San José Costa Rica: art, history and fun with daily tours

DAY 1

San José

Welcome to Costa Rica!

As you leave the Juan Santamaria International Airport, our driver will be waiting to take you to the hotel. Take this opportunity to ask him or her what you may need to know, and if you want to communicate with our offices, the driver will take care of it.

Located in the Great Metropolitan Area, the Juan Santamaria International Airport is near the main cities of Costa Rica and the most populated part of the country.

San Jose, the capital city, is a contrasting city, between culture, eclectic architecture, and a bit of chaos. Small but vibrant. It is worth a walk along its boulevards and visit, among other highlights, the museums of pre-Columbian art (especially the Gold and Jade museums), the Plaza de la Cultura, Costa Rica’s urban center and the unfailing Central Market where you find exotic fruits, delicious and affordable food, and the permanent smiles of Costa Ricans.

Airport assistance

Upon arrival in Costa Rica, and after passing the migration zone within the facilities, a representative of the Costa Rican Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) will be waiting for you with a sign with your name and explain you how to locate the driver in charge of taking you to the hotel.

Park Inn Hotel (or similar) - 8 nights

Breakfast

Transfer Airport - San José

DAY 2

San José City Tour

The tours begins by picking you up at your hotel. Our first destination is the Costa Rican Art Museum within La Sabana Metropolitan Park, where the VIP City Bus and staff will greet you with a welcome cocktail. Our adventure through the beautiful city of San Jose begins. Our cultural journey includes more than 25 landmarks, local music and a bilingual guide with valuable information.We’ll take brief city walks, like at the Cultural Plaza, Central Market for a little shopping, the National Park, the National Monument, and Central Avenue. We’ll enjoy a Costa Rican typical food after visiting the Gold Museum, and the lobby of our precious National Theater. Remember, the VIP City Bus includes transportation back to your hotels at the end of the tour.

Includes

• Double Decker Bus
• Panoramic Views allows you to experience the best views of downtown San Jose in comfort.
• Typical Staff
• Cultural Experience
• Welcome Local Cocktail
• Special Visit Gold Museum
• Guided Walking tours: Gold Room at Art Museum, Central Market (shopping), Lobby of National Theater, National Monument.
• Bilingual tour guide
• Live folklore music show abord / WIFI
• Authentic lunch or dinner
• Roundtrip Transportation from and to your hotel

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

Tour of the city of San José

Entrance fees & Guide

Lunch

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 3

One day tour to Manuel Antonio National Park

Your one-day tour to Manuel Antonio from San José will start early in the morning when your transportation and guide pick you up at your hotel. Traveling on the route to the Central Pacific, you will see vast mountain landscapes, all sorts of tropical fruit plantations, and significant extensions of pastures.

Already on the coast, you will travel for a while parallel to the ocean, with breathtaking landscapes at that time of the morning and stop for a delicious typical breakfast at a restaurant in route. Your tour guide will be telling you about the highlights of the road as you travel south and all the way to the entrance of the Manuel Antonio National Park.

We recommend you to be alert the whole time. Even if your guide is prepared to see the abundant wildlife of the park, this is a tour to enjoy your senses abilities. Listen to the different bird sounds, the roars of the howler monkeys, the strange shout of the Capuchin white-faced monkeys, the crackle of toucans or the squeak of the flying scarlet macaws.

You may walk on some of the trails and then have a swim in a warm and calm turquoise bay. Be careful not to leave your things unattended as raccoons and monkeys are fantastic scavengers in the travelers’ bags.

As you are ready and hungry, you will walk to a nearby restaurant for a delicious lunch. Once satisfied your nature appetites, you will drive back to your hotel in San José.

*Note: this tour does no operates on Mondays.

Includes

• Roundtrip transportation
• Guide
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Entrance fee to na National Park

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

Manuel Antonio National Park tour

Entrance fees & Guide

Lunch

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 4

San Luis Adventure Park Canopy

Your experience in Canopy San Luis starts when your transport picks you up at the hotel. This canopy is located in the Central Volcanic Range on the route to the Arenal Volcano from San Jose. It has splendid forests that keep various ecosystems, wide and comfotable trails for walking.

Canopy San Luis is designed for complete families with small children or seniors and anyone who wants to enjoy seeing the forest in all possible angles and who also wants to give themselves a moment of fun and adventure in a framework of safety and comfort.

