Starting at US$2,098 per person in double occupancy (or US$210 per person per day)
Pejibaye Rafting, Tortuguero, Arenal, Manuel Antonio
(10 Days/9 Nights)
Overview
Raft the Pejibaye River, an excellent trip for families with small children. Then on to Tortuguero to explore the inland creeks of the National Park, home to abundant wildlife. You may also have the opportunity to see turtle nesting (Jun-Oct). Fly back to San Jose before driving to the highlands to see the active Arenal Volcano and soak in a natural hot springs. Finally, three nights in Manuel Antonio, where you will hike in the National Park and take a mangrove kayak tour.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival San Jose
No Meals
Arrive at San Jose Costa Rica’s 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 in Heredia. Overnight at Hotel Bougainvillea.
Day 2 San Jose / Pejibaye River Class I-II
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch
Minimum age is 5 years old
A trip for families with small children. Early morning pickup by your bilingual River Guide at your San Jose hotel. A van will be waiting to take you on the one-hour drive to the Orosi Valley, where we will stop for breakfast in a restaurant with a view of the Valley and the river below. After breakfast we continue on to the put-in on the Rio Pejibaye (driving time 1 hours) for a day of white water rafting. After a safety and orientation talk you’ll proceed down the river on a 7 mile run through Class I-II rapids. Strangler figs, Kapok and Poro trees line the riverbank. There will be plenty of time to swim and ride inner tubes along the way. Enjoy a picnic lunch (Just in case we’ll bring along peanut butter and jelly for non-adventurous young palates) on the riverbank. Mid-afternoon take-out followed by an approximately 2-hour drive back to San Jose. Overnight at the Bougainvillea Hotel.
Day 3 San Jose / Tortuguero
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Morning pickup by a guide and driver for the trip to the Atlantic lowlands near Limon. About midday board a boat with a Tortuguero Guide and depart for a 2- to 4-hour trip to Tortuguero. Arrive at Tortuga Lodge mid-to-late afternoon. Tortuguero sits on a narrow spit of land bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the Tortuguero River. The village is an interesting place to visit. Narrow paths wind through exuberant greenery. Palm trees rustle overhead. Wooden houses sit on stilts. Restaurants, shops and cabinas catering to tourists have been constructed, but even so, village life seems to continue in a timeless way. Rest of the day free to explore the hotel, surrounding trails or just relax. Overnight at Tortuga Lodge & Gardens (deluxe room).
Day 4 Tortuguero National Park
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
After breakfast, explore the creeks of Tortuguero National Park by boat with a Tortuguero Guide to observe the wildlife and flora. Originally intended to protect a major nesting beach of the Atlantic Green Turtle, Tortuguero National Park now protects 21,000 hectares of tropical rain forest -- one of the last, large areas of tropical rain forest in Central America -- in its natural state. Three species of monkeys (Spider, Howler, and White-faced), Three-toed Sloths, and River Otters are frequently seen along the natural inland waterways and canals. Caiman, iguanas, river turtles, basilisk lizards, and poison-dart (Dendrobates) frogs inhabit the area along with more than 320 species of birds including all 6 species of kingfishers found in the new world, 3 species of toucans, 8 species of parrots and other neotropical species such as the Slaty-tailed Trogon, White-collared Manakin, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, and White-fronted Nunbird. You will view the wildlife from boats, which navigate the wide-open, tree-lined canals of the Park. In the afternoon, you have the option to rent the kayaks for a visit to the canals, which is a great form to access some of the most remote areas of the Tortuguero National Park. Overnight at Tortuga Lodge.
Day 5 Tortuguero / San Jose / Arenal
Meals Included: Breakfast
After breakfast at the hotel, cross the river to the Tortuguero Airstrip, where you’ll board a Costa Rica Adventure Vacation chartered flight** to San Jose (one individual seat in flight). Upon arrival a Costa Rica Adventure Vacation a/c minivan and Spanish-speaking driver will be waiting to take you to the Arenal area (3-hour drive). Late afternoon visit 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 Arenal. At that time they were reluctant to open up their 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 grown. Now, 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 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. Overnight at Montana de Fuego (deluxe room).
