10 DAYS / 9 NIGHTS
Costa Rica Select Explorer Itinerary
ITINERARY
DAY 1 – SAN JOSE Arrival in San Jose, pick up at airport and transfer to HOTEL GRANO DE ORO for welcome drink and overnite stay. Check-in to your room and leisure time on your own to relax or explore your surroundings. A true oasis in the center of San Jose, this hotel exudes the charm and character of a stately mansion with the comfort and amenities of a fine hotel. Warmly decorated rooms and suites (all non-smoking), a secluded garden terrace with large jacuzzi, and courtyards with fountains and abundance of tropical plants and flowers in a quiet area west of the town center. Delicious meals and desserts served in the intimate dining room, adjacent sunroom and tropical courtyard. DAY 2 – TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK – Early morning pick up at hotel for ground and boat transportation to MAWAMBA LODGE. Mawamba Lodge is located in the midst of Tortuguero National Park, a tropical rainforest, and a navigable network of lakes and channels that crosses the area from southeast to the northwest. This allows a great diversity of fauna and flora of the region to be observed close at hand. Additionally, it is the most important nesting site in the western half of the Caribbean for the Green Turtle. Located on a sand bar between the Tortuguero Lagoon and Caribbean Sea, the lodge has 40 comfortable rooms all with private baths with hot water, ceiling fans, a dock on the canals, swimming pool, family-style restaurant with international and local cuisine, nature trails, walking beach access, and a conference room where daily lectures on Costa Rica’s natural history are presented. Meals included; breakfast, lunch and dinner Day 3 – TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK Early next morning, nearby howler monkeys often provide a natural alarm clock at first light, and for those interested in birds, this is the time to see many species of hummingbirds, parrots, toucans, woodpeckers, and finches that abound around the lodge. After breakfast, board your boat with local guide for a day of tours on Tortuguero’s network of lakes and channels. Optional nightime tour to observe the nesting of the leatherback turtles. Overnite at Mawamba Lodge Meals included; breakfast, lunch and dinner Day 4 – ARENAL After breakfast and an early morning boat tour, you will leave Mawamba for the trip back to San Jose. At the restaurant where you will stop for lunch, our driver will meet you to continue the trip to the Arenal Volcano area and overnight at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort Meals included; breakfast, lunch Day 5 – ARENAL Early morning pick up for tour to the Rio Fortuna waterfall and a hike down a steep trail to the base of the waterfall, where you can enjoy a cool swim in the river's crystal clear waters or just enjoy the exuberant vegetation surrounding the canyon. Afterwards, begin a 1/2 hour hike crossing a beautiful stream and then a nice trail to the Volcano’s extinct lava fields. Walking over the lava rocks, one has a fantastic view of the mighty Arenal Volcano on one side and Lake Arenal on the other. You might even be able to observe some of the wildlife of the area. After lunch, there will a guided visit to the Arenal hanging bridges. This project consists of eight fixed bridges, ranging in length between 8 and 22 meters, and six hanging bridges, built with the latest techniques and designed with an eye for beauty and safety. The hanging bridges are between 48 and 98 meters long. All bridges are made of galvanized steel and high-strength aluminium. The safety mesh and the suspension cables are made of galvanized steel. The entire project was designed to blend with the natural environment, leaving the forest virtually in tact. The trails covering a distance of about 3,1 kilometers, are right inside the forest. As you walk, you can appreciate a great diversity of flowers and wildlife that are typical of the rain forest as well as some imposing views of the volcano (weather permitting). There are 250 species of birds, including the white hawk, great curassow, rufous motmot, rufous-tailed jacamar, black-throated trogon, reptiles like the fer-de-lance snake, boa constrictor, basilisks lizard, glass frog, poison dart frog and amazing mammals like howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tyras, coatimundis, three-toed sloths, white-collared peccary. Meals included; breakfast, lunch Day 6 – ARENAL / PLAYA CONCHAL After breakfast, leave Arenal for 4 1/2 hour drive to the north pacific coast of Costa Rica and the "All Inclusive" Westin Golf Resort and Spa Playa Conchal The area is known for its spectacular beaches and Conchal is considered by many to be the most beautiful white-sand beach in Costa Rica. Meals included; breakfast, dinner Days 7, 8 – PLAYA CONCHAL Days on your own to relax on the beach and enjoy the many services and activities the hotel has to offer. Meals included; breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 9 – PLAYA CONCHAL / SAN JOSE Breakfast, free time to relax, swim in the ocean, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Early afternoon transfer back to San Jose and overnight at Hotel Grano de Oro Meals included; breakfast Day 10 – RETURN HOME Transfer to airport for return flight home and the end to an unforgettable vacation/adventure Meals included; breakfast |
$3,550.00 per person based on double occupancy.
(“Green” Season May 16 – Dec 15, 2025) $4,315.00 per person based on double occupancy. (High Season Dec 16 2025 – May 1, 2026) Please inquire about pricing during Special Seasons (Dec. 22, 2025 – January 3, 2026), (March 29 - April 6, 2026) PACKAGE INCLUDES:
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: A) Personal expenses like liquor, laundry, phone calls, etc B) Tips for your drivers and/or guides C) International airfare. D) Entrance fee Tortuguero National Park ($15.00 per person) Gallery |