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Costa Rica Tours and Travel

Coast to Coast / Multisport / Costa Rica Verde / Tropical Adventure / Honeymoon / Jungle Escapade
South Costa Rica / Family Adventure / Adventure Self-Drive / Highlights Self-Drive / Up & Down Self-Drive
Costa Rica-Panama Cruise / Community-based Tours - Authentic Costa Rica , Cultural Costa Rica , Watercolors of Costa Rica

CULTURAL COSTA RICA TOUR

12 Days & 11 Nights self-drive (can also be done with private transfers or by shuttles) with community-based tourism

Day 1 WELCOME AT THE AIRPORT
Welcome at the Juan Santamaría International Airport and transfer to the Hotel. Lodging at San Jose. (PT, BG)

Day 2 COSTA RICA TRADITIONS (Cultural walk - CODECE)
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Escazú. At 08:00 in the morning, your guide, a native from San Antonio de Escazú will join your group in San Rafael. He will tell you the rich history of Escazú and its agricultural activities. Once in San Antonio you will have the chance to visit the local Catholic Church, which is part of the cultural heritage.

CODECE* will offer you an interesting talk about the conservation efforts of the local association. There is an impressive view of the central valley with this region, rich in flora and fauna. You will have the opportunity to hear a great variety of local tales and legends. At the end of the walk, a local will make you having a ride in his typical vehicle. The fallowing visit will be in the mask workshop of Don Gerardo Montoya, grandson of the legendary mask producer Pedro Arias. You will assist to the mask fabrication and visit a “trapiche”. Also, a typical lunch will be served. This trip takes 5 and ½ hours. The rest of the day will be free to get familiarized on your own in the San José city. Overnight in San José. (B, L, PT, GL)

* Asociación de conservación de los cerros de Escazú.

Day 3 SAN JOSE/TORTUGUERO
At about 6:30 a.m., after having breakfast, a company driver will be waiting for you at the hotel’s lobby to take you to Guápiles. Then the trip continues to Cariari, 4 Esquinas and 20 minutes later you will get to Pavona, where you will take a boat to Tortuguero National Park, having lunch at the hostel. The afternoon is free to enjoy the zone. During the night, from July to September (optional trip), you can take a tour to watch the gigantic green turtle spawning. Lodging in Tortuguero (B, L, D, PT, BT)

Day 4 TORTUGUERO
The tour begins at 6:00 a.m. approximately, taking a canoe through the Tortuguero’s Canals (please take into account that the visitor has to row). Transportation via canoe is very attractive because the zone’s nature is rich in flora and fauna. Here you will have the opportunity to watch three different types of monkeys (howler, spider and white faced capuchin). You will also see birds like the green macaw, as well as otters and an incredibly dense forest. This tour lasts 3 hours. At 9:00 a.m. we return to the lodge to have breakfast. After that, at 11:00 a.m., the guide will take you to a walk through the path called “El Gavilán” located inside Tortuguero National Park, exiting through the beach, a zone that is not within the canoe tour. You will have the opportunity to see poisonous frogs, snakes, birds such as trogons and hawks, as well as the natural version of ornamental plants in Europe. The afternoon is free to enjoy the place. (It includes 3 meals). Lodging in Tortuguero. (B, L, D, CT, LG)

Day 5 TORTUGUERO/ARENAL
After breakfast, at 9:00 a.m. a boat will take you back to Guápiles (Restaurant Selva Tropical), here you will take your lunch and will be given your the car to travel to Arenal. Lodging in Arenal. (B, BL, BT, PT)

Day 6: AGROTOURISM IN THE ARENAL VOLCANO AREA
After breakfast you will be heading, on your own, towards San Marcos de Cutris, at 8:15 a.m. You have to take the road to Guatuzo until you get to the junction of Tanque. 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) after you will get to the junction of Muelle. When you are there, look for the Muelle gas station. Then you continue towards the road to Boca Arenal. 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) before the sawmill, only 50 meters from there, there is an entrance, on the right. This is where .La Casa de la Araña. is located and where the local guide will be waiting for you. The tour begins with a visit to the house of the Morales Vega family, we will be taking a look at how the organic wastes from a pigsty are treated to convert them to biogas and how through this interesting process pollution is eliminated and social well-being and economy are strengthened. At the Gamboa family’s house we will see how organic wastes produced at home and in the corral are transformed into fertilizer in form of little worms. This is also used in the crops. We will also go through the process of milking and tasting the cheese they produce. Finally, we will visit the Vega Soto family. There, we will make tortillas with cheese by hand, on a type of fireplace (fogón) located next to the house and we will make coffee in a traditional way. Lodging in Arenal. (B, L)

