguero Canals, often described as the Venice of the Rain Forest. One of the best chances in our tour to enjoy this Amazonian flooded forest type, hard to find anywhere else in Central America. With a profusion of life diversity Tortuguero is also one of the best places for wildlife viewing.

Lodging: Mawamba Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Morning exploration of the Southern sector of the park, the area, not frequently visited by tourist offers great chances of wildlife harder to find in the tourist section of the park. With luck we could see a Jaguar crossing the river to the beach side in search of a Green Turtle for dinner. The area is also good for Manatee and Crocodiles.

Lodging: Mawamba Lodge

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Boat ride back to our dock where we will get our transport to continue to the southeast of Costa Rica. Scenic land scape dominated by cattle ranches as well as pineapple and banana plantations, are frequently found along the road, these plantations also give us a good chance to talk about tropical crops and their importance to the local economy.

We continue to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, where lush forest and the most paradisiac beaches of the Caribbean side of Costa Rica are waiting for us.

Lodging: Hotel Cariblue

Type of room: Standard grade rooms

Hotel Amenities: Swimming Pool, Beautiful Gardens. Spa

Meals: Breakfast

This morning we will explore the natural wonders of Cahuita National Park; it is considered the most important wildlife sanctuary of the Southern Caribbean. Cahuita National Park is “where the ocean meets the forest,” and the level walking paths and boardwalks are jam-packed with wildlife to see. The high concentration of such diverse animal life makes this walk a nature encounter of a lifetime. And all along the forest trail there is a beautiful beach only steps away - maybe there will be baby turtles racing to the ocean, maybe we’ll have time for a swim!

Lodging: Hotel Cariblue

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure to enjoy a stroll on the beach, the amenities of the hotel or organize an activity of your interest in the area.

Lodging: Hotel Cariblue

Meals provided: Breakfast

This morning we will relax at the hotel, pack up and say a fond farewell to the beauty and wonder of Costa Rica’s golden Caribbean shore. After lunch we’ll start the drive back to San José and the Hotel Bougainvillea (about 4 and a half hours). We’ll certainly have a lot of recently made memories to talk about on the way home!

Lodging: Bougainvillea

Meals: Breakfast, and Dinner

Transfer to airport:  You should plan to arrive at the airport three hours before your flight.