Costa Rica -
Classic Coasts and Cloudforest
February 6-15, 2010
$3,320
Biodiversity – Culture - Adventure
Pristine lowland tropical forests, lush mountain cloud forests,
spectacular volcanoes, tropical whitewater rivers, and miles of
coral sand beaches. Located on the land bridge between the Americas,
Costa Rica's flora and fauna exist in a unique biological confluence,
rich with 10,000 species of plants, 850 species of birds, 380
species of reptiles and amphibians, and 208 species of mammals.
Jungle hikes, wildlife encounters, guided boat tours on wide
rivers and narrow canals, canopy walks, optional whitewater rafting
- exploring new places!
Costa Ricans are proud of their country and gracious and hospitable
to their guests. A long-standing democracy, Costa Rica has a level
of social and economic development unexpected by most visitors.
Tirimbina Reserve and La Selva Biological Station
A superb introduction to Costa Rica rainforest habitat, thick
with ferns, palms, epiphytes, mosses and bromeliads. It is the
home of many of the birds and mammals we are seeking throughout
the trip. Tirimbina is a tropical science resource and ecotourism
destination highlighting biodiversity, ecological systems, conservation
and education.
La Selva Biological Station is owned and administered by the
Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) a consortium of U.S. and
Costa Rican institutes of higher learning. With its extensive
trails, and large forest reserve bordering Braulio Carrillo National
Park, La Selva is one of the world’s most important sites
for tropical ecosystem research. La Selva is located in the Caribbean
lowlands of Costa Rica and comprises 1,513 hectares (3,739 acres)
of old growth and disturbed tropical wet forests. There are more
than 1,900 species of plants, 330 species of trees, 436 species
of birds, and 450 species of ants. Showy birds, such as toucans,
parrots, trogons and hummingbirds are seen frequently, and mammals
including monkeys, peccaries, agoutis and coatis.
Originally intended to protect a major nesting beach of the
Atlantic Green Sea Turtle, Tortuguero National Park now protects
51,870 acres, one of the last large areas of tropical rain forest
in Central America. Eleven habitats are found in the park. Three-toed
sloths, river otters, and three species of monkeys; spider, howler,
and white-faced capuchin, are frequently seen along the natural
inland waterways and canals. Most of your wildlife watching here
is by slow boating through the waterways. Caiman, iguanas, river
turtles, basilisk lizards, and poison dart frogs inhabit the area;
along with more than 320 species of birds including all six species
of kingfishers found in the new world, three species of toucans,
and eight species of parrots.
Learn the history of Tortuguero village and its efforts to get
their basic needs met. Visit the local school (when in session)
the Park headquarters, the general goods stores and walk the paths
of colorful Afro-Caribbean homes.
Monteverde village is a community 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 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.
Originally just 4,000 acres, the Monteverde Reserve now includes
a protected area of approximately 25,000 acres, comprising six
different life zones. The Reserve was founded in 1972 and extends
down both slopes of the Tilarán 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, you may
observe the Resplendent Quetzal. Other key species include the
three-wattled bellbird, the emerald toucanet, and white-faced
capuchin and howler monkeys
Carara is a region of mountain ranges, marshes, meanders, forests,
swamps, rivers and ravines, of crocodiles and macaws, and archaeological
sites. It is where northern dry forest meets southern tropical
wet forest. The terrain is carpeted with grasslands and forests
of predominantly evergreen species, which stand out sharply in
a region that has been heavily deforested and developed. The gallery
forests that grow along the riverbank are thick and tall in appearance
like a rainforest.
The park houses a very diverse wildlife, and known for the over
100 pairs of scarlet macaws that live and nest in the forests.
The reserve also provides shelter for monkeys, deer, peccaries,
and pacas. The lagoon formed by a meander in the ancient river
basin is habitat for roseate spoonbills, a large colony of boat-billed
herons, and many other wading birds.
Trip Cost $3320
Included:
- All scheduled transportation in Costa Rica, air, ground,
and water
- All excellent lodging in private individual cottages or rooms
with private bath
- All meals in country
- All scheduled group excursions with local naturalist guide
- All tipping to drivers and guides
- Pre-departure information packet and pre-trip meeting
Not Included:
- Personal items such as laundry, or food and drinks not provided
at meals or by lodges
- Airport departure tax, border taxes
Trip cost based on 10 participants; adjusted increase may apply
with fewer participants.
