Day 1

Most tourists stay in San José for a night before heading off to the beach or our famous tropical forests. As travelers, we would never advise you to disregard this city at this point in time.

Our capital city is in the midst of a cultural renaissance propelled by a younger generation that is reclaiming it as it’s own: art, amazing food, coffee, music and, of course, great drinks.

Yes, it might not be the most beautiful city on Earth, but its gritty, somewhat chaotic aesthetic is part of what makes it unique. Just go where the locals go and you are sure to find this city to be the true local discovery.

Enjoy our exclusive Localista® walking historic tour to get a grasp of our capital’s city center and then get on a bike across town, or hop from a coffee house to a bar or, to top it all off: take a dance class that would have been forbidden in many local night spots some years ago. It’s all up to you, but we sure have a few cards under our sleeve to make sure you make the best out of your time in the capital.

Day 2

Enjoy the ride to Poás Volcano, one of the world’s largest craters boasting unbelievable Jurassic park-like plants, breathtaking waterfalls, coffee estates and delicious local comfort food spots to try on the way up or down the mountain. Yes, this is a touristy area, but it’s a must!

Right after descending from it, at Doka State Coffee Tour, get a bit more than your regular caffeine fix as you try some of the best coffee around town and learn more about our city’s history and why it was once called “a huge coffee farm with lights…”

Day 3

Welcome to the mysteriously hypnotizing cloud forest of Monteverde. This is the perfect setting for zip-lining and exploring the tree canopy via hanging bridges.
Monteverde is a breath-taking rainbow –covered valley in the clouds offering spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and Arenal Volcano. This emerald spot atop Costa Rica’s continental divide inspired a group of Quakers from Alabama to settle here with their families in the 1950s and give birth to what became the nature conservancy movement that has turned Costa Rica into the eco-conservation paradise it is today. On this exclusive Localista tour, you’ll get to meet the families of the original Quakers who were inspired by Monteverde to make it their home and hear the amazing story behind this cloud-filled canopy first hand.

Day 4

Option 1: Zip-line over the cloud forest

Yes, you’ll scream. Yes, you’ll think twice before actually doing it, but one it’s over you’ll want to do it all over again. Gliding from one giant tree to the next is an amazing experience and Monteverde is the absolute perfect spot to do it. There are several zip-lines throughout the country, but this one is definitely our favorite.

Option 2: Hanging over the cloud forest

For those who think zip-lining is a bit too extreme, Monteverde’s hanging bridges are a perfect alternative and an equally awesome experience (with a bit less of the adrenaline rush). Take a calm, meandering walk through the canopy and soak up the beauty of this unique cloud forest.

Day 5

Rincón de la Vieja

Trek your way up to a hidden cascade, get your cowboy on and ride your way to amazing hot springs or simply take in what true Costa Rican Cattle-country is all about. This area is one of the most significant pillars of Costa Rican culture and a great contrast from the post-card tropical beach and monkey Costa Rica that we’ve all come to recognize and love.

Rincón de la Vieja is a modern-day wild West, where the locals have managed to turn haciendas into sustainable, farm-to-table accommodations surrounded by almost-sacred silent volcanic landscapes. Milk your own milk, pick your own salad and just marvel at the endless views while bathing in volcanic hot springs. Not bad for the middle of nowhere, huh?

HOT SPRINGS

5 pools of crystalline thermal water from natural volcanic sources, volcanic mud and sauna, under the shade of the tropical forest and surrounded by two rivers that flow from the volcano. A unique place to recharge your batteries, contemplate, reflect and heal your soul.

Day 6

Rincón de la Vieja: Sustainable Tour and Waterslide.

Sustainable Hacienda tour at Hacienda Buenavista Lodge. Milk your own milk, pick your own salad and just marvel at the endless views while bathing in volcanic hot springs or riding a horse. Not bad for the middle of nowhere, huh?

This tour takes you through the self sufficient projects at this hotel’s grounds. Starting at the milking parlor with a brief explanation of the manual milking of the cows; on to the integrated management of solid and liquid wastes (compost maker and anaerobic digester). Then, we visit the soaps and cosmetics laboratory, and afterwards we go to the souvenir workshop, recycling, production of vegetables and medicine plants. During the tour, we visit the anaerobic digester, where methane gas is produced to cook.

This is an example of how to treat residual waters and resources that we have on hand (erroneously called wastes) that permit us to save money and take care of the planet. Costa Rica’s longest mountain water slide Even if he had tried his best, Walt Disney could not have gotten close to building this slide at one of his theme parks. A 420 meter waterfall built into a mountain that is sure to give you a tropical adrenaline rush as you slide down under the trees. Need we say more?

Day 7

Free day to relax at the beach

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Day 8

You can´t  leave the Caribbean without trying the famous Rice & Beans! Lunch included before departure

Back to San José – by car or shuttle-

Day 9

Transfer hotel- airport

Want to know more?

Need more days soaking in El Arenal thermal waters? Do you want a private specialty coffee tour on San José? Let us know!