Included Meals Indicated in Parentheses

Day 1    Arrive to San Jose
Fly into San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.  You will be met for transfer to your hotel.  (Depending on when you arrive, you might have time for a visit to one of the city's museums, including the Jade Museum and the Gold Museum.) 
Hotel Grano de Oro 

Day 2    Osa Peninsula
Catch an early morning flight from San Jose down to one of the remotest and wildest areas in the country:  the Osa Peninsula.  After landing, you will have a short drive to the Sierpe River where you board a riverboat and travel south to the Drake Bay area and transfer to your hotel.  Located on the Southwest Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, next to Corcovado National Park, the Osa Peninsula is one of the most biologically diverse places in the world.
La Paloma (B,L,D)
 

Day 3 - 4   Osa Peninsula
You'll have these next two days to participate in a variety of activities available in the area, including hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and kayaking just to name a few. 

La Paloma (B,L,D)
 

Day 5    Sarchi, Zarcero and the Arenal Volcano
In the morning you will be picked up and transferred back to the airport for your flight to San Jose.  Upon arrival to San Jose you will be met at the airport and then depart to the Arenal Volcano region.  Along the way, stop to see the handmade crafts of Sarchi and the topiary gardens of Zarcero before arriving to your lodge.  This is the same lodge used by the Smithsonian Institute in conducting its observations of the volcano. 
Arenal Observatory Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 6    Arenal Volcano
You'll join your guide from the lodge to take a morning hike around the base of the volcano, where you observe the lava flow and enjoy spectacular views up to the smoldering crater (weather permitting).  You will also enjoy the local rainforest environment that surrounds the mountain, filled with a wide variety of wildlife.  In the afternoon you will visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges, a canopy walkway of suspended bridges that lets you enjoy the rainforest canopy at eye level.   
Arenal Observatory Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 7    Monteverde Cloud Forest
Today say farewell to the Arenal Volcano.  You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Lake Arenal.  After a short 30 minute boat ride across the lake you will be met for a 2 hr. transfer over the mountains to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a beautiful area with a charming town and incredibly lush forests (about 4 hours drive).  You'll be staying in a lovely small hotel with great views of the surrounding area.     
Hotel Fonda Vela (B,L,D)

Day 8    Monteverde Cloud Forest
Monteverde is a uniquely beautiful, mountainous cloud forest environment, and if you appreciate nature you can't help but be captivated by the place.  In the morning you'll start out on the Selvatura’s Canopy zip line, one of the longest zip lines of its kind, taking you through the virgin cloud forest canopy.  For those who wish to have a bit more stable footing they can opt for the "skywalk canopy tour," where you walk along a series of suspended bridges from which you can observe the jungle canopy.  In the afternoon you have a guided walk through the forest allowing you to appreciate the dense jungle from below the canopy.
Hotel Fonda Vela (B,L,D)

Day 9    Return to San Jose   

After breakfast it is time to say good bye to the Monteverde Rainforest and transfer back to San Jose.  You will arrive to San Jose in the late afternoon and be dropped off at your hotel where you can relax and talk about all you have seen in the last 8 days.

Grano de Oro (B)

Day 10  Return Home

Today is your final day in Costa Rica.  You will be picked up at your hotel approximately 3 hours prior to your international flight’s departure and transferred to the airport. 

(B)

Please call or email us with any questions!

Phone:  (800) 342-1796
Email:  info@vayaadventures.com