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06 September 2010
Costa Rica discovery
9 Days/8 Nights
Gateway: San Jose
Please call for 2010 prices
Day 1: Arrive San José
Arrive in San José at any time. A G.A.P Adventures representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to our joining point hotel. There are no planned activities, so check into the hotel (check-in time is 3pm) and enjoy the city. In the late afternoon (approx 5pm) you will meet your fellow group members to go over the details of your trip and for the leader to collect your local payment. After the meeting we will be heading out for a meal in a nearby local restaurant (optional).
Located in the central highlands, San José enjoys a moderate climate. It is the centre of government, theatre and art & has beautiful parks and museums. It is big and often noisy, but even from its crowded downtown streets, you’ll often enjoy a view of the surrounding lush mountains.
If you arrive early, head into downtown San José to visit a museum, shop or people-watch in the main plaza, a good place to watch San José at its most lively. A mime, juggler, marimba band, magician, or storyteller may be performing for tips, and artisan booths are common, creating a regular arts and crafts fair atmosphere.
A source of pride for ‘ticos’ (as Costa Ricans are called) is the National Theatre. Inaugurated in 1897, the building was paid for by coffee growers through a voluntary tax on every bag of coffee exported. Underneath the adjacent Plaza de la Cultura sits probably San José’s best known museum, the Gold Museum; its spectacular collection of indigenous gold art belongs to the Central Bank of Costa Rica.
The National Museum, housed in the Bellavista Fortress, offers exhibits on pre-Columbian art, colonial art and furniture and religious art within a 19th century building that was converted from a military fortress after the army was abolished. The Museum of Costa Rican Art, located in La Sabana Park, is housed in the old terminal building for what used to be the international airport. The 11th floor of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros building houses the excellent Jade Museum, which houses a marvellous collection of jade objects and pre-Columbian ceramic and stone works.
The best and least expensive places to buy souvenirs in San José are the markets. The two main ones are the ones in Plaza de la Cultura, which is an outdoor open market, and the Central Market, where handicrafts are sold along with boots, fish, flour, herbal remedies, shirts and everything else you can imagine. Always watch your belongings and be ready for crowds.
NOTE: Like any city where tourism is on the increase, crime also tends to increase. While San José is not a noticeably dangerous city, there are certain precautions you should take. Make sure that you are aware of your things at all times and don't go out carrying expensive gear or jewellery.
Day 2-3: La Paz Waterfall Gardens / Sarapiqui
Head out in the morning for a guided tour of La Paz Waterfall Gardens, not far outside San José. La Paz Waterfall Gardens boasts over 3.5 kilometres of walking trails, and includes a Butterfly Observatory, Hummingbird Garden, serpentarium, Frog Exhibit, “Tica House,” Trout Lake and bird watching areas. Our guided tour allows us to get the most out of our visit. The cloud forest in this area ranges in altitude from 1280m to 1585m (4200ft to 5200 ft).
Temperatures can fluctuate during cloudy or rainy periods. Trails are designed with places to stop and take cover, but a raincoat, layers, and comfortable shoes are a must! Following an included lunch overlooking the La Paz River Valley at the Gardens Restaurant, we travel to our lodge at Sarapiqui. The next morning, a naturalist guide leads us on an early morning bird watching hike, and we also enjoy a boat excursion to spot the area's wildlife. Optional activities include horseback riding and a canopy zipline.
Includes 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches & 2 dinners
Day 4-5: La Fortuna / Arenal
La Fortuna, at the foot of Arenal Volcano is our next adventure base. Take an unforgettable guided hike around the base of the volcano; if you are lucky you may see the top glowing an eerie red, set to a soundtrack of monkeys and the rumblings of the volcano in the distance. Hike the area’s nature trails, swim in chilly La Fortuna waterfall or try canyoneering (rappelling down rivers and waterfalls—quite the adrenaline rush!) Other optional activities include mountain biking, caving, horseback riding or a tour of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.
