Adventure Between Volcanoes! - 9 Days

Right after you go through immigration and customs one representative will meet you at the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) exit to load the luggage into the vehicle and transfer you to the hotel. The hotel for tonight is close to San Jose city, located 25-15 minutes away from the airport. During the short drive, you will receive a brief introduction to Costa Rica and some recommendations for your trip. The guide will explain your itinerary in detail once you are in the hotel.

Costa Rica’s capital and the largest city in the country, San Jose is considered to be among the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America. Downtown San Jose is the busiest part of town. A maze of streets and avenues, here you can find most of the city’s museums as well as several hotels and plazas.

In the center of the city, several attractions can be found, such as the National Theater, the National Museum, and the Jade Museum. Also, several parks like Plaza de La Cultura and Parque Morazan are interesting places to visit. In San Jose exist a wide variety for gastronomic, each corner of the city has great restaurants or the famous Barrio Escalante, a gastronomic center where high-quality food is offered. But for more local and typical food the central market offers tasty food.

KC Hotel San Jose (or similar) / Breakfast Included (2 Nights)

It will begin with a visit to the Irazu Volcano National Park is located just a few kilometers from Cartago, and it is a relatively short and pleasant drive from your hotel in San Jose.

The trip begins by driving to the breathtaking summit of the Irazu Volcano, on the way you will encounter all types of vegetation, from potato, onion, cauliflower farming among other important products for the nacional economy, depending on the elevation.

Once in the National Park a short and easy walk to the up to a spectacular massive crater which has a lagoon with a mystical green color. On a clear day from the top, you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans!

After an exciting tour of the volcano, we will descend to the historical city of Cartago. We will stop at the Virgin of the Angels Basilica – a famous peregrination site, some of which travel for days or even weeks on foot, in a pilgrimage of faith, to the site. Next, after you visit the Basilica the next stop is the Lankester Botanical Gardens, a University of Costa Rica Center for the investigation that protects more than 800 species of orchids, bromeliads and countless species of other plants.

Then as a final destination, you will visit the Orosi Valley. Here you will find one of the few remaining colonial churches and, in this town, you will enjoy a tasty typical lunch at one of the local restaurants.

KC Hotel San Jose (or similar) / Breakfast Included

La Fortuna is home to the greater Arenal recreation area, the entire region is paradise on Earth for outdoor adventurers. Volcanic views grace the landscape and heat several geothermal hot springs. A lake and rivers beckon you toward aquatic adventure. Refreshing waterfalls reward you after hikes, offering crisp pools and spectacular views.

Arenal Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s most notable natural features. Standing at 5,437 feet (1,657 meters), this volcano has been resting (i.e. not active) since 2010. However, it is no less majestic to behold, as it’s practically a behemoth against the region’s perfect skies. Rising above the rainforest that surrounds its base, Arenal Volcano frames the skyline with near-perfect symmetry.

Arenal Country Inn (or simialr) / Breakfast included (2 Nights)

The trails in Arenal National Park and other nearby Arenal Reserves are generally flat and not very strenuous, perfect for a leisurely and informative guided walk with a professional nature guide. You will hike through well-groomed, easy trails that skirt the base of the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal Area. This part of the Arenal Volcano had sections that were devastated by the lava flow of 1968, so some areas have very little vegetation.

This guided walk provides perfect photo opportunities and magnificent views of the impressive Arenal Volcano, the pristine Lake Arenal and the extinct volcano Cerro Chato. There are parts of each trail that has forested areas where your nature guide will try to spot birds, monkeys and other animals in their natural habitat.

Arenal Country Inn (or similar) / Breakfast Included

Rincon de la Vieja is home to the Rincon de La Vieja Volcano National Park. Rincon de la Vieja is located to the northwest of Guanacaste's, very close to Liberia, and this place is perfect for great activities to keep visitors busy such as hiking trails and Horseback rides are great ways to enjoy the area's natural beauty and make memorable adventures. There are numerous waterfalls in the area, the largest of which are the Oropendola Waterfall and the La Victoria Waterfall, which pour into the Colorado River. In the National Park sections, Pailas area and Santa Maria area, here you will find trails to the waterfalls, fumaroles and mud pits.

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin / Breakfast included (2 Nights)

The Las Pailas sector spectacularly showcases the power of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, the most active and largest volcano in Guanacaste. Fumaroles, geysers, bubbling mud pots, and many other attractions give you an experience that you won’t find in any other volcano in Costa Rica.

With a naturalist guide, walk the 3.5-km Las Pailas circular path through the tropical, dry forest to enjoy the best views of the volcano, volcanic activity, incredible nature, and wildlife sightings. You may see more than 300 species of birds and many other animals, such as bays, armadillos, coatis, iguanas, and white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys.

When you finish the hike, get ready for a refreshing dip in the La Oropendola Waterfall. From the entrance of the national park is a small walk along a path of varied terrain that leads to the river. You also walk a small distance inside the river until you reach the waterfall. La Oropendola waterfall, with its impressive 25 meters, falls into a bubbling turquoise pool in the exuberant canyon of the Blanco River, creating an incredible tropical oasis. After relaxing for a while at the waterfall, this one-day Guanacaste tours end with the return walk to Hacienda Guachipelin.

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin / Breakfast included

Costa Rica’s capital and the largest city in the country, San Jose is considered to be among the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America. Downtown San Jose is the busiest part of town. A maze of streets and avenues, here you can find most of the city’s museums as well as several hotels and plazas.

In the center of the city, several attractions can be found, such as the National Theater, the National Museum, and the Jade Museum. Also, several parks like Plaza de La Cultura and Parque Morazan are interesting places to visit. In San Jose exist a wide variety for gastronomic, each corner of the city has great restaurants or the famous Barrio Escalante, a gastronomic center where high-quality food is offered. But for more local and typical food the central market offers tasty food.

KC Hotel San Jose / Breakfast Included

We will visit the Doka Coffee Estate for a delicious breakfast. Then we will be treated to a coffee tour in an actual coffee plantation where we will learn the ancient techniques used by the experts to produce some of the best coffee in Costa Rica and around the world. The careful process involved in the cultivation, harvesting and roasting of the Golden Bean will then be illustrated.

After the coffee tour, we will continue to Poas Volcano National Park, where there is a noticeable change in temperature and exuberant vegetation of the cloud forest.

At the Volcano we will have time to enjoy the impressive main crater with its sulfur fumaroles, and hike on a trail to the beautiful Botos Lagoon as we learn about the different ecosystems in the park.

After Poás, we will continue to La Paz Waterfall Garden, where we will enjoy a buffet lunch that includes multiple selections of Traditional Costa Rican dishes and much more. At La Paz Waterfall Gardens we will go through walking trails surrounded by lush tropical rain forest. Here we will appreciate flowing white rivers, spectacular waterfalls, birds, butterflies, monkeys, and hummingbirds. There are also, educational animal exhibits to enjoy such as the Aviary, the Butterfly Observatory, Hummingbird Garden, Serpentarium, Jungle Cats Exhibit, and the Frog Exhibit. This is definitely a tour enjoyed by nature lovers from all ages.

KC Hotel San Jose / Breakfast Included

All the good things come to an end. Say good-bye to beautiful Costa Rica and its people! One driver will pick you up at the hotel and take you straight to the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). In Costa Rica, you must be at the airport 3 hours before the departure time.