Included in COSTA RICA :

1. Local taxes included.
2. Personalized information, maps, brochures, vouchers.
3. Airport transfers upon arrival and departure.
4. 8 nights lodging at hotels indicated at the preceding proposal breakfast included. Subject to availability.
5. 8 days of rental car 4x4 Daihatsu Terios, free mileage. Basic Insurance is not included (18.00 per day). Costs of pick up and drop off of rental car at Liberia

Included in NICARAGUA :

- Hotels as mentioned or similar with breakfast
- Private transfers as specified in proposal
- City Tour León (private)
- Services of local agent

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival at San Jose. Transfer to hotel
Located at 1149 m above sea level, San Jose maintains an average all year round temperature of 24°C and is home to the main museums and cultural centers

The Gran Hotel Costa Rica is located in San Jose’s hearth. Comfortable Hotel walking distance from Plaza de la Cultura, shops, museums. Restaurant, Bar. Rooms with cable TV, Telephone, Private bath, AC. For further information please visit http//: www.granhotelcr.com

Day 2: Pick up rental car and self-drive to Arenal ( B )

Beautiful ride through mountains and typical small villages. La Fortuna de Arenal (La Fortuna de San Carlos) is an excellent base for exploring Arenal Volcano National Park. Arenal volcano is the most active volcano in Costa Rica and with some luck you might be able to observe the red lava. This almost perfect cone, which soars 1,633 meters above sea level, has a crater 140 meters deep formed over an ancient Caldera. Best spot to enjoy these wonders are Tabacon Hot Springs ( not included ), a veritable thermal wonderland, where a hot volcanic stream is channeled in five pools of varying temperature.
Located on the edge of the town La Fortuna, Hotel San Bosco is a good-sized hotel.

Lomas del Volcán is a small and cozy hotel situated at the foot of the majestic Arenal Volcano, just 4 km from La Fortuna.Spacious, rustic bungalows, finely finished. Each bungalow includes two terraces, from which you may enjoy one of the most spectacular views of the Arenal Volcano. Also, you will enjoy the great variety of plants and animals surrounding you in the tropical forest.

For more information, please visit: http://www.lomasdelvolcan.com/

Day 3: Arenal volcano ( B )
Visit the Hot Springs. Take a one day tour to one of the most important areas for bird watching in the country, the Caño Negro Wildlife refugee. Practice Sport Fishing in the Arenal Lake. Take one of the mountain Biking tours or horseback Riding tours available in the area. Enjoy the Peñas Blancas Safari Float. Visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges among other activities in the area of Arenal Volcano.

Day 4: Self drive to Rincon de la Vieja ( B )
Explore the impressive the Rincon de la Vieja, one of the most exuberant and unexplored areas of the Costa Rican territory.

Along the Pan American highway you will discover Guanacaste and Rincon de la Vieja National Park. The climate in this national park is so diverse that areas with a severe dry season lasting 4 or 5 months are immediately followed by others, near the summit or on the Caribbean side, where there is constant rainfall, which gives rise to a forest mass rich in epiphytes. The differences in altitude and climate play an important role in the distribution of the flora and fauna. Resident species include the resplendent quetzal, three-wattles bellbirds, morpho butterflies, tapir, coatimundis and three kinds of monkeys. The park also has small geysers, bubbling mud pots and mineral hot springs.

Stay at typical hacienda located near beautiful waterfalls that can be discovered by horse or hiking. Swimming pool. All of the rooms have private bathrooms with hot water.

For further information please visit: http://www.guachipelin.com/

Day 5: Rincon de la Vieja ( B )
As far natural attractions, in this amazing area there are rivers, waterfalls, natural pools, thermal waters, volcanic mud, tropical forests, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and more. In the National Park exist countless attractions, more rivers, waterfalls, boiling mud pools, vapor vents, thermal waters, sulfur springs, a volcanic crater and a lake on the mountain summit.

Day 6: Self-drive to Liberia, drop off rental car. Public bus to Granada (Nicaragua).
The colonial city of Granada is located some 47 kilometers (29 miles) from Managua. Founded in 1524, it is the oldest city in the continental Americas. Set on the west coast of Lake Nicaragua, it has excellent potential for tourism and historical interest.

Hotel Alhambra is situated at the central park, in a beautiful colonial building. The hotel is spacious and luxury. It has a restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner. There also is a pool as well as a shop where you can buy souvenirs.

Day 7: Granada Nicaragua
Optional activities: Granada still retains its colonial style. Relive those times by taking a ride in a horse-drawn coach, leaving from the Parque Colon, and enjoy the scenery of Granada. On Fridays, experience the Noches de Serenata (Serenade Nights) and enjoy the local cuisine and a festive atmosphere enlivened by a variety of musical groups. Or plan a tour of the Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve, and enjoy wonderfully scenic views of the city, the Isletas of Granada and the Mombacho Volcano itself, from its two scenic overlook points. Hike the nature trails to learn about the lush flora and fauna of this spectacular volcano.