Itinerary
Arrive at Juan Santamaria International Airport. Private transfer
with our in-country operator Costa Rica Expeditions, to the Bougainvillea
Hotel, located in the nearby community of Alajuela. Check-in and
if time permits an afternoon bird walk on the extensive hotel
grounds. Welcome dinner at the hotel. Review of our bird list
and briefing on the next day activity following dinner.
Overnight: Hotel Bougainvillea.
After breakfast at the hotel Bougainvillea depart for the 2-hour
drive to Sarapiqui.  Stop
en route at Braulio Carrillo National Park for a short walk. The
entire park has a terrain of rugged mountains, rushing rivers,
dormant volcanoes, deep canyons and cloud and rainforest. It is
also one of the cloudiest places in the country. This is our introduction
to Costa Rica rainforest habitat, thick with ferns, palms, epiphytes,
mosses and bromeliads. It is the home of many of the birds and
mammals we are seeking throughout the trip.
After a short hike continue onto Sarapiqui. We arrive in time
for lunch at the hotel. Afternoon visit the Tirimbina Reserve.
Tirimbina is a tropical science resource and ecotourism destination
highlighting biodiversity, ecological systems, conservation and
education.
Overnight: Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge Lodge
Full day private guided walk at La Selva Biological Station,
located in the lowlands of Sarapiqui, on the Caribbean side of
Costa Rica. This station is owned and administered by the Organization
for Tropical Studies (OTS) a consortium of U.S. and Costa Rican
institutes of higher learning. Discover the biodiversity of lowland
tropical rainforest at this internationally renowned research
station. With its laboratories, online geographic information
system, extensive trails, and large forest reserve bordering Braulio
Carrillo National Park, La Selva is one of the world’s most
important sites for tropical ecosystem research. Each year more
than 250 scientists from some 25 countries and thousands of international
students come to La Selva to study tropical ecology.
La Selva is located in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica
and comprises 1,513 hectares (3,739 acres) of old growth and disturbed
tropical wet forests. There are more than 1,900 species of plants,
330 species of trees, 436 species of birds, and 450 species of
ants. Showy birds, such as toucans, parrots, trogons and hummingbirds
are seen frequently. So are mammals such as monkeys, peccaries,
agoutis and coatis.
Overnight: Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge Lodge
After breakfast, depart for the 3 1⁄2 hour drive to Caño
Blanco. The last part of the drive will take you through banana
plantations. Until the 19th century, Costa Rica was very poor
with an economy based on subsistence agriculture. Then the introduction
of coffee provided a product suitable for export. Coffee was followed
by bananas, and both remain two of the country's most important
crops.
 At
Caño Blanco dock board a private boat for the 1 1⁄2
hour boat ride to Tortuguero. The canals of Tortuguero provide
refuge for many animals and birds and along the ride to Tortuguero
you will have the opportunity to sight many of these animals and
birds. Late afternoon arrive to Tortuguero and Tortuga Lodge,
our accommodation for the next two nights. Set on a private rainforest
reserve bordering Tortuguero National Park, the lodge’s
rooms have private baths and hot showers. A swimming pool is surrounded
by botanical gardens that lead to the rainforest and river. Dinner
and overnight Hotel Tortuga Lodge.
Today you have two 3-hour private guided tours through Tortuguero's
creeks, highlighting the interesting aspects of the area's history,
culture and nature.
Originally intended to protect a major nesting beach of the
Atlantic Green Sea Turtle, Tortuguero National Park now protects
51,870 acres, one of the last large areas of tropical rain forest
in Central America. Eleven habitats are found in the park. 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 Frogs inhabit the area, along with more
than 320 species of birds including all six species of kingfishers
found in the new world, three species of toucans, eight species
of parrots, and other neotropical species such as the Slaty-tailed
Trogon, White-collared Manakin, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, and
White-fronted Nunbird.
Afternoon tour the village of Tortuguero with your private guide.
Learn about the history of the village and it’s efforts
to get their basic needs met such as running water, medical and
dental care, garbage collection and management. Visit the local
school (when in session) the Park headquarters, the general goods
store and walk down the paths with colorful Afro-Caribbean homes.
Stop for a chat with the locals and learn about their way of life.
Dinner and overnight Hotel Tortuga Lodge.
After breakfast, depart by charter flight back to San José.
At the Local Airport, a private van will be waiting for the approximately
4-hour drive to Monteverde. Stop en route at the Nectandra Botanical
Garden for lunch and a hike. Nectandra Cloud Forest Garden is
located 80 km Northwest of San Jose, going north from San Ramon.
