Eco-Zone Explorers

This Costa Rica vacation not only visits beautiful locations from cloudforest to pacific ocean, but also offers wedding services at a small private chapel in the pristine countryside. This program features two upscale, intimate, boutique resorts with spa facilities as well as many other natural amenities and activities. The program can also be altered to suit your needs.

Chapel for Weddings

Day 1: Today you’ll be met at the airport by our representative and made welcome to Costa Rica.

Day 2 – 3: Today you will be transferred to the lovely villa Blanca Cloud Forest Lodge. Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel & Spa is nestled serenely within 75 acres of gardens, pastures and cloud forest property. Weddings are performed in the pretty on-site chapel, a remnant of the bygone era when the hacienda was a fully functional, self sufficient community in its own right. On the main hilltop is the Hacienda House, the centerpiece of the hotel, where you check-in and where all the dining facilities are located. You can enjoy freshbaked breads and pastries at El Cafe del Bosque and fine dining on authentic Costa Rican cuisine at restaurant El Sendero, all the while savoring the awe-inspiring views of majestic Arenal Volcano.

If you are coming to Costa Rica for romance, this the right choice. The hotel spa facilities are world-class. And the beauty of the Los Angeles Cloud Forest Private Reserve that surrounds the property provides the perfect setting for inner peace and tranquility. Spa features several a la carte services like Costa Rican lava rock massage, aromatherapy, exfoliation, and more. There are many locally guided tours available as well.(B)

Days 4-6: Today your driver will meet you at Villa Blanca and take you across to the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific ocean. Here you will spend 3 glorious and relaxed nights at the Harmony Hotel. The graceful simplicity of earth tones and crisp whites creates rooms that are rooted in nature and beach life at the Harmony. All 24 accommodations reside on a path that meanders through a tropical garden overflowing with native vegetation. The path ends nearby at the warm, inviting Pacific Ocean on Playa Guiones, Nosara. Closest to the pool, each Cocos Room opens onto its own private, enclosed back patio equipped with a heated shower and seating area. An overhang allows you to enjoying the outdoors in the shade. At the Harmony, comfort meets effortless sustainability. Here guests can enjoy the rare luxury of knowing that the beauty they see is rooted in ecologically sound practices. (B)

Day 7: Today you will be transferred back to San Jose by semi-private surface transfer. (B)

Day 8: This morning you will be taken to the airport for the flight out of Costa Rica. (B – if restaurant is open in time for your flight.)

Daily Year Round Includes 7 nights accommodation, all transfers, all tours as described, meals as noted (BLD = breakfast, lunch, dinner), all local taxes.

Optional tours from lodges not included. You can either prepay or decide when you are there. Please enquire if you are interested.

Costa Rica has an amazing variety of habitats from lowland humid forests to misty cool cloud forests. This program designed by one of Costa Rica’s top ornithologists, Leo Chavez, covers the top birding sites in Costa Rica, including the Costa Rican Birding Route.

Day 1: San Jose
Meet driver at the airport and then transfer & overnight Don Carlos Hotel in San Jose.

Day 2: Cerro de la Muerte
You will meet your driver this morning for your transfer to Savegre Lodge. Savegre Mountain Lodge’s Private Biological Reserve is located in the environs of the Cerro de la Muerte in the Talamanca Mountain Range. It consists of Cloud Forest with elevations varying between 1,220 and 2,560 metres above sea level. The area is frequently visited by eco-tourists from around the world who come to enjoy the large diversity of plant life, including oak and laurel trees, orchids and bromelias. This animal life includes more than 170 species of birds – including the magnificent Quetzal – as well as numerous mammals, amphibians, and insects. (B)

Day 3:  Birding Tour
This morning you’ll meet your guide for a 5 hour birding tour.  You then transfer to the Caribbean foothills.  Rancho Naturalista is considered to be one of the finest birding lodges in Central America. Rancho is known for its peaceful forest surroundings, comfortable well-kept rooms, excellent meals, family style atmosphere, knowledgeable resident bird guide(s), extensive trail system in pre-montane rainforest, banana and hummingbird feeders for the birds, bird bathing pools, and a bird list for the area of over 400 species. (BD)

Day 4: Full day birdwatching with a local resident guide. Overnight at Rancho Naturalista (BLD)

