Volcanoes! Turtles! Whitewater rafting! This tour has it all, with opportunities to seek out some of Costa Rica's most celebrated treasures. Wildlife enthusiasts will be thrilled at the chance to tour Tortuguero National Park, one of the most important nesting sites for the green sea turtle. The adventure continues with a thrilling whitewater rafting trip on the clear waters of the Sarapiqui River, and culminates with a visit to Arenal, Costa Rica's most famous - and most active - volcano!
Highlights
Explore the Costa Rican forest and mangrove swamps for animals
Hike in Tirimbina Biological Reserve at night looking for evening creatures
Raft the mellow whitewater of the Sarapiqui River
Explore the forests surrounding Arenal Volcano with unique flora and fauna
Moderately active but not overly strenuous. This level includes activities like casual cycling, yoga, or excursions/activities that typically last 3-5 hours total each day.
Early in the morning you are picked up from your hotel for the drive to the Atlantic coast, traveling through the lush tropical rainforest of Braulio Carrillo National Park, which is one of the largest in the country. Banana plantations line the highway en route to La Pavona, where you take a scenic boat ride on the La Suerte River, Tortuguero River, and through the Tortuguero Canals. The boat ride offers lovely views of the Costa Rican forest and mangrove swamps, which are teeming with such exotic wildlife as sloths, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, coatimundis, raccoons, crocodiles, egrets, parrots, and jaguars—just to name a few!
Arriving in the island village of Tortuguero, enjoy lunch at Turtle Beach Lodge, and then a free afternoon to relax and explore on your own. Spend the next two nights at the lodge, which offers optional tours including kayak rentals and a local zipline tour, a refreshing pool, and nightly turtle-watching tours.
Today is a free day to spend as you please – tour the town, visit museums, or take a walk through the jungle. You can explore the canals winding through the rainforest, which is home to exotic wildlife, from egrets to crocodiles to monkeys to butterflies. Keep your eyes open for turtles! Tortuguero has many highlights, but it is best known for the four species of sea turtles that nest in the region. Tortuguero's coastline is considered one of the Western Hemisphere's most important nesting sites of the green sea turtle, which can be found by the thousands in the summer months. The baby turtles hatch from July through early November, emerging from their nests to scrabble across the sand to the waiting waters of the Atlantic.
Be sure to take advantage of the miles of beach and jungle trails in Tortuguero National Park, horseback riding, kayaking to a nearby lagoon, or fishing in the Tortuguero River for tarpon, snook, and mackerel.
Day 4: Tortuguero to Sarapiqui - Tirimbina Biological Reserve
Start the day off early with a boat ride back to Guapiles, where you have lunch at the Rio Blanco Restaurant. After lunch take ground transportation to Sarapiqui, and spend the afternoon exploring your new surroundings.
This evening you visit the Tirimbina Biological Reserve for a night walk. During this 2-hour walk, learn about the natural history of different rainforest species, with a focus on nocturnal species such as: frogs, insects, spiders, sloths, kinkajous, porcupines, opossums, and others, revealing a completely different perspective of the rainforest (a Bat Tour is also an alternate option). Located within the rainforest and river environments of Costa Rica, this 750-acre tropical science resource combines education, research, and stunning beauty to give visitors an outstanding encounter with nature. The Tirimbina Rainforest Center was founded primarily to preserve one of the few remaining stands of intact, mid-elevation tropical forest in Central America. Through education, the Center has gone further into the process of incorporating the local communities in their conservation challenges.
Tonight, enjoy dinner at the hotel. Overnight Sarapiqui.
Rise and shine! This morning enjoy some classic river rafting on a seven-and-a-half-mile stretch of the clear waters of the Sarapiqui River. Begin in the small community of La Virgen, and raft down through some exciting class II and III rapids—Hueco Gringo, Confusion, Superman, Montana Rusa y Fuerza Aerea, among others. The rapids alternate with crystal clear still-water pools, where you may get the chance to stop for a refreshing swim (if you're not wet enough already!) and fully enjoy the intricacies of the landscape with the help of the naturalist guides. Leave the river at Chilamate, another small community, and stop for lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon transfer to the Arenal area, with the rest of the day free to relax. Enjoy dinner at your hotel, from which you can take in the spectacular views of the volcano. Spend the evening swimming in the pool or relaxing in the Jacuzzi, and then head to your comfortably furnished bungalow for a good night's sleep.
Dormant for centuries, Arenal Volcano exploded in a massive eruption of molten lava and ash in 1968. Since that time, it has continued to belch great clouds of ash and occasional lava. It is now one of the world's most active volcanoes and volcanologists from all over the world come here to study this tropical volcano. Today you visit Costa Rica's celebrated Arenal Volcano National Park. As you move through the forest, watch out for howler monkeys, bright tropical toucans, and listen to the rumbling sounds of the distant volcano. With a bit of luck, you may see the endangered resplendent quetzal bird as well. The walk ends with a magnificent view of Arenal, one of the most active volcanoes in the world since its massive eruption in 1968. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening free in the area! There are lots of optional excursions available in this area. You can go mountain biking, fishing, horseback riding, ziplining, ride a rainforest tram, or even take a hike on the miles of trails in the area.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is $400, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Beyond expectations! Then again we weren't sure what to expect. Lovely stay at the lodge, met other like-minded travelers (many had their trips planned by Adventure Life) and the owner was a gracious hostess. It felt like you were one happy family, visiting with a favorite aunt.
Nancy Sin
TrustScore 4.7 | 112 reviews
TrustScore 4.7 of 5
Based on 112 reviews on
20 hours ago
Adventure Life did an excellent job of planning, organizing and executing a great trip to Argentina. It was nice to have the trip with just the two of us which allowed for a more personable tour with excellent tour guides in all four locations visited. We learned lots of details of the beautiful sites in BA, Mendoza,Baliloche and Iguazu Falls. We want to do another trip with Adventure Life some day.
John WhartonMary Jo Catlett
1 day ago
Kassandra rocks! She had our trip planned and helped us arrange our air travel within the day we contacted her. She has helped us with our trips to Chile Argentina and Costa Rica, and she always finds us wonderful activities and accommodations. We’re looking forward to seeing what she’s planning for us this time when we go to Easter island
Janet
2 days ago
Nice thank you
Leo Lommen
2 days ago
quick to respond
thorough
Lisa Gallagher
4 days ago
Personal knowledge of the trip I was considering. Patience with our figuring out which dates we could travel.