Costa Rica Wildlife

13 days

Indicative cost incl. flights:

 

A typical 4* holiday costs from

£8,385 per person

 

(Based on two people travelling. Low season can be a lot cheaper, and peak season or 5* hotels can be substantially more expensive.)

 

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01242 253 073

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Day 1
Fly to San Jose today. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the night.
Day 2
Travel to the Arenal today, with the afternoon to begin exploring with a visit to the Arenal volcano and then relaxing hot springs complex in preparation for your early start tomorrow.
Day 3
Today you will head out on a superb full-day tour to the Caño Negro Wildlife refuge, close to the Nicaragua border. Explore the lush tropical forest and waterways in search of spider monkeys, turtles, sloths, enormous lizards and a huge variety of birds.
Day 4
Leaving Arenal this morning you will take a scenic journey to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, staying at a lodge with beautiful forest trails in the grounds. A night walk in the Monteverde Reserve will set the scene for this beautiful region.
Day 5
This morning you will visit the lesser known forest reserve of Curi Cancha with a specialist guide where you will hopefully spot some of the region's most fascinating mammals and birds . This evening we have included a night tour in the cloud forest, which will be your first exploration of the Monteverde Reserve.
Day 6
Return to the Monteverde this morning to discover the flora and fauna of the cloud forest with a naturalist guide. This afternoon is free for you to arrange another tour to suit your interests - you could explore canopy walkways, try zip lining or visit a coffee and sugar cane plantation.
Day 7
Begin your overland route to the spectacular Osa Peninsula today, breaking the journey with two nights on the Central Pacific Coast at Manuel Antonio.
Day 8
We have included a kayaking tour to Damas Island today which is a pleasant way to look for the wildlife of the coastal mangroves. If you prefer, we could arrange a tour to the popular (though beautiful) Manuel Antonio National Park.
Day 9
Depart Manuel Antonio for the final phase of your journey to the Osa Peninsula, where you will spend the next few days immersing yourself in the wildlife of the region's pristine rainforest.
Day 10
Free time in the Osa Peninsula to arrange activities. We recommend spending as much time as possible on the jungle trails, in search of species such as anteaters, four types of monkey, poison dart frogs and scarlet macaws.
Day 11
Further time in the Osa Peninsula - in addition to wildlife tours you could take a surfing lession, go horse riding, bird watching or kayaking.
Day 12
Travel back to San Jose by light aircraft in time for your onward international flight back to the UK.
Day 13
Arrive home today.

Everything we do is tailor-made; our itineraries are just suggestions to give you an idea of what is possible. Please contact us so we can tailor the perfect holiday exclusively for you.

This itinerary has been carefully designed with real wildlife enthusiasts in mind, following a route that showcases a wide variety of natural habitats and some of the best wildlife reserves in the country. Your tour will begin in Arenal, with the main purpose of visiting the superb Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. This is one of the best reserves in the country to to look for the wildlife and birds that frequent wetlands and flooded forest – you will hopefully glimpse species such as caiman, turtles, squirrel monkeys and enormous Jabiru storks.

Continue on to Monteverde which, although well-visited, really does offer the best opportunity to see a wide variety of cloud forest birds and mammals. In addition to a nature walk in the Monteverde Reserve itself, we have also included a guided tour in a lesser-visited reserve with more open clearings to enhance your wildlife spotting opportunities. Your next stop, Manuel Antonio, makes a perfect place to break the journey down to the south Pacific, and an optional kayaking excursion into the mangroves here provides a great opportunity to see sloths, capuchin monkeys and waterfowl.

Finally you will reach the rugged and pristine Osa Peninsula. Boasting the highest diversity of flora and fauna in the entire country, a few nights spent in one of the superb jungle lodges here is the perfect way to finish any wildlife tour of Costa Rica.

1 night San Jose – 2 nights Arenal – 3 nights Monteverde Cloud Forest – 2 nights Manuel Antonio – 3 nights Osa Peninsula


Where you'll go

What you'll do

Where you'll stay

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