Day 5: La Selva de Sarapiqui
Free morning and transfer to Sarapiqui area. La Selva was originally established in 1954 by Dr. Leslie Holdridge, as a farm dedicated to experimentation on mixed plantations for the improvement of natural resources management. It was purchased in 1968 by the Organization for Tropical Studies and declared a private biological reserve and station. Since then, it has become one of the most important sites in the world for research on tropical rain forest. Over 240 scientific papers are published yearly from research conducted at the site.  La Selva’s juxtaposition of protected ecosystems and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities is unique in the world’s wet tropics. An extensive trail system of more than 50 kilometers provides access to a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Thousands of arthropod species are being currently recorded at La Selva, and more than 400 species of resident and migratory birds have been sighted in the reserve, representing almost half of Costa Rica’s bird species.(BLD)

Fday 6:
Full day birdwatching at La Selva with resident guide. Overnight OTS La Selva Biological Station (BLD)

Day 7: Transfer to Maquenque Lodge
Located on the Northern Territory of San Carlos near the Nicaraguan border this reserve, along with La Selva, forms part of the Costa Rican Birding Route.  The Costa Rican Bird Route is the first of its kind in Central America. Located in the northeastern region of Costa Rica, this eco-tourism project offers a variety of bird watching and nature tourism opportunities. The Bird Route consists nature reserves within 12 official sites, specifically chosen for their high avian diversity. This region also supports the last remaining habitat of the endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua), and the Costa Rican Bird Route offers the greatest viewing opportunities on the planet of this rare species as well as Scarlet Macaws. Excellent bungalow style  accommodations, surrounded by tropical rainforests, and bordering the Majestic San Carlos River, it has become famous for being a unique region for ecology, wildlife observation, unique birding tours. (B)

Day 8: Birdwatching Tour
Morning birdwatching tour. Free afternoon for optional tours: Overnight at Maquenque (B)

Day 9: San Jose
Free morning by the afternoon transfer back to San Jose. Overnight at Hotel Don Carlos. (B)

Day 10:
Departure transfer (B)

This is a full service semi-private tour program using local lodge  based guides and drivers . There may be other guests sharing the rides from time to time. Accommodation is in a variety of small, specialised lodges. OTS La Selva is the most basic being a research station, however meals are very good and the chance to meet students and scientists makes the stay well worth it for anyone interested in birds.

Price includes: 9 nights accommodation and taxes, meals as noted (BLD), all transfers, all guided tours as noted.

Take a journey through Costa Rica’s diverse ecological and climatic zones. First travel from the productive central valley to the cool mountains and cloudforests of The Los Angeles Cloudforest Reserve.  Then travel to the dry lava flows, hot springs and forest trails of Arenal Volcano National Park.  Drop deep into the lush Caribbean lowlands for a night in the rainforest before continuing to the east coast and the turtle nesting grounds of Tortuguero National Park.  This trip is a semi-independent tour with a mix of guided tours and unstructured time.

Day 1 – Arrival San Jose

Arrive San Jose and transfer with driver to your hotel.  The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 2 – San Jose – Los Angeles Coud Forest Reserve (Eco-spa and hotel)

This morning you will transfer to the cloudforest lodge. With a similar ecosystem to the reserve at Monteverde but located just one hour from San Jose (compared to 4.5 hours), discover a new world destination for eco-conscious travelers:a boutique hotel  and eco-spa surrounded by the spectacular Los Angeles Private Biological Reserve. Conveniently located within this 30 Ha. (75 acre) property, is a very user-friendly 3 Kilometer trail network was carefully engineered and designed by professional nature guides. It has no steps or obstacles to compete with the enjoyment of observing the countless variety of tropical flora and fauna along the specially designed self-guided and interpretive trails. With only 2.5% of the planet’s cloud forest remaining, the unique energy of this cloud shrouded forest habitat continues to marvel both scientists and novices alike. Balance of day free to take optional tours. B)

*Please inquire before coming for optional tours : Canopy Ziplines, Morning Quetzale Hike, Poas Volcano Tour, Scarlet Macaw Hike, Horse back Riding Tour.

Day 3 – Half day Tour to Historical San Ramon

Nestled in the rolling hills of Alajuela Province, this charming municipality has much to offer. This unique half day guided tour is both educational and picturesque at the same time. It features a visit to a traditional sugar cane mill and includes stops at all the cultural and historical attractions of San Ramon, the city of poets and birthplace of three previous presidents. Most famous was Don Pepe Figueres, the president who abolished Costa Rica’s military and established its current democracy. A photo gallery in his honor, plus the nearby Cathedral of San Ramon and Central Market, are part of this illuminating half-day excursion. Return to ecolodge for the night. (B)

