Explore the sandy lanes of Tortuguero with a Local Specialist, wander Tortuguero village past stilted homes and coconut palms, and hear stories of the area’s Afro-Caribbean roots. Meet artisans and vendors who keep coastal traditions alive in this vibrant riverside community.

Continue to the Sea Turtle Conservancy visitor center to learn how researchers protect the largest green turtle rookery in the Western Hemisphere. Discover nesting cycles, migratory routes and community-led conservation that safeguards both turtles and local livelihoods.

Follow your naturalist on a guided jungle hike along shaded trails where buttress-rooted giants rise through heliconias and ginger. Watch leafcutter ants march in file and listen for howler monkeys booming through the forest while poison dart frogs flash color in the undergrowth.

As you move between ecosystems, learn how ranger patrols and research programs work to protect the region’s biodiversity. With luck, you’ll spot toucans, sloths and the mesmerizing “leafcutter ant highways” that crisscross the path.

Join a guided panoramic tour of Costa Rica’s capital, taking in the stately Teatro Nacional, lively Plaza de la Cultura and the arcades of Mercado Central. Stroll elegant Barrio Amón to admire its restored wooden mansions and coffee-baron facades.

Hear how the 19th-century coffee boom shaped San José’s Belle Époque landmarks and everyday “Tico” life. This concise overview helps you navigate museums, parks and cafes with confidence during your time in the city.

Travel into the hills to visit Sarchí, where brushstrokes swirl across hand-painted oxcarts in colour-splashed workshops. Watch artisans craft wooden wheels and apply sunburst rosettes, learning how patterns, pigments and pinstriping are layered by hand.

Discover why the humble cart—once essential for hauling coffee to port—became the national symbol of Costa Rica. Browse studios for carved keepsakes and see the giant decorative cart in town, a proud emblem of craft heritage.

Step into mist-draped trails and walk the Monteverde Cloud Forest with your Travel Director. Leaves glitter with moisture as orchids, bromeliads and mosses cling to every branch. Scan the canopy for hummingbirds and, with luck, the jewel-bright Resplendent Quetzal.

Learn how moisture-laden trade winds create this rare ecosystem and why corridors linking reserves are vital for wildlife. The forest’s hush is broken by birdsong and the soft patter of cloudborne drizzle.

Venture into lush rainforest for the Arenal Hanging Bridges, a network of sturdy spans and forest paths. With a Local Specialist, sky walk through the canopy for eye-level views of orchids, blue morpho butterflies and, at times, howler monkeys threading the treetops.

Interpretive stops highlight ecology, reforestation and wildlife corridors that keep this landscape thriving—a thoughtful MAKE TRAVEL MATTER-style experience that elevates scenery into understanding.

Settle into a stable raft for a gentle safari float on the Peñas Blancas River. Your naturalist quietly paddles so you can quietly glide past wildlife-rich riverbanks, scanning for sloths in cecropia trees, iguanas sunning on branches and kingfishers flashing over the current.

This calm waterway threads volcanic foothills where rainforest meets pasture. Your guide shares field insights and helps you pause for photos and reflection whenever something stirs along the shore.

Ease into twilight and soak in Arenal’s hot springs, relaxing in mineral-rich pools naturally warmed by the volcano’s geothermal energy. Steam curls above the water as palms rustle and the rainforest perfumes the air.

Between dips, find a quiet perch to appreciate the lush rainforest setting and the soft chorus of nightfall. It’s a restorative Costa Rican ritual—unhurried, soothing and perfectly suited to the tropical evening.

Join certified guides for a seasonal turtle nesting night watch on Tortuguero’s black-sand beach (typically July–October for greens). Using red-light guided patrol protocols, observe in silence as a female hauls ashore, digs her nest and returns to the sea.

This rare encounter follows strict park rules to protect nesting mothers. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour, weather and ranger permissions permitting; group sizes are limited to minimize disturbance.

