Welcome! Upon your arrival at San José International Airport our English-speaking representative will greet you and escort you to your hotel.  At this time you will be provided a short briefing and an informative travel handout. Overnight: Don Carlos Hotel.

After breakfast your guide will collect you for a city tour of San José – a bit of immersion in Costa Rican culture and history through its beautiful museums and numerous historical sites. Around noontime you will head off for about 1.5 hours driving, to one of the world’s largest geysers, the active Poás Volcano. Overnight: Poás Volcano Lodge [Breakfast].

Early morning offers the best chance for a clear, cloudless view of the 14,000-acre nature reserve of Poás Volcano. So we’re off to a very early start, to admire one of the most spectacular volcanoes of Costa Rica: With a diameter of 1.5 km, Poás Volcano is considered to be the world’s second biggest geyser. The crater in the center of the park shows almost permanent activity, with sulfuric fumes, active fumaroles, and temperatures between 104° F and 158° F; and the views of the sulfuric lake with ever-changing colors (mostly turquoise, blue or yellow), at the bottom of the 300 meters deep crater, are just breathtaking!  You may then take a short hike to the National Park’s second crater, the dormant “Laguna Botos” - a beautiful, tranquil lake, surrounded by untouched, lush vegetation. The 30 minute (one-way), well marked trail which leads to Laguna Botos, winds its way through a habitat called dwarf cloud forest, where curiously shaped trees grow in the volcanic soil, full of bromeliads, lichens and mosses. Continuing the drive you’ll see Catarata La Paz, Costa Rica's most impressive waterfall, cascading down the east slope of Poás Volcano. Overnight: Poás Volcano Lodge [Breakfast, Dinner].

Have you ever stood close enough to hummingbirds while they feed, luminous and all sizes, so that you couldn’t tell if the whirring in your ears was the fluttering of wings or the racing of your own pulse?  A stop off at a hummingbird gallery provides the opportunity to do just that, before we continue further north to Boca Tapada, and Laguna del Lagarto Lodge.

The Laguna del Lagarto Lodge is nestled harmoniously in its surrounding landscape, at the edge of 1,200 acres of rainforest in northern Costa Rica. Just a few years ago a trip into this beautiful, secluded area meant an expedition of several days. Today, by 4x4 on an adventurous gravel road, it is accessible in only 3 to 4 hours. Overnight: Laguna del Lagarto Lodge [Breakfast, Dinner].

Think pure, unspoiled jungle! Stroll alone or with a guide through tropical primary forest.  Multiple trails of more than 10 miles in length facilitate your exploration of this mostly untouched paradise.  The variety of animals and plants here is staggering, almost unimaginable: red and green poison dart frogs, an assortment of monkeys and more than 350 species of birds, amongst them macaws, toucans and humming birds. This region is one of the few where the great green macaw, in danger of extinction, can still be seen.  By canoe we can reverently enter the lagoons and see beyond into hidden estuaries filled with bromeliads, nesting bats and bright green “Jesucristo" lizards (so-called because they can walk on water). After sunset caimans can be observed while they feed.  Warm, starry evenings and cool breezes on a covered porch with a refreshing drink and the background concerto of jungle inhabitants: what great memories are made of. Overnight: Laguna del Lagarto Lodge [Breakfast, Dinner].

After breakfast you’re off to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano, through the lush mountains of the Cordillera Central, past flourishing plantations of coffee and fruit. In the late afternoon there is time to watch the sunset over Arenal Lake before surrendering – if you wish - to an evening at the hot springs of Tabacón, Ecotermales or Baldi (optional), to enjoy a soothing bath of waterfalls and natural pools against the backdrop of fresh nighttime air and a starry sky, all within beautiful, tropical gardens. Either way, keep a lookout for the possibility of exploding, sparkling lava flows out the top and down the sides of Arenal Volcano; hot showers of red, yellow and orange. Overnight: Volcano Lodge [Breakfast].

Today you will explore. Hike with your guide through the secondary forest of Arenal Volcano National Park and over the lava fields at the foot of Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the Americas.  You might even feel the ground rumble. Enjoy a drive around Arenal Lake to Cañas, where you may visit an exotic private zoo to see many varieties of Costa Rican birds as well as jungle cats such as panther, puma and ocelot.  All have been rescued by customs authorities from private owners who had abandoned them, or from other persons who had violated Costa Rica’s laws for the protection of endangered species. Your nighttime accommodations include a rustic mountain lodge at the foot of volcanic hills. Overnight: Hacienda Guachipelin [Breakfast].

A hearty breakfast is a good idea in preparation for this day of hikes through the national park.  You’ll begin with about 2 hours through wet forest with numerous crossings of various mountain rivers.  You’ll also encounter dry and hot plateaus with little vegetation.  At last you will reach the “Blue Lake" whose natural basin is nourished by a spectacular waterfall of turquoise-blue that invites you for a refreshing swim.  Later on, continue your hike down to the park’s main attractions: bubbling mud pools, pits of boiling hot water, vapor geysers and fumaroles (deep holes that emit sulfurous vapor).  If all of this doesn’t impress you with some sense of a volcano’s natural power, nothing will. Overnight: Hacienda Guachipelin [Breakfast].

After breakfast, you’ll travel south on the Interamericana before taking on 35 km’s of adventurous gravel road, winding your way to Sta. Elena in the Monteverde Cloud Forest region. Once in Monteverde, there are numerous optional activities that you are welcome to enjoy during the remainder of your afternoon, including a visit to the Frog Pond, the Snake Farm, or the Orchid Garden. Overnight: Arco Iris Lodge [Breakfast].

Today’s adventure is a "walk in the clouds", to immerse in the sights and sounds of the cloud forest’s inhabitants greeting the new day. Start with your feet on the ground, hiking through lush forest toward the “Skywalk"; suspended bridges, platforms and trails elevated deep within the canopy of the cloud forest.  From here we are allowed a gentle, rare glimpse through the tops of giant trees into the nether regions of this hidden world that would otherwise remain a mystery to most of us. While exploring the different bridges and trails keep your binoculars or camera handy, since you might catch a glimpse of the rare and famous bird of kings – the Quetzal! Overnight: Arco Iris Lodge [Breakfast].

Ride back to San José. Once in San José, the remainder of the day is yours to do as you wish. You might visit one of the various galleries or museums (optional - entrance fees not included) or just go on a sightseeing spree with your guide who is with you until evening. Overnight: Don Carlos [Breakfast].

Transfer to the International Airport for your flight back home. Since airlines advise that you be at the airport 3 hours in advance, you might want to have a look there, at the duty free area or the variety of souvenir shops, for some last minute shopping. Please keep US $ 26.00 airport tax handy. Have a nice trip home. [Breakfast]