Tour packages: The essentials of Costa Rica

Day 1

FRANCE / SAN JOSE

Take-off for San José. Meal served on board. Arrival at San José's Juan Santamaria International Airport, welcome by your local French-speaking guide and transfer to hotel. San José lies at the heart of a vast fertile valley, the Meseta Central (Central Valley). Founded in the 18th century, it bears little resemblance to the colonial era. Today, Costa Rica's capital has a population of one million and is one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in Central America. Dinner at leisure. Night at hotel.

Day 2

SAN JOSE / TORTUGUERO

Coffee and cookies

Morning departure for the northern Caribbean to reach Tortuguero National Park (collective transport from the lodge). Leaving the central valley, you cross the green expanse of Braulio Carrillo National Park. With its passes at 2000m and its Barva (2906m) and Cacho Negro (2150m) mountains, it protects different ecosystems of tropical rainforest and tropical cloud forest, which you can observe as you climb. Once you've passed the Cordillera Central, you'll find yourself facing the Caribbean plain. Breakfast en route. Continue to the pier, where you'll board a motorboat for Tortuguero, a small, isolated village on the northern Caribbean coast, wedged between a wide estuary and the Atlantic Ocean and accessible only by plane and boat. Arrival, welcome cocktail and check-in at the lodge for two nights. Then lunch. Stroll through the village to discover the school and church.... Then, if you wish, you can visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy museum, which features exhibits and a short video (in English and Spanish) on the history of local sea turtle conservation. This is one of the oldest sea turtle conservation associations working in Tortuguero since the early 1960s. Optional: take part in the conservation program by sponsoring one or more sea turtles. This will enable you to participate in the foundation's projects (tracking a few sea turtles, taking a census of turtles arriving in Costa Rica, etc.). Return to the lodge to enjoy its tranquility and swimming pool. Dinner at the lodge. Night at the lodge.

Day 3

TORTUGUERO

Breakfast

Discover Tortuguero National Park by boat through the canals (approx. 2 hrs.). Observe the flora and fauna of this 32,000-hectare primary forest, which stretches as far as the eye can see. It is home to hundreds of species of plants (orchids, ferns, bromeliads) and ancient trees. In the heart of this splendid tropical setting, the spectacle is everywhere. And the incredibly sharp eyes of the captains will enable explorers to discover the barely concealed life unfolding before them. Along the banks, caimans wait peacefully for their turn to enter the scene, while spider monkeys frolic in the fruit-laden branches. Birds are the most active, fishing in the canal. The tranquility of the picture is not feigned, and the sloths who live here in great numbers are the first to welcome it. Lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, free time to enjoy the optional activities offered by the lodge or to relax by the pool. At the end of the afternoon, enjoy a tasting of Caribbean flavours accompanied by a typical drink. Dinner at the lodge. Night at the hotel.

Day 4

TORTUGUERO / ARENAL

Breakfast

Departure by boat from a submerged area to reach a land of fire via the main Caribbean route to Sarapiqui. We're in the Caribbean ecosystem of wet jungles, wild rivers and cultivated tropical plants and fruits. This region is a true paradise for nature lovers, and also an agricultural region: two facets of rural Costa Rica, between forests, palm groves and citrus plantations. Stop off at a heart-of-palm farm, where you'll learn all about the process from planting to harvesting. The owner will also tell you about the history of the farm and the challenges it faces today. Enjoy a light lunch on the farm, where you'll be able to taste this food in all its forms. Continuation to Arenal. Arrival at Arenal. Until the early morning of July 29, 1968, Mount Arenal was a tranquil mountain, covered in lush vegetation. For three thousand years, the volcano had been inactive. Since its awakening, the volcano has not ceased to be active, as evidenced by its perfect cone, which has not had time to erode or be blown away by an explosion. From its 1600 m altitude, the Arenal slopes towards the village. Check-in at the Eco Arenal hotel for two nights. Visit to a tica farm. Meet a committed farming family who have been practicing organic agriculture for over 40 years. Under the Troja, a traditional place of life and discussion, you'll learn all about sugar cane and the ancient tool used to process it, the trapiche, before sampling all the flavors of sugar cane: the fresh fruit, its juice and its alcohol: the artisanal guaro, a favorite of the ticos. Continuing your visit, you'll pass through plantations where plants and vegetables are grown according to sustainable organic methods, and discover some of Costa Rica's most emblematic legends, such as that linked to the Virgen de Los Angeles (Virgin of Angels). All this in an enchanting natural setting, accompanied by the farm's owners, who will be delighted to let you taste the coffee produced on the farm! Dinner and overnight stay. Night at the hotel.

