Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Costa Rica: Hike, Bike & Raft

Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Swap the concrete jungle for real jungle on a guided hike into the Monteverde Cloud Forest, home to Costa Rica’s amazing range of exotic animals.
- Raft Costa Rica’s Pacuare River – an area ranked in the top five rivers of the world for whitewater rafting. You’ll tackle Class 3 and 4 rapids on an unforgettable river adventure.
- Cycle the quiet palm-fringed roads and drop in at hidden beaches along the Caribbean coast.
- Opt to ride some waves with surfing expedition at Manzanillo beach. You’ll be away from the crowds and hanging ten in no time!
- Explore the rich urban centre of capital San Jose, with time before and after your active adventure to really get to know the Costa Rican way of life.
- By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, World Bicycle Relief. Donations provide school kids, health workers, and farmers in far-out areas with bicycles that provide access to education, healthcare, and income.
Short Description
Get a thrill in Central America on this 8-day active adventure through one of the world's greenest countries: Costa Rica. Cascade down the rapids of the Pacuare River, and later opt to surf the Caribbean waves and hike misty jungle trails in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Cycle along the Costa Rican coastline at the mellow beach refuge of Puerto Viejo and be free to choose your own adventure everywhere in between. Costa Rica is a country perfect for adventure seekers, and the ecstasies of this expedition are sure to impress even the most seasoned active traveller.
Itinerary
Day 1 San Jose
Hola! Welcome to Costa Rica. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. With over half the country's population living within its parameters, San Jose is a city with colourful markets, intriguing museums and a dynamic atmosphere. If you do happen to arrive early, a good place to start exploring is the main plaza. Artisan booths are common here and you never know when there'll be a spontaneous art fair. Have a look at the Gold Museum which has an amazing collection of indigenous gold art. If these cultural gems get you in the mood for a bit of shopping, head to the San Jose Handcraft market or the Central Market, where you can buy anything from handicrafts to seafood.
Day 2 Monteverde
A morning of travel by bus (approximately 3-4 hours) leads to incredible Monteverde. Settled by North American Quakers in 1951, the area was initially used as an environmentally conscious agricultural community and is now a biological preserve. Make the most of your free time in lush Monteverde and organise a local guide to take you on a nature walk. There also several local communities that operate cooperatives worth visiting. You may wish to get a different perspective on the forest by walking through the canopy on suspension bridges, or perhaps watch butterflies at play in the Butterfly Garden. More than 2000 species of plants, 320 bird species and 100 different types of mammals call Monteverde home, and no matter what you choose to do, be sure to keep an eye out for the resplendent quetzal, one of the most elusive birds in the world.
Day 3 Monteverde Cloud Forest hike & La Fortuna
The forest near Monteverde has near-constant cloud cover, providing consistent rainfall, which also gives the area an enchanted feel. Spend the morning in the cloud forest on a leader-led nature hike, looking out for hummingbirds, quetzals and even lazy sloths among the mist early in the day. After your hike continue take a 3-hour drive, skirting the impressive Lake Arenal, to La Fortuna, a small but vibrant town with an abundance of hot springs and natural pools to enjoy. Here you have the rest of the day to do as you please. In the evening, why not grab a classic local dinner with your travel buddies? Chifrijo (fried pork, salsa, beans and tortilla chips) is a great dish to try.
Day 4 La Fortuna
Enjoy a free day to explore La Fortuna as you wish. The region offers a range of sights such as stunning lush forest, rare plants, animal watching and water-based sports on the lake. The volcano’s inner workings also mean that the area has plenty of thermal springs where hot, lava-heated water gushes to the surface. These springs, often surrounded by foliage, make the ideal place to relax. Active types could try stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Arenal with the incredible backdrop of the volcano and rolling green hills. Animal lovers will have a good chance of spotting sloths, monkeys, crocodiles and basilisk lizards skipping across the water on a boat tour of Cano Negro Reserve. Have a chat with your leader about the options available.
Day 5 Pacuare River white water rafting & Puerto Viejo
This morning, leave the towering volcano behind and drive 3 hours east head to the adventure-filled Pacuare River. Pacuare is renowned for its natural beauty and what better way to experience it than an adrenaline-filled white water rafting adventure. While not an overly challenging or technical river the 29 kilometre (18 mile) one day run includes an amazing 52 rapids, guaranteeing you a day of fun on the water. And when you’re not surrounded by white water remember to relax and enjoy the natural beauty all around. Flanked by green gorge walls, tumbling waterfalls and tropical rainforest this is Costa Rican nature at its best. Keep an eye out for the abundant wildlife as well, with sloth, parrots, toucans, and colourful butterflies and frogs a common sight. Afterwards continue by vehicle (approximately 4 hours) to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca for a taste of Caribbean seaside – think reggae bars and palm-fringed beaches.
