Category Archives: Tours and Attractions

Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs with Dinner

Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs Tour

The Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs with Dinner is an afternoon excursion that begins when your certified bilingual naturalist guide picks you up at your hotel approximately at 2:30. After a short transfer that takes you on to the far west side of the Arenal Volcano, the guided visit will begin. While exploring the primary tropical rain forest and admiring fantastic views of the volcano, your guide will explain you everything about the volcanoes formation and eruptions. You will find the observation point at the end of the trail. This observation point offers the closest and most impressive vista of the volcano. During your exploration you will observe a great variety of plants, wildlife, magnificent lava rock formations and the beautiful Arenal Lake just in time for sunset!

After exploring the volcano, the Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs with Dinner tour, will continue with a visit the world-famous Tabacon Hot Springs. At Tabacon you will enjoy swimming and relaxing in the only hot springs in the Arenal Volcano area that is completely natural. Water flows by gravity throughout the property, forming river pools, waterfalls, and cascades. As the underground Tabacon River flows through the magma in the volcano, the springs absorb minerals. Hot springs provide many benefits stemming from various chemical, physical and biological effects, the most notable is relaxing tense and tired muscles. While at Tabacon Hot Springs you will enjoy a scrumptious buffet-dinner, the perfect treat to complete your visit to the Arenal Volcano National Park region. After dinner, please get ready for a transfer back to your hotel.

Programs featuring this tour:

Arenal Volcano Guided Tour

The Arenal Volcano Guided Tour transports guests to the active northwest side of the volcano. The exploration begins with a hike and depending upon which side of the volcano the lava is flowing, your local English-speakin guide will take you to either along the trail Los Tucanes at the National Park or to Mirador El Silencio. During this exploration, is possible to observe a great variety of plants, wildlife, magnificent lava rock formations and the Arenal Lake just in time for sunset!

 

Arenal: Sky Tram - Sky Trek - Sky Walk with Lunch

Your adventure starts with a transfer to the Sky Park, a private reserve located on the north-facing slopes of the Cordillera de Tilaran that offers phenomenal views of the Arenal Volcano. While at the Sky Park you will enjoy the following attractions:

Sky Tram – Gondola Panoramic Views. The Sky Tram gondolas rise smoothly through the rain forest, offering up endless views during their mountainous ascent. This tour is perfect for people who want to take a different approach on admiring nature, without much physical effort but still be on spot where nature exhibits all its magic. While on the Sky Tram, your guide will point out different characteristics of the flora and fauna and other interesting facts. The Sky Tram travels up the mountains to arrive in a wide observation platform on the highest point of the reserve, where you can enjoy the breathtaking view of Lake Arenal.

Sky Trek – Ultimate Zip Lines. From the observation platform, you will start riding down on a zip line track stretching across canyons and in between treetops, the exhilarating adventure of zip lining down the mountainside begins; ultimately returning you to the starting point at the main building. This is the most thrilling zip line in the country.

Sky Walk– Hanging Bridges. During this nature walk you will explore the rainforest walking along 5 suspension bridges, a trail system through the canopy of a primary rainforest, and 2 waterfalls observation viewpoints.

After a rewarding lunch at the Sky Park, you will be transferred back to your hotel and spend the balance of the day at leisure.

Half Day San Jose City Tour

Founded in 1737, San Jose is a bustling city nestled inside a tropical paradise; San Jose sits in the center of the country in the Central Valley and is surrounded by gorgeous untouched cloud forests. Serving as a hub to the rest of the country, San Jose is the perfect place to use as a base camp to tour Costa Rica. The Juan Santamaria International Airport is just 20 minutes from downtown San Jose.

Downtown San Jose is where one can find most of the city’s museums and important buildings, such as:

The National Theater. Also referred to as the Opera House, the National Theater is perhaps the greatest source of national pride for Costa Ricans. The ornate playhouse was built in 1897 when upper-class Costa Ricans wanted to transform the capital from a sleepy town of 17,000 people into a stop on the world opera circuit. A tax was levied, passing the cost on to all citizens, involving the entire country in the process, who in turn still feel a sense of ownership in the theater. During the day, when there are no performances, the museum-like National Theater is great place to visit and discover its many treasures while learning about the local culture and costumes.