Day 4 – San Ramon – Arenal Volcano National Park

Today you’ll transfer to a Costa Rican volcano lodge set high on a ridge a mere 1.7 miles from Arenal Volcano. This  offers the adventurous traveler front-row seating for one of the world’s most thrilling fireworks displays – a volcanic eruption. After having lain dormant for over 400 years, Arenal Volcano erupted violently on July 29, 1968, wreaking havoc on the local population and creating a “lava-scape” for miles around its base. Tropical flora and fauna abound about the Arenal lodge, and while here there are many self guided hiking opportunities as well as optional guided tours. Please inquire locally upon arrival if you wish to see a list and to arrange on your own for the next day.(B)

Day 5 – Arenal

Today visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges, entrance fees included. The Hanging Bridges are a complex of 6 hanging suspension bridges rising above the jungle canopy, and almost 2 miles of brick & concrete trails through the lush Rain Forest. The bridges provide an excellent vantage point to observe the flora and fauna from the ground level to the top of the trees. The chain link fence on either side of each bridge is about 50″ high, so there is little chance of anyone slipping through. Walk the trails where you will see many varieties of heliconias, flowering ginger, hear howler monkeys, and see many varieties of butterflies, as you learn about the complexity and beauty of the Rain Forest. Afternoon visit Ecotermales (Hot Springs) it has about 5 different pools of Natural Hot Springs including a soothing waterfall for a natural massage. (B)

Day 6 – Arenal – Sarapiqui

Transfer from Arenal to Sarapiqui area.  You go from high mountain terrain to lowland Caribbean rainforest. This is a lush warm land of  bromeliads, butterflies, bats, and birds. There are a number of things worth doing here and at your lodge have access to a butterfly “farm” with amazing blue morphos and walking trails along the river. Included in this day is a visit to an organic pineapple plantation. (B)

Day 7 – Sarapiqui – Tortuguero National Park

This morning you’ll transfer by land to a coastal estuary for a boat trip to Tortuguero.  Here you will be taken to your lodge.  This area exists to protect the most important breeding areas in Costa Rica for marine turtles.  Of the 8 worldwide species, 4 nest here.  You can see leatherback turtles between April and June and green turtles from July to mid October.  Tropical wildlife is incredibly abundant and the area is a major migratory bird route for North American birds. (B/L/D)

Optional Turtle Nesting Tour at night, approximately US $25.00 per person.

Day 8 – Tortuguero National Park

This morning you will board one the flat bottom boats to explore the watery creeks and canals that make up the highly productive coastal zone of the Caribbean lowlands with an expert guide.  In this trip you will see an incredible assortment of tropical wildlife before returning to your lodge.  Balance of day is free, you might want to take a trip to the local village and meet some of the people of Tortuguero.  (B/L/D)

Day 9 – Tortuguero – San Jose

Today take a boat back to dock and then a ground transfer back to San Jose and your hotel.  (B)

Day 10 – Depart San Jose

Departure transfer to International Airport.  (B)

Special Package Features:

All transfers with a private or semi-private van and driver.

All accommodation (3-4 green leaf rating)

9 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches and 2 Dinners

Guided walks and tours as described with entrance fees included.

Lakes to cross, birds, wildlife and of course volcanoes:  this program explores a variety of distinct ecosystems ranging from the dry tropical regions of Rincon de la Vieja National Park, the cloudforests of Monteverde, the tropical humid area of Arenal Volcano National Park, and the watery world of Palo Verde National Park.

Day 1: Liberia to Rincon del Vieja. Today you’ll be met at the airport by our representative and made welcome to Costa Rica. You will then be transferred to the Hacienda Guachipelin mountain ecolodge. The hacienda borders the popular Rincon de la Vieja National Park. The hotel is surrounded by lush gardens with native trees, exotic flowers and many types of birds, and it has views to both the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and the Pacific Ocean.

Day 2 : You will have a guided tour into Rincon de la Vieja National Park with a naturalist guide. Rincon de la Vieja with Natural hot springs, virgin forests, jungle waterfalls and volcanic mud pots is considered by many to be the most diverse ecozone in Costa Rica being at the transition between the drier Guanacaste plains and the lush Atlantic rainforests.(B)

Day 3: Day Tour. Palo Verde National Park is one of the richest sites for birding on this continent. Besides the abundant birds, Palo Verde is a showcase of native wetland vegetation and is also home to many exotic animals, such as 3 kinds of monkeys, sloths, caimans, lizards and bats.

