Summary
Short description
Experience the very best of Costa Rica's remarkable natural world
Highlights
- Sip freshly brewed coffee on the slopes of a still-active volcano
- Head to the Caribbean coast to watch turtles lay their eggs
- Try your hand at zip-lining, rafting and canyoning in the rainforests of Arenal
- Seek out unique wildlife amid Monteverde's protected cloud forest
- End with a choice of luxury resorts on Costa Rica's verdant Pacific Coast
In Brief
- 2 Nights San José
- 2 Nights Tortuguero National Park
- 2 Nights Arenal Volcano National Park
- 2 Nights Monteverde
- 3 Nights Manuel Antonio National Park or Guanacaste Province
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
Activity adventure | April holidays | Beach | City | February holidays | History & culture | Honeymoon | March holidays | Natural world | Wildlife
Costa Rica is a truly remarkable country, one where verdant forests packed with wildlife frame the steep slopes of ancient volcanoes and golden beaches spill down to the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Over two action-packed weeks you'll take in the very best of the country's unique culture and natural world. Sample freshly ground coffee on the slopes of Poás Volcano, watch leatherback turtles lumber from the ocean to lay their eggs, zip-line through the jungle, ride horses across volcanic lava fields and quest after quetzals in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. End your stay relaxing on the jungle-backed beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park or the Pacific-coast resort of Guanacaste.
Day by day itinerary
Days
1-2
UK/San José
Begin your holiday in style with included airport lounge access before your day flight to San José, a city ringed by jagged mountains and towering volcanoes. A private tour on day two begins at the Doka Estate on the slopes of the Poás Volcano, whose rich soil is largely responsible for the excellent coffee produced here. You'll then visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens, home to a butterfly observatory, hummingbird garden and walking trails that lead deep into the rainforest. Meals are included on day two only.
Stay: Hotel Grano de Oro (Superior) or Costa Rica Marriott Hotel (Deluxe)
Meals: B L
Days
3-4
Tortuguero National Park
A bus and boat ride will bring you to your luxury lodge in Tortuguero National Park, whose coastal rainforest is threaded by a maze of canals, swamps and waterways. It offers wonderful chances to spot all kinds of wildlife, with everything from sloths, iguanas and brightly coloured butterflies to monkeys, crocodiles and perhaps even jaguars making their homes beneath the forest canopy. Here, guided hikes and boat rides are included while between July to October it's possible to watch turtles as they lay their eggs on the park's quiet Caribbean beaches.
Stay: Pachira Lodge (Superior) or Tortuga Lodge (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Days
5-6
Arenal Volcano National Park
Few things are more exciting than waking in the morning to incredible views of Costa Rica's active and imposing Arenal Volcano, rising in the distance above the rainforest canopy. Yet this is precisely what's on offer at both our superior and deluxe hotel options. Take a flight from Tortuguero to Arenal, from where a private transfer will bring you to your hotel. Then, with a day at leisure, you'll have the chance to pick from a raft of optional activities, including horse riding, rafting, zip-lining and canyoning, and trips out to La Fortuna waterfall and the Tabacon hot springs. Speak to our specialists about the options available.
Stay: Arenal Springs Resort & Spa (Superior) or Amor Arenal (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Days
7-8
Monteverde
Cross Lake Arenal and transfer privately by road to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a mountainous reserve bathed in a constant soft mist. The following day, you'll enjoy a private four-hour nature tour, hopefully taking in some of the region's wildlife, which includes, among others, the resplendent quetzal, whose dazzling green tail feathers can grow up to a metre long.
Stay: Senda Monteverde (Superior) or Monteverde Lodge & Gardens (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Days
9-11
Manuel Antonio National Park OR Guanacaste
For the final few days of your holiday we've highlighted two different beach options to choose from. Perhaps end your adventure at the Parador Resort & Spa on a 400-acre estate close to Manuel Antonio National Park, where butterflies, hummingbirds, scarlet macaws and clambering monkeys inhabit the dense forests that tumbles down to white-sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean. Alternatively, for pure sun-kissed relaxation, head to Guanacaste, whose west-facing beaches are among Costa Rica's most idyllic.
Stay: in Manuel Antonio National Park - Parador Resort & Spa (Superior) or Arenas del Mar (Deluxe)
Stay: in Guanacaste - Hotel Capitan Suizo (Superior) or El Mangroove (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Days
12-13
Depart for UK
A private transfer takes you back to San José for your overnight to the UK, arriving home on day 13.
Map
Pricing
Any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.
Accommodation rating:
13-day tailor-made holiday
from £4,855 pp incl. flights
Superior
Low Season
from £4,855 pp. incl. flights
High Season
from £5,580 pp. incl. flights
- Complimentary UK airport lounge access
- Return flights between the UK and San Jose
- Domestic flight from Tortuguero to Arenal
- Private transfers throughout (shared transfer and boat to Tortuguero National Park)
- 9 nights accommodation in a mixture of 3* (Standard) and 4* (Superior) hotels on a B&B basis
- 2 nights accommodation in a 4* (Superior) lodge on a full-board basis
- 1 lunch
- Private La Paz waterfall gardens & Doka coffee plantation tour on the slopes of Poas volcano, shared Tortuguero village tour, Tortuguero canals and Mawamaba park, private half-day Monteverde Reserve tour
Terms & Conditions
Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
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