Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary

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1 Itinerary Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Cloud forest hiking Around San Jose Volcano, Toucan Rescue Ranch La Amistad National Park High country forest hiking Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park Beach time and jungle hiking Arrival in San Jose, Costa Rica [Recommend flying to San Jose International Juan Santamaria (SJO) airport] Friday January 4, 2019 Welcome dinner Accommodation: hotel. Saturday January 5 Breakfast and lunch Dinner on your own. Group welcome meeting 5:00 p.m. This evening we ll congregate in the hotel lounge area for a welcome drink while we review the exciting itinerary we have planned. Then we ll have dinner together before settling in for the night. Tomorrow will be an exciting day! Around San Jose Travel to a nearby volcano and visit Toucan Rescue Ranch Early this morning we ll head off in our van to visit one of the famous volcanos near the capital city of San Jose. Afterwards, we ll head over to the Toucan Rescue Ranch where we ll enjoy a nice lunch and visit the Ranch. Toucan Rescue Ranch focuses on the care, rehabilitation and study of Costa Rican toucans and other wildlife. They receive and care for confiscated, sick and injured wildlife from government agencies. The Ranch gives them a loving home with the goal of providing appropriate medical treatment, rehabilitation and then, when possible, returning animals to their natural environments. Participants are encouraged to bring medical supplies and/or food supplements from home to donate to the Ranch in support of their efforts. A list of needed supplies will be provided. Prepare to see some crazy wildlife like this baby sloth! 2019 Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 1

2 Sunday, January 6 Travel to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Afternoon hike (3 hours) After breakfast together in our hotel, we ll head out by private van to the town of Santa Elena which sits between two cloud forest reserves Santa Elena Biological Reserve and Monteverde Biological Reserve. After dropping off our luggage and having lunch, we ll take an afternoon hike on one of the nearby trails and make our way to an enormous ficus tree that we can climb from inside. Accommodation: small family owned hotel. A walk in the clouds Warm, humid trade winds from the Caribbean sweep up forested slopes to the Reserve, where they cool and condense into clouds that congregate over the continental divide. Lichen draped trees, exotic birds, orchids and bromeliads are found in abundance here. Monday, January 7 Breakfast Lunch and dinner on your own. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Canopy walk and afternoon hike (3 hours each) This morning we ll catch a bus to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve where we ll enjoy a morning walk through the forest canopy via a series of suspension bridges. Our naturalist will point out hard to spot wildlife as we journey through the forest. Perhaps we will see leaf cutter ants working hard. After lunch, we re free to continue exploring the forest reserve or head back to Santa Elena for the afternoon. Those who are interested can pay a visit to Casem, a cooperative of 95 local artisans. Wildlife in the canopy 2019 Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 2

3 Tuesday, January 8 Accommodation: forest reserve lodge with garden cabins and mountain house rooms. Travel to La Amistad National Park Pacific Ocean drive to Talamanca Reserve We ll get an early start for today s drive from Santa Elena to Talamanca Reserve at the edge of La Amistad National Park, where we ll spend the next three days. Our drive takes us along the Pacific coast, where we ll stop at the Tarcoles River to view (from a safe distance) the large crocodiles that inhabit the river mouth. After lunch in a nearby coastal village, we ll head up into the forest and arrive in time for an afternoon walk at the Reserve. Crocodiles sunbathing at Tarcoles River Pacific Ocean views Wednesday, January 9 La Amistad National Park Forest hiking (6 hours) from Talamanca Reserve After a hearty breakfast, we ll head out with a naturalist from the Reserve and our packed lunch for an all day hike on forested trails in and near the National Park. We re bound to see lots of amazing plants, birds and other wildlife on our adventure. dinner Some kind of crazy mushrooms! 2019 Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 3

4 Thursday, January 10 dinner La Amistad National Park Forest hiking (6 hours) from Talamanca Reserve Today we re off again for another naturalist led all day hike into the forest this time to discover an amazing waterfall and the ecosystem that surrounds it. Be prepared to get misted on! Friday, January 11 Accommodation: oceanfront resort hotel with ocean facing rooms. Saturday, January 12 NOTE: optional tours must be booked well in advance. Please work with your leaders to arrange tours as others may be going, too. Travel to Drake Bay Sunrise hike, drive and boat trip to Drake Bay This morning, participants are invited to take a sunrise hike into the forest. Early morning is one of our best opportunities to see cats in the wild perhaps even a puma! After our final breakfast at Talamanca, we say goodbye to our hosts and head out by private van to the town of Palmar Norte, where we can enjoy lunch and visit a shop or two to pick up snacks or supplies for the next few days. Then it s on to the boat dock where we ll meet the boat that will take us down river and along the ocean coast to our accommodation, a 4 star ocean front resort where we ll stay for the next three nights. After getting settled into our rooms, we re free to enjoy the time before dinner with a short jungle hike, a beach walk, a swim, or just lounge around the pool. Drake Bay Free Day Time to sleep in! Or not, depending on your interests. Drake Bay offers many options today, from beach/forest horseback riding, inshore and deep sea fishing to underwater adventures (snorkeling or diving) at nearby Caño Island Biological Reserve. Take your pick, or choose a lounge day by the pool. Caño Island Biological Reserve Isla del Caño (or Caño Island) is an amazing marine biological reserve in Costa Rica. The real beauty of Caño Island is not found on its land, but underwater. This island s virgin waters are some of the bluest in the country, and are home to a spectacular variety of stunning marine flora and fauna as well as some gorgeous coral reefs. With fantastic underwater visibility, we may see sea turtles, dolphins, stingrays, manta rays, moray eels, barracudas, tuna, snapper and grouper swimming alongside a variety sharks and humpback or pilot whales Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 4

