Caribbean to Cloud Forest: Two-Week Costa Rica Nature Tour

Tortuguero is only a 30-minute flight from San Jose, and it quickly catapults you into a different world of Tortuguero National Park. Today’s natural adventure will focus on the coast. Green sea turtles nest here from August to November. Three other turtle species take their turn during other months of the year. Location is integral to any tour here because the wildlife experience changes week after week. A local guide will lead you around Tortuguero’s beaches and bays on a private tour with stops at two or three different beaches. During your tour, you can witness turtle conservation in action. As part of your tour, you can also indulge in a snorkeling excursion, where encounters with large sea turtles may make for special moments in the water.

Tortuguero is a real haven for wildlife, but the Caribbean side of Costa Rica has a conspicuous lack of tourists. Cruising along the terrain will prove surreal and serene, and the natural world unfolds without the hordes of other boats or camera-clicking visitors. These two days will be tailored around your wildlife interests. River cruises are best in the early morning and late afternoon because wildlife is more active. Everything will be customizable, although there is a strong chance you will be getting up with the birds to enjoy this special park.

A rough mountain road winds to the summit, making Poas Volcano far easier to reach than some of Costa Rica’s more famous volcanoes. After a short flight back to San Jose, a local guide will lead you to the volcano’s lower slopes. From here, your tour can be customized. You can choose from any of the different walking trails with easy and challenging ascents available. It will also be possible to choose the length of the trek, or you can drive directly up to the summit and peer into the volcano. Descending from the top, you will spend the night at a small mountain lodge on a plateau and beneath the shadow of volcanoes.

You will have a spectacular journey to Arenal this morning. Skirting the edge of Juan Castro Blanco National Park, you will drive alongside three more volcanoes, each of differing heights and shapes. After checking in to a rainforest lodge, your local guide will lead you into the forest, where trails crisscross along the lower slopes and some ascend to the summit, although any hike to the top will need to wait for one of the following two days. Today’s hike will be gentle and mostly flat, leading you to small waterfalls and rich rainforest birdlife. Your lodge will have an excellent restaurant, and you can also travel to the nearby town of La Fortuna for a wider choice of places to dine.

With two full days in the Arenal area, you can customize a natural adventure to your interests. Costa Rican rafting is usually in small four-person rafts. These can turn small rapids into moments of adrenaline, and they mean that the experience is full of excitement as opposed to water levels. A white-water rafting trip will be scheduled, but this can be changed once you are in Arenal and a local guide has explained everything that is possible in the area. Hiking Arenal is a worthy challenge, and horseback riding can create a natural expedition to parts of Arenal National Park that are less frequented by visitors.

Today, you will be exposed to Rincon de la Vieja, which will lead you off the beaten path after three days around Arenal. A three-hour road transfer will be followed with lunch in your lodge’s farm to table restaurant. Everything that you eat here will be grown or raised on the property, and the menu is incredibly diverse. Today’s natural adventure will be by bike. This is the only place in Costa Rica where you can mountain bike on an active volcano. After your ride, you can lounge around your lodge and watch how the sky changes colors at dusk.

Rincon de la Vieja is the land of the sabaneros, which is Costa Rica’s equivalent to the Argentina gaucho. These people keep alive their traditions, riding horses at breakneck speeds through the national park. You will not be galloping at extreme speeds, but you will be spending the day with sabaneros, riding into Rincon de la Vieja National Park and its evocative nature. A six-hour riding and hiking excursion will demonstrate the secrets of this national park. The afternoon and evening will be at your leisure, and your lodge can provide a charming place to rest and relax.

After a three-hour transfer to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, you will spend the afternoon on a wildlife walk, looking for all the mammals and birds that call this corridor of nature home. Sometimes, the cloud hangs low, and it is difficult to see very far. It is these times that are the most enchanting, especially when you are seeking out wildlife. At other times, you can see the Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. The following day, you will explore the cloud forest with a series of ziplines that will have you zooming above the canopy and among the trees. Afterward, you will spend the evening on a wildlife walk, which will be an opportunity to discover Costa Rica’s nocturnal wildlife.

You will conclude your time in Costa Rica with 24 hours on the coast of Conchal, which is a beautiful beach resort that is slowly growing in popularity. After a transfer from Monteverde, you will have completed the journey from coast to coast across the country. Nothing will be planned for your day on the beach, so you can check in to your Pacific lodge and can spend the day however you please, especially after all the hiking and other adventures you have experienced. There are places nearby to surf, walk, or kayak should you wish. You may also want to indulge in a sunset catamaran tour.

Late checkout will be arranged so that you will have time to rest and relax before a mid-afternoon transfer to Liberia and Costa Rica’s second-largest airport. From this Pacific side of the country, it is much quicker to depart from Liberia than San Jose.