10 days/9 nights

There are no roads to Tortuguero. The National Park and refuge consist of a vast alluvial floodplain. Located in the extreme northeast of Costa Rica, Tortuguero’s tropical moist to wet forest is accessible only by small plane or boat, along the famous Tortuguero Canals. This system of rivers and man-made channels parallels the coast and cuts through beautiful primary forest.

One of the wettest regions in the country, it is also one of the areas with the greatest biological diversity. The wildlife is rich and varied. It is an excellent area for viewing monkeys, sloths, caimans, and colorful tropical birds. Most exploring is done by small boat in Tortuguero, although some hiking trails are available. 

In fact, Tortuguero gets it name from the Spanish word for turtle and is the most important nesting site in the entire western half of the Caribbean for the green turtle. Other species of sea turtles that also nest on the wide beaches of the park and refuge are the leatherback and hawksbill. Simple lodges with homestyle cooking characterize the accommodations of Tortuguero.

Arenal Volcano which rises 5,436 feet above sea level is the most active and no doubt the most studied of all Costa Ricas volcanoes. It booms and rumbles with an unnerving consistency and its nocturnal pyrotechnics have struck awe in the hearts of thousands of observers. With its perfectly conical shape and its continuing activity, Arenal is a picture book image of a volcano. Daily ash columns, underground rumbling, glowing red lava flows and sudden explosions make Arenal a must-see on any tourists itinerary.

Seeing a great nighttime eruption like shown in the posters is a matter of luck due to cloud cover. However, even when the summit of the volcano is covered you can often see the lava flows farther down the side. Occasionally the activity quiets down for a few weeks, but generally it puts on several eruptive displays a day.

This is a beautiful part of Costa Rica and there is plenty to do besides volcano watching.

Bordering the famed Arenal Volcano National Park, Tabacon features a one-of-a-kind setting, allowing visitors to experience the best that Costa Rica has to offer. Enjoy ten warm mineral pools and soak your cares away.

The Tabacon River emanates from deep within the heart of the volcano and its naturally heated waters spring forth at about 102 degrees year round. The thermal waters cascade over intriguing rock formations that create inviting waterfalls and pools of warm, smooth water that soaks away every aching muscle.

We recommend: Towel and swimsuit, walking shoes, sweater or light jacket, binoculars and flashlight.

With one of the most stunning, picture-postcard backdrops in the country, this is one of the lushest places in Costa Rica, with spectacular white-grey sand beaches fringed by thickly forested green hills. There is a huge variety of things to do- walking the Parks easy trails, whitewater rafting, ocean cruising, horseback riding, fishing, sea kayaking, to name but a few.

Manuel Antonio is one of Costa Ricas best known and most often visited park, despite the fact that it’s also the smallest. The park is an island of verdant wildness in a rapidly developing area with a relatively intact wet tropical forest and abundant wildlife.

This park has a remarkably long list of species inhabiting it: brown pelicans, brown boobies, tyrant hawk-eagles, gray-headed chachalacas, solaters ant bird, coatimundis, two and three toed sloths, toed anteaters, ocelots amongst others.