Day 5

ARENAL

Breakfast

Discover Arenal Volcano National Park. Walk the trails of the national park and the ancient lava flows of this volcano with a painful recent history: in 1968, after 500 years of inactivity and 10 hours of intense seismic activity, Arenal experienced 3 days of explosive eruption, devastating the small village of Tabacon, 12 square kilometers of forest and killing over 70 people. Lunch time. Walk on the Arenal suspension bridges. Over a distance of some 3,000 metres, you'll cross the rainforest on trails linked by 8 fixed bridges and 6 suspension bridges. The trails have been designed to be accessible to everyone. The bridges are high-tech metal structures offering every safety feature. They range in length from 8 to 98 metres, with the highest bridge rising to a height of 45 metres. The succession of paths and bridges allows you to appreciate the flora of this tropical rainforest from a different perspective, from the roots to the canopy. Dinner at leisure. Night at hotel.

Day 6

ARENAL / RINCON DE LA VIEJA

Breakfast

Departure for Rincon de la Vieja through the central region of Guanacaste, a cattle-raising area with pampas and savannah landscapes. Cowboy and ranchero atmosphere... This dry north-western region, formerly part of Nicaragua, joined Costa Rica in a referendum. After the dam that created the country's largest lake, flooding the villages of Arenal and Tronadora, the jungle retains a vitality and density typical of the Caribbean. Encounters with coatis, monkeys, toucans and others are very possible... Along the way, splendid views of the volcano bordered by jungle and lake. Lunch en route. Continuation to Rincón de la Vieja. The name of the place, literally "the old woman's corner", comes from an Indian legend according to which a princess, withdrawn from the world of men, cured people with mud baths... The Rincón de la Vieja volcano, with its nine craters, has always been the talk of the town. Arrival and check-in at Hotel Rinconcito for two nights. Dinner and overnight stay. Night at the hotel.

Day 7

RINCON DE LA VIEJA

Breakfast

Discover the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park. A two-hour walk on a relatively easy route in the "Las Pailas" sector. Discover the tropical dry forest, with its mud cauldrons, fumaroles and gigantic trees. To our knowledge, it is home to the largest (accessible) tree in Costa Rica. Many trees are parasitized by Ficus Matapalo, which grow around their victim until they overtake and suffocate it... As a result, the trees are often doubly gigantic. This forest is criss-crossed by streams and veins of burning gas that have created "cauldrons" of boiling mud. You'll feel the earth beneath your feet! Lunch and return to the lodge. Afternoon free to relax by the pool or take part in an optional activity from the lodge (zip-line, horseback riding, canyoning...). Dinner at the lodge. Night at the lodge.

Day 8

RINCON DE LA VIEJA / SARCHI / SAN JOSE

Breakfast

Depart for the central valley to reach Sarchi, the most famous town in Costa Rica for its handicrafts. You'll have the opportunity to visit the "Monumento a la carretera" (monument to the oxcart). There are over 200 handicraft workshops, producing mainly hand-painted oxcarts in bright, cheerful Costa Rican colors, as well as wooden and leather furniture. In the 19th century, these carts were used to transport coffee from hilly and inaccessible lands to the Pacific coast. But for the record, this craft developed because of the proliferation of tractors and other vehicles in the countryside. Faced with ruin, the cart makers had the idea of miniaturizing their skills and launched the fashion for this ornament. Lunch. Continuation to the capital San José. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Day 9

SAN JOSE / POAS VOLCANO / SAN JOSE AIRPORT / FRANCE

Breakfast

Drive to Poas volcano through morning mist and coffee plantations. Magnificent views over the central valley. Discovery of Poas Volcano National Park. Easy walk to the volcano observatory and its crater, one of the largest in the world. Observe the fumaroles and the lagoon lining the crater floor. Multicolored rocks and sulfur fumes will fill your senses. Access to the site also allows you to discover the high altitude flora. The exhibition room on vulcanology and the walk to the Boto lagoon complete the visit. Coffee stop/tasting. On the way, a stop is made to get closer to what is known as Costa Rica's black gold: its coffee, known as one of the best in the world. Tasting of 100% Arabica coffee. Lunch at leisure. Transfer to the airport and flight to France. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 10

FRANCE

Breakfast on board. Arrival in France.

Costa Rica essentials