Costa Rica Adventure with Guanacaste
9 Day Costa Rica Tour to San Jose & Guanacaste | Operated by CostSaver
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9 Days
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1 Country
Costa Rica -
8 Cities
San José, Monteverde, Arenal, Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, Arenal Natura Ecological Park, Lake Arenal, Guanacaste Province, Liberia -
11 Meals
8 Breakfasts, 2 Dinners, 1 Lunch -
Pace: Comfortable
Mainly 2–3-night stays in each location. Comfortable travel days with numerous stops. Requires 1-3 miles of walking per day that might involve some uneven surfaces, such as cobblestones and stairs.
Trip Itinerary
Ahh, Costa Rica. Let the Pura Vida way of life take over as you arrive in San Jose. Trendy Barrio Amon offers a glimpse into the history of the city with colonial mansions converted into art galleries, while Barrio Escalante is a foodie’s paradise and the best place to grab dinner to begin your Costa Rica value tour.
Tick off San José’s iconic sights with a quick sightseeing tour before traveling towards the creative little town of Sarchí. Seen as the cradle of Costa Rican artisanship, this is the place to buy intricate arts, crafts and souvenirs including the hand-painted and bright colored oxcart, the national symbol of Costa Rica. The journey continues through the Tilaran Mountain range listening for the collective “oohs” and “aahs” as you enter the mysterious and misty Cloud Forest.
Step into another world on your Costa Rica value tour in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Learn about the thousands of plant and animal species that thrive in this area, many of which only exist right here, from your Travel Director. Keep your ears open for the sounds of hummingbirds, howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, and if you’re really lucky, the Quetzal bird. Leaving the forest on a real nature high, why not end the day with a tasty ‘El Trapiche’ Choice Experience tour visiting sugarcane, banana, orange and coffee plantations?
Bubbling hot springs and geothermal activity, wildlife and of course the sleeping giant, Arenal Volcano, Arenal Volcano National Park is one of the jewels in Costa Rica’s crown. Boasting outdoor pools, a butterfly garden, botanical gardens and tame iguanas roaming the grounds, your secluded resort on the banks of the San Carlos River will make you feel like you’ve entered a little corner of heaven.
Best way to explore Arenal’s private reserve? On a guided hike, of course! Be astounded by leftover lava rocks and boulders and plunge through the forest for views of the volcano and Arenal Lake. Next up: Reach all new heights at Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. Join a Local Specialist for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience on a ‘sky walk’ through the jungle canopy. Keep your eyes peeled on the suspension bridges while spotting birdlife. To round off the day of your Costa Rica value tour, let your worries drift away over a dip at local hot springs before heading back to your resort.
If a tranquil river float and wildlife search sounds like you, you won’t want to miss this morning’s safari float down the Peñas Blancas River. Paired up with a Local Specialist, you’ll love spotting monkeys, sloths, iguanas, caimans and tropical birds. Visit a local family, and learn how connected the people of Costa Rica are to their natural environment. Free afternoon? Your optionals are endless. Take a dip in the pool, shop or choose a horseback riding Choice Experience through the rainforest.
From tropical rainforests to golden beaches, it will be a complete change of scenery today as you travel towards the 'golden coast' in the northwest of Costa Rica, arriving into the province of Guanacaste. A region loved for its glorious beaches, biodiverse parklands and fun surf, there's no better place to spend a couple of days than on the sun drenched shores of Playa Tamarindo.
With an entirely free day, how you explore is completely up to you. Keep it low key with a book and a cold beer at your resort, or choose to join one of our choice experiences. Choose to explore Palo Verde National Park with an optional boat tour inside the park. Get a close view of the amazing habitat, where hundreds of species of birds, animals and trees coexist. If you would rather be by the coast, join our Sunset Cruise optional and discover exquisite beaches of white sand and blue-green waters. This tour is ideal for swimming in the calm waters, or for snorkeling amongst the coral. Our last optional, the Mega Combo, is for those who are looking for something more active. Enjoy Zip Lines, hiking and a ride along Costa Rica's longest water slide. Natural hot springs and volcanic mud bath in the middle of a beautiful forest will take you a new level of peace and relaxation to complete the picture. However you choose to explore today, make sure you spend this evening surrounded by new friends, toasting to a final Costa Rican sunset.
Perhaps you will catch the sunrise and enjoy a final dip in the sea before your trip comes to an end after breakfast. Depart at leisure to the airport and then onto to your respective corner of the world, we wish you a safe journey and look forward to seeing you again some time soon!
