Arrive at the Juan Santamaria International Airport. After passing through Immigration one of our representatives will greet you at the airport. Look for a sign that has your unique identifier along with your name. After you submit your booking request you will receive a full itinerary along with in-country descriptions, including all airport and hotel transfer instructions included in your proposal. He or she will take you to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Don Carlos.

The most beautiful river canyon in the tropics will bewitch the adventuresome beginner and the experienced rafter alike. The Pacuare cuts through one of those rare pockets of wilderness left on the planet. Early morning pickup at your San Jose hotel. Stop en route for a typical Costa Rican breakfast and then continue on to Tres Equis where, depending on road conditions, you may have to switch to a 4x4 shuttle to take you down to the put-in. Total drive time to put-in is about three hours. After an orientation and safety talk, proceed down the river. Picnic lunch on the riverbank. Total river time is approx. five hours depending on the water level. Afternoon take-out in Siquirres followed by a two-hour drive back to San Jose via Braulio Carrillo National Park. Overnight at Hotel Don Carlos.

After breakfast at the hotel, meet your Naturalist Guide and driver for the 4 -hour drive to Monteverde. Visit the Waterfall Canopy, a tour certified for safety by the American Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT). You begin with a short walk along a trail leading toward the canopy adventure. As you walk, your guide will point out interesting facts about the flora and fauna you may encounter on the trail, including exotic fruit and hardwood trees, and birds such as toucans, the Aracari and Scarlet Macaw, which can often be seen and heard (especially early in the morning and around dusk). Also look for the stunning Blue Morpho butterfly, found near the waterfalls, as well as White-faced Monkeys.

The walk ends just past the waterfalls, where you will then take to the trees. A three-story, tree house is found at the highest point on the tour, 100 feet above the ground. Once there, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. The Waterfall Canopy includes 13 platforms, seven cables of varying lengths, a tree house, Tarzan Swing, suspension bridge and 90-foot rappel down at the end (optional for the adventure seekers). After the tour, have lunch in a local restaurant and continue on to Monteverde. Overnight at Monteverde Lodge & Gardens.

Join a morning excursion (of up to 10 people) with a local guide to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve accompanied by a specialist guide. Originally just 4,000 acres, the Monteverde Reserve now includes a protected area of approximately 25,000 acres, comprising six different life zones. So many habitats in such a small area, along with extensive trail improvements, allows visitors to enjoy a rich diversity of flora and fauna with relatively little and easy walking. The Reserve was founded in 1972 and extends down both slopes of the Tilaran Mountains (elevation 2,300 to 5,600 ft.). It encompasses six different ecological life zones and is home to more than 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and 1,500 species of plants. From January to July, depending upon your luck and patience, you may observe the Resplendent Quetzal (occasionally a dozen or more individuals at once). Other species include the Three-wattled Bellbird, the Emerald Toucanet, and White-faced and Howler Monkeys. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight at Monteverde Lodge.

In the morning depart in an A/C van from Monteverde to the dock at Rio Chiquito, a small town on the shore of Arenal Lake (about 2 -hours). Board a boat that will take you across the lake (15-30 mins. depending on wind conditions) to the Arenal Dam. Total transfer time from Monteverde to Arenal area via Arenal Lake is approximately three hours. Night visit to the Hidalgo Family Hot Springs. The Hidalgo Family Hot springs are the ideal alternative to the mass tourism overcrowded hot springs in the Arenal Area. When we first met the Hidalgo Family in 2000, 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. 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 included. Overnight at Volcano Lodge.

After breakfast you will be picked up and taken to Lake Arenal Dam for a -day bike ride. You will be assigned a bike and guided to an old road that leads to Arenal Volcano National Park and continues on a relatively flat gravel road with secondary growth forest on either side. Back track to the point of departure where the van will be waiting to take you back to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight at Volcano Lodge.

Early morning pickup for the five-hour land transfer to Flor Blanca Resort on Santa Teresa Beach. Rest of the day at leisure. Enjoy the hotel’s pool, open-air gourmet restaurant, and activities such as mountain biking and yoga classes. Overnight at Flor Blanca Resort.

Two full days at leisure. Optional activities are available (at additional cost), such as: surf lessons, horseback riding, hiking, bird watching, yoga and mountain biking. Mal Pais and Santa Teresa belong to the best surf spots in Costa Rica. There are a variety of world-class breaks with ideal conditions and water temperatures throughout the year. Overnight at Flor Blanca Resort.

Mid-morning, 45-minute transfer to the Tambor Airstrip for a Costa Rica Adventure Vacation chartered flight** back to San Jose (40 mins). Upon arrival, a guide and van will be waiting for the approximately 20-minute drive to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Don Carlos.

Transfer to the International Airport arriving two hours before your flight's scheduled departure.