Brandon Alms: Red eyed tree frog
Costa Rica Private Custom Adventures
These are sample itineraries, featuring the best Costa Rica adventure travel activities and destinations. Select your itinerary based on your desired activities and regions, number of days and the time of year you would like to travel.
8-Day Costa Rica
Day 1: Arrive San José (Hotel Marriott)
Days 2 & 3: Arenal Volcano (Arenal Observatory Lodge)
Days 4 & 5: Monteverde (Hotel Fonda Vela)
Days 6 & 7: Manuel Antonio (Hotel Si Como No)
Day 8: San José/Depart
10-Day Costa Rica
Day 1: Arrive San José (Hotel Marriott)
Days 2 & 3: Tortuguero (Pachira or Evergreen)
Days 4 & 5: Arenal Volcano (Arenal Observatory Lodge)
Days 6 & 7: Monteverde (Hotel Fonda Vela)
Days 8 & 9: Manuel Antonio (Hotel Si Como No)
Day 10: Fly to San José/Depart
12-Day Costa Rica
Day 1: Arrive San José (Hotel Marriott)
Day 2: Fly to Southern Pacific Coast (Tiskita)
Days 3 & 4: Southern Pacific Coast (Tiskita)
Day 5: Fly to San José/Arenal Volcano (Arenal Observatory Lodge)
Day 6: Arenal Volcano (Arenal Observatory Lodge)
Days 7 & 8: Monteverde (Hotel Fonda Vela)
Days 9 & 10: Manuel Antonio (Hotel Si Como No)
Day 11: San José (Xandari Plantation)
Day 12: Depart San José
Monteverde Cloud Forest
Rising almost a mile into the misty skies, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is home to 400 species of birds, more than 100 different mammals, and 2,500 species of plants including lush philodendrons, bromeliads, ficus trees and orchids. Guided walks introduce visitors to an impressive slice of this great variety of life.
Arenal Volcano
Over a mile high, the symmetrical cone of Arenal Volcano dominates the verdant landscape beneath it. Arenal Observatory Lodge, just over a mile from the crater, offers an exciting perspective on the stark slopes and lush surroundings, with a network of trails into the tropical rainforest at the volcano’s base.
Osa Peninsula
Osa, with its pristine rainforests and wild beaches, is supremely gorgeous. Described by National Geographic as “one of the most biologically intense places on earth,” Corcovado National Park is home to many rare and endangered animals, including the puma, jaguar and scarlet macaw. Eco-lodges offer a secluded wilderness encounter, with rainforest hikes, birding, whale-watching tours and snorkeling excursions to Caño Island among the many activities available.
Tortuguero National Park
This maze of brackish canals lacing lowland tropical rainforest sits along the northern Caribbean coast. The park, named for the green turtles that nest on its protected beaches in summer, embraces 11 different habitats. Boat rides down the canals offer glimpses of monkeys, tree sloths, crocodiles and more than 300 bird species.
Manuel Antonio National Park / Dominical
With its expanse of white-sand beach, turquoise lagoons and verdant rainforest, this park encompasses all the wonders that Costa Rica is famous for. Monkeys swing through the trees, sloths snooze, parrots squawk in the canopy, and night walks reveal a symphony of nocturnal sounds.
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park
This park, simmering with geothermal activity, is the “Yellowstone” of Costa Rica. Fumaroles belch sulfuric steam clouds that rise through the trees. Rivers flow with warm, acidic water, and hot mud boils and bubbles. On hikes through cloud forest to volcano summits, visitors encounter waterfalls and wildlife, with opportunities to view monkeys, toucans, leafcutter ants and birds of the dry North Pacific region.
Rio Celeste Rainforest
The “Light Blue River” is the crown jewel of northern Costa Rica, winding through a little-known region filled with natural wonders. The river’s pale water is colored sky-blue by a volcanic chemical reaction as it flows down through the lush rainforest at the heart of Tenorio Volcano National Park. Hikes abound to natural hot springs and a gorgeous waterfall above a translucent swimming hole.
Los Quetzales National Park
This new national park high in the mist-draped Talamanca Mountains is named for Costa Rica’s iconic bird, the resplendent quetzal. Elusive resident of the cloud forest, the quetzal is among the many endemic species that populate this biodiverse ecosystem. Hikes through oak forest and páramo vegetation may also offer glimpses of various hummingbirds, tanagers, warblers, flycatchers and a multitude of other birds.
Pacuare River Rafting
Costa Rica adventure travel at its best—a whitewater raft trip down the Rio Pacuare is an epic tropical adventure! Thrilling rapids shape the river’s course through densely vegetated gorges that shelter jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, sloths and an astounding variety of birds. The Class III-IV rapids through virgin rainforest offer some of the best whitewater in all of Central America.
Physical Rating: Easy to Difficult
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