It is the centerpiece of 104 hectares (257 acres) of primary and
secondary forest. With few exceptions, most of the plants featured
in the horticultural observation area are from the preserve and
its immediate surroundings. Some of the plants in the design are
included as pure aesthetic elements, others for their importance
in medicinal, indigenous and cultural uses. A small number of
changing exhibits highlight scientific information on the ecology
of the cloud forest.
Beyond the confines of the Garden, the remaining biological
preserve is restricted to scientific field research carried out
by a non-profit organization, the Nectandra Institute. Current
scientific activities include botanic inventory, preparation and
identification of herbarium specimens of dominant and unusual
plants, and investigation into the variables influencing natural
reforestation in cloud forests.
Two naturalist-guided tours are available. They differ in length
and terrain. Both walks are suited to visitors in good health.
The “Leisure Walk” is approximately four hours, through
dense forest and undulating terrain. In addition to information
offered by the naturalist guide along the way, visitors will have
ample opportunity to hear the sounds of the forest, observe the
fauna and flora, and experience the serenity of the place. The
“Wilderness Walk” takes about five hours at a moderate
pace and is also led by a naturalist guide. This hike winds through
primary forest and visitors will encounter steeper trails.
Afternoon continue onto Monteverde. 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.
Dinner and overnight at: Monteverde Lodge and Gardens.
Morning, visit the Butterfly Garden. The tour begins in the
nature center with a general overview of spiders and insects.
This includes up close and personal experiences with scorpions,
spiders, and all kinds of insects. The Garden philosophy is to
educate the visitor about the great biodiversity of the Monteverde
region. After the general overview the tour continues into 4 butterfly
gardens. Each of the 4 gardens represents a different local habitat
including the hot lowlands, mid-elevation forest edge, deep forest
and cloud forest.
 The
tour finishes at a special exhibit on Leaf Cutter Ants, one of
Costa Rica’s most outstanding insects. While it’s
easy to watch them working away in the forest, the Garden provides
a way to see them working underground. After the tour you can
go back into the gardens for more pictures or check out the medicinal
plant garden or bird watch from the balcony. Tours take about
an hour and fifteen minutes.
Afternoon visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. 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, allow 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 Tilarán
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
Dinner and overnight Monteverde Lodge & Gardens
After breakfast, depart for the approximately 3-hour drive to
the Carara National Park. Carara is a region of mountain ranges,
marshes, meanders, forests, swamps, rivers and ravines, of crocodiles
and macaws, of archaeological sites, and a very hot and humid
climate. This small reserve of 4,700 hectares is located 4 kms.
southwest of the city of Orotina, as the crow flies, in the lower
river basin of the River Grande de Tárcoles, which waters
the Central Occidental or Western Valley. It ranges from the rolling
alluvial lowlands to the steep slopes of volcanic and sedimentary
hills that rise 634 metres above sea level.
The terrain is carpeted with grasslands and forests of predominantly
evergreen species, which stand out sharply in a region that has
been heavily deforested and developed. The forests on the slopes
are composed of species such as the espave, wild fig, silk cotton,
quamwood and purple heart. The forest mass on the lowland has
little diversity although palm trees are abundant. Their frequently
seen stilt roots are signs of occasional floods. The gallery forests
that grow along the riverbank are thick and tall, with few species,
mainly the espave, but their appearance likens them more to a
rainforest type of growth. The marshes are covered with water
hyacinths, a plant that typically grows in shallow waters rich
in nutrients or in polluted lakes. The predominant species in
the altered areas are deciduous, mainly quamwood and thorny viscoyol
palms.
These tropical dry forests of Carara are highly susceptible
to forest fires, an occurrence that takes place almost every year
from January to April, the season of strong winds.
The park houses a very diverse wildlife. Over 100 pairs of scarlet
macaws, perhaps the most beautiful birds on the Pacific side of
Costa Rica, live and nest in the forests. Towards dusk they can
be seen returning to their roosts in the mangrove swamps at the
mouth of the River Grande de Tárcoles. The reserve also
provides shelter for howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys,
white-tailed deer, red brocket deer, collared peccaries, pacas,
ratlesnakes and fer-de-lance snakes. Some of the birds of the
region are the black guan, great egret, turkey vulture and laughing
falcon. The swamps, an area where the river overflows, are where
cayenne wood-rails, raccoons, lizards and several species of snakes
and frogs find food and shelter. Anhingas, blue-winged teals,
roseate spoonbills, Mexican tiger-bitterns and a large colony
of boat-billed herons (a curious bird with a beak in the shape
of a boat) can be seen in the lagoon formed by a meander in the
ancient river basin. Crocodiles, which can grow 3 metres long
and are an endangered species, lie on the shore here and also
on the little beaches along the River Grande de Tárcoles.
