{"id":6297,"date":"2018-03-08T16:45:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T22:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitcentroamerica.com\/packages\/costa-rica-nicaragua-forests-volcanoes-and-colonial-cities\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:23:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T19:23:51","slug":"costa-rica-nicaragua-forests-volcanoes-and-colonial-cities","status":"publish","type":"package","link":"https:\/\/www.visitcentroamerica.com\/en\/tours\/costa-rica-nicaragua-forests-volcanoes-and-colonial-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica – Nicaragua: Forests, Volcanoes and Colonial Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hike through the forest, fly through the trees, visit impressive colonial cities, and admire active\u00a0volcanoes<\/strong>\u2026feel a thousand sensations in this unforgettable adventure.<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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BOOK NOW! <\/i><\/i><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 1<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Meet and greet at\u00a0Alajuela airport<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 2<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Hike across\u00a0Po\u00e1s Volcano coffee plantations<\/strong>. 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\u00a0natural thermal waters, right in the middle of the jungle<\/strong>. Dinner at La Fortuna, at the foot of the Arenal Volcano.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 3<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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During breakfast,\u00a0watch colorful birds of various species in the tropical rainforest<\/strong>. Then, continue on to explore the surrounding forest, along a path with insects, snakes, spiders, and frogs. Finally, we will visit a\u00a0butterfly farm<\/strong>. In the afternoon, we will visit the famous\u00a0Arenal Volcano<\/a>\u00a0National Park where we will get to see a lava flow from 1992.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 4<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Walk in the\u00a0rainforest<\/strong>\u00a0along 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\u00a0crocodiles, iguanas<\/strong>, American storks,\u00a0kingfishers<\/strong>, Amazonian pink spoonbills,\u00a0white ibis<\/strong>, and other amazing inhabitants of the tropical river. Late arrival on the slopes of another volcano, Rinc\u00f3n de la Vieja!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 5<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Spend the day at the\u00a0Volcano\u2019s National Park<\/a>\u00a0on foot, or horseback. We start with a walk through a \u2018strangler figs\u2019 forest to\u00a0discover geysers, volcanic mud pots, and hot springs<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 6<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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We will take the road towards the\u00a0Pacific Ocean<\/strong>, where we will embark on a boat trip with a local\u00a0snorkeling<\/strong>\u00a0instructor 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 7<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Morning departure to\u00a0Nicaragua<\/strong>. Stop for a moment in the old\u00a0town of Rivas<\/strong>\u00a0to visit the cathedral. Continue to\u00a0El Astillero<\/strong>\u00a0fishing village for lunch. Visit a craft workshop where artisanal handbags \u200b\u200bwith recycled plastic are made by a women\u2019s cooperative. Then, we will go watch the fishermen\u2019s boats leaving or coming back from the sea, and will take a swim under the Pacific sunset. Accommodations in rural hostels.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 8<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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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\u00a0turtles<\/strong>\u00a0to be able to reproduce (in season).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 9<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Regular program: Return from Chacocente: Horse-back riding, and walk through the forest.<\/p>\n

Exceptional program: Back from Ostional: Take local bus to\u00a0San Juan Del Sur<\/a>. Transfer by minibus to the port of San Jorge. Boat trip to\u00a0Ometepe<\/a>. Visit the\u00a0Concepci\u00f3n volcano<\/strong>\u00a0in 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 10<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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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\u00a0pre-Columbian petroglyphs<\/strong>\u00a0composed of hundreds of rocks with enigmatic engravings. Visit a horticultural farm to learn about some tropical fruits. Return to the hotel.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 11<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Morning transfer to the\u00a0Concepci\u00f3n volcano<\/strong>\u00a0for a\u00a0canopy<\/strong>\u00a0tour. Transfer to the city of Granada, in the heart of 500 years of history. In the afternoon, we head towards the (active)\u00a0Masaya Volcano National Park<\/a>\u00a0for the night tour. Observation of its gigantic crater with its impressive lava lake.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 12<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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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\u2019s stalls \u2013 a carpenter, a shoemaker and a manufacturer of cigars. From the top of a church tower, we will discover the\u00a0roofs of huge colonial<\/strong>\u00a0mansions with their patios. By midafternoon, a\u00a0kayak ride on the lake amongst the famous \u00abIsletas\u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0(an archipelago of 300+ islands, forming a kind of labyrinth of jungle and water, a paradise for both aquatic and terrestrial birds).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 13<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Transfer to\u00a0Catarina<\/strong>\u00a0(25 minutes). Walk along a ridge around the\u00a0crater of the Apoyo Lagoon<\/strong>\u00a0before 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\u00a0Masaya<\/strong>\u00a0craft market for souvenir shopping. Evening folk dancing show and free dinner on site. Late return to\u00a0Granada<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 14<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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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 Jos\u00e9.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Day 15<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Departure from the airport and end of services.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/i><\/i><\/span>Activities included<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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