Package Vacations Monteverde and Arenal Volcano Costa Rica
Travel and Adventure in Costa Rica
Monteverde and Arenal 5 Day Hiking and Cultural Tour
Overview:
This carefully designed package tour lets you enjoy the best of the hiking and culture tours in the areas of Monteverde and Arenal Volcano. Besides lots of hiking you will visit wildlife areas and enjoy tours with cultural themes of Costa Rica. You can also opt to volunteer at an animal rescue center! Package tour Includes transport, hotels and guided tours.
Itinerary:
Day 1.
7.00am Pick-up from your hotel in San Jose or the airport by private transport. Enjoy the scenery as you make your ascent to the beautiful green mountains of Monteverde (3 - 4 hours). There will be a stop along the way for a bathroom stop and a snack. The views of the distant Monteverde Cloud Forest are amazing as well as the Gulf of Nicoya. Now with the road improvements to Monteverde the journey is less of a challenge and more of a wonderful photo opportunity!
12.50pm Guided Walk on the Selvatura Walkways (Hanging Bridges)
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A naturalist guide will lead you along the 'Walkways' (a series of suspended bridges) high in the canopy of the rain forest. The guide will describe the flora and fauna along the route and answer any of your questions.
The tour is not just bridges but a series of trails that wind between the bridges. In total, these trails cover 3.3km. There are eight different bridges which have lengths and heights that vary between 50 to 170m long and 12 and 60m high.. Every bridge is 1.5m wide and has a capacity for 60 people. The hanging bridges are designed for people of every age and reasonable physical condition. The duration of the tour is usually about 2 hours. |
Day 2.
7.00am. Guided Hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. You'll be picked up at your hotel and taken to the Monteverde Cloud Forest park entrance where your bilingual guide will be waiting. The guides at the Monteverde Reserve are some of the best in Costa Rica and they have a wealth of knowledge about the Monteverde Cloud Forest, it's fauna and flora, the history and the growth of Monteverde. You will go on a 3- hour hike around this wonderful forest.
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2.30 pm.El Trapiche Tour Monteverde’s El Trapiche tour (which is the Spanish word for ‘sugar mill’) first started in 1948, closed for a while and then re-opened in 1989: From 2005 it was open for tourism. The Monteverde Trapiche tour is run by a local family who tries to teach a little more about Costa Rica culture and even though the name of the tour means sugar mill process the tour also demonstrates how coffee is produced and you will learn about other crops grown on the farm. Perhaps the tour would be better named as general agriculture tour with emphasis on sugar production!
To make it more interesting the family have made the tour partly ‘hands-on’. The bilingual guide will walk with you through their small forest, help you feed the tilapia fish, pick coffee if possible and take you an ox cart ride back to the main building – a unique Costa Rican experience! Here you can enjoy a refreshment of sugar cane juice or lemonade, eat picadillo de arracache (a typical Costa Rican food) and make candy out of sugar cane (everyone makes their own candy!).
The Monteverde Trapiche tour takes place on a farm located two kilometers outside of Santa Elena, Monteverde. The two hour tour involve walk along an easy trail and at the end of the tour there is a gift shop.
Day 3.
am. Today you will go to La Fortuna, the nearest village to one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Arenal Volcano. You will travel by what is locally known as "taxi-boat-taxi". This is a method of getting from Monteverde to La Fortuna and takes about 3 hours and involves the following:
- 1.5-hour microbus ride from Monteverde to Arenal Lake
- 30-minute boat ride on beautiful Arenal Lake on the foot of the volcano.
- 25 minutes microbus transport from Arenal Dam where transport to your hotel in La Fortuna
3.30pm. Volcano Hike and Baldi Hot Springs. Arenal Volcano Hike: Lava Viewing
A visit to Costa Rica is not complete without seeing Arenal's exciting live volcano! Hike through lush rainforest with an experienced naturalist, bilingual guide who will point out flora and fauna in the primary and secondary rainforest that lines the base of the Arenal Volcano. You'll then arrive at the observation point - the closest you can get to the base of Arenal Volcano and wait for the sun to set. As it starts to get dark, on clear nights you can see the amazing lava flow of Central America's most-active volcano and if you're lucky, you may be able to hear explosions or big lava rocks tumbling down the side of the volcano on your Arenal Volcano night hike.
Duration: 1.5-2 hours of an easy hike (although there are some muddy sections and a little uphill).
After the night hike we will take you to Baldi Hot Springs where you can soak any aches away from the past few day's activities. Located near La Fortuna, these Arenal hot springs is a place where you can really relax and pamper yourself. Baldi's has a series of pools and hot springs fed by Arenal Volcano which are set amid glorious tropical gardens so that you can relax in the water, while enjoying the surroundings. The pools vary in temperature, from the temperature of a swimming pool to the warmest at around 39C (102F). It's a place where, on a clear night, you can sit in a warm pool, sipping the cocktail of your choice, while watching the fireworks as Arenal Volcano erupts.