They have cables up to 550 meters long (1800 feet) coming out of bases placed at heights ranging from 3 meters (9 feet) to 106 meters (347 feet) high. Some are practically leveled to the ground, but strategically placed on steep slopes that open for the zipline to pass. You don’t have to go up or down with cables into any platform.

Also, you will start with the shortest and lowest cables, so that you will have the time to get used to the environment, the guides, your equipment and the activity in general.

You will be able to enjoy from 18 platforms and 12 lines; plus you can also enjoy -three times if you like- the “Tarzan Swing” that is a 55-meter (180 feet) high jump over the beautiful Cataratitas River. As well you may also want to experience the intense Superman Cable. This is a free flight with a full-body harness that will allow you to fly at speeds that may exceed 50 km (31 mi) per hour and at heights of up to a 100 meters (328 feet) in an unforgettable activity that encompasses adrenaline and amazement at the beauty of the tropical forest seen from above.

Includes

• Transport
• Guide
• Equipment
• Canopy Tour (12 zip lines and 18 platforms)
• Other activities (“Tarzan Swing” and “Superman cable”)
• Lunch

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

San Luis Adventure Park Canopy Tour

Equipment & Guide

Lunch

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 5

Rafting in Pacuare River (Class III – lV)

You will depart San José, very early in the morning on a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle that will take you to the Operation Center, where you will enjoy a delicious breakfast surrounded by tropical gardens. The Pacuare River is renowned as one of the best watercourses for rafting worldwide. Surrounded by the powerful Talamanca mountain range, you will pass through some virgin rainforests only seen from the river.

At the edge of the river your professional river guides will give you a paddle, a helmet, and a life vest. You will also have a short but essential briefing where they will talk, first, about the safety procedures, as well as some of the paddling tips and comandos used while you go rafting for 19 miles (30 Km) in the Caribbean area and on III and IV class rapids.

You will be paddling into the core of the Costa Rican rainforests. With waterfalls right on the river and virgin forests on both sides, the Pacuare might be one of the most beautiful rafting rivers in the World. In these mild areas, you may also search for the abundant wildlife in the rainforests around. You may glimpse myriads of colorful birds, monkeys, sloths, and even on occasion, a tayra, coatimundis, or, when lucky, a big cat or a tapir.

Includes

• Roundtrip transportation
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Rafting equipment
• Rafting guides

*Minimum age: 14 years old

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

Rafting in Pacuare River (Class III - lV)

Equipment & Guide

Lunch

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 6

Arenal Volcano & Tabacón Hot Springs

Your tour at the Arenal Volcano National Park starts when your guide and driver picks you up at the hotel. Your tour guide, who understands the Arenal Volcano region, biodiversity, and culture in-depth, will give you the most relevant data for a total comprehension and appreciation of the area, its trees, plants, insects, and all the wildlife that lives in the skirts of the volcano.

You will also learn the ancient eruptive history of the Arenal and the adverse and the fantastic results it produced in the region. You will be walking on volcanic sand, and ancient lava flows, as well as finding one of the best outlook points of the area.

As you finish the hike, your transportation will take you to the most beautiful thermal water complex in the Arenal region: Tabacón. A resort with a fantastic spa and exotic tropical gardens, where the hot water river flows from the volcano into this fantastic collection of tropical plants, with a thousand sorts of green and full of heliconia and all kinds of breathtaking blooms.

Includes

• Roundtrip Transportation
• Entrance fees
• Lunch
• Dinner

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

Arenal Volcano & Tabacón Hot Springs

Entrance fees

Lunch & Dinner

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 7

Doka, Poas & La Paz Waterfalls Combo Tour

Doka, Poás Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Garden starts when your transportation arrives at your hotel early in the morning. They will take you to the city of Alajuela, where you will see some emblematic monuments of Costa Rican culture and history. Then you will pass through prosperous areas with crops of various kinds, until you reach the Doka, a coffee hacienda that exports to North America, Europe, and Asia.

You will begin the experience with a typical breakfast in a restaurant on the farm, to go after to the coffee seedling nursery área where your guide will show you, in the plantation, the different stages of the shrub and its fruits. Depending on the time of year, you will be able to learn to differentiate when the grain is ready to be picked up.

Then you will go to the mill to see the different machines used in the process and, again, depending on the season, see them at work.Then, walk through the drying patios and end up in the roasting section and, finally, end this part of the tour at a souvenir shop where you can try and order the type of coffee you liked best.

