Hotel breakfasts are normally buffets. Vegetarian and vegan options are limited but food is plentiful and tasty – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests.

Costa Rican specialities include gallo pinto, a black bean and rice dish and staple part of the local diet. Soups and stews are also common, and fresh fruit is abundant and will no doubt be one of the highlights of your time here.

Join a guided night walk at Refugio Monteverde to watch the cloud forest awaken after dusk. Under the sweep of flashlights, listen to a chorus of insects and frogs while searching for sloths, armadillos, porcupines, and the glowing eyes of tree-dwelling mammals.

Local naturalists reveal how mist-laden trade winds create Monteverde’s unique ecosystem and why this community-run reserve directs tourism revenue to conservation and environmental education. The forest’s textures and sounds feel heightened in the cool night air.

Explore Selvatura Park on a network of hanging bridges suspended through the cloud forest canopy. Walk at eye level with bromeliads and orchids, peer into moss-draped ravines, and watch shafts of light catch drifting mist while quetzals and tanagers flit between the trees.

Visit the vast butterfly garden to observe vibrant species in tropical enclosures, then linger in the hummingbird garden where more than 14 species perform dazzling aerial manoeuvres. It’s an unhurried immersion into Monteverde’s biodiversity and high-altitude atmosphere.

Tackle tropical whitewater as you raft the Balsa River’s Class II–III rapids, splashing through waves with names like Magnetic Rock and Dredges. After a full safety briefing, paddle as a team, navigate bouncy drops, and feel warm spray as the jungle rushes by.

Between rapids, drift past overhanging trees alive with toucans and howler monkeys, and stop riverside for fresh tropical fruit. The Balsa’s playful channels make it ideal for first-timers seeking adrenaline without extreme difficulty.

Taste rural Costa Rica at Vida Campesina, a typical country estate where you sample regional dishes prepared in a traditional wood-fired kitchen. Stroll the garden plots to see what’s in season, then sit down to a hearty lunch featuring produce harvested on site.

Your hosts share everyday life on a typical Costa Rican finca, from staple crops to backyard remedies, connecting cuisine to landscape. It’s a warm, slow-food interlude that celebrates farm heritage and the pura vida spirit.

Set out by boat from Playa Carrillo to watch for playful dolphins—spotted, spinner, or bottlenose—as they surf the bow wave and arc through cobalt water. Sea breezes, palm-lined shores, and rolling headlands frame a relaxed coastal cruise.

On the return, anchor at Isla Chora to snorkel clear Pacific waters above rocky reefs, or simply swim from a white-sand cove where hermit crabs and iguanas patrol the shore. A salt-tanged morning blends wildlife encounters with time in the water.

Clip in and fly on a zip-line adventure through Monteverde’s canopy, soaring between platforms with sweeping views of the cloud forest. Guides demonstrate technique and braking before you zip across the canopy on a series of cables.

This high-thrill experience is optional, at additional cost, and bookable on tour. It’s a favourite for adventure-seekers looking to pair speed with rainforest scenery.

Discover Costa Rica’s classic cascade as you visit La Fortuna Waterfall near Arenal. Follow forest trails and descend rainforest steps to a jade pool ringed by basalt cliffs. Confident swimmers can swim beneath a thundering cascade; others take in sweeping views from the lookout and pause for photos and reflection.

Fed by the Río Fortuna near dormant Cerro Chato, this 65m drop sustains humid forest alive with orchids and epiphytes. Watch for rainbow-billed toucans and darting tanagers as cool spray drifts through the gorge.