Costa Rica January 12-18, 2019 With Optional Panama Canal add-on January 18-20, 2019
Our Purpose Pura Vida The pure life, a life style, an expression that conveys the state of happiness. Eco-tourism - Responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment and sustaining the wellbeing of the local people while learning about the region. Blue Zones Areas researched and designated by National Geographic where people live longer, happier and healthier than anywhere else in the world. Give-back English books for Costa Rican children and gifts of needed items to Blue Zone centenarians. Saturday, January 12 - Arrive Liberia, Costa Rica Arrive at Costa Rica s Liberia airport. You will be transported on a 35-minute ride to the Four Seasons Resort. Our welcome reception and dinner at the hotel will open our Costa Rican adventure. If you want some beach or golf time, plan to arrive a day or two early. Sunday, January 13 - Guanacaste After breakfast at the hotel we ll depart Tamarindo Beach where we ll board Catamarans to visit the uninhabitated Catalina Island with our nonprofit partner, Mision Tiburón. We ll have lunch in a local restaurant in the beach town of Tamarindo and then return to our hotel. We ll have dinner at Father Rooster, a local beach restaurant. Mision Tiburon is composed by young professionals committed to marine life and shark conservation. The leaders of this organization, Ilena Zanella and Andres Lopez, are marine biologists who have worked for several years in educational projects and marine research, especially with sharks, rays and turtles. They promote the conservation and responsible use of marine resources, through the development of integrated marine education projects and scientific research, respecting the environmental and human welfare.
Monday, January 14 - Guanacaste Breakfast at the hotel and then we ll depart for Hicenda El Vieho to meet with members of the largest Blue Zone community in the world. We ll have a traditional Costa Rican lunch and arrive back at the hotel in late afternoon. Dinner will be at our hotel. Nicoya Blue Zone Largest in the world Tuesday, January 15 - Arenal We ll depart for La Fortuna, stopping at La Pacifica for breakfast. After checking into The Springs you ll have some free time to enjoy the incredible hot springs. Because more than half of the animals in the rain forest are nocturnal, we ll have our first rain forest experience in the dark. Dinner will be at Rancho de Perla restaurant. Arenal Volcano is one of the most recognized attractions in the country. Covering 290 square miles, the conservation area includes eight of the 12 life zones in Costa Rica. Arenal National Park has several excellent trails that visit a variety of ecosystems, including primary and secondary rainforest, savanna and old lava flows. Arenal Volcano has been one of the world s most active volcanoes. People there are more than twice as likely as elsewhere to reach a healthy age of at least 90 and frequently live to be over 100. We ll meet with these centenarians and the researcher who identified the area at Hacienda El Viejo. The hacienda is an old colonial-era home on a sugarcane plantation, dedicated to conservation of flora, fauna and wildlife.
Wednesday, January 16 Monte Verde Cloud Forest After breakfast we ll head to Lake Arenal to embark by boat to Monteverde via Rio Chiquito and the Monte Verde biological reserve. Following our cloud forest tour we ll go to Choco Café Don Juan for lunch followed by a coffee and chocolate plantation tour. We ll return to The Springs for dinner. Monteverde (Green Mountain) is one of the world s first and finest eco-tourism destinations. It is the gem of Costa Rica s Cloud Forests. More than 425 species of birds, thousands of species of insects and innumerable plants, animals and the famous but shy Quetzel bird, can be found in the mist-shrouded Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. It is one of the most developed and well-maintained natural attractions in Costa Rica. Thursday, January 17- San José We ll have breakfast at the hotel and then depart for San Jose. After checking into our hotel, we ll take private tours of the National Theater and the Gold Museum. Then we ll share our closing dinner. The city is distinguished by its Spanish colonial buildings, such as the ornate, neoclassical National Theatre of Costa Rica overlooking downtown s Plaza de la Cultura, a popular gathering spot. The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum displays hundreds of gleaming artifacts. Friday, January 18 Departure day for those not continuing on to Panama.
OPTIONAL Panama Trip January 18-20 Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) is Panama City s hippest neighborhood and also its smallest. Just four avenues wide, this UNESCO-protected district of narrow brick streets, grand old colonial houses and crumbling pastel facades offers the best sight-seeing, dining and nightlife for an authentic Panamanian cultural experience. The American Trade Hotel is a lovingly restored 1917 building at the ecological and cultural crossroads of the Americas. It is deeply connected to the historic Old Quarter and Panama City. Panamal Canal Panama Canal s Miraflores Visitors Center offers a new window to the canal. The center allows visitors to observe transiting vessels and learn first-hand about the operations, history and importance of the Canal. There are several exhibitions in the center, including The Hall of Water: Source of Life, which emphasizes the importance of water, conservation of the environment and biodiversity, and protection of the Canal Watershed
Accommodations The Four Season Resort The Four Seasons Resort on the Pennisula Papagayo is inspired by the local flora and fauna. The Springs The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal is a world-class resort featuring spectacular hot springs and picture-perfect views of Arenal volcano. Grano de Oro Hotel Grano de Oro is in San José on a quiet street near many restaurants, theaters and shops and is an easy walk to the bustling city. Registration Pricing $8,400 per person, double occupancy Single supplement $1,989 $4,000 per person deposit due now Balance due December 10 *Registration includes accommodations, meals, activities and transportation once you re in Costa Rica from January 12, 2019 through breakfast on January 18, 2019. Panama When you register, please indicate if you are interested in the optional portion of this trip to Panama, January 18-20, 2019 We will calculate pricing based on the number interested. Register online at www.l3.org/events/costa-rica or call Tammy at 512.900.4435