The Best of Costa Rica, our scheduled trip, joins you with other guests on a journey to discover the truly best of everything in Costa Rica. The trip features three very different, yet wonderful areas of the country and gives you a chance to explore a variety of ecosystems that are a nature lover’s dream.
Leaving San Jose we travel north through the mountains of the Braulio Carrillo National Park and arrive at the northern lowlands and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. The Sarapiqui River area is a perfect example of a tropical lowlands rainforest. The vegetation is lush and thick with an extraordinary variety of plant, animal and insect life. We will enjoy the great trails and hikes with a naturalist, but the best way to see the rainforest is from the water. Options include a lower Sarapiqui River boat ride or an Upper Sarapiqui whitewater raft trip. Either way gives you great views of the jungle and the forest canopy above. We stay on the grounds of a private 850 acre reserve featuring bungalows styled after indigenous dwellings with thatched roofs. The reserve grounds include rainforest hiking trails, a hanging bridge across the river, native botanical gardens and an indigenous peoples museum.
Our next visit is Arenal Volcano National Park which is dominated by this hemisphere’s most active volcano - Volcan Arenal. The volcano has erupted most days since 1968 though actually seeing the eruptions requires a bit of luck as the mountain top is often covered with a cloud layer. A view of the eruption at night is truly a nature’s fireworks display at its best. The La Paz waterfall gardens just outside the town of La Fortuna includes five hidden and wonderful falls plus a butterfly observatory and hummingbird park. One of the highlights of a visit to Arenal is the Tabacon Hot Springs with 12 natural hot pools of varying temperature warmed by creeks from the volcano.
From Arenal we travel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve by crossing beautiful Lake Arenal by boat and then boarding 4x4 vehicles for our journey across the continental divide into Monteverde. The views of the high mountains crossing the divide are spectacular. Monteverde Cloud Forest features elfin woodlands which are home to giant ferns and mosses, orchids and bromeliads plus more than 4oo species of birds including the Resplendent Quetzal, the most famous bird in Central America. The Quetzal has long green plumage and was prized by the Incas as a bird of the Gods. Our visit includes a walk on the hanging bridges and platforms through the forest which allow you to see the canopy from the treetops where much of the wildlife lives.
With our talented guides to show you their country, the Best of Costa Rica trip is a great way to learn the country and experience the beauty of its nature.
Leaving San Jose we travel north through the mountains of the Braulio Carrillo National Park and arrive at the northern lowlands and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. The Sarapiqui River area is a perfect example of a tropical lowlands rainforest. The vegetation is lush and thick with an extraordinary variety of plant, animal and insect life. We will enjoy the great trails and hikes with a naturalist, but the best way to see the rainforest is from the water. Options include a lower Sarapiqui River boat ride or an Upper Sarapiqui whitewater raft trip. Either way gives you great views of the jungle and the forest canopy above. We stay on the grounds of a private 850 acre reserve featuring bungalows styled after indigenous dwellings with thatched roofs. The reserve grounds include rainforest hiking trails, a hanging bridge across the river, native botanical gardens and an indigenous peoples museum.
Our next visit is Arenal Volcano National Park which is dominated by this hemisphere’s most active volcano - Volcan Arenal. The volcano has erupted most days since 1968 though actually seeing the eruptions requires a bit of luck as the mountain top is often covered with a cloud layer. A view of the eruption at night is truly a nature’s fireworks display at its best. The La Paz waterfall gardens just outside the town of La Fortuna includes five hidden and wonderful falls plus a butterfly observatory and hummingbird park. One of the highlights of a visit to Arenal is the Tabacon Hot Springs with 12 natural hot pools of varying temperature warmed by creeks from the volcano.
From Arenal we travel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve by crossing beautiful Lake Arenal by boat and then boarding 4x4 vehicles for our journey across the continental divide into Monteverde. The views of the high mountains crossing the divide are spectacular. Monteverde Cloud Forest features elfin woodlands which are home to giant ferns and mosses, orchids and bromeliads plus more than 4oo species of birds including the Resplendent Quetzal, the most famous bird in Central America. The Quetzal has long green plumage and was prized by the Incas as a bird of the Gods. Our visit includes a walk on the hanging bridges and platforms through the forest which allow you to see the canopy from the treetops where much of the wildlife lives. 
Benton, TN