Day 8: Private transfer to Leon. Citytour.
Leon still retains its colonial-style streets and buildings from that time, evidenced by its beautiful cathedral - the largest in Central America. The cathedral’s atrium is adorned with impressive lions, more of which are found around the fountain of the central plaza. This church was built between 1747 and 1860, and then restored in 1992. The interior is in the baroque style, and holds valuable oil paintings and frescos as well as an image of Christ carved in wood, which was rescued from Leon Viejo. It also houses the tomb of the “Prince of Spanish Letters”, Ruben Dario. Stop to visit the churches of La Merced, El Calvario, San Juan, San Francisco, San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba and La Recoleccion, which have exquisitely adorned interiors. This city is also famous for the stunning and colorful sawdust street carpets made during Holy Week, particularly by the residents of the indigenous neighborhood of Sutiaba. Visit to the museum of Myths and Legend.

León - Hotel La Posada del Doctor
Hotel La Posada del Doctor is situated in the city center of León, close to the San Juan Church, and built in beautiful colonial style. It has a family-like, pleasant atmosphere and has an intimate garden.

Day 9: Leon, Nicaragua
One day at leisure to walk though the historical city of Leon by your own or to visit one of the main attractions in the area. Among other thirty kilometers (19 miles) south of Leon are the ruins of the first city of Leon – today known as “Leon Viejo” (Old Leon) – destroyed by an earthquake in 1610, and rediscovered in the 1960s. The ruins are located across from the Momotombo Volcano and were declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The remains of the conqueror, Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba are found there. Nicaragua’s currency is named for him. Cerro Negro Volcano, protected areas at Monte Galan Crater Lake, and the Juan Venado Reserve; the fauna and vegetation of the El Tamarindo and Poneloya estuaries.

Day 10: Private transfer to Masaya
Masaya is a town where the folklore is experienced intensely, and it is a center for typical foods, crafts and many religious festivals. Every Thursday, a folk fair is held under the slogan, “Let’s Go to Masaya”. It offers the best of our music and dance as well as many traditional crafts and folk art items such as hammocks, embroidered dresses, fine crafted leatherwork, wooden crafts, sculpted masks, and pottery. Also visit the crafts workshops in the indigenous neighborhood of Monimbo, where you can watch skilled craftspeople at work and obtain souvenirs in the local shops.

The tourist options could not be better as there is such a short distance between the destinations: the Masaya Volcano National Park, the Masaya and Apoyo Crater Lakes, the overlook from the Hotel Lagos y Volcanes, the picturesque towns and the El Chocoyero-El Brujo Reserve.

Hotel Ivania´s is a medium sized hotel with a taste of Nicaraguan culture. It is situated at just three blocks from the Calvario Church of Masaya.

Day 11: Public bus to Liberia, Costa Rica. Pick up car in Liberia. Selfdrive to Tamarindo.
Located on the Northwestern shoreline of Costa Rica, Tamarindo is a charming fishing town of 1,000 inhabitants. The picturesque region opens a doorway to the romance and serenity of flat lands, green mountains and rich foliage. Because of the unique climate, the region boasts a tremendous diversity of terrain from dense rain forests to airy deciduous forests, towering active volcanoes to lush sugarcane fields, and thick lagoons to unburdened beaches. The natural wonders of this region are so astonishing that, for a moment, you forget the world you have left behind once you have crossed the threshold into nature's playground.

Hotel El Milagro, is located in Tamarindo, very close to other magnificent and exuberant beaches like Conchal, Brasilito, Playa Grande, Flamingo, Avellanas, Junquillal and Nosara. El Milagro is a small and peaceful hotel. But don’t get us wrong, it’s actually comfortable and convenient center of operations to embark in many entertainment and sport adventures. El Milagro consists in bungalows, each one with their own private terrace, phone line, A/C or fan, bathroom and security box. Poll for guests, as well as a bar and restaurant specialized in international cuisine.

Day 12: Playa Tamarindo ( B )
In Tamarindo beach and its surroundings, the visitor can find a broad menu of clean entertainment, fun and adventure options. From the passionate sport of surfing to simply bathing in the soothing warm clear waters of Tamarindo beach before laying on it´s sands to work up the perfect tan you´ve always wanted. After that, you can practice kayaking, canoeing, sports fishing, scuba diving, mountain biking or perhaps take a coastal cruise to see the beautiful pacific sunset or take a beach horseback ride. For the next day you can still visit one of the many Costa Rican national parks and reserves or maybe “go for a spin” to the many colorful towns and art craft sites of Guanacaste.

Day 13: Self drive to San Jose. ( B )
Self-drive to San Jose. Drop off rental car at your hotel in San Jose.

Day 14: Transfer to Juan Santamaria International Airport ( B )