Costa Rica Escape with Tortuguero

Highlights

• Monteverde: Visit Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve; Naturalist-led tour of the reserve
• Arenal: Visit Arenal National Park; Naturalist-led tour of the Arenal Hanging Bridges
• Sarchi: Visit to the artisan village to see the famous Costa Rica ox carts
• San josÉ: Orientation tour
• Forget the big city crowds and high prices—now is your time to vacation in Costa Rica! With its abundant wildlife and splendid beauty, it’s no wonder Costa Rica is synonymous with pura vida—the good life
• On this Costa Rica tour, you’ll spend two nights each in San José, Monteverde, and Arenal

What's this trip about?

Escape to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, reachable only by air or water, to explore Tortuguero National Park. As its name suggests, it is here where sea turtles like loggerheads and leatherbacks lay their eggs each year. Visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy, home to the Western Hemisphere’s largest green sea turtle nursery. Cruise the canals to spot fantastic creatures large and small that stalk, slither, and soar in this natural paradise of wildlife diversity. Depart by boat before driving to San José and pass pineapple and banana groves en route to the heart-stirring rainforest canopies of Arenal. Here, the hanging bridges stretch to heart-stirring heights through the rainforest canopy, while the depths of the earth deliver lava trails to follow. See Arenal Volcano and explore the wild places where pumas and jaguars prowl. Look skyward to spot the hundreds of multi-hued birds, butterflies, and a dizzying diversity of wildlife in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Find your head in the clouds in a primeval forest blessed by trade winds, rain, and fog by day, and unfettered stars above by night. Go where monkeys and macaws make your day with mischief and count yourself charmed to see some of the 160-plus reptile species—from tiny amphibians to titan snakes. Get civilized too, with visits to an artisan village and a tour of Costa Rica’s largest city and cultural capital of San José.

Accommodation