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* DETAILED * FIXED DEPARTURE - ULTIMATE COSTA RICA ADVENTURE (8 Days/7 Nights)
Ultimate active adventure with biking, canopy, white water rafting and more
From US$2,249 per person in double occupancy. Minimum age 12 years.
This action-packed multisport adventure includes mountain biking, snorkeling, a zip-line tour, hiking and white water rafting. With a professional guide, you will bike through the Costa Rican countryside to the Pacific where you’ll board an outrigger canoe and paddle to a secluded beach. Glide on cables through the rainforest canopy. Look for whales and dolphins and snorkel in the Pacific. Search for pre-Columbian artifacts on Caño Island. Hike through tropical sub-alpine forests and meadows. Finally, top it all off rafting down the Class III-IV Pacuare River, recognized as one of the ten best rafting rivers in the world.
Meet our Multisport Guides.
Please note: The name of this trip is not marketing hype. Potential participants should carefully judge whether they are up to the pace of this trip.
Meal codes = (B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner.
Day 1: Arrival in San Jose, Costa Rica (No meals.)
Arrive at the International Airport in San José. After passing through Immigration you'll be met by a Costa Rica Expeditions representative who will give you a sticker to facilitate clearing customs. When you leave the building after clearing customs, look for a sign that says, "Costa Rica Expeditions" with your name on it. A CRE guide wearing an orange shirt will be holding the sign. He or she will take you to your hotel. Overnight HotelPresidente.
Day 2: Pacific Coast Bike / Canopy Zip Line/ Hotel Punta Leona (B, L, D)
This morning you will meet your Multisport Guide and the rest of the group for an early breakfast. This is your opportunity to get to know everyone and resolve any questions you still might have about the trip. Afterward drive along one of Costa Rica's most scenic roads, the old Spanish route that winds down from the Central Valley to the Pacific Coast (about 2 hours).
Upon arrival in the little town of Orotina, your guide and driver will adjust your bicycle and help you get ready for your ride. After a safety talk and a refresher on biking technique; you'll be on your way. This route takes you through the center of town and then onto less-traveled back roads. You will eventually connect with the main road for the last eight miles to your final destination, Agujitas Beach. Total biking time is about three hours. Distance is 19.4 miles (31 kms).
After loading up the gear, continue to Playa Herradura by van where you will have lunch with an ocean view. After lunch, continue to Vista Los Sueños Canopy. Set on approximately 222 acres of land in a transitional forest where the dry forest of the north and the rain forest of the south come together.
The adventure begins with a 15 minute ride aboard a specially designed 40 passenger tractor. Once at the top of the mountain, descend to the bottom with views of the Gulf of Nicoya and the Pacific Ocean via 14 cables with a total cable distance of 3.5 kilometers including the longest cable in the area of 2400 ft.
Afternoon drive to Punta Leona where you will check in with plenty of time to freshen up before dinner. Overnight at Hotel Punta Leona.
Day 3: Punta Leona / Outrigger Canoe / Cristal Ballena (B,L,D)
After breakfast, drive to Playa Agujitas, where you will be introduced to your new mode of transport, the outrigger canoe, the design is based on the original Polynesian boats. They are fast and stable, but require synchronization and group effort. The ocean here is warm and usually calm. You’ll paddle under cliffs filled with pelicans and frigate birds to one of our destination beaches for snorkeling or relaxing. We will be at the best location for snorkeling on the Central Pacific Coast. Continue to Playa Blanca at Punta Leona where you will land on the beach.
After lunch at Punta Leona continue driving south (2 hours) to Bahia Ballena in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica. The road you’ll be traveling is known by locals as the “Costanera” (coastal road) and follows the Pacific coastline offering views and possibilities of spotting a variety of birds, including wood storks, caracaras and a variety of hawks, among others. Overnight at
Cristal Ballena Hotel (junior suite).
Day 4: Snorkeling at Caño Island (B, L, D)
Early morning departure with your guide where you will board a boat for the 1 hour and 45 minute ride to Caño Island for a full day of boating and snorkeling. As you leave Bahia Ballena by boat, there will opportunities to see Humpback whales and dolphin that come to the area to breed and have their calves. Migrations from the north and southern Pacific Ocean take place during two seasons. The northern populations of Humpback whales come from central California and are in Bahia Ballena from December-April. The populations coming from Antarctica are in the area from June-October.
Caño Island may well be mainland Costa Rica's finest diving and snorkeling spot. The waters surrounding Caño Island contain some of the most abundant and varied marine life in Costa Rica. Although not many artifacts remain on the island, it was once home to several pre-Colombian archeological artifacts. The almost-perfect spherical stones that were found there are believed to have once marked an offshore burial ground and ceremonial site for the indigenous Diquis cultural group, who inhabited the Golfo Dulce area until the Spanish arrived.
