Your itinerary
A journey through Costa Rica's life zones
The route is the syllabus: each day moves through a different elevation and ecosystem, from Pacific mangroves at sea level to cloud forest at 2,200 meters.
DAY 1 · WED MAR 5ARRIVAL · CENTRAL VALLEY
Welcome to Costa Rica
- Arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) — evening arrival
- Private transfer to the airport-area hotel in Alajuela
- Light box dinner on arrival
OVERNIGHT · AIRPORT-AREA HOTEL, ALAJUELA
DAY 2 · THU MAR 6VOLCANO · CULTURE → COAST
Poás Volcano, Sarchí & transfer to Tárcoles
- Early-morning visit to Poás Volcano National Park — crater, cloud forest trails, and the best visibility before midday clouds move in
- Stop in Sarchí, Costa Rica's traditional artisan town — cultural visit, ox-cart heritage, and lunch
- Continue to the Tárcoles area; evening orientation and relaxed group dinner at the lodge
OVERNIGHT · CERRO LODGE, TÁRCOLES
DAY 3 · FRI MAR 7MANGROVES → QUEPOS
Birding & mangrove ecology by boat
- Dawn bird walk — scarlet macaws and Pacific-slope species
- Tárcoles River boat tour: mangrove ecosystem function, waterbirds, and one of the world's largest American crocodile populations
- Coastal drive south to Quepos / Manuel Antonio
OVERNIGHT · HOTEL COSTA VERDE, MANUEL ANTONIO
DAY 4 · SAT MAR 8MANUEL ANTONIO N.P.
Costa Rica's busiest park — as a case study
- Full-day guided visit: sloths, three monkey species, coastal biodiversity, and beach time
- Course focus: overcrowding, carrying capacity, and visitor management in the country's highest-visitation park
- Night hike: frogs, insects, and the forest after dark
OVERNIGHT · HOTEL COSTA VERDE, MANUEL ANTONIO
DAY 5 · SUN MAR 9NARANJO RIVER → OSA
Whitewater rafting, then south to the Osa
- Morning rafting on the Naranjo River (Class II–III)
- Afternoon journey to Puerto Jiménez on the Osa Peninsula — "the most biologically intense place on Earth" (National Geographic)
OVERNIGHT · BOTÁNIKA, PUERTO JIMÉNEZ
DAY 6 · MON MAR 10OSA · FIELD DAY
Full-day field work in a private rainforest reserve
- A full day with the field team of a local conservation foundation near Puerto Jiménez
- The same lowland rainforest ecosystem and wildlife protected in Corcovado National Park
- Hands-on conservation and monitoring activities; field lunch on site
OVERNIGHT · BOTÁNIKA, PUERTO JIMÉNEZ
DAY 7 · TUE MAR 11CANOPY → 2,200 M
Zipline through the canopy, climb to quetzal country
- Early-morning canopy zipline through the rainforest treetops
- Dramatic ascent from sea level to the Talamanca highlands — a live lesson in altitudinal zonation
OVERNIGHT · MOUNTAIN LODGE, SAN GERARDO DE DOTA
DAY 8 · WED MAR 12CLOUD FOREST
The Resplendent Quetzal at nesting season
- Dawn quetzal-watching expedition — March is peak nesting season in this valley
- Guided hiking in cloud forest and highland oak woodlands: hummingbirds and high-elevation endemics
OVERNIGHT · MOUNTAIN LODGE, SAN GERARDO DE DOTA
DAY 9 · THU MAR 13LOS SANTOS → CENTRAL VALLEY
Coffee country & farewell dinner in the mountains
- Guided coffee tour in Santa María de Dota, heart of the celebrated Los Santos growing region
- Continue to the Central Valley (airport-area hotel)
- Farewell dinner in the Escazú mountains with a traditional folkloric show and valley views
OVERNIGHT · AIRPORT-AREA HOTEL, ALAJUELA
DAY 10 · FRI MAR 14DEPARTURE
Departure — relaxed morning, no early wake-up
- Poás Volcano already covered on Day 2 — enjoy a relaxed final morning
- Group transfer to SJO airport for the flight home