After the tour continue onto the hotel Villa Caletas. Villa
Caletas, located in the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, on
a jungle hilltop at 8 km from Jaco Beach. From each side of the
mountain, rain forests spread to the sandy, quiet beaches below.
Mainly renowned for the flocks of colorful, Scarlet Macaws, the
region is preferred among nature lovers. The area hosts several
biological reserves and wildlife refuges.
Overnight at: Villa Caletas.
Full day at leisure.
Overnight at: Villa Caletas.
Land transfer back to San Jose (2-hour drive approx.) Transfer
to the International Airport at least three hours prior to the
departure time for your flight out of the country. (No meals)
(TG)
IMPORTANT NOTE: WHEN FLYING LIGHT CHARTER PLANES OR DOMESTIC
AIRLINES, OR TRAVELING BY BOAT; A MAXIMUM OF 25 POUNDS OF LUGGAGE
IS ALLOWED PER PERSON. The 25lb weight limit for flights or boat
trips within Costa Rica does not mean that you need to limit yourself
to 25 lbs of baggage for your entire trip to Costa Rica. While
it always makes sense to travel light, you can bring more than
25 lbs of luggage. We will store your excess luggage while you
are on portions of the trip that involve flights or boat trips,
and catch it up to you as soon as feasible after you have finished
those sections.
Hotel Bougainvillea
“The Bougainvillea name is associated with superb service
and an excellent restaurant.”
The New Key to Costa Rica, Ulysses Press.
Just 15 minutes from San Jose, in Santo Domingo de Heredia,
81 rooms with private balconies and baths are arranged on 10
acres of landscaped grounds. There is a swimming pool, conference
room, sauna, and tennis courts, as well as a restaurant. Shuttle
service is available to San Jose. Temperate climate. Hotel telephone:
011 (506) 2244-1414
Tortuga Lodge and Gardens
" The most atmospheric and appealing place in Tortuguero..."Costa
Rica Handbook, Moon Publications. Set on a private rain forest
reserve bordering Tortuguero National Park on the north Caribbean
coast, the lodge’s 26 deluxe room and 1 Penthouse have
solar heated private baths. There is a non-chlorine purified
swimming pool, botanical gardens lead into the forest, and wildlife
is abundant with 320 species of birds, myriad forest mammals
and reptiles. The restaurant offers family style fare based
around the fresh fruits and seafood of the region. Hot Climate.
Hotel telephone: 011 (506) 2709-8136
Monteverde
Located just 15 minutes from the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest
Reserve, the lodge has 27 spacious rooms with private baths,
all with views of the forest or garden. The main area includes
a glass cathedral entry, high wooden ceilings, an open fireplace,
restaurant and bar, and 15-person Jacuzzi. There are comfortable
sofas in the reading room and landscaping designed to bring
the flora and fauna of the cloud forest to the doorstep of the
hotel. Cool climate. Hotel telephone: 011 (506) 2645-5057
Villa Caletas
“It’s hard to find a luxury hotel in Costa Rica
with a more spectacular setting. Perched 350m above the sea,
Villa Caletas enjoys commanding views of the Pacific.”
Frommer’s Costa Rica 2001, IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.
Located 4 kilometers from Herradura beach, and 11 km from
Carara Biological Reserve, this hotel offers 8 standard rooms,
as well as 11 villas, 4 junior suites, and 2 master suites,
all suites and villas with air conditioning and private baths.
Some of the villas have private pools. The hotel features swimming
pools, meeting rooms, and a restaurant offering International
cuisine. Panoramic views. Hot climate.
Hotel telephone: 011 (506) 2637-0505.
This is the plan, but allow for flexibility! A vehicle may
break down, a phone may not work, and electricity could fail -
it’s all part of the adventure!
Questions?
Please call. Linda Ingram, toll free 1.877.626.2456, or Contact
Us
Click here for Reservation Information. |
Day
1: Arrival San José Internacional Airport, Costa Rica
Day
03: La Selva Biological Station
Day
06: Tortuguero / San Jose / Monteverde