Costa Rica Elements Self-Drive from $1,236

Travel Team > South/Central America Vacations > Costa Rica Elements Self-Drive from $1,236

Day 1  San Jose

Upon arrival into San Jose, you will be welcomed inside the airport and assisted during customs procedures. A guide from our local representative will meet you outside the terminal before an introductory briefing about Costa Rica, where they will review the itinerary with you and provide you with your welcome kit. The guide will be able to answer any questions you may have during the transfer to your hotel. After check-in at the hotel, your evening is at leisure.

Duration              1 Night

Accommodation

Country Inn and Suites

Location               View map

Day

2

San Jose to Doka and La Paz Waterfall Gardens to Arenal

After breakfast at the hotel, your rental car will be waiting for you at the hotel. After a quick briefing and receiving your documentation, maps and GPS, you head off to visit the family-owned Doka Coffee Estate, located on the outskirts of the Poas Volcano, where you will learn about the production, the harvesting, the processing plant, and the roasting of the grain.

Guided by an expert, visitors will receive extensive information, which will make this activity an incomparable experience. The tour begins at the seedbed. There you will observe and receive explanations concerning the development process of the plant up to the point of the picking of the ripe grain. You will also learn about the history of the estate, its owners, the production and varieties of plants, the geography of the area, and the traditional ways of cultivating coffee.

The second station is the oldest humid coffee processing plant in the world, declared to be an Architectural Heritage for Humanity site in 2003; it works using hydraulic power. You will witness the first classification of the grains followed by the process of de-pulping of first and second quality coffee in the grinders. Next, the natural honey of the grain is channeled towards the fermentation tanks and a process is carried out that is significant to the taste of the coffee. The coffee that has been dried in the Guardiola or on the patios under the sun is stored in the warehouse. This grain is ready to be peeled, and then exported or roasted in the country.

Finally, the roasting plant Cafe Tres Generaciones is visited, where you will learn about its use; you will be able to observe the different types of roasts that are offered.

Then you carry on traveling towards La Paz Waterfall Gardens hosting a wide variety of plants and bird life amongst stunning scenery. These gardens are a one-stop introduction to all of Costa Rica. It offers an interactive experience through its park, aimed at bringing families and visitors into closer contact with Costa Rica’s natural resources. At La Paz, you will walk down a trail leading to a series of spectacular waterfalls amongst a dense cloud and rain forest. Moreover, you will also visit the hummingbird gallery with 26 documented species, the snake farm, the aviary, the butterfly garden, the Jungle Cats and the Frog Exhibit.

This learning experience concludes with lunch included at the site, buffet style. Following lunch the trip continues to La Fortuna, the closest town to the Arenal volcano.

Meal Plan            Breakfast and Lunch

Duration              2 Nights

Accommodation

Catarata Eco Lodge

Location               View map

Day

3

Arenal Volcano

Drive from your hotel to the National Park for your tour of the Park and Ecotermales Hot Springs. At present, the volcano’s green area is located mainly on its eastern side; other small green segments can be found on the north and the south.

During this gentle hike, you’ll be able to enjoy the most extraordinary view of the colossus, walking around its base. The hike begins on a trail close to the volcano, a path that will take you through the forest and the area destroyed by the 1969 eruption (now in regeneration process). The whole hike takes around 2.5 hours.

After the walk, participants can enjoy a healthy and relaxing soak at Ecotermales. This place guarantees your visit will be unforgettable from the moment you arrive. You will immerse yourself in the energy generated by the natural beauty of the surrounding rainforest and the natural volcanic thermal springs. Ecotermales has created 6 elegant areas, with pools of differing temperature (37 degree Celsius /99 Degree Fahrenheit to 104 degree Fahrenheit /41 degree Fahrenheit) and one fresh waterfall. These combine to create a natural spa of endless comfort.

Meal Plan            Breakfast and Dinner

Day

4

Arenal Volcano to Monteverde

After Breakfast, you will drive to Monteverde. Once there, you will check in at the hotel and the rest of your day at leisure. There are a number of optional activities available (own expense).

Monteverde is the most appropriate way to introduce visitors to the wildlife sanctuary it preserves. This community, secluded on a 1400-metre high plateau, was founded in 1951 by a group of North American Quakers. Although some of the original virgin forest was cleared for dairy farming, the founders’ environmental consciousness, together with help from private organizations, led to the creation of a biological preserve that hosts one of the richest ecological systems in the country. Due to its location at a relatively high altitude, Monteverde’s climate is rather fresh.

Meal Plan            Breakfast

Duration              2 Nights

Accommodation

Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge

More Info

Location               View map

Day

5

Monteverde Reserve

This morning, you will will drive from your hotel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. It is one of the most important private reserves in Costa Rica, with a total of 3,500 hectares of land. Enjoy a four hour nature tour through the Reserve where a local professional naturalist guide will show and give you explanations concerning all the different macro/micro flora and fauna. Visit the Golden Toad’s unique habitat; see birds like the resplendent quetzal (the most beautiful bird of the Americas), the three-wattled Bell Bird, and the Black Faced Solitaire.

This afternoon, you will enjoy the El Trapiche Tour. This is a Costa Rican Family project. It begins with a walk through the farm, giving you the chance to observe the different crops; also, you will cross a small area of forest where you can occasionally spot wildlife. You will get to see the farm’s tilapia (a kind of fish) project, banana plantation, arracache, macadamia nuts, oranges, sugar cane, and coffee crops. During the walk, your guide will show you the process involved in growing sugar cane and inform you about its natural history. They will also give you the chance to taste the sugar cane and its various derivatives. Once this is over, you will move on to coffee’s production process, starting from the planting and continued with the crushing, peeling, and machine roasting.

Additionally, you will be invited to make a quick oxcart trip (you have the option of walking as well); the journey starts from the sugar cane plantation and ends at the mill. Once at the mill, you will witness the extraction of the sugar cane’s juice. You will learn the artisan’s way of processing sugar cane and its different products.

The tour continues with an exhibit and explanation of some traditional Costa Rican artefacts, such as a wood stove, the marimba (musical instrument), and the pylon. You will also see the manufacturing of the ‘Saca de Guaro’ (a liquor distilled with pure water).

The tour ends with an opportunity to eat some ‘arracache’ served with a drink (lemonade, coffee or aguadulce – hot drink made from sugarcane). You will be given a small ‘tapa dulce’ (sweet made from sugar cane) as a souvenir.

Meal Plan            Breakfast

Day

6

Monteverde to San Jose

Today, you will visit the Butterfly Garden in Monteverde. This is an educational project with the purpose of educating visitors concerning the conservation of different species of butterflies and arachnids. In this garden, forty-five to fifty different types of butterflies are raised throughout the year, as well as a great variety of other arthropods. During the tour, you will learn about the different defense mechanisms, feeding habits, and behavior of Costa Rican butterflies.

Following you will visit the amphibian and reptile garden. The project houses natural environments to guarantee the animals’ comfort as well as to provide security for visitors. All of the animals are housed terrariums that imitate the animal’s natural habitat and that allow visitors to observe them in complete safety. During this tour you will take a guided tour through the serpentarium, acquiring knowledge about poisonous and non-poisonous snakes.

Next we visit the fabulous world of bats. Visitors will learn all manner of details concerning their behaviour and natural habits.

Transfer back to San Jose after the day’s activities.

Meal Plan            Breakfast

Duration              1 Night

Accommodation

Country Inn and Suites

More Info

Location               View map

Day

7

Onward Travels

Today, transfer to the airport for your onward travels.

Please Note: Check-in at the airport must occur 3 hours prior to your departure.

Meal Plan            Breakfast