5 Why sleep in? Sunday, January 13 NOTE: No luggage for the next three nights! We ll pack what we need in our daypacks. Drake Bay Morning birdwatching hike and night jungle hike (3 hours each) Drake Bay sits on the edge of Corcovado National Park one of the most biodiverse regions anywhere in the world. We ll expect to see an abundance of wildlife over the next few days some not seen anywhere else on Earth. This morning we ll enjoy a sumptuous breakfast before heading out with our local naturalist for a birdwatching hike. Our naturalist will provide powerful spotting scopes and a keen eye to point out birds along our way. After the hike, participants are free to enjoy a leisurely lunch, afternoon and dinner together before we head back into the jungle with Tracie, the famous Bug Lady. She will introduce us to a whole different world the world of the jungle at night, with its unique and delightful insects, reptiles, and other nocturnal animals and plants. Creatures of the night! (Photos courtesy Tracie) 2019 Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 5

6 Monday, January 14 dinner NOTE: participants must be comfortable disembarking from the boat into the water and walking in to the shore in knee deep water. Travel to Corcovado National Park Sirena Ranger Station afternoon hike (3 hours) This morning we pack up and head out by boat to Corcovado National Park. After about an hour s boat ride, we arrive at the beach near to the Sirena Ranger Station in the heart of the Corcovado National Park. It is a wet landing so bring your water sandals in addition to sturdier footwear for the trails through the National Park. Most likely we will see scarlet macaws and toucans around the ranger station. After lunch, we will head over to the Rio Serena and look for the Baird's tapir that usually naps there, keeping our eyes open for crocodiles and bull sharks only found in the mouth of that river at high tide. Accommodation: rustic Ranger Station with dormitory style rooms (bunk beds), cold water and little electricity. No outside food may be brought in. Remember: no luggage here! Tuesday, January 15 dinner Corcovado National Park jungle hike (6 hours) Dorm beds with netting Be prepared to experience lots of wildlife today as we spend the day hiking through the jungle with our local naturalist. There is a good chance of spotting some of Costa Rica s shyest and most endangered inhabitants here; white lipped peccaries, red brocket deer, margay cats, giant anteaters, coatis and a host of rare rain forest birds and mammals. Corcovado is the only national park in Costa Rica with all four of the countries primate species (spider monkey, mantled howlers, white faced capuchin and squirrel monkey), so we will keep our eyes out for all four species. Bring light, breathable, quick drying clothes it s extremely humid and it could rain. We may be crossing some streams, so be prepared to take your boots off and get your feet wet Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 6

7 Wednesday, January 16 dinner Corcovado National Park beach hike (6 hours) Today we ll hike along a trail that follows the coastline and look for wildlife along the edge of the beach. Once again, our naturalist will point out animals and plants that are interesting in this water s edge environment. The many hermit crabs are particularly enchanting. We ll bring our trash bags along and pick up any litter that we find along our way. Optional afternoon swim in a nearby shallow creek. Optional beach litter pickup service project today! Be prepared for hot sun conditions bringing plenty of water, sunscreen and cool, fast drying clothes. Hermit crabs! Thursday, January 17 Breakfast Lunch and dinner on your own. Corcovado National Park morning hike (3 hours) and travel back to Drake Bay One last morning hike around the ranger station before heading back to the boat and Drake Bay. Time of departure depends on the tides and our hosts will keep us well informed. Once back at Drake Bay, enjoy some free time and dinner on your own in the small town. Fish, beans, rice, salad and plantains. Yum! Fresh coconut milk 2019 Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 7

8 Friday, January 18 Breakfast and farewell dinner Fly from Drake Bay to San Jose Around San Jose After our last breakfast in Drake Bay and saying goodbye to our hosts, we ll catch flights from Drake Bay back to the San Jose airport. Due to the small size of the plane, we will split into two groups. Those who catch the early flight will have time for a quick optional trip to San Jose's Galeria Namu, a fair trade gallery that contains many beautiful items handcrafted by talented artists from indigenous tribes throughout Central America. Those who catch the later flight will have the morning for a last look around Drake Bay. Accommodation: hotel. Fair trade items from Galeria Namu Saturday, January 19 Home or onward travels After our final breakfast together in San Jose, we ll head home to the U.S. or onward to other adventures. For those who want to continue exploring the beauty of Costa Rica, suggestions will be provided by your trip leaders. Breakfast It s been a fabulous adventure! 2019 Costa Rica Hiking and Wildlife Itinerary Page 8