You might also decide to pamper your body by opting for one of the many body treatments which are available such as massage, reflexology, body polish, volcanic mud wraps and facials (these are not included on the tour).
Includes: bilingual guide, transportation, entrance to private reserve and volcano viewpoint with beverages. Entrance to Baldi Hot Springs.
Day 4.
Safari Float. This is the ideal rainforest river float for those looking for a peaceful encounter with the plentiful wildlife that abounds along the Peñas Blancas river only 25 minutes from the Arenal Volcano.
Our professional bilingual naturalist guide will assist you as you paddle along a smooth, class-1 river and explain about the various plants and animals of the area.
With a bit of luck you might spot monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crocodiles and caimans, plus a large variety of species of tropical birds such as the Sunbittern, keel-billed toucan, herons, kingfishers and our favorite the Montezuma Oropendula.
To finish up the float, you'll dock at a local Costa Rican family farm and be treated to a nice, steaming hot cup of famous Costa Rican coffee and experience the charm of Costa Rican hospitality.
Day 5.
7.30am Visit or Volunteer at Projecto Asis (Animal Wildlife Shelter)
Proyecto Asis is located about 50 minutes from La Fortuna and is a center for nature conservation. Wild animals are brought here that have been rescued from the black market or found wounded. Those that cannot be re-released are used with the educational programs run by the Asis Project. Volunteer programs, visitors and Spanish classes finance the conservation/education programs.
Proyecto Asis works in close coordination with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy(MINAE) and also the Monteverde Conservation League (which is a non-profit organization that administers the Children´s Eternal Rainforest, a private reserve of 54,000 acres).
At the Rescue Center you may find yourselves helping with general maintenance of trails and facilities, cleaning of living area and preparation of animal foods and diets. Or you can simply relax at the facility and enjoy the animals and gardens (we will give a donation to the facility on your behalf as part of the package tour).
pm Approx. Onward Transport After the tour you have the option of private transport to San Jose or a shuttle bus to one of the main beache
Details: NOTE FOR AN EXTRA COST WE CAN UPGRADE THE HOTELS
Monteverde Hotels: 2 nights.
In Monteverde we use Hotel Montana Monteverde whenever possible. Monteverde Montana is historically the first hotel in the Monteverde area and has since been remodeled to modern standards. The hotel has wonderful views of the Golf of Nicoya and its own trails. It is ideally located in an area called Cerro Plano, situated between the small town of Santa Elena and the Monteverde Reserve, . It is not far from the Ecological Sanctuary and a short walk to various restaurants in the area.
The hotel offers very comfortable rooms with private bathroom. Breakfast is included in the package. There is also a restaurant with a wide menu and a jacuzzi which clients are able to use.
Arenal Volcano Hotels: 2 nights
Located on the edge of the town La Fortuna, Hotel San Bosco is a good-sized hotel with about 34 rooms. Rooms are very comfortable with A/C, private bathrooms with plenty of hot water and cable television There is a swimming pool, 2 jacuzzis and some gym equipment. While lava flow is very rarely seen from La Fortuna, the volcano is plainly visible from the hotel San Bosco on a clear day.
Beach Extensions! Ask for details about adding some days at the beach - we can arrange all transport, hotels and tours. Manuel Antonio beach and Samara beach are popular choices. We have many contacts with Manuel Antonio hotels.
We can also arrange hotels and transport in San Jose and other parts of Costa Rica. Please let us know if you need our help. info@monteverdetours.com
Details:
Minimum 2 people (Double occupancy): $548 per person
Dates of trip: We can schedule dates by request.
Included on Trip: All accommodation,all transport, all tours in the itinerary, all breakfasts and guides
Not Included: Flights to Costa Rica, hotels in San Jose*, evening meals and lunches, optional tours or transportation to other places not included in the schedule
What to Bring: T-shirts, shorts, long pants for riding, sweater or light jacket, sandals, light hiking boots, rain jacket, sun screen, insect repellant, any personal medication, swimming wear, towel, traveler's insurance (to include white-water rafting and horse riding), full passport (a driving license is not sufficient), traveler's checks and a credit card (VISA or MC, other cards are difficult to use in Monteverde).
NOTE: Adventure tours such as whitewater rafting, horse riding, kayaking, canyoneering and hiking require physical effort. Clients should be in good condition. For client safety and enjoyment, Desafio Adventure Company reserves the right to offer a substitution, postpone, change or cancel any tour due to unfavorable conditions. Full refund is given if (on rare occasion) a tour is cancelled. Desafio Adventure Company and its affiliates are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items
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