Day 7: ARENAL/ SAVEGRE DE QUEPOS (COOPESILENCIO)
After breakfast, (transportation is at your expense) travel from Savegre de Quepos, located 45 minutes from the famous Manuel Antonio National Park. It takes about 6 hours to get there. You take the road from Arenal to San Ramón and then, take the highway to Puntarenas and Jacó Beach. Continue to Manuel Antonio, continue on the road to Savegre de Quepos, 1 hour later you will find the bridge above Savegre River. After the bridge, take the first entrance at the right. After getting installed in the cooperative’s hostel, a visit to get to know the town is done. During the walk, you will be told about the history and development of Coopesilencio, which originally was a settlement and then made legal by the government. There will be a visit to the school, local families and .comisariato.. Lodging in Coopesilencio hostel. (B)

Day 8: COOPESILENCIO
Breakfast. Free to contract tours provided by the cooperative. Among the activities you can enjoy: rafting in Savegre River or you can visit several community projects. The first one is the palm plantations (African palm) where an explanation on how oil is extracted is offered to tourists, as well as the cares that a palm tree has to have and everything related to it. After that, there is a visit to an organic vegetable garden and the composter, then the milking house. There is also a visit to the cabinetmaker’s workshop and the place where pigs and chicken are bred. Last but not least, you can visit the .comisariato. (a little grocery shop), which is the place where locals get their groceries. Other activities you can do on your own include: visit to Manuel Antonio National Park or Matapalo Beach. Lodging in Coopesilencio Hostel. (B)

Day 9: COOPESILENCIO/MARINO BALLENA NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast (transportation is at your expense), you will travel to Punta Uvita. When you leave Coopesilencio, on the main road, turn left, as if you were going to Playa Dominical. It takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. After Dominical you take the road to Cortés, 18 kilometers, until you get to Punta Uvita bridge, then you take the first road at your right and drive for about 300 meters. You will then arrive and check in at Hotel Canto de Ballenas. After midday (take into account that you have to be at the hotel’s lobby at 1:00 p.m., since there will be a driver picking you up at 1:15 p.m. to start the tour) you will be heading towards Marino Ballena Park to ride the boat that will take you to the part of the park that is best for watching dolphins and whales, from August until mid September (the tour will be taken during the afternoon during the winter season, if the weather is good), even though dolphins can be seen almost all year around. Undoubtedly these are some of the most beautiful animals, and this makes this tour one of the most special ones in the whole country. Watching these enormous, beautiful and at the same time peaceful creatures, makes this trip a unique and unforgettable experience. You will be returning to the hotel in the afternoon. Lodging in Punta Uvita (B)

Day 10: MARINO BALLENA NATIONAL PARK/PEAK OF DEATH (CERRO DE LA MUERTE)/TOUR DEL PARAMO
After breakfast, (transportation is at your expense) travel to Siberia, the highest part of the hill of the death, 3500 meters high. From the hotel with direction to San Jose. On the Kilometer 99. After registering in the hotel, it begins the walk of two hours to familiarize itself with the fauna and the flora of the Moorland (Forest of height). Also the small little town of Siberia is visited and one interacts with some settlers of the zone. It includes typical lunch. Lodging in Copey de Dota (B)

Day 11: PEAK OF DEATH (CERRO DE LA MUERTE)/SAN JOSE
After breakfast (transportation is at your expense), travel from the hostel, 500 metres to the right, you will get to the Inter-American highway, Pérez Zeledón – Cartago – San José. (It is 99 ½ kilometers – 2 hour trip, approximately). The rest of the day is free to get around San José city. Lodging in San José. (B)

Day 12 TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT
After breakfast, at the scheduled time, transfer out to the airport. (B, PT)

NOMENCLATURE MEANING: B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, PT: Private transportation, LG: Local guide, BG: Bilingual guide, BT: Boat transportation, S: Shuttle

STANDARD HOTELS:

San José - Rosa del Paseo or Britannia - www.rosadelpaseo.com or www.hbritannia.com
Tortuguero - La Casona Tortuguero
Arenal - Arenal Oasis or Faro Arenal or similar - www.arenaloasis.com
Savegre de Quepos - El Silencio
Punta Uvita - Hacienda Barú - www.haciendabaru.com
Cerro de la Muerte - Hotel Toucanet - www.eltoucanet.com

PRICES PER PERSON IN US$, VALID FROM DEC 15th 2008 TO APRIL 15th 2009 / JULY 01 TO AUGUST 31 2009: Single: $1932, Double: $1170 Triple: $954

PRICES PER PERSON IN US$ FROM APRIL 16 TO JUNE 30 / OCTUBER 01 TO DECEMBER 15 2009: Single: $1860, Double: $1122, Triple: $930

These prices are not valid in Christmas season, Holy week or Easter week.

IMPORTANT NOTES: The local guides are qualified and have received training. This quote is based in Dahiatsu Terios or Susuky Jimmy 4x4 with basic insurance. The pick up of car will be on day 5at around 1:30 p.m. . The drop off of car will be on day 12.