Costa Rica – Nicaragua: Forests, Volcanoes and Colonial Cities

NATURAL AND CULTURAL SENSATIONS

Countries
Costa Rica, Nicaragua

Zones
Central, South

Themes
Adventure, Culture, Nature, Sun and Beach, World Heritage

Hike through the forest, fly through the trees, visit impressive colonial cities, and admire active volcanoes…feel a thousand sensations in this unforgettable adventure.

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Day 1

Meet and greet at Alajuela airport, and transfer to our nearby hotel (10 min). Light dinner in a restaurant in town and briefing about the trip. Hotel accommodations. Meals not included, unaccompanied flight.

Day 2

Hike across Poás Volcano coffee plantations. Visit to national park, then reach an altitude of 2,700 meters above sea level, enjoy the cloud forest, and dwarf rainforest on the mountainside. Lunch on the slope of the volcano, in front of the vast Central Valley. Stop at a site of natural thermal waters, right in the middle of the jungle. Dinner at La Fortuna, at the foot of the Arenal Volcano.

Day 3

During breakfast, watch colorful birds of various species in the tropical rainforest. Then, continue on to explore the surrounding forest, along a path with insects, snakes, spiders, and frogs. Finally, we will visit a butterfly farm. In the afternoon, we will visit the famous Arenal Volcano National Park where we will get to see a lava flow from 1992.

Day 4

Walk in the rainforest along a trail, crossing numerous hanging bridges. Then tour around Lake Arenal to reach the sunny side of the Guanacaste mountain range. After lunch, ride a boat to see crocodiles, iguanas, American storks, kingfishers, Amazonian pink spoonbills, white ibis, and other amazing inhabitants of the tropical river. Late arrival on the slopes of another volcano, Rincón de la Vieja!

Day 5

Spend the day at the Volcano’s National Park on foot, or horseback. We start with a walk through a ‘strangler figs’ forest to discover geysers, volcanic mud pots, and hot springs. Then, in the middle of the park, we will get to a sunny river of thermal waters. Picnic. Return and accommodations in a converted eco farm.

Day 6

We will take the road towards the Pacific Ocean, where we will embark on a boat trip with a local snorkeling instructor who will provide us with the necessary equipment. Picnic at a bay with the possibility of swimming, without supervision. Return to the port to go to the mangroves of a small estuary, full of life.

Day 7

Morning departure to Nicaragua. Stop for a moment in the old town of Rivas to visit the cathedral. Continue to El Astillero fishing village for lunch. Visit a craft workshop where artisanal handbags with recycled plastic are made by a women’s cooperative. Then, we will go watch the fishermen’s boats leaving or coming back from the sea, and will take a swim under the Pacific sunset. Accommodations in rural hostels.

Day 8

Morning walk along the coast, as far as we can see, Meeting with the park rangers of the Chacocente Wildlife Refuge, visit to the protected beach to discover the incredible journey that takes the sea turtles to be able to reproduce (in season).

Day 9

Regular program: Return from Chacocente: Horse-back riding, and walk through the forest.

Exceptional program: Back from Ostional: Take local bus to San Juan Del Sur. Transfer by minibus to the port of San Jorge. Boat trip to Ometepe. Visit the Concepción volcano in a vehicle. After lunch, walk in the forest, across ancient lava flows, in an attempt to observe monkeys. Then we can swim in the middle of the jungle. Walk back to the hotel after a swim at dusk.

Day 10

Morning walk (on horseback for children under 12 years old, with their parents pulling the leashes) to visit a communal farm owned by around 30 families, where we will taste organic coffee, before participating in the collection of the grains (in season). Visit to a site of pre-Columbian petroglyphs composed of hundreds of rocks with enigmatic engravings. Visit a horticultural farm to learn about some tropical fruits. Return to the hotel.

Day 11

Morning transfer to the Concepción volcano for a canopy tour. Transfer to the city of Granada, in the heart of 500 years of history. In the afternoon, we head towards the (active) Masaya Volcano National Park for the night tour. Observation of its gigantic crater with its impressive lava lake.

Day 12

The early morning will be devoted to a walk in the city, starting with a visit to the fruit and spices market, and to some craftsmen’s stalls – a carpenter, a shoemaker and a manufacturer of cigars. From the top of a church tower, we will discover the roofs of huge colonial mansions with their patios. By midafternoon, a kayak ride on the lake amongst the famous «Isletas» (an archipelago of 300+ islands, forming a kind of labyrinth of jungle and water, a paradise for both aquatic and terrestrial birds).

Day 13

Transfer to Catarina (25 minutes). Walk along a ridge around the crater of the Apoyo Lagoon before setting off to visit this village of horticulturalists with its pottery workshops. Lunch high up in a beautiful spot, overlooking the lagoon. Go down to the lagoon in the forr a swim in the clear waters of the crater (this huge natural swimming pool has a constant and ideal temperature). Visit the Masaya craft market for souvenir shopping. Evening folk dancing show and free dinner on site. Late return to Granada.

Day 14

Breakfast and transfer from Granada to Managua. Departure from Managua by plane, or transfer from Granada to Costa Rica by bus (9 hours of travel with all amenities: TV and reclining seat) for you next-day return flight out of San José.