Costa Rica’s largest city brims with year-round activity as the gateway to the tropical paradise found at the heart of the Central Valley. Mist drifts through the bordering mountains and along the summits of lush volcanos that feed the untouched cloud forests. Terraces built along the hills overlook the winding city streets and the thriving plantations that grow delicious fruits and fabulous coffee. Your flight will land at Juan Santamaria International Airport, where your private transfer will greet you upon your arrival. You will easily settle into the vibrant ambiance and the bustling pace of San Jose with the comforts of your luxury accommodations.

Begin your exploration of the city with an introductory tour that will lead you to the historical center at Plaza de la Cultura, located in the actual heart of the city. The pedestrianized public square is filled with the aromas of grilled corn and typical Costa Rican tamales. The neoclassical façade of the National Theater glints in the sunlight embodying its cultural significance for the country as it hosts performances of opera, theater, classical music, and Latin American music. Nearby, the Museum of Pre-Columbian Gold displays remarkable artifact that combines contemporary regional art, historical artifacts, and priceless pieces of heritage hidden in the vault of the Banco Central. Figurines depicting animals, erotic statues, and warriors create a dynamic image of the culture in Costa Rica before the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century and dating back to approximately 500 AD, as well as the intricate designs of the life-sized golden warrior statue adorned with sophisticated ornaments.

In the morning, life around the historical neighborhood of Barrio Amón has locals traversing the streets that were once home to the elite coffee barons of the country. These barons built grand mansions to display their wealth and prestige between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chic cafes, trendy restaurants, fashionable art galleries, and elegant hotels have returned much of the faded glory to the unique palatial designs featuring art deco, neoclassical, and neo-Mudejar aesthetics. After breakfast, you will delve into the history and production of coffee in Costa Rica with a private tour of a local plantation.

The scent of jasmine fills the air from the large blossoming coffee bush, which is a member of the jasmine family. You will enter a private tasting room at the end of your tour, where your guide will teach you how to properly taste coffee. By tasting the different samples offered, you can notice a combination of sweet, sour, and bitter notes similar to honey, molasses, and citrus connoting the rich complexities of properly brewed Costa Rican coffee.

As you finish your coffee exploration, you will then continue to the charming town of Sarchi, which is celebrated as the cultural heart of Costa Rica. Artisan crafters carry on the traditions of generations in producing beautiful woodwork with spectacular artistry that celebrates the history of the country before, during, and after the Spanish occupation. The largest oxcart in the world acts as a welcome sign at the edge of town, decorated with elaborate, colorful patterns. Artists continue to build and paint the oxcarts, which act as a national symbol for Costa Rica and represent an important part of its heritage. Hand-carved wood panels bring images from the country’s history and natural beauty with scenes from the beaches and rainforest or the historical significance of farming. After exploring the creativity on display in Sarchi, you will soon reach the lush tropical beauty of Arenal at your hotel that overlooks the conical peak of the eponymous volcano.

The wildlife around your hotel is active in the morning as the animals enjoy the cool air before the tropical heat sweeps through the region in the afternoon. Your guide will greet in you in the hotel lobby and escort you into the remarkable depths of Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. The refuge includes 25,000 acres of the Northern Lowlands that feature rainforest, wetlands, and swampland. As one of the most important wetlands in the world, the cold waters of the Rio Frio flow into Cano Negro Lake and support more than 200 bird species. You will glide along the river where roseate spoonbills rest on the banks and eye you as your boat passes.

Sloths dangle from the trees and rest in the increasing warmth of the day. A natural moss grows on their fur helping them blend into the faded brown colors of the bark and light jade hues of the dense canopy. You can keep an eye open for possible Baird’s tapir sightings. While nocturnal, they will spend a particularly hot day relaxing in the refreshing waters submerged up to their necks. The unique tapir is recognizable due to its cream-colored coast and elongated snout known as a proboscis used for picking leaves, fruit, and grasses. As of 2012, less than 6,000 Baird’s tapirs exited in the wild.