Like much of Costa Rica, the area is a birders’ paradise, with over 600 species as permanent residents. Finally, after a long day of exploring, enjoy dinner and take a relaxing soak in the lush, cascading waters of a local hot springs resort. Soak under the shade of the surrounding canopy in one of the natural thermal baths, fed by rivers of volcanically-heated water running down from the volcano. Set on the northern plains of Costa Rica, Arenal Volcano sits on the southeast shore of artificial Lake Arenal (77 square kilometres, or 48 square miles). Separating the mountain ranges of Guanacaste and Tilarán, the lake was created by a hydroelectric dam. Winds sweep down the lake at speeds that reach 48 to 72 km/hr (30 to 45 mph), and the far end of the lake is one of the world’s top windsurfing locations.
The volcano is quite active and occasional eruptions make it a natural wonder to be respected. Arenal is especially impressive at night, when the glowing molten lava can be seen against the ink-black sky. Even during the day, its reflection on Lake Arenal is truly enchanting. Note that due to normal weather patterns around Arenal, the top of the volcano is often covered in clouds; if you are lucky enough to see the volcano on a clear day, make sure to appreciate it!
Includes 2 breakfasts & 1 dinner
Day 6-7: Monteverde
Spend two days exploring the Monteverde area and its Cloud Forest Reserve, ideal for nature lovers. We enjoy a coffee plantation tour with a local coffee expert, a cloud forest walking tour with local naturalist guide, and a visit to the impressive Frog pond.
Local guides are extremely knowledgeable about the area and passionate about conservation of this precious ecosystem. The unique community has several local co-operatives worth visiting, including artist collectives and a cheese factory (with great ice cream!) If you're there at the right time of year, you may be lucky enough to see the Resplendent Quetzal, one of the most beautiful and elusive birds in the world. Optional activities include the Sky Walk, a series of suspension bridges through the jungle canopy, a butterfly garden and a thrilling canopy zip line.
Our included two-hour coffee tour is a great way to learn more about the world’s most popular drink and how it is produced, but also the influence of coffee on Costa Rica's history and culture. Participants get to see all the different stages of the coffee-making process, and naturally can purchase and sample some lovely Monteverde "cafe" at the end of the presentation. This tour is fun even for non-coffee drinkers, and if you are a java junkie you'll be in heaven!
Monteverde or Green Mountain, is exactly what you find at the end of the long, rutted dirt road through the mountains. The surrounding pastures were once covered with dense forest, but today only a small piece of it remains. That piece of forest has been preserved as the Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Cloud forest is much like a rainforest, but much of the moisture comes not from falling rain but from the condensation left by the nearly constant cloud cover that blankets the tops of mountains in many parts of the tropics. Monteverde Reserve covers 1600 hectares of forest and is home to a great variety of wildlife. More than 2000 species of plants, 320 bird species and 100 different species of mammals inhabit this small area. The Santa Elena Reserve, another park contiguous with Monteverde, is less well known and visited but also worth seeing. All proceeds from this park profit the local community.
Quakers from the United States founded the village of Monteverde in the 1950s. Looking to leave behind the constant fear of war and objecting to being forced to support continued militarism through their taxes, the Quakers chose Costa Rica because of its commitment to a non-militaristic economic path—Costa Rica’s army was dissolved in the 1940s. Since its founding, Monteverde has grown slowly as others who shared the original Quaker founders’ ideals moved to the area. Although the Quakers came here to farm the land, they recognized the need to preserve the rare cloud forest that covers the mountain slopes above their fields. The community is very different from those on the coast, and offers several souvenir shops and the Quaker cheese factory, which is definitely worth a visit. Make sure to try their ice cream!
Includes 2 breakfasts
Day 8: San José
Head back to Costa Rica's capital for some last-minute shopping and a final night on the town.
Includes breakfast
Day 9: Depart San José
You are free to depart at any time on Day 9, though remember check out from the hotel is approx. 12pm midday
0844·811·4444