The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. This museum exhibits an amazing collection of objects made in gold by the Pre-Columbian inhabitants of Costa Rica. This collection has a total of 1600 pieces that were worked from 500 AD to 1500 AD. The exhibition presents the functions of the pieces and their respective uses as well as the fabrication and techniques to create them in conjunction with its reflection of their social organization and everyday life of the societies. The Pre-Columbian artisans worked with alluvial gold, obtained from the river silt and coastal shoreline sand, most of the objects that have been recovered come from the South Pacific area of Costa Rica, where the natural gold used to exist. Some of the objects they made in gold were hooks, needles and symbols for personal adornments and to use them during their rituals. Many representations were based in fauna, like fish, jaguars, frogs and turtles, giving faith of the value they were given to the natural surroundings.

Since the downtown area is fairly small and is one of the most frequented parts of the city, do keep in mind that you will come across heavy traffic here with lots of noise and congestion. But don’t let this deter you, as this part of the city is the heart of San Jose. The streets and avenues here are usually bustling with pedestrians and traffic, so the best way to explore this area is by foot.

Hanging Bridges

The Arenal Hanging Bridges are a fun and educative option to learn more about the primary forest and the local environment. During a walk along the bridges and trails you will be able to enjoy a unique and impressively close contact with nature.

During this tour, an expert English-speaking naturalist guide will take you through our private nature reserve and introduce you to its rich biodiversity. During the walk you will learn more about the fauna and flora of the area as your guide will share his knowledge with you and show you all kinds of species from tiny insects and frogs to snakes, birds and if you’re lucky, the peculiar Ocelot. While you’re walking along the trails, the fascinating world of the tropical forest will open to you. Our goal is to offer you a safe and sustainable way to enjoy the abundant natural resources and at the same time protect it for our future generations.

 

 

La Paz Waterfall Combo Tour

The Doka Coffee Estate is set along the slopes of the Poas Volcano and has been growing, harvesting and roasting coffee for three generations. The tour begins in the field, where your guide will teach you about the biology of the plant and its relevance at both a local and global scale. You’ll then visit the processing plant (which, as it turns out, was declared to be an Architectural Heritage for Humanity site in 2003) and watch as beans are de-pulped and fermented. The final stop is the roasting plant and cafe, where you’ll learn about and sample the estate’s eight blends of coffee.

Poas Volcano National Park, located at the end of a scenic road dotted with fern, flowers, and strawberry farms. Considered by most to be one of the most breathtaking sites in the entire country, the Poas Volcano sits high above 14,000 acres (5,666 ha) of various habitats and life zones. Rising up to 8,885 ft (2,708 m), Poas remains one of Costa Rica’s largest and most active volcanoes. This fact alone is enough to attract thousands of visitors per year. At the volcano you can explore segments of the park with a light hike and peer into an impressive crater steaming with fumaroles. You’ll also visit the beautiful Botos Lagoon and learn about the various ecosystems that are present within the region.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens with Lunch. Located one hour away from San Jose, north of Poas Volcano, La paz Waterfall and Gardens offers extensive walking trails at altitudes reaching over 5000 feet through cloud forest and rainforest ecosystems complete with rivers and 5 waterfalls. The 70-acre park is open year round and features many different exhibits where visitors can view jungle cats, butterflies, tropical birds, hummingbirds, monkeys, snakes, frogs, butterflies, various insects, sloths, and tropical flowers.

Manuel Antonio National Park

Guided Exploration

Explore one of the most beautiful rainforest parks in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park combining the Pacific Ocean white sand beaches and wildlife.  See how many different species of flora and fauna you can spot in a 2 1/2 hour walk or hike.

Instead of going back to your hotel immediately after the tour, we strongly recommend you to continue exploring the park on your own. The Manuel Antonio National Park has one of the most impressive landscapes of the world and has several coves with many white sand beaches and lush foliage amidst great mountains and forests that reach the beaches. Additionally, it is located in the tropical forest. It has a large land and marine biodiversity with beautiful coral reefs.