After the coffee tour, you will leave with your guide and transport to Poás Volcano. You will travel through picturesque villages, green fields, flower, and strawberry plantations until you see a change in the landscape and the presence of the cloud forest around that will welcome you to the Poás Volcano National Park.

As you arrive at the park, you will receive a safety talk, and a safety helmet, essential in the area of the volcano. You will walk along a wide paved path until you reach the edge of the cráter and lookout point.

After the visit to Poás Volcano National Park, your vehicle will take you through beautiful high-altitude landscapes until you reach the popular La Paz Waterfalls Garden. Here you will enjoy a delicious and varied buffet lunch that includes traditional Costa Rican cuisine as well as pizzas and sausages.

This is a park immersed in the Central Conservation Area. It offers a monumental aviary with a multicolored variety of bird species and a large butterfly garden that lets you see the process of metamorphosis, but also fill you with wonder at the butterflies fluttering around you. There is also a hummingbird garden with at least 26 species, a ranarium, a serpentarium, a typical house with an ox cart and, a rescue center where you can see pumas and jaguars, among other mammals. And, finally, a trail in the middle of the forest that will take you to appreciate five waterfalls from various angles.

Includes

• Roundtrip transportation
• Guide
• Entrance fees
• Breakfast
• Lunch

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

Doka, Poas & La Paz Waterfalls Tour

Entrance fees & Guide

Lunch

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 8

Calypso’s Island Cruise to Isla Tortuga

Calypso’s Island Cruise to Isla Tortuga takes place at a paradisiac island in the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific Coast, only two hours away from San José. First of all you will take the arranged bus that will take you to the pier in Puntarenas. Afterward, you will board the catamaran and start the trip through the Gulf of Nicoya.

Your tour guide will start the trip by introducing your crew and giving you a short safety and instructions briefing so you can enjoy your trip. Then you can go up to the main deck to enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze.

You will travel through some small isles, as your tour guide explains some of the natural history of the birds and geological formations in front.

As you get closer to Tortuga Island, your guide will let you know for you to get ready to go down into the white-sanded gorgeous beach.

In the Calypso’s Island Cruise to Isla Tortuga, you will have two included activities, the banana boat, and a snorkeling trip. Usually, one of the tours is held in the morning and the other one in the afternoon. Never mind the time you do them, both are fantastic. As well you will have time enough to relax in the water or lay in one of the lounging chairs by the beach

On the way back the captain will take a different route (if the weather allows it) so that you may delight in the close-by islands of the Gulf.

Once at the pier, your transportation waits for you to take you back to your hotel.

Includes

• Rountrip transportation in comfortable bus transportation with A/C
• Bilingual guides, ICT certified (ICT – Costa Rican Tourism Institute).
• Breakfast
• Fresh fruits
• Snorkeling Excursion
• Banana Boat Ride
• Gourmet lunch at the beach
• Live music during lunch
• Unlimited soft drinks and fruit juice

* High healed or hard soled shoes are not permitted on board yacht.

IMPORTANT: The transfer from San José is from the following hotels: Costa Rica Hotel, Aurola Holiday Inn, Tryp Sabana, Barcelo San José Palacio, Best Western Irazu, Wyndham Herradura, Double Tree Cariari, Country Inn & Suites y Costa Rica Marriott. In case you are staying in another hotel, you will have to arrange a transfer (with our assistance or by yourself) from your hotel to the nearby hotel, from where your trip iniciates.

Activities require a minimum number of guests to operate; in the event the minimum is not met 4 days prior to your activity, we will offer the choice of an alternative activity or refund the price of the activity. Activities may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as climate conditions or road closures. In that case you will be offered an alternative or a refund. Tours may have age or size restrictions or requirements, please consult with your travel advisor.

Calypso's Island Cruise to Isla Tortuga

Guide, Snorkeling Excursion & Banana Boat Ride

Fresh fruits, soft drinks, fruits juice & Lunch

Roundtrip transportation

DAY 9

San José

On this day, the arranged transport to the Juan Santamaría Airport will pick you up after breakfast so you can start your way back home.

Perhaps tired, but certainly satisfied, by this immersion on Costa Rica’s pure nature.

*The breakfast mode will depend on the fligh schedule.

Transfer San José - Airport