Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Costa Rica - San Jose - Arenal - Bijagua - Nosara
100% customisable for you
Arrive in San Jose and private transfer to your hotel for a good night's sleep. It's hard to miss this hotel - the large, brightly-coloured fresco that covers its exterior facade makes it really stand out. Inside is equally charming, although slightly more muted. In the evening, the roof terrace is the perfect place to see what's going on in the city.
At the crack of dawn, your hire care is delivered to your hotel. In addition to its magnificent volcano and the ecological richness of its flora and fauna, the drive to Arenal National Park also offers 38°C hot springs and a lake of almost 33 square miles, which is ideal for watersports.
Spend two nights in a lodge located in an old volcano observatory inside a private reserve. The rooms are simple but comfortable and, above all, the view is simply stunning. Trails, pools, waterfalls and rivers invite you to explore and cool down in the middle of the tropical rainforest.
Included in the itinerary: walks along on the ground-based and suspended walkways of the private reserve, an ecosystem that is extraordinarily rich in wildlife. The tunnel, trails and bridges leading into the rainforest offer stunning views of the impressive Arenal Volcano.
The 'Colossus', as it is nicknamed by Costa Ricans, deceived everyone for a long time by appearing to be just a mountain. This made its awakening all the more spectacular, with its devastating eruption in 1968. Arenal has been active ever since. The park is not particularly well-known for its wildlife but rather for its remarkable flora. The foot of the old lava flow is the perfect place to enjoy an exceptional view of the volcano, which is almost as perfectly intact as the lake of the same name.
Included in the itinerary: a walk along the wooden pathways and zip lining over the forest canopy. The upper level of the peaks of Costa Rica's dense, humid forest is the part most exposed to the sun and therefore has a very rich biodiversity. Explore the area on the Sky Tram, small open-air cable cars that provide access to a platform from which the views of Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal are absolutely breathtaking. You'll go back down by Sky Trek, a zip line several hundred feet high, which reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour: safe thrills and laughter guaranteed.
Option - Hot springs followed by dinner.
Drive to Bijagua, gateway to Tenorio Volcano Park and the Rio Celeste. Rarely visited because it's not on a main road, the area offers privacy and amazing misty and leafy landscapes, crossed by an intense blue river with the volcano's three peaks as a backdrop. The river splits into a splendid waterfall and hot springs which you can swim in. It's pretty blissful.
Two-night stay in a hut perched on a hill, with views overlooking the Tenorio and Miravalles volcanoes and the primary forest, into which the property blends perfectly. The eco-lodge was built in harmony with nature in an innovative and very contemporary style, on a huge protected property of several acres. There's no TV or air conditioning in the large rooms - you can find luxury elsewhere - but in these misty and mysterious surroundings, the atmosphere, the eco-friendly ethos and the gourmet dishes made from local produce make for a special stay.
Included in the itinerary - cycling tour of the rural community of Bijagua, located between the Tenorio and Miravalles volcanoes. The Bijagua region is home to a variety of terrains that are great for cycling, including flat gravel roads, open pastures and forest, as well as plantations overlooking the peaks of the two volcanoes. Included in the itinerary: the foothills of the Miravalles volcano and a walk along the Zapote and Bijagua rivers. This is your chance to get a close look at some rainforest animals, such as the tiny strawberry poison-dart frog, monkeys, sloths, toucans and other birds.
Option - A private cooking class on the farm.
Head to the Nicoya Peninsula and the Costa Rican 'capital of cool': Nosara. There you will find all the facilities for numerous watersports, including surfing, fishing, diving and swimming. There are also several lovely beaches.
Spend three nights in an intimate location between the jungle and the ocean, in exceptionally luxurious surroundings. The lodge has its own nature reserve where you can see all kinds of animals and a panoramic bar where you can sip sundowner cocktails.
Option - Rafting down Rio Tenorio.
Included in the itinerary - glide through the mangroves in a canoe/kayak. The 125-acre Nosara Biological Reserve is home to a large number of species, such as monkeys, coatis, wild cats and nearly 300 species of birds and crocodiles. You'll stop off at the charming Nosara beach in Ostional National Park, a wildlife refuge of 620 acres and one of the largest sea turtle nesting sites in the world.
Option - private surfing lesson
Return to San Jose, return hire car and overnight return flight. Next-day arrival.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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