Clip in for a high-adrenaline zipline canopy tour at Ecoglide Park, flying from platform to platform with volcano views and rainforest rushing beneath. Feel the breeze as you soar above the forest on a modern double-cable system.

Professional guides handle the safety briefing and gear while sharing natural history between runs. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; participants should be comfortable with heights and basic steps on platforms.

Follow a guided La Fortuna trails walk through forest footpaths, learning about tropical plants and bird calls before arriving at a family kitchen. With a Local Specialist, mix masa, make your own tortilla and cook it on a traditional comal, tasting it warm with salsa and fresh cheese.

Hear how maize anchors Costa Rican foodways and rural life. This hands-on cultural add-on is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Enhance your evening with reserved access to natural thermal pools followed by a lingering rainforest dinner. Move between warm cascades and quieter pools before sitting down to a meal that highlights Costa Rican flavors amid torchlight and rustling leaves.

This relaxed upgrade is at additional cost and bookable on tour, ideal for travelers who want extra time in the waters plus a memorable dining setting beneath the canopy.

• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Lunch (L)
• 4 Dinner (D)

• Enjoy an orientation tour in the capital city of Costa Rica and explore Sarchi, the arts and crafts capital, famed for its intricately painted oxcarts
• Hike into the lush cloud forest with your Travel Director, who shares fascinating insights into the region’s unique bird and wildlife ecosystems
• Enjoy trails and suspension bridges, hike along lava trails through Mirador 1968, a private reserve, located adjacent to Volcano Arenal National Park and take a scenic float trip safari with your Local Specialist

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star stays

• Tortuguero National Park: At the Sea Turtle Conservancy, you’ll learn how researchers monitor nesting green turtles along Tortuguero’s black sand beach. Discover how decades of conservation work have helped protect turtles while supporting education and sustainable ecotourism in the local community.
• Tortuguero National Park: Cruise the canals of Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica’s ‘Amazon’, with birds calling from the canopy and water moving softly around the boat. Keep watch for sloths, macaws, tapirs and perhaps even a jaguar as the jungle wakes up around you.
• Parque Nacional Tortuguero: With you’re Local Specialist guiding you through the jungle, listen for birds and watch for unusual plant and animal life along the trail. You’ll also learn how conservation projects are helping protect the region’s biodiversity and the fragile habitats these species depend on.
• Tortuguero National Park: Join Cloied, a charismatic community member from one of Tortuguero’s pioneer families, and hear the story of his village as you help prepare a traditional coconut dessert. It’s a lively, hands-on experience that connects you to the flavours and spirit of the neighbourhood.
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve: Low clouds drift through the forest, beading leaves with moisture as you learn from your Travel Director how this rare ecosystem supports thousands of plant species and hundreds of birds. Listen for howler monkeys and hummingbirds, watch for sloths and toucans and perhaps glimpse the jewel-bright Resplendent Quetzal.
• Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park: Explore the rainforest canopy with a Local Specialist. Cross hanging bridges as you spot howler monkeys, hummingbirds and blue morpho butterflies.
• Arenal: Cross a series of hanging bridges through Arenal’s tropical rainforest, with leaves rustling around you and the canopy stretching overhead. Listen for the call of howler monkeys and keep watch among the foliage for hummingbirds, colourful butterflies and other wildlife that might appear along the way.
• Lake Arenal: You’ll glide along the calm waters of the Peñas Blancas River, guided by a Local Specialist as they paddle between forested banks. Listen for bird calls in the canopy and watch for movement along the water’s edge, where you might spot monkeys, iguanas, sloths and caiman.

Costsaver

Drift silently on a small boat as you cruise the canals of Tortuguero National Park, often called Costa Rica’s ‘Amazon’. With water lapping at the hull and birds calling from the canopy, scan the banks for howler monkeys, caimans, basilisks and herons while your naturalist points out camouflaged treasures.

These waterways thread mangroves and lowland rainforest where life crowds every branch. Between bends, your crew eases the motor so you can pause for photos and reflection, watching the jungle brighten as the day comes alive.