Adventuring in Nature's Playground
Costa Rica Private Journey
Overview
With its natural bounty of rainforest lagoons, towering volcanoes, and long, palm-fringed beaches, Costa Rica is a paradise for nature lovers. Almost 20 percent of the country is protected in national parks or nature reserves that are prime examples of Costa Rican ecosystems, including deciduous tropical forests, mangrove swamps, rainforests, cloud forests, and wetlands. On this Private Journey, you can hike, mountain bike, explore a tropical rainforest, and paddle by sea kayak in azure Pacific waters, all with expert naturalist guides at your side. Your journey includes mountainous Arenal Volcano National Park, the waterways of Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean Coast, and Manuel Antonio National Park on the sparkling Pacific. We also offer an extension to world-famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the outstanding nature reserves in the New World tropics, and an optional day of whitewater rafting on the wild Pacuare River.
Arrive: San Jose, Costa Rica
Depart: San Jose, Costa Rica
Highlights
- Explore Tortuguero, a Caribbean coastal rainforest alive with the calls of birds and monkeys
- Walk "hanging bridges" through rainforest, ride a zip line across the canopy
- Hike nature trails of Manuel Antonio National Park
- Optional sea kayaking or a sunset boat cruise on the Pacific
Itinerary
After an overnight in a boutique hotel in San Jose, head out to scenic Arenal Volcano National Park. At Arenal, you can walk an elaborate network of spectacular hanging bridges that give access to the tree canopy of the park's primary rainforest, where a colorful array of birdlife and butterflies reside. After an active day, enjoy an optional soak in a hot spring and enjoy views of Arenal from your private balcony at your cozy lodge.
Set along natural inland waterways of the Caribbean, Tortuguero National Park protects one of the last large areas of tropical rainforest in Central America. In this deep green world accessible only by boat, a maze of tranquil waterways overhung with rainforest provides a rich habitat for caimans, crocodiles, manatees, monkeys, three-toed sloths, river otters, and a dazzling array of birdlife. Explore this wondrous ecosystem by small boat or sea kayak (optional); Tortuguero is also a world-famous nesting spot for green sea turtles (July-October) as well as leatherbacks (March-May).
Try your hand at Costa Rica's popular adventure sport—the zipline—for a bird's-eye view of the rainforest canopy! At Manuel Antonio, set beside the Pacific coast, walk through vine-draped forests where monkeys leap from tree to tree, sloths gaze down from the canopy, and iguanas sun themselves on logs. Optional activities include ocean kayaking, surfing, and a sunset sail featuring whale and dolphin watching. Depart on Day 8.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated Level 2, Easy to Moderate, according to our trip grading system. Although the overall pace of this trip is relaxed and you are free to choose the activities you like, this is an active vacation. The shape you're in will be an important factor in your enjoyment.
April to May are generally the hottest months, and December to February generally are the coolest months. In San Jose and in the highlands, the weather is eternally spring-like with average temperatures in the 70s. In the Manuel Antonio area, temperatures average in the 80s with cooling sea breezes. Most parts of Costa Rica have a rainy season (May to November) and a dry season (December through April), although tropical showers are possible even in the dry season.
Client Testimonials
"I couldn't be more pleased with this trip. It was truly well designed, and the guides were amazing. Transformational, inspiring, and life-changing. I will use Wilderness Travel again, and I will be going back to Costa Rica!"
Ann J.
Tracy, AS
"Both driver and guide were fantastic. We had a great time and felt like we were catered to at every turn. We saw what we wanted to see and had a great time doing it."
Carol L.
Bastrop, TX
"Everything was absolutely perfect. Your staff could not possibly have been better."
Daniel S.
Temple Terrace, FL
"My wife and I took our son to Costa Rica over 20 years ago and wanted to return with our family of six on another visit. This latest trip was excellent in all respects and covered the needs and interests for ages 10 to 80. The wildlife guiding through three distinct ecosystems provided just the kind of experience we wanted for all. The diversity of opportunities was a welcome complement, including zip lining, boating, swinging bridges, night walks, swimming, waterfall, and visiting unique places (such as a chocolate factory, family farm for lunch, walks through towns and stores and the like)."
Jay C.
Madison, WI
"This is my third trip through Wilderness Travel. The high quality of service, care, friendliness, trip guides, places to stay, etc. has been consistent on all the trips and each trip has surpassed my expectations!"
Jennifer R.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"An excellent trip that was interesting and extremely well organized. All the guides were excellent and enthusiastic about presenting their home country to us."
Lana P.
Lake Louise, Alberta
"We have been home two days and our hearts are aching to return to Costa Rica! Loved being able to see such different environments. Hotels were luxurious and the food amazing. It's a good thing we walked a lot or else we would have gained weight with such yummy food! We were pretty sure we'd love Costa Rica, but we loved it even MORE than we had anticipated thanks to your company and the partnerships you have in country."
Sue B.
Seattle, WA
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Book your trip today
Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!
Itinerary
Submit the form below to download itinerary
Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.