Costa Rica – Pura Vida

Welcome to Costa Rica

San Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica

Your Costa Rica travel experience begins at Hotel Grano de Oro at 6:00 PM. A transfer is included from San José's Juan Santamaria International Airport to Hotel Grano de Oro in Costa Rica's capital city, San José. Meet your fellow eco-adventurers at this evening's welcome reception followed by dinner at your hotel.

Dinner

HOTEL GRANO DE ORO

Glittering gold, toucans & on to Arenal

San Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica

Kick off your Costa Rica travel today with a visit to San José's Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), home to a priceless collection of thousands of gold artifacts and artworks from the pre-Columbian period. Then head to the Toucan Rescue Center, where you'll tour the facilities and meet some of the toucans, sloths, monkeys and other wildlife the center's staff cares for.

Alajuela, Costa Rica

Return to your hotel for lunch before departing San José and traveling to the Arenal region for a two-night stay at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, where you'll enjoy Orchid Rooms.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

TABACON GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT

River float trip & thermal resort leisure

Alajuela, Costa Rica

Your Costa Rica travel adventure continues in the jungle today with a float trip* down the scenic Peñas Blancas River aboard a raft; your bilingual guide helps you look for wildlife ranging from sloths to crocodiles to giant iguanas along the shore. Visit a farming family who have lived on the river all their lives, like their ancestors before them, without modern technologies.

Return to your thermal resort in the heart of one of Costa Rica's most richly diverse ecosystems for lunch, followed by a free afternoon to enjoy the resort's hot springs and other amenities. Join us for dinner tonight at a local restaurant.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

TABACON GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT

Zip lining at Arenal & on to Monteverde

Arenal, Costa Rica

Today starts off with an extraordinary bird's-eye view of cone-shaped Arenal Volcano, an actively "restless" volcano, on a thrilling zip-line ride* at Sky Trek Adventure Park – one of the world's most highly regarded zip line operations – where you'll soar over and through the canopy of rainforest treetops! (Those not into zip lining can take a nature walk instead.)

Monteverde, Costa Rica

After lunch at a local restaurant, travel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, where you'll spend the next three nights in the heart of the cloud forest at Monteverde Lodge.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

MONTEVERDE LODGE

A walk through the canopy, butterflies & more

Monteverde, Costa Rica

An exciting day of biodiversity awaits in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. First, join two of Costa Rica's foremost naturalists for a memorable walk through the cloud forest canopy at the Selvatura Hanging Bridges, as they provide an incredible overview of the cloud forest ecosystem.

After lunch and some free time back at your resort, see more than 50 of over an estimated 1,000 native Costa Rican butterfly species, including the stunning blue morpho, at the reserve's enclosed Butterfly Garden; our naturalists pass along their expert insights on the butterflies' complex life cycles. Continue on to Sofia, an acclaimed local restaurant featuring eclectic Costa Rican and fusion cuisine in a lovely tropical setting, for a private lecture by one of the Monteverde Reserve's pioneering naturalists, followed by dinner.

Tonight, relax amidst the orchid-filled gardens of your eco-lodge, where your room boasts bay windows looking out on the cloud forest!

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

MONTEVERDE LODGE

King Coffee & free time at your resort

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Rise early and head to Monteverde Reserve for a guided walk through the reserve with a naturalist. Then... there's nothing like fine Costa Rican gourmet coffee... and today you'll get to see how it's produced, from the seed to the cup, with your local guide on a private tour of the Don Juan Coffee Plantation; learn about the various stages of coffee cultivation and production and its importance to Costa Rican history, and have lunch.

Following an afternoon spent relaxing or enjoying free time as you please back at Monteverde Lodge, you may want to join us for an optional nighttime nature walk; because most of the cloud forest's animals are nocturnal, it's a wonderful opportunity to view wildlife that are typically asleep during the day. Have dinner at the lodge tonight.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

MONTEVERDE LODGE

Return to San José & celebrate chocolate

San Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica

Depart Monteverde today and return to the capital city of San José, arriving in time for lunch at a local restaurant. After checking in and spending some free time at your hotel in the heart of the city, head over to Sibu, a noted artisan chocolatier, where you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about chocolate! Observe the natural process of transforming the cacao fruit into chocolate during a demonstration (with a little tasting, of course), and say goodbye to your memorable Costa Rica trip at a farewell reception followed by dinner.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

INTERCONTINENTAL COSTA RICA AT MULTIPLAZA MALL

Pura Vida, Costa Rica!

San Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica

Your Costa Rica travel adventure ends in San José. A transfer is included from the InterContinental Costa Rica to San José's Juan Santamaria International Airport. Allow 3 hours for flight check-in.

Breakfast

ALL guests must carefully verify the existing identification requirements for their particular travel situation DIRECTLY WITH THEIR LOCAL CONSULATES OR EMBASSIES or with a visa service, as these requirements may change. Guests without proper documentation may be denied entry and will not be entitled to a refund

• 60 days or more before departure: $350.00 per person
• 59-8 days before departure: $600.00 per person
• 7-1 days before departure: $900.00 per person
• On departure day and later: 100% of total price
• Any changes or cancellations to airline reservations made through Tauck either before or after departure are subject to the cancellation / change policies of the individual airlines. In n some instances these cancellation / change fees may be up to 100% of the ticket price.
• Cancellation fees may also apply to any additional services, including extra night accommodations, independently supplied services, and optional excursions reserved prior to, during, and after the tour. If flight changes, including, but not limited to, flight cancellations or name changes, are requested after full land and air deposits are received, revision fees, change fees, or airline cancellation fees will apply.
• All cancellations must be received in writing prior to tour departure. The cancellation policy will apply according to the date that the cancellation notification is received. The MINIMUM cancellation penalty is the deposit amount.
• The purchase to trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.

• Land only “from price” is per person based on two people sharing a room together and does not include airfare unless expressly stated.
• All prices are in US Dollars.
• A $350 non-refundable, non-transferable, per-person, per-vacation deposit is required to reserve space for you. Payment of the deposit indicates you have read and accepted all Terms & Conditions. Your booking is not confirmed until the deposit payment is processed and you receive a confirmation invoice.
• Final payment is due 75 days prior to departure. Within the final payment date, payment in full is required at time of booking to reserve space. Reservations (land, cruise, and air) are canceled if final payment is not received by the due date.
• Additional deposits or payments are required for international air added to the start and/or end of your vacation.