Price Includes
Dining Summary- - 8 Breakfasts (B)
- - 2 Dinners (D)
- - 1 Lunch (L)
- Visit Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience:Costa Ricans know a thing or two about adventuring in beautiful places. And you’ll experience both trekking across some of the 15 hanging bridges at Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. Feel good knowing you’re doing good. Not only will your jungle ‘sky walk’ acquaint you with the region's beauty, but you’ll be supporting sustainability – a part of Costa Rica Sky Adventure’s identity. The experience directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 15: Life on Land.
Optional Experiences
Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Night Walk (Available on Day 3)Step into another world and explore Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve by night.
Delight at the knowledge of your Local Specialist who shares insights into the ecosystems, plants
and animal species that call Monteverde home. At this hour, many species emerge into the
darkness, and only you, and the forest will be witness to the unique displays of nature.
A mouth-watering ‘El Trapiche’ farm tour awaits! Graze your way through sugarcane, banana, orange and coffee plantations, learn about the coffee making process and how liquor is made from sugarcane.
Adult Price: $58 Child Price: $27 Horseback Riding Tour (Available on Day 3)Giddy up! Get back in the saddle on a horseback ride. Enjoy sweeping views of the Nicoya Gulf and its islands as you ride your way through coffee and sugarcane plantations, tropical forest and open fields. Be on the lookout for wildlife including toucans, green parrots and white-faced monkeys.
Adult Price: $99 Child Price: $85 Sky Tram Up and Down (Available on Day 3)Ready to soar to great heights? Board a gondola and glide among the trees on the lookout for hummingbirds, howler monkeys, sloths and toucans and more. At the end of the Sky Tram, you choose - return to the starting point in the same way you came or hike down a self-guided trail.
Adult Price: $70 Child Price: $53 Bat Jungle Tour (Available on Day 3)Fun fact: the are more bats than birds in Costa Rica! Learn about the ecological importance of bats on a guided walk through the world of bats. Don’t miss your chance to uncover bat behaviour, habits, biology and the impact of bats on nature and human beings. You’ll even get to hear special recordings and real live sounds emitted by bats known as “echolocation”.
Adult Price: $59 Child Price: $53 Sky Tram and Sky Trek (Available on Day 3)Board a comfortable gondola and fly among the trees on the lookout for local wildlife. As you glide among the forest, see how it changes in vegetation due to elevation. At the end of the Sky Tram you will be faced with a choice, you can either return to the starting point in the same way you came or you can enjoy the ultimate adrenaline rush on the Sky Trek. With this option you will fly across the forest in a series of ten zip lines with heights ranging from 100 – 524 feet (30 to 160 meters) and with distances of up to 2,500 feet (762 meters). All of these zip lines were built to give you a 360° perspective of the rainforest.
Adult Price: $113 Child Price: $76 Arenal Natura Ecological Park & Walking Tour (Available on Day 6)At this wonderful park you will have the opportunity to experience Costa Rica’s wildlife up close and personal where beautiful frogs, birds, reptiles in their natural habitats will have the starring role. This package includes a frog sanctuary, bird watching, a serpentarium (home to different species of snakes found in Costa Rica), a reptile lagoon (to observe crocodiles) and a heliconia garden.
Adult Price: $83 Child Price: $61 Palo Verde National Park River Cruise (Available on Day 8)A boat tour inside the Palo Verde National Park will help you explore this amazing habitat, where hundreds of species of birds, animals and trees coexist. A visit to a local canton will allow you to observe the daily way of life of its people, and the colorful stores, handcraft and history surrounding this city.
Adult Price: $111 Child Price: $69 Papagayo Gulf Sunset Cruise (Available on Day 8)Discover the exquisite white sand beaches and blue-green waters of this gulf in Costa Rica's North Pacific. It consists of a series of bays, beaches, cliffs, mangroves and estuaries that are home to important marine resources. Here, the continental shelf is relatively narrow, allowing the influence of coastal ocean waters. This tour is ideal for swimming, enjoying the calm waters, or for snorkeling as it has large areas of coral and a rich and a healthy diversity of flora and fauna.
Adult Price: $109 Child Price: $93 Ultimate Costa Rica Exploration (Available on Day 8)Enjoy zip lining and hiking through a breathtaking setting and a ride along Costa Rica's longest water slide! Natural hot springs and a volcanic mud bath in the middle of a beautiful forest will bring upon a new level of peace and relaxation after your exhilarating adventures.
Adult Price: $172 Child Price: $102