Group Tours Costa Rica, Central America 10 Day Tour

DAY 1

Arrive in beautiful San José and transfer to your hotel. San José sits in the heart of the country in the lush, wide Central Valley, and has a comfortable subtropical climate. With over half the country’s population living within its limits, it’s a bustling city with lively markets, intriguing museums and a dynamic atmosphere.

DAY 2

Say goodbye to San José early this morning and head out into the Costa Rican wilderness. Travel out of the city, stopping for breakfast en route, before boarding a launch to navigate the waterways into the Tortuguero National Park (approximately 2 hours). There are no roads to your accommodation and this isolation makes the park a nature lover’s dream.

Your accommodation is a riverbank lodge that stands among Caribbean rainforest. Here you can rest up, delight in some home comforts and relax poolside. After an orientation walk in the village, you will learn some Spanish with your tour leader, so you can practice some useful phrases during the rest of the trip.

DAY 3

You will head out into the Costa Rican wilderness this morning. Stop for breakfast en route, before boarding a boat for a two hour cruise of the waterways into the Tortuguero National Park. Later, you’ll go on excursions by boat and on foot, soaking up Mother Nature’s most flamboyant flora and fauna. After this magical experience, travel for about 2.5 hours to Sarapiquí where you will have dinner.

DAY 4

An exciting day awaits you! This morning features the exhilarating fun of battling the gushing rapids of the Pacuare River on a white-water rafting trip. After eating a delicious lunch by the water, you’ll cross west through the north of the country to Arenal, a few hours away, where you’ll lay eyes on a storybook volcano that soars out of the verdant plains.

DAY 5

This morning you’ll head out for a guided tour of the Arenal National Park, where the trails pass through stunning dwarf cloud forests, and the rich bird life includes several species of hummingbird along with Costa Rica’s national bird, the melodious claycolored robin. After lunch, spend the afternoon at the healthy and relaxing hot springs! You will have a delicious Costa Rican dinner here before returning to the hotel to rest.

DAY 6

Today, you will travel along the Arenal Lake for several hours — a famous hangout for avid windsurfers — via Tilaran to Monteverde de Santa Elena. Then climb to Monteverde, observing the vegetation shifting from tropical to cloud forests. In the afternoon, visit a colorful butterfly farm.

DAY 7

This morning you will explore the cloud forests and their unique and eye-catching flora and fauna. After lunch, you will travel to Manuel Antonio National Park. Your journey takes you along a coastline of fine sand beaches, separated by the occasional area of mangrove and endless plantations of African palm. Enjoy a free evening to relax before exploring the park on foot tomorrow.

DAY 8

Today after breakfast you’ll take a threehour guided walk along the trails within the park. Relax during the afternoon on one of the idyllic palm-lined bays, bathe in the hotel pool or head to the turquoise sea, for swimming, kayaking, sailing or fishing.

DAY 9

Return along the coastal road to San José, stopping at Carara Biological Reserve. Here you’ll walk for two or three hours through the rainforest in the hopes of seeing the beautiful, rare scarlet macaw, as well as the tiny black and green poison dart frog. You’ll arrive back in San José for your final night. Before you finish your trip, you will visit the city’s colorful and lively markets for some last-minute souvenir shopping, then celebrate the end of this adventure with one last Costa Rican meal.

DAY 10

Your amazing experience in Costa Rica will continue to live in your mind long after your flight home today!

Hotel accommodation unless otherwise noted.

Please contact Nacel Canada HSP for further details.

Please contact Nacel Canada HSP for further details.

Price includes

All tours do include airport transfers, transport throughout the tour, accommodation, breakfasts and dinners (and sometimes lunches), entrance to sites and activities listed, and medical insurance.

Price does not include

Flights

Personal Spending Money

Although these tours are designed for student groups, they can also be adapted for families or adult groups.  Please contact Nacel Canada HSP for further details.