Situated at the mouth of the Tempisque River and acting as a watershed for all major area rivers, Palo Verde National Park is a slice of wetland sanctuary in the middle of Costa Rica’s driest province. The 45,500-acre park is a mosaic of 15 different habitats, including mangrove swamps, grassy savannahs, marshes, salt ponds, pastures and evergreen forest, all bordered by sloping limestone hills. It is considered a migratory and resident waterfowl refuge, and its lands are therefore protected by law.

Palo Verde’s myriad of ecological niches makes it an ideal host for plant and animal life. More than 300 bird species have been seen in the park, and it contains the greatest concentration of shorebirds and waterfowl in Central America. Up to 250,000 birds reside here at once, with the most common being egrets, herons, storks, spoonbills, ibis, grebes and ducks. Forest birds like parrots and toucans can also be seen in the trees. Palo Verde hosts the only native colony of scarlet macaws in the dry Pacific . Return to Lodge for the night.(B)

Day 4: Today, you will transfer to the Monteverde and the Cloudforest. This cool, misty location is a beautiful environment for many birds, not seen in the lower elevations. After your transfer here you will have the balance of the day free. There are several small attractions like the butterfly farm and the nocturnal animals exhibit you can visit (all optional)

Day 5: This morning you will meet a local guide who will take you on a guided walk into the cloud forest reserve to spot birds. He or she will also provide a good explanation of this special ecosystem and the protections in place to preserve it. After this you will the small interpretive centre at the park’s entrance. (B)

Day 6: This morning you will explore the Selevatura park with its suspended walkways. Then later today you will travel by van and by boat to cross Lake Arenal (formed by a hydroelectric dam) to you hotel near the town of La Fortuna, near Arenal National Park. (B)

Day 7: Arenal: Today visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges. The Hanging Bridges are a complex of 6 hanging suspension bridges rising above the jungle canopy, with about 3km of trails through the lush Rain Forest. The bridges provide an excellent vantage point to observe the flora and fauna from the ground level to the top of the trees. The chain link fence on either side of each bridge is about 50″ high, so there is little chance of anyone slipping through. Walking the trails you will see many varieties of heliconias, flowering ginger, hear howler monkeys, and see many varieties of butterflies, as you learn about the complexity and beauty of the Rain Forest. This afternoon you will take a guided walk on the dry lava beds of Arenal volcano. The evening is topped off by a soothing visit to the 4 pools at Ecotermales hotsprings and a dinner. Ecotermales Hot Springs is a sanctuary of nature and beauty that has been the life work of the local Hidalgo family. The smallest of the Arenal Hot Springs, Ecotermales is geared toward privacy and relaxation. This intimate and exclusive resort limits daily visitors to 100 and is by reservation only. (B,D)

Day 8: This morning you will be taken to the airport for the flight out to Canada, or to your resort hotel by our transfer service. (B)

Daily Year Round Includes 7 nights accommodation, all transfers, meals as noted (BLD = breakfast, lunch, dinner), all local taxes, tours as noted. Can be modified to suit your time and interests.

A couple of years ago I was in Costa Rica and I was enchanted by a tour that was offered by one of our ecolodges: The Tropical Chocolate Tour. Well how could you resist?

We took off from La Tirimbina centre and over to their private reserve on an island in the Sarapiqui River, swinging suspended bridge and all. We walked along rainforest paths leading to an old plantation. Here we discovered the quite suprising way that chocolate starts out.

The cacao tree forms pods, not unlike a squash. The pod is made up of a fairly thick and fleshy portion and inside are seeds about the size of marbles. The texture is all a little bit slimy. But wait..there’s more. The smell is not what you expect, kind of pungent and sourish, but within this complex set of aromas is the hint of what will come later.

The seeds are taken out and laid into flat trays where they ferment. This is when the magic starts. That slimy kind of pungent goo on the seeds goes through a biological reaction with microorganisms that actually creates the taste of chocolate. Once they have reached a ripe enough state, the seeds are roasted and this step creates all the compelxity of the taste of cocoa. The aroma in the roasting room is warm and exquisite and makes one think of the Mexican book Like Water for Chocolate, or the movie Chocolat. (Just as an aside, the word chocolate comes from the Nahuatl word xocolatl, the language of the Aztecs).

At this point in the tour you start to get to the interactive part. You are given another ancient tool, a mortar and pestle and you begin to hand grind mill the seeds into a warm paste. A little cinnamon and sugar are added and OMG, you have a very tasty snack of pure chocolate. The seeds are very fatty and contain the cocoa butter which makes the product we all love.

There’s a great deal more information on wikipedia if you are wanting more, but this is far better in real life. This guided program became a standard in all the tours we offer in this part of Costa Rica. You can find them on the tours page of the website.