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

• San Isidro: Meet master chocolatiers, Julio Fernandez and George Soriano, to learn about the history of chocolate and how it is produced at this small workshop.
• 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 flavors and spirit of the neighborhood.
• Tortuguero: Cruise through Tortuguero’s canals and lagoons both in the morning and in the evening, seeking out incredible tropical wildlife species such as monkeys in the treetops, toucans and egres flying through the air and crocodiles in the cool waters.
• 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.
• Monteverde: Meet Monteverde’s Quaker descendants and Local Specialist to learn about Old Town Monteverde and the fascinating history of the American Quakers who settled in the area in the 1950s. 
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve: Join a local Specialist for a guided hike through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve will astound you with its beauty, bounty, and biodiversity. Wind-sculpted elfin woodlands give way to rainforests where tall trees, orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines and mosses rise high into the sky.
• Monteverde: Join Maricela and her mother Edith Santamaría in Monteverde’s cloud forest, where they welcome you into the kitchen to shape and cook traditional Costa Rican tortillas. Then share picadillo, beef in sauce, grilled pork kebabs, vegetables, mashed potatoes, homemade bread and wine beside the stove.

• Standard regional accommodation
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• Deluxe coach travel

Listen to the living history of the Quaker pioneers of Monteverde as a descendant shares personal stories of settlement, peaceful farming traditions, and the community’s early commitment to cloud-forest conservation.

Discover how pacifist values and cooperative work shaped daily life, education, and land protection from the 1950s onward. This conversation illuminates the cultural roots behind Monteverde’s celebrated environmental ethic.

Explore trails around La Fortuna with a Local Specialist, learning to spot camouflaged reptiles, delicate orchids, and the subtle signs of rainforest life during an unhurried walk. Expect close-up encounters with tropical wildlife and a deeper read of the forest.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It’s an ideal complement to canopy-level views, offering ground-level perspectives and naturalist tips you can use throughout your time near Arenal.

Trafalgar

Experience a warm welcome at a local family home, joining a lively mascaradas workshop to discover Costa Rica’s towering paper-mâché masks and the rhythms of a cimarrona brass band. Stroll the orchid-bright garden before gathering by the wood-fired stove for a generous Costa Rican home dinner of regional specialties.

Learn how this vibrant folk tradition animates town fiestas and strengthens community ties. Your hosts share the stories behind the characters and the craftsmanship that keeps this expressive art alive, offering an intimate window into everyday Tico culture.

Discover cacao’s journey from pod to bar with master chocolatiers Julio Fernandez and George Soriano at their small workshop in San Isidro de Heredia. Roast, grind, and temper cacao as you compare flavors during a guided bean-to-bar tasting.

Hear how cacao shaped Central American trade and ritual long before the modern chocolate bar. This hands-on session explores sustainable sourcing and craft techniques, filling the room with warm cocoa aromas and revealing the nuanced terroir of Costa Rican cacao.

Cruise the canals of Tortuguero National Park by open boat with a Local Specialist, gliding along mirror-still lagoons as herons stalk the shallows and monkeys rustle the bankside canopy. Scan for caimans, sloths, and the flash of toucans crossing the channel.

Return at dusk to hear the rainforest’s evening chorus rise as colors soften over the water. These golden hours reveal different behaviors and species, offering a serene counterpoint to the day while you pause for photos and reflection amid one of Costa Rica’s richest ecosystems.

Visit Tortuguero Village with a Local Specialist to meet Cloied, a charismatic member of a pioneer family. Join in the preparation of a traditional coconut dessert, grating fresh coconut and stirring in warming spices before tasting the finished treat.

Gain insight into the area’s Afro-Caribbean roots, river-centered life, and community resilience on this hands-on encounter. Cloied’s stories of early settlement and conservation frame the flavors you’re enjoying, creating a direct link between cuisine, culture, and place.

Explore the grounds of Laguna Lodge Tortuguero with staff who share the property’s Stays With Stories ethos—light-footprint buildings, raised walkways, and native plantings that invite birds and butterflies. Wander through biodiverse gardens alive with color and calls.

Hear how sustainable design protects delicate waterways and habitats, and learn tips for spotting resident species between rain showers and sunbursts. This gentle walk deepens your connection to the rainforest while highlighting practical conservation in action.

Meet a Tico family on their sustainably managed farm for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience that supports responsible production. Walk among palms to understand cultivation cycles before sampling the delicate, slightly nutty flavor of heart of palm prepared fresh.

Learn how careful harvesting and replanting protect soils and local biodiversity while providing livelihoods. This field-to-fork encounter spotlights Costa Rican ingenuity and aligns with UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

Gather with the Quintana family at Hacienda Pozo Azul for an intimate Be My Guest experience. Hear how a retirement dream blossomed into an eco-adventure hub that restores forest corridors and empowers the local community.

Share regional dishes while discussing reforestation, river stewardship, and low-impact tourism. The conversation flows as easily as the Sarapiquí, connecting everyday choices to long-term conservation and community well-being.

Walk the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park with a Local Specialist along canopy-level walkways set amid giant ferns and buttress roots. Look for blue morpho butterflies, hummingbirds, and leafcutter ant highways while taking in Arenal Volcano views through breaks in the forest.

Interpretive insights bring rainforest ecology to life—from epiphytic orchids to the layered habitats of the canopy. The gentle gradients and sturdy bridges make this immersive nature walk accessible and rewarding for keen observers and photographers.

Join a Local Specialist for a naturalist-led walk through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve, moving beneath a mist-draped canopy alive with dripping mosses and the calls of bellbirds. Keep watch for the resplendent quetzal among epiphytic orchids and bromeliads.

This high-elevation forest protects vital watersheds and rare species, creating a mosaic of microclimates. Insightful guiding reveals hidden relationships that make Monteverde one of the world’s premier biodiversity hotspots.

Step into a family kitchen to shape and toast handmade tortillas on a wood-fired stove, then gather for a comforting country meal of Costa Rican classics. The aromas of corn and freshly chopped herbs set a convivial mood.

Stories shared around the table enrich each bite, connecting local ingredients and traditions to daily life in the cloud forest. This homestyle experience celebrates craft, seasonality, and generous hospitality.

Glide across sheltered coves as you paddle Lake Arenal, tracing calm shorelines with sweeping volcano panoramas. Guides share paddling techniques and watch for birdlife along the reeds and calm bays.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Suitable for beginners, it pairs active exploration with scenery, offering a fresh perspective on Arenal’s dramatic landscape from the water.

Unwind in a series of volcanic thermal pools set amid lush gardens, letting mineral-rich waters ease tired muscles as steam drifts through the foliage. Linger to soak under the stars before a relaxed dinner in a rainforest-steam atmosphere.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It blends wellness and flavor in equal measure, making for a restorative evening after a day of exploration.

Ascend to treetop level on the Sky Walk suspension bridges, following gently undulating paths between viewpoints that reveal sweeping cloud-forest vistas. Scan the canopy for tanagers and bromeliads anchored high in the branches.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. With frequent stops and interpretive signage, it offers an accessible way to appreciate Monteverde’s layered habitats from a treetop vantage point.

Set sail along Tamarindo’s Gold Coast, anchoring to snorkel above coral outcrops where tropical fish school and, with luck, turtles glide by. Return to deck for an onboard barbecue as the Pacific sunset paints the sky.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Sea breezes, coastal scenery, and a relaxed pace make for a celebratory finale to your time on Costa Rica’s north Pacific shore.