Along with the stone spheres, Caño Island is believed to have been a pirate hideout. Some go so far as to claim that the island was the inspiration for Robert Stevenson's book, Treasure Island. Within 15 meters (50 feet) of the beach you can explore the warm, crystal blue waters with snorkeling gear and see a variety of brilliantly colored tropical fish and corals. Overnight at Cristal Ballena.
Day 5: Cristal Ballena / Savegre Mountain Lodge (B,L,D)
For this morning’s activity you have a choice, you can ride horseback in Rancho la Merced to the Quebrada Bejuco (Bejuco Creek) or you can do a hike in the rain forest in a private wildlife refuge.
Quebrada Bejuco Horseback Ride: After an early morning breakfast, drive 10 minutes to Rancho la Merced where your local horseback riding guide (English spoken) will be waiting for you. Here your local guide will select the most appropriate horse for your ride this morning, your western saddle will be adjusted and you will have a short riding lesson in the corral. Once you are ready, ride into Rancho la Merced where you will ride through pasture land and gallery forest. This ride gives you the opportunity to see enormous Jabillo and Ceiba or Kapok trees, you might see White-faced and Howler monkeys, Black guans, Collarred-peccaries and Chestnut madibled toucans are often seen. When you arrive at the Rio Morete (Morete River) there will be time for a swim in the natural pools of the river. Duration: 3 hours
Hacienda Baru Rainforest Experience: After an early morning breakfast, drive 30 minutes with your Multiport Guide to the Hacienda Baru Wildlife Refuge. From here hike in primary and secondary forest. This hike in the tropical rainforest will give you the opportunity to experience the forest, Ceiba or Kapok trees, Wild Plum and Strangler figs emerge from the forest. Birds are abundant, species such as the Laughing falcon, Baird’s trogon, Chestnut mandibled toucan and Summer tanagers abound. You might also see White-faced monkeys, Collared peccaries and if you´re really lucky Tyra. Duration: 4 hours
After your activity return to Cristal Ballena for a quick shower before departing for lunch en route and on to the Savegre Valley (3 hours). Overnight at Savegre Mountain Lodge.
Day 6: Cerro de la Muerte Hike (B,L,D)
After an early breakfast, depart by bus for the Cerro de la Muerte Hike. Accompanied by a local guide, you will walk down the mountain - first through tropical alpine meadows (although these meadows have never had permafrost) and then through the oak forests of Savegre Valley. This is a difficult 5-to-7-hour hike, ending at the Savegre Lodge. Box lunch will be provided en route. Overnight at Savegre Lodge.
Day 7: Savegre / Pacuare White Water Rafting (B,L,D)
Depart very early from the Savegre Mountain Lodge and head to Cartago, the oldest city in Costa Rica, continue east through the city of Turrialba and then north to the entrance of Hacienda Tres Equis, to the put-in location on the Pacuare River. Upon your arrival (about 3-½ hours later), the rafts will be rigged and the River Guides will welcome you to one of the most beautiful river canyons in the tropics, one of those rare pockets of wilderness still left on the planet. After an orientation and a safety talk, proceed downriver. Mid-afternoon take-out. Total river time about four hours. Return to San José (about 2 hours) for Farewell Dinner and overnight. Overnight Hotel Presidente
Day 8: Departure (B)
Transfer to the International Airport by bus or van, arriving 2-3 hours before your flight's scheduled departure.
IMPORTANT: There is a 25-pound weight limit on domestic flights in Costa Rica. Please remember to pack light. If you would like to leave some of your belongings behind, we will do our best to catch it up to you when you arrive at the next destination in your itinerary.
The 88-room Hotel Presidente is about 20 mins. from the international airport and situated a few blocks from San José's cultural landmarks, including the National Theatre, the Gold and Jade Museums, and the National Museum. Guests are within walking distance of historic downtown with its cafes, restaurants and shops. Standard rooms measure 215-375 sq. feet and can be configured with one or two beds. Each room has cable tv and Internet service, international phone line, a/c, safety box and hair dryer. Breakfasts are served in the hotel’s popular café. Temperate climate.
About 90 mins. from San Jose, on the coast, the 108-room Punta Leona Resort includes three restaurants, pools, tennis court and three beaches. Rooms have two double beds, private bath, a/c, cable tv, mini-fridge and safety box. The hotel is located away from the beach so a short walk is required (about 10 mins.) or you may take the resort’s shuttle bus to the beach. An 18-hole golf course is nearby, at Marriott Los Sueños Resort.
Surrounding the Resort is the Punta Leona Rainforest Reserve, home to 330 migratory and resident bird species and White-faced and Spider Monkeys, sloths, coatimundi, tyras, raccoons and iguanas. Hot climate.
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