Day 6 Puerto Viejo de Talamanca Cycling
After breakfast get to know the area better as you enjoy a relaxed bicycle ride along the palm-fringed coastal road, stopping at various beaches and inlets so you make your way south. Along the way stop at a local restaurant for lunch, and what better way to get to know the local cuisine than watching it being made yourself at a Caribbean cooking demonstration. Experience African, indigenous, and Spanish flavours with a mix of coconut milk, spices, fruits, curry, and sea food in a melting pot of culinary traditions and cultures. Return to Puerto Viejo for the evening. Hit the bars or chill out at the beach, the choice is yours.
Day 7 Puerto Viejo de Talamanca & San Jose
This morning is free for you to choose what activity suits you best. Rise early to take the public bus to Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge – an area that encompasses several rare habitats, including a lowland rainforest, a wetland, a coral reef and a mangrove swamp. Spend around 2 hours exploring and keep your eyes peeled for monkeys, reptiles, toucans and macaws. Otherwise relax on the Caribbean shores or take to the waves for a beginners surf lesson. Learn some basic pointers to ride a wave, or if you've done this before, grab a board and hang ten! Around midday take the bus back to San Jose (approximately 5-6 hours). With time to explore the historic buildings and bustling food and artisan markets, you’ll see a more urban Costa Rica, quite different to the past few days of travel. After so much activity in Costa Rica, you may instead be up for a quiet night, so perhaps head out for a group dinner and become acquainted with the city's night scene – your group leader will know a good place to go.
Day 8 San Jose
After breakfast, you are able to leave at any time, with no activities planned for the day. If you’d like to explore San Jose in more depth, why not book in an Urban Adventures tour like the San Jose Bites & Sights tour. If you wish to spend more time in San Jose, we'll be happy to book additional accommodation for you (subject to availability).
Availability
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4,320 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings
Costa Rica: Hike, Bike & Raft
Company Reviews
Sardines in a can
If any of us had been physically inflexible or overweight we could not have coped with the sleeping arrangements . It is impossible to sit on the top bunk and even turning over in bed requires considerable planning .
An adventure does not mean cutting back on basic essentials …
In our view there were too many people in too small a space .
Two complete strangers were also asked to sleep together in an extremely small double bed , which meant that one of them decided to sleep on deck or in the living space .
The only redeeming factor was our Skipper who is professional, friendly , informative and skilled .
I would recommend this trip if the numbers were reduced .
I feel totally cheated
Have not even started and not impressed
No help when things go wrong (seriously ill on trip)
Trip 1- I was taken very ill while in Vietnam and had to drop out of the tour. I had no help from the guide- no help with getting to a doctor (I don't speak Vietnamese and was too ill to get out of bed anyway), he didn't even assist with arranging a hotel room.
Trip 2- I've had to cancel an upcoming (2024) trip, but haven't received the refund despite phoning the customer service line several times. The people I talk to are nice, but don't seem to be able to actually get anything done. They just suggest waiting a bit longer- not sure how long they think is acceptable to hang on to someone's money really.
Check for other companies offtering the same trip
Once I had paid for my trips, it was very difficult to get in touch with Intrepid to ask a question.
During the trips, several times I was told something one day only to have the info change without any good reason. The guides need proper training about dealing with the heat. Some of use suffered from dehydration and heat stroke and the guides were quite flippant about it. I was told that the guides would not leave anyone behind, but it happened several times.
There was one guide (a trainee) who really took some of the pleasure out of my cycle tour. She spoke to me with a tone used for a child. This tone and her attitude to me almost bordered on harassment.
I went on a third cycling tour with a different company after my 2 with Intrepid and it was much better than my experience with Intrepid.
As the demand for ebikes rises, tour companies such as Intrepid need to increase their fleet of ebikes. They also don’t need to charge the huge amount to rent these ebikes. We only want to rent them, not buy them. As the cost of ebikes comes down, if should reflect in the rental price.
Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour…
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal ground transport Shared vehicle,Public bus,Raft,Bicycle
Group Size
Small Group - 24 max
Maximum Number of People in Group: 12
Accommodations
Hotel (6 nights),Lodge (1 nights)
Guides
All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
Age Notes :
Min. Age: 15
Additional Information
Finish point
- KC Hotel
- Comptroller General of the Republic 125mts West, 175mts South, South Sabana
- Sabana Sur
- San Jose
- 10101
- COSTA RICA
- Phone: +506 25194100
Alternate Finish point
- For trips departing on the following dates, use this finish point.
- 28 Oct 2023 (QVXC231028), 23 Dec 2023 (QVXC231223)
- Rincon del Valle Hotel
- 50 m. este y 50 Sur del Colegio de Médicos, Sabana Sur, San José, Costa Rica
- San Jose
- COSTA RICA
- Phone: +506 22961001
Trip ID#:
intrepid-QVXC
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