Morning pickup at your hotel for the drive to Monteverde (3 hours). You will be traveling in an a/c van with a Spanish-speaking driver. Monteverde is a peaceful community made up of dairy farmers, naturalists and tourism service providers who have joined together to create a model for sustainable development and protection of the environment that is becoming known throughout the world. Founded in 1954 by a group of Quakers searching for a peaceful place to live, it is the home of Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Children's Eternal Rain Forest, and the Santa Elena Reserve. Overnight at Monteverde Lodge & Gardens.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Wildlife Tour: Join a morning excursion (of up to 10 people) to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve accompanied by a Monteverde Guide. Originally just 4,000 acres, the Reserve now protects an area of approximately 25,000 acres, comprising six different life zones. So many habitats in such a small area, along with extensive trail improvements, allow visitors to enjoy a rich diversity of flora and fauna with relatively little and easy walking. Return to your hotel at mid-day. Afternoon at leisure. Optional activities available at an additional cost. Overnight Monteverde Lodge.

After breakfast, depart from Monteverde on an approximately 2 -hour drive to Rio Chiquito where you will board a boat that will take you to Arenal (30 mins). Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. Overnight at the Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Costa Rica Hidalgo Family Hot Springs: Full day in Arenal. In the afternoon, transfer to Hidalgo Family Hot Springs. We first met the Hidalgo Family in 2000 when we were looking for an alternative to the mass tourism hot springs in the Arenal area. At that time they were reluctant to open up their family farm to visitors. Finally, they agreed to try it by appointment only on a trial basis. They found, perhaps to their surprise, that they enjoyed having foreign guests on this basis and have now put in changing rooms and a restaurant. Over the years the hot springs have become more popular. Although they do not provide the private experience that they did at the beginning, the Hidalgo Family Hot Springs is still not nearly as crowded as the others in the Arenal Area. The springs consist of five free-flowing pools set in a natural river gorge. Water temperature ranges from 100F (38C) to 109F (43C) depending on the pool. A Costa Rican home-style meal in the restaurant, modeled after the first house that Don Manuel and Dona Hortemida Hidalgo built when they settled on the farm in 1940, is a highlight of the visit (included). Overnight at Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Local transfer to the Fortuna airstrip where you'll board a chartered flight to Punta Islita on the beach. Upon arrival a hotel representative will be waiting to take you on a 25-min. drive to the hotel. Overnight at Hotel Punta Islita.

Costa Rica Beach vacation: Three full days at the beach. Optional activities available at extra cost. Nights at Hotel Punta Islita.