Costa Rica | Gardens, Forests, Wildlife and the Sea

Upon arrival at San José International Airport, after clearing customs and collecting your luggage, you will be met and transferred to Hotel Bougainvillea, located in a suburb of the capital. After settling into your room, enjoy the beautiful gardens. The hotel's owner, an advocate for the flora of Costa Rica, designed the garden's 10 acres of tropical plants, crops, frog ponds, and walkways. This evening, gather at the hotel restaurant for a welcome dinner.

After breakfast, check out and travel to Arenal, stopping at Else Kientzler Botanical Garden en route. This private garden features collections of palms, orchids, gingers, fruit trees, succulents, and a children's garden. Continue to Sarchí, a mountainous town famous for its crafts, where you'll have lunch at a typical "tico" restaurant. After check-in at Arenal Observatory Lodge, you will have a bit of time to explore the trails. Surrounded by jungle, the lodge's rooms offer excellent views of Arenal Volcano. Gather together around the pool before dinner this evening for an informal discussion about the flora you can expect to see in this ecosystem.

This morning, take a guided hike at Arenal Hanging Bridges. Trails along the mountainside and over suspension bridges give amazing views of the forest canopy and, on clear days, the volcano. Enjoy lunch at the hotel and then have some free time before a twilight safari float. As you meander down Río Peñas Blancas in your raft, your guide will point out the nocturnal fauna. After approximately two hours, stop at a local farm to enjoy a typical Costa Rican snack, including yuca bread, fried sweet plantains, homemade cheeses, coffee, and juices. Return to the lodge. Dinner tonight is on own.

Meet with your guide early this morning to walk the trails around the lodge. After breakfast, travel east to Sarapiquí Valley, home of Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve. The property protects more than 500 acres of primary and secondary tropical rainforest. After lunch, receive an orientation to the lodge and meet the director of the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC), a non-profit organization that provides services for nearby communities. Learn about their current projects and how they assist local residents, and then visit the on-site botanical garden. Continue to a nearby farm for a chocolate tour. Learn about the cacao plant and its historical importance, and see firsthand the step-by-step process of transforming cacao beans into the delicious finished product. Return to Selva Verde and have time to explore on own. After dinner, join your guide for an optional walk through the property to look for wildlife.

Start the day early with an optional guided bird walk. After breakfast, cross the suspension bridge above the Río Sarapiquí and enter Selva Verde's private reserve for a guided hike through the virgin rainforest. This afternoon, choose between whitewater rafting or a relaxing boat ride on the Río Sarapiquí. Dinner will be al fresco at La Terrazza, Selva Verde's Italian restaurant overlooking the Río Sarapiquí-always a festive occasion!

After breakfast, travel to Hotel Punta Leona on the Pacific coast, with lunch en route. Following arrival at the hotel and settling into your room, you will have the remainder of the afternoon and evening to explore your new surroundings with your guide or on your own.

This morning, take a guided walk in nearby Carara National Park, a transitional zone where northwest tropical dry forest and southern tropical rainforest intersect. Trails through Carara feature thick, ancestral forest that has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Keep your eyes open for flocks of Scarlet Macaws swarming the palm trees in search of fruit. After lunch at a typical restaurant, the remainder of your day is free to enjoy the beach and water activities offered at Punta Leona. Dinner is on your own this evening.

If you wish, wake up early for a walk with your guide as the wildlife start their day. After breakfast, travel to the Organization for Tropical Studies Las Cruces Biological Station, a mid-elevation site located close to the Panamanian border that protects more than 740 acres of premontane wet forest habitat. Stop in San Vito for lunch at a typical tico restaurant. This afternoon, participate in a site discussion with the director of the station.

Have an early breakfast, followed by a guided walk through the on-site Wilson Botanical Garden, one of the most famous botanical gardens in Central America. The garden features diverse tropical and subtropical ornamentals and rare and endangered plants, including an impressive collection of cycads. Other well-represented groups include ferns, aroids, bromeliads, gingers, heliconias, and marantas. The afternoon is at leisure to explore the gardens, greenhouses, and trails on your own or with your guide.

This morning you will be transferred to the cloud forests of San Gerardo de Dota, with lunch en route. After check-in, learn the history of Savegre Hotel and its proprietors, the Chacón family. The property has nearly 1,000 acres of trails, both in virgin and secondary forests. You will have time for self-exploration later this afternoon and evening. Your guide will be available for those who wish to take an afternoon and/or night walk on the grounds.

Should you wish, start your day with an early morning guided bird walk in search of the resident Resplendent Quetzal. After breakfast, take a guided hike on the Los Robles Trail to see trees that are more than 700 years old and up to 197 feet tall. The varying degrees of incline are not particularly strenuous, apart from the effort needed for the mountainous 2.8 mile stretch. Stop for a photo opportunity next to the magnificent Centenary Oak, which in 2010 received the Exceptional Tree Award from the Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute (INBio). The afternoon is yours for self-exploration; perhaps you would like to discover the lush flora along the local trails, visit Batsu Garden for photography and birding, and/or take advantage of the wonderful Del Rio Spa (extra cost; suggested arrangement upon check-in).

After breakfast, depart for Santo Domingo and Hotel Bougainvillea. En route, your first stop will be to meet Ileana Terán, president of SACRO (Save Costa Rican Orchids), a private, non-profit organization created to assist in the conservation of orchids in Costa Rica. They believe that the most effective means of conservation is through education. After your discussion with Señora Terán, continue your day with lunch at a local restaurant in Cartago. Continue to Hotel Bougainvillea, where you can take a leisurely stroll in the tropical gardens before this evening's farewell dinner.

This morning you will be transferred to the airport in San José for your flight(s) home.