Overview of Your Rainforests and Volcanoes Tour
This exciting Costa Rica tour takes you to the heart of the Corcovado National Park to explore some of Costa Rica’s most fascinating natural wonders. On this breath-taking tour youll trek to the explosive Arenal volcano, one of the planet’s most active. The exciting journey takes you through the majestic mountains of Tiliran to the impressive Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, where you will experience the thrilling Sky Trek. Built within beautiful cloud forest, the Sky Trek is a system of trails, canopy platforms, treetop platforms, suspension bridges, and zip-lines, designed to provide you with the ultimate experience in forest exploration. This fantastic Costa Rica vacation gives you the world in nine fabulous days.
Trip Features
- 9 Days
- Starting at $5,095 per person
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PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate -
ACTIVITIES
Hiking, Snorkeling, Ziplining, Canopy Walk -
HIGHLIGHTS
Volcano Arenal, Corcovado National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
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Talk to a Travel ExpertArrival at the San Jos International Airport where a Southern Explorations guide will meet you to transfer you to a hotel in the capital for your overnight stay.
Today you will start your Costa Rica Tour in the morning and transfer to the local airport for a forty-five-minute flight to Drake Bay airstrip in the Oso Peninsula. Upon arrival in Drake Bay youll be met by the lodge staff for the ground and boat transfer downriver, viewing mangrove wetlands along the river’s edge until reaching your jungle lodge on the Osa Peninsula. After lunch, spend a leisurely afternoon exploring the nature trails and the beach. Overnight at your selected lodge. (B,L,D)
NOTES:
Most Corcovado Hotels CLOSED September 1-November 14
These two memorable days of Costa Rica ecological tours will be spent observing wildlife. This wilderness park is home to many endangered species: monkeys, jaguars and tapirs as well as 400 bird species including the country’s largest population of scarlet macaws, making it a popular stop for tropical biologists and eco-tourists alike. Here you will enjoy full-day excursions to Corcovado National Park and Cano Island Biological Reserve accompanied by a naturalist guide (the order of the tours may vary depending on weather conditions). The tour to Cano Island includes time to snorkel. A picnic lunch will be provided on both tours. You will be returned to the lodge in the afternoon. Overnight at your lodge on the Osa Peninsula. (B,L,D)
NOTES:
Most Corcovado Hotels CLOSED September 1-November 14
Morning departure (depending upon the tides), to fly from Palmar Sur back to San Jos where a Southern Explorations guide will pick you up for the drive to Arenal. On the way, you will visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens. With your guide, take a scenic two-mile walk on well-maintained trails past five waterfalls with views of the Poas Volcano, a butterfly garden, an orchid garden, a hummingbird feeding station for seventeen different species, a serpentine and, if you like, a ride in an oxcart. Enjoy lunch at the gardens and continue your Costa Rica ecotour to Arenal. Overnight at a hotel in the area. (B,L)
Today’s destination on your Costa Rica adventure is the Arenal Volcano, one of the Western Hemisphere’s most active volcanoes with a perfectly-formed cone. Its frequent eruptions and the many other interesting natural sites in the area make this park a stop on most every Costa Rica ecotour. During the tour the guide will share the history of this majestic area. Return to your hotel for lunch. Later in the afternoon youll visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges. For a close-up view of the prolific birds, flowers and lush vegetation of this primary rainforest, you’ll take a guided canopy tour via two miles of interpretive trails and across fifteen hanging bridges, ranging in length from sixteen to almost 330 feet to reach Arenal Lake. The trails are paved, and the suspension bridges are built of aluminum galvanized steel and concrete to ensure maximum safety. In the late afternoon, you’ll be returned to your hotel. (B)
After beginning this day of your Costa Rica ecological tour with a hearty breakfast, transfer to Santa Elena & Monteverde Area. The trip to arrive in Santa Elena is an adventure in itself. The trip starts by transferring to a boat that crosses the Arenal Lake, created by a dam. If the day is clear, you will have spectacular views of the surrounding areas and Arenal Volcano. From here, transfer and continue on rough roads until arriving in Montverde. After checking into the hotel and enjoying lunch youll experience a highlight of your Costa Rica tour ” a zipline adventure. The Sky Trek is an extensive system of trails, canopy platforms, one treetop platform, one suspension bridge, and two zip-lines built deep within the cloud forest. This tour gives you a bird’s eye view of the cloud forest, taking you high above the canopy for an experience like no other. For two to three hours, hike along the canopy and have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of flying through the forest on a zip-line. After the adrenaline rush subsides, transfer back to the hotel. (B)
Your Costa Rica travel continues with a visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a 10,500 hectare private reserve established in 1972. Its located on the eastern extreme of Monteverde and home to a myriad of plants, insects, and over four hundred species of birds. It is one of the few areas in Central America where the stunning quetzal can be found. The reserve features an excellent network of hiking trails of varying lengths and levels of difficulty. With your naturalist guide, hike through the reserve. In the afternoon, you will be transferred back to San Jose for your last night in Costa Rica. Overnight at a San Jose hotel. (B)
Transfer from the hotel to the San Jose International Airport.
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Phone
1-877-784-5400Trip FAQs
We have so much to share with you! How does this all work? Start with the frequently asked questions below, and if you want to talk to us directly, simply reach out by phone or form.
Talk to a Travel ExpertYou have the flexibility to choose your own travel dates on most of our trips. Certain trips, such as cruises, have fixed schedules. Availability on these trips is always changing so please contact us with your preferred travel time and we can find the perfect itinerary for you
We provide full service tours so in general our trips include all guided activities with professional English-speaking guides, accommodations, transportation, airport transfers, entrance fees and permits, select meals, and pre-departure services. You will be responsible for international airfare while we will book all in-country airfare. Contact one of our expert travel planners for even more details on this specific tour.
The first step is to get in touch with a Southern Explorations travel planner for date availability and information on activities, accommodations and other travel aspirations you may have. Give us a call at 1.877.784.5400, fill out this form or email info@southernexplorations.com.
Yes! All of our posted itineraries can be considered a starting point and we’re happy to tailor a trip to your exact desires. There may be some elements of a trip, such as a cruise or all-inclusive lodge stay, that cannot be modified but we can always adjust the tours around those components.
We have more detailed information about each destination in the Plan Your Trip section of this website. Our team of friendly travel planners is also available to walk you through various options and to work with you on the perfect trip!
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Learn More About Costa RicaTestimonials
We absolutely enjoyed travelling with you. It was a great introduction to Costa Rica, the friendly Ticos and their beautiful country. The quality of your tour, the guides, the lodges & hotels, transportation and wide variety of activities was just perfect. This was certainly a grand way to have a celebration with my Canadian nursing class on the occasion of our 45th graduation anniversary! Thanks for making it an experience we will always remember fondly! Rainforests & Volcanoes was a great tour. Thanks to all of your excellent staff in Seattle & in Costa Rica for making it so very interesting & exciting!
– Flo and Vic Boyko, Canada