Exploring Costa Rica (Fly and Drive)
Travel Designer Review:
This morning, we will head towards the Northern Caribbean Lowlands, the paradise of nature lovers.
Just a few miles east of San José in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, the highway goes directly through the Braulio Carrillo National Park, offering terrific views of the rainforest.
Once on the Caribbean side, we will board a boat at the Caño Blanco Dock. For a scenic 2 and 1/2 hour, ride to Tortuguero National Park within the Tortuguero Conservation Area.
This ride is a highlight of your vacation to Costa Rica! The canals and rivers on route offer great photo oportunities of caimans and crocodiles dozing on the banks, fresh water turtles basking on rocks and carefree monkeys swinging through the canopy with clinging babies.
The reserve hosts eleven different habitats, including rainforest, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches and lagoons. It is home to over 400 birds, 60 frog, 30 freshwater fish, and 3 monkey species.
After lunch (included), we will visit Tortuguero, a quiet little car-free village located between the sea and the canals with strong Afro-Caribbean roots. It is best known for attracting 40,000 sea turtles a year and the significant conservation efforts non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have undertaken to safeguard them along the 22 miles of protected coastline.
Overnight at selected lodge.
The Mawamba Lodge is a Tropical Hotel in the heart of the rainforest. It is a very special hotel that is located in the canals of the Toruguero National Park in the Caribbean Sea. It is only accessible by boat or plane. It has spacious and comfortable rooms, as well as an outdoor pool and a restaurant that serves typical Costa Rican dishes as well as international cuisine.
Mawamba Lodge is a hotel that cares about the environment. Aware of our need to protect natural resources, the hotel is concerned that its operations have a low impact on the fragile ecosystem that surrounds it. It provides support to the community where it is located, and uses a manual of good eco-friendly practices in its daily operations, part of which is done through a bio-digester that allows the hotel to treat the sewage from the Lodge and obtain methane gas in return. The gas is used to heat the kitchens.
To see the description of the day activities clic on the videos or description button
The following suggested activities and notes are not included in the reservation of this itinerary. The Travel Designer included them so that you can optionally do them on your own during your trip.
This 11 nights’ tour package has been designed for those who want to discover some of the hidden treasures of Costa Rica: exuberant nature and the contrasts between landscapes and exotic beaches.
The adventure begins in one of the best natural destinations of Costa Rica, where you can appreciate biodiversity closely, at the Tortuguero rainforest. This area has remained untouched by man and it is one principal America’s turtle nesting spots.
Then, you will continue to Naranjo in your own 4x4, which sits in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range. This area acts as a biological corridor and it is an excellent spot for bird watching.
You will continue exploring the country towards to the northern lowlands where you will find two natural attractions: The Arenal Volcano and its impressive conic shape and the Celeste River with its magical waterfall (must-see places).
Finally, you will visit the beach area in the Costa Rican pacific that mixes lovely white sand beaches with jungle and rain forest full of wildlife.
The maps are automatically generated and an indicative and inaccurate representation of the route.