Day 6 Arenal Hanging Bridges Trail
Meals Included: Breakfast
In the morning a representative of Sunset Tours will meet you in the lobby of your hotel to drive you to the Hanging Bridges trails (20 mins), a project with eight fixed bridges, ranging in length between and 22 meters, and six hanging bridges – all built with the latest techniques and designed with an eye for both beauty and safety. The hanging bridges are between 48 and 98 meters long. All the bridges are made of galvanized steel and high-strength aluminum. The entire project was designed to blend with the natural environment, leaving the forest virtually intact. The trails, covering a distance of about 3.1 kms, are right inside the forest. As you walk, you be able to appreciate the great diversity of flowers and wildlife that are typical of the rainforest. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight at the Montana de Fuego.
Day 7 Arenal / Manuel Antonio
Meals Included: Breakfast
Mid morning, a Costa Rica Adventure Vacation a/c mini van and Spanish-speaking driver will drive you to Manuel Antonio (4-5 hours). Overnight at Villas Si Como No(deluxe suite).
Day 8 Manuel Antonio National Park
Meals Included: Breakfast
Early morning meet your private, local guide in the hotel lobby for the transfer to the entrance of Manuel Antonio Park. Located on the Pacific Coast, 7 kms southeast of Quepos in the Province of Puntarenas, the Park totals 1,685 acres and is one of the most beautiful parks in Costa Rica. South Espadilla and Manuel Antonio beaches are particularly lovely. Your guide will explain what the principal natural communities are in the primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove forest, lagoon and beach vegetation. During the hike, you will have the opportunity to see some of the 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds, including the Fiery-billed Araari, Chestnut-backed Antbird, White-necked Jacobin, Baird's Trogon, Orange-collared Manakin, Blue-throated Goldentail and Blue-black Grosbeak. Return to your hotel by noon. Overnight at Villas Si Como No.
Day 9 Manuel Antonio / Mangrove Kayak Tour
Meals Included: Breakfast | Lunch
Paddle protected inland waterways, the perfect place to learn to paddle and enjoy this unique way of exploring. You will visit a coastal mangrove area where waterfowl is abundant. Lunch will be in a local seafood restaurant. The pace of this trip will be run according to the abilities of the participants. Please note that the time of the tour will be scheduled according to the tides, it could be early morning or in the afternoon. Overnight at Villas Si Como No.
Day 10 Manuel Antonio / San Jose / Departure
Meals Included: Breakfast
Local transportation is provided to the Quepos airstrip, where you’ll board a Costa Rica Adventure Vacation chartered flight to San Jose. Upon arrival one of our guides will take you to correct airport terminal to catch your flight back home.
From US$2,098 per person in double occupancy (or US$210 per person per day).
Dec. 15, 2005. River guides were “absolutely fantastic…your teams pulled it all together.”
We want you to know that we were COMPLETELY satisfied with our trip, in fact, far more than satisfied. We have told all of our friends who like this sort of thing about what a great place you are to hook up for an adventure in CR. Our main host was Mauricio Quiros Jimenez, and he was wonderful! His assistant, who was in training, was Vernon Campos Quiros; he was also very nice and informative. In fact, there was not a single person associated with your organization who was not nice, or not helpful. Although the travel sometimes does get "rugged," as you know, your staff manages to find a way around EVERYTHING. We realize this is very labor-intensive work, and we marveled at how your teams pulled it all together. We definitely plan to be back (probably in two years) for your other major tour (the slightly longer one, including the volcano and the turtles).
I no longer remember all the people's names, but the guides for the river rafting trip (Sea Owl etc.) were absolutely fantastic. Everything was great about the trip, but this stood out above all. The river was gorgeous and the evening meal was the single best one we ate. Those guys can cook!! (All meals were surprisingly good; we didn't have high expectations based on Frommer's description of CR food in general, so we were pleasantly surprised all along throughout the trip)...
You're doing a great job; we're so glad we found you! Please congratulate and thank all the staff involved with our trip on our behalf. -Sara Rynes & Paul Weller
