 Day 1 - January 6th - Tuesday
San Jose, Costa Rica
Arrive in the capital city of San Jose and transfer with assistance to the hotel near the heart of the city. Radisson Hotel
Day 2 - January 7th - Wednesday (B)
San Jose, Costa Rica
Visit the National Museum and the Gold Museum. Also, tour the major landmarks in the city of San Jose and learn about the structure of government in Costa Rica. Visit the home of Dr. Rodrigo Carazo, a former
president of Costa Rica, for a lecture/discussion on modern Costa Rica. Radisson Hotel
Day 3 - January 8th - Thursday (B, L, D)
San Jose / Poas Volcano / Sarapiqui
Depart early from San Jose to Poas National Park, where you will make your way to the top of Poas Volcano, an 8,900-foot active cinder cone with one of the largest craters in the world. Early morning arrival at Poas may assure an excellent view of the crater. As the morning progresses, clouds often move in to obscure the view and provide moisture for the lush cloud forest in the park. After a look into the steaming cauldron, walk through a beautiful forest to an azure lagoon that lies in a dormant crater nearby. Continue to La Paz Waterfall Gardens for lunch and see first hand this ambitious environmental project, which includes a successful hummingbird garden. Arrive late afternoon at your hotel.
Hotel La Quinta
"We enjoyed the exquisite natural beauty of Cost Rica with its varied terrain; the friendliness and lack of aggression of the people; the visit with our host-family; the care and comfort provided by our driver; the expertise of our guide; the talks by the ex-president and Marvin Rockwell (Quaker); and the fantastic treks through the rain and dry forest, waterfalls, mountain, volcano's craters, rivers and towns. As fairly seasoned travelers, this was one of the more memorable vacations."
Costa Rica - L. & B. Goldstein, PA
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Day 4 - January 9th - Friday (B, L, D)
Sarapiqui
Enjoy a morning visit of La Selva Biological Station for a 2-3 hour hike inside this privately funded research station. Transfer to the Atlantic lowlands of Sarapiqui for a visit to La Selva Station, an internationally recognized center for tropical rainforest research and education. La Selva is owned and operated by the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS), a non-profit consortium of more than 50 educational institutions in the United States and Costa Rica. In the afternoon you can relax and absorb the scenery of monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, and birds while aboard a boat which will cruise down the Sarapiqui River.
Hotel La Quinta
Day 5 - January 10th - Saturday (B, L, D)
Sarapiqui - Arenal
Mid-morning drive to Arenal area, stop en route for lunch with a local family where you will taste the real home made casado y real tico home. Upon arrival at your hotel, check in followed by a guided visit to Manoa grouds. The tour offers the opportunity to see ornamental plants and observe the process of milking cows. In the evening, visit Ecotermales Fortuna hot springs. The spa has 4 different pools with different temperatures, the coolest one is 91 degrees Fahrenheit and the hottest one is 105 Fahrenheit. One of the pools has a cascading waterfall for a natural soothing back massage. Enjoy a family style Costa Rican dinner at Ecotermales restaurant as well. Next to the restaurant there is a shaded area with hammocks where guests can relax.
Hotel Arenal Manoa
 Day 6 - January 11th - Sunday (B, L, D)
Arenal
Next morning enjoy a hike to a nearby waterfall and a close-up exploration of a lava flow. The Arenal Volcano erupted for the first time this century on July 29, 1968 with a tremendous explosion. Having released pressure that had built up for more than 450 years. Arenal today continues to erupt but on a smaller and safer scale. Due to its continuous activity it is considered one of the world's most active volcanoes, have lunch on a local restaurant suggested by the guide, in the afternoon visit the Sky Tram at our slow pace so you can enjoy the views, observe the change of vegetation as the altitude changes and take some photos during the ride. You will be accompanied by our bilingual guide and you can ask him at anytime to make some stops to observe a particular scene, animal or bird. There is a spacious observation deck at the top with chairs and you can spend as much time as you like observing the volcano, Lake Arenal and surrounding mountains & rainforests before coming down with our 3 options.
1.) Ride down with the Sky Tram.
2.) Or walk downhill on our easy and spectacular trails.
3.) Or choose the exciting Sky Trek option: a Canopy Tour with high quality cables running from mountain to mountain zigzagging back to the base.
Hotel Arenal Manoa
Day 7 - January 12th - Monday (B, L, D)
Arenal / Monteverde
In the morning say goodbye to the Rain Forest and drive to Arenal Lake where we board a boat for a thirty minute ride across the Arena Lake to the small town of Rio Chiquito. A van is waiting to take you to the town of Monteverde, located high in the Cordillera de Tilaran. Upon arrival, visit the Trapiche. Learn about the natural history and the sugar cane process, from plant to sugar. You will also be able to see a coffee plantation, banana plantation, and take a ride in a real oxen pulled cart (if they so desire; if not, you can walk) from the sugar cane fields to the Trapiche, worked by the same oxen. There you will be able to witness how sugar can juice is produced. During this presentation we will also learn about other typical Costa Rican traditions, as well as a demonstration of how liquor is extracted from sugar cane (distilled with pure water). In the evening, there will be a lecture by one of the original members of the Quaker community who emigrated to this area from the United States over 50 years ago and gave Monteverde its name.
Hotel El Establo
"I could write twenty pages on what I liked about this trip! Our driver was a nice person and excellent driver. The people in Costa Rica are warm, kind, laid-back, environmentally committed. The food of Costa Rica: especially their fresh heart of palm salad and their iced tea. The surprises! Such as "the rescue of the sloth" when our guide save a sloth who was crossing the road and put it in a tree! Also liked visiting Dr. Rodrigo Carazo, former president of Costa Rica and one of the founders of the Monteverde Quaker Colony."
Costa Rica - S. Certain, GA
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Day 8 - January 13th - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Monteverde
Enjoy a guided walk to explore the wonder of the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a prime example of a tropical cloud forest. The cloud forest is named for its ability to derive moisture not only from rain but also from the misty touch of clouds that almost always blanket the area. Walk the extensive trail system and learn about the cloud-draped subtropical forests and the many birds therein, including the three-wattled bell bird and the iridescent green and scarlet-colored resplendent quetzal. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will be given a lecture on forest ecology and free time to visit the village of Monteverde.
Hotel El Establo
Day 9 - January 14th - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Monteverde / San Jose
Drive from Monteverde back to San Jose. Part of the drive will be on the Pan American Highway. Along the way, stop in the town of Sarchi, probably the best place in Costa Rica to purchase handicrafts, including the famous painted oxcarts. This town is also an important furniture-making and woodworking center. After lunch in Sarchi, continue your drive to San Jose. Arrive at your hotel in time for dinner.
Hotel Cariari
Day 10 - January 15th - Thursday (B)
San Jose / USA
Early morning transfer with assistance to the airport for your departure home.
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