At breakfast, the aroma of coffee will remind you of the dynamic flavors you found in sampling the distinctive coffee-growing regions of Costa Rica. You can search for familiar flavors in your morning cup and find the fruity aromas accentuated by tart lemon, honey, and chocolate tastes. After breakfast, your private guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and escort you to a captivating trail that spans nearly two miles that are connected by eight stationary and six suspension bridges that reach up to 197 feet above the forest floor. The incredible biodiversity of Costa Rica become your focus while wandering through the forest canopy in view of the Arenal Volcano.

The sunlight pierces the treetops that shed scattered light on the foliage that grows against the base of the trees and the rich soil. Your guide might comb the trees to find a resting boa constrictor that is blending in with the branches. They can live up to 3,280 feet above sea level to survive in the savannah or in the premontane wet forests, growing to nearly 10 feet in length on average. Capuchin monkeys race through the trees living in elevation between 4,922 and 6,562 feet above sea level. Their prehensile tails help them balance when traveling across the canopy. The troop averages 15 members who spread around the treetops laterally when foraging for fruits, nuts, or insects.

Upon returning to the comforts of your gorgeous hotel, you will have the remainder of the day at your leisure to relax in the soothing waters of the natural thermal springs for which Arenal is renowned. The subterranean volcanic activity heats the waters that pour through the region to support elegant spa-like facilities and public community pools. Your hotel will provide access to private thermal baths in which you can refresh your muscles and enjoy the ancillary effects of the rich minerals in the waters extracted from the volcanic soil helping dry skin, arthritic conditions, and high blood pressure.

In the morning, you will depart from Arenal early with your private transfer to travel west to the Pacific shores of the Guanacaste region. You will arrive at Las Baulas National Marine Park, which overtakes 85 square miles of protected land and sea to safeguard the nesting grounds of leatherback turtles, as well as the tremendous biodiversity that resides on the sands, within the waters, and along the mangrove forest. While the leatherback turtle remains at the forefront of conservation for the beach, as many as five different types of sea turtles nest on the soft white sand including Live Ridley and green sea turtles. Nesting season for the leatherback takes place from October to March, when thousands of the turtles return to the place from which they hatched in order to lay their eggs.

The cool sea breeze carries the aroma of briny water over the soft sand along the coastline and blends with the aroma of freshly opened coconut. Your guide will offer information on the leatherback turtles as you explore the coast. Explore the mangrove estuary with your guide and traverse the canals where pelicans and brown-footed boobies perch. Monkeys often forage in the trees with howler monkeys filling the forest with their thrilling cacophonous roar audible up to three miles away.

In the morning, you can watch from your private balcony as the Pacific waters wash against the golden sands of Tamarindo. After breakfast, the day is yours to discover the marvels on and around the coastline that embody the natural charms of the Guanacaste region. Surfers take to the curling waves and scuba enthusiasts venture out into the open water on boats eager to dive deep into crystal-clear visibility near Las Catalinas Islands. Golfers swing for the green on the manicured course that overlooks the stunning Pacific as art aficionados visit the numerous galleries that promote local artists. The indigenous community of Guaitil provides an unforgettable perspective of Costa Rica absent of the familiar spakling sands and glitzy waters for which the country has become known.

Visiting the community brings to light the history and heritage of Guanacaste and greater Costa Rica. The village is renowned for its pottery and its cuisine, and specialize in customary regional dishes. The scent of tamal de elote fills the air upon your arrival with the semi-sweet aroma of grilled corn drifts through the village. Locals craft traditional pottery practiced for centuries passed down through the generations utilizing the earthen colors from mining clay and sun-drying techniques to produce bold, enriching colors decorating the ornate designs. You can watch as potters pound the dried clay with a massive wooden mortar and pestle turning the material into a fine powder before adding fresh water resulting in classic pots, inspiring pitchers, and elegant vases.

At breakfast, you can bask in the spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean from the elegant dining room of the hotel. Surfers return to the water in search of great swells as kayakers venture into the canals of the nearby mangrove estuary. The spa on the property offers soothing massages and natural relaxing remedies, which you can take in before you set out on your journey home. Your private transfer will wait for you in your hotel lobby and escort you to the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia where you board your flight home. To learn more about other Costa Rica vacations offered on Zicasso, visit our 7-Day Costa Rica itineraries page.