The entire infrastructure inside the park has been built on harmony with nature and under strict environmental protection. Inside the park you will find a Visitor’s Center, the Casa de Guardaparques, Lookouts and supporting infrastructure and a Trails Master Plan that includes the trails: Punta Catedral, Waterfall, Lookout, Beach Espadilla, Beach Manuel Antonio, Congos, Beaches Gemelas, Puerto Escondido, Manglar y trail Perezosos, with universal accessibility facilities, rest areas, scenic overlooks and scientific interpretation.

Palo Verde Safari Boat Adventure

Palo Verde Safari Boat Adventure begins after being picked up at your hotel you will be transported to the Friendship Bridge at the River Tempisque to board the Safari Boat. Sailing down the Tempisque River the journey will divert to the Bebedero River from which on account of being much narrower will give you a better point of view to observe all the various species of flora and fauna of this unique site. The natural wealth concentrated in the different habitats of this area are home to more than 75 species of mammals and more than 700 plants, including about 100 species of aquatic plants. 280 species of birds, including 60 species of waterfowl, 55 species of reptiles and amphibians can also be observed.

It is important to point out that one of the largest populations of crocodiles in Costa Rica live on the banks of the Tempisque and Bebedero rivers and it is precisely for this reason that they normally tend to be the first to appear as part of the cast of wild hosts of this wonderful tropical dry forest scenario. Subsequently, as you delve deeper down river you will be able to witness the magnificent bio-diversity present in these wetlands, providing a wonderful experience for birdwatchers and lovers of eco-tourism. Your Safari Boat trip down the Tempisque and Bebedero Rivers takes about 2 hours. Once completed, you will be able to sample some of the local cuisine with a delicious typical lunch in one of the area’s rustic restaurants.

The Palo Verde Safari Boat Adventure tour concludes with an activity that is considered a must during any visit to the province of Guanacaste: a visit to the colorful town of Guaitil.

Guaitil is a small community of indigenous Chorotega artisans and is the only place in Costa Rica where you can observe the manufacture of tinajas vessels (red clay pottery), ocarinas, and other forms of Chorotega crafts. The manufacture of these objects today is very similar to the way their ancestors fabricated such pieces.  Here you will be able to find that very special gift for someone back home.

Plan to be back at your hotel between 4:30 and 5:00 pm.

 

Sarapiqui Rain Forest Adventure

This adventure will start with a drive through the extraordinary rain forest of the Braulio Carrillo National Park, one of the most important rain forest reserves of Costa Rica. On arrival to Sarapiqui, a beautiful area known for its impressive natural richness, you will board a boat for a relaxing ride on the Sarapiqui River where you will feel in close contact with nature and admire the inspiring surroundings.

After the boat ride you will continue with a walk on Selva Verde eco lodge’s private trails which are a heaven for nature enthusiasts, hikers, bird and wildlife watchers.

Following lunch and on route back to San Jose, we will stop at the famous Rainforest Aerial Tram, for a ride on an open gondola through the tree canopy, accompanied by a naturalist guide.

The Rain Forest Aerial Tram – Atlantic is a 475-hectares (1,200-acre) private reserve that shares a 10 km border with the Braulio Carrillo National Park, constituting a buffer zone between the park and farming lands.

 

Sarapiqui River Rafting Class II-III

The Sarapiqui River Rafting – Class II-III is ideal for those who wish to combine white water rafting with observation of the exuberant flora and fauna. The clear refreshing waters of the Sarapiqui River will serpentine along through the tropical jungle and offer a variety of waves and rapids as well as some great spots for swimming and Tarzan jumping off its banks for the more adventurous.

Very different from other tours, this exhilarating adventure allows everyone to paddle along long sections of white water. The tropical Sarapiqui River is characterized by its moderate Class II-III rapids and clean refreshing waters, which allow the opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking nature at its fullest.

After a rewarding lunch, you will be transferred back to your hotel and spend the balance of the day at leisure.