Clearwater/St.Petersburg- Ski & Sports Club 8 Days / 7 Nights Costa Rica Program May 2017 May 11th Arrival to Costa Rica Arrival to Costa Rica. A representative from Costa Rican Trails will meet you at the airport and will guide you to the bus that will take you to your hotel in San Jose. Due to its strategic location, San Jose is the ideal place to use as a base to start or end your journey in Costa Rica. San Jose is set in the middle of the central valley and surrounded by high mountains. The city enjoys a spring-like climate and high quality cultural events year round. It is the country's main transportation corridor and many voyages involve passing through San Jose and it offers some of the best hotels and lodging options in all the country. In the city of San Jose you will find a broad range of centrally located boutique hotels with historic value and charm as well as modern commercial corporate type hotels. Dinner will be served at Ram Luna Restaurant. Overnight at Boungaivillea Hotel, Standard Room. Bougainvillea Hotel Here you'll easily forget that you're just 15 minutes from downtown or the airport San Jose. Set amidst the coffee farms of Santo Domingo de Heredia, the hotel has extensive areas dominated by tall trees and brightened by plentiful flowers. In Hotel Bougainvillea we offer you the chance to enjoy our country from the first minute of your vacation. Hotel Bougainvillea has the charm of a family owned and operated hotel. Every detail of the hotel and restaurant is personally supervised by owner Hans van der Wielen, who brought his experience and style when he came to Costa Rica in 1961.
Bougainvillea Hotel surroundings May 12 th Poas Volcano National Park - San Gerardo Area (B) Breakfast included at the hotel. This morning visit the city of Alajuela (Juan Santamaria monument, and church). On the way to Poas Volcano National Park, will pass through coffee plantations, flowers, dairy farms. At the Volcano we will have time to observe the impressive main crater with its sulfur fumaroles. Then we will hike on a trail to the beautiful Botos Lagoon that will allow us to learn about the different ecosystems in the Park. Poas volcano crater
Then, we will head up to San Jose city where you will visit the Gold Museum It has a substantial collection of over 1600 artifacts of Pre-Columbian gold dating back to AD 500.The collection includes Costa Rica's first coin, the Media Escudo which was minted in 1825, animal (notably frog) figurines, amulets, earrings, erotic statuettes and El Guerrero, a life sized gold warrior figure adorned with gold ornaments in a glass case. In Costa Rican history, gold was considered a symbol of authority and the items are testament to the craftsmanship of the Pre-Columbian period. There is also a replica of a pre-columbian grave containing 88 gold objects which was unearthed on a banana plantation in southeastern Costa Rica in the 1950 s. Gold Museum In the afternoon, return to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Bougainvillea or similar, standard room May 13 th San Gerardo Area (B,L,D) Breakfast included at the hotel. Today, the group will drive through the Cartago City, here you will have the chance to see our Basilica de los Angeles, and then the Lankester Botanical Garden.
Cartago Los Angeles Main Cathedral Lunch included on a local Restaurant. The drive will continue to Savegre Area. San Gerardo de Dota is a tiny community in the Talamanca Mountains settled in the fresh mist of a mountain valley surrounded by deep cloud forests and filled with massive tropical trees. The neighborhood is frequently visited by eco-tourists from around the world who come to enjoy the large diversity of plant life, including oak and laurel trees, orchids and bromeliads. San Gerardo is also a paradise for birdwatchers as it has more than 170 bird species, including some of the most rare and endangered bird species. It is a special place for watching the resplendent quetzal bird, one of the most ornate creatures of the wild which belongs to the family of Trogonidae. In the past only royalty were permitted to wear Quetzal feathers which served as a substitute for the gems and diamonds known to European royalty. Mayan kings wore headdresses of dozens of the long feathers with their stunning iridescence. It is also a great place for freshwater fishers as it encompasses the most pristine rivers and waterfalls. Overnight and dinner at Trogon lodge, Standard Room. Trogon Lodge Trogon Lodge is located in San Gerardo de Dota on a 105 acre farm, at an altitude of 700 ft (2200 mts) above sea level. It is the perfect hideaway for nature lovers, birdwatchers and guests looking for a peaceful rejuvenating vacation. The lodge sits amidst dazzling flowers, showing amazing shades of colours and centennial oak trees with impressive
roots. The song of the magnificent Quetzal, a collage of green trees and mountains, a peaceful setting enhanced by the sounds of the river in its endless travel through the rocks, all let you feel nature and see it come alive, in a place where the scenery sets the mood for those searching to get away from it all. The cozy and relaxing ambiance of the Lodge makes guests feel at home away from home. The mystic, tranquil and exotic surroundings provide a unique opportunity to relax and feel the energy of the cloud forest. The clear waters of the Savegre River run through the property on an endless travel through the rocks. Guests will enjoy heavenly peace falling asleep with the nearby sounds of the river. The river hosts a large population of Rainbow trout and is a supply of potable water to the area. Trogon lodge property May 14 th Savegre Area (B,L,D) Breakfast included at your hotel. After a delicious breakfast, you will go for an early hiking quetzal quest tour with a local guide.2 hour walk, searching for the mythical Quetzal, while enjoy the natural scenery of the forest of San Gerardo de Dota. Horseback riding optional tour.
Quetzal Overnight and dinner at Trogon lodge, Standard Room. May 15 th Savegre Area to Manuel Antonio Area (B,L,D) Breakfast included at your hotel. After breakfast you will be transferred to your next destination: Manuel Antonio Area. Manuel Antonio is considered the most beautiful park in Costa Rica, with enchanting white-sand beaches ideal for swimming, tropical rainforest with abundant wildlife and a group of islands offshore. White sands are bordered by lavish vegetation and the park also includes a network of trails that will guide you through an amazing tropical rain forest. Watch out for the howler and white faced monkeys bounding from branch to branch and the sloths peacefully hanging from the treetops as they share the park with you. Its southern beach, Playa Espadilla is a long beach with stronger waves which ends in an isthmus formed from sedimentation that connects a former island to the coast.
Manuel Antonio National Park During the afternoon, as an optional activity you can visit and hike through the trails of the Manuel Antonio National Park. Dinner served at the hotel s Restaurant. Overnight at Hotel San Bada, Standard Room. Hotel San Bada Enjoy one of the best experiences in Costa Rica lodging in the new Hotel San Bada, right beside the world-wide recognized Manuel Antonio National Park, just a few steps from your room. Hotel San Bada is located two minutes walking, from one of the most visited beach of Costa Rica and the most beautiful of the country, Manuel Antonio Beach.
San Bada Hotel, Standard room May 16 th Central Pacific coast (B,L,D) Breakfast included at your hotel. Today prepare yourself for a white water rafting adventure. The more family-friendly Savegre River provides Class II, III and some rare IV rapids that are more than manageable in sturdy rafts that accommodate 2 to 6 people comfortably. Guides stop at locally known swimming spots and breathtaking waterfalls, if the rafters want a break from paddling, and there is always time to enjoy the abundant variety of wildlife along the river. On most trips, rafters will observe egrets, osprey, toucans, parrots, kingfishers, cormorants, and many other species local to this protected area of the tropical rain forest. After a steady 13 mile trip down the river, we wind our way back to the little village of Silencio where a gladly awaited hot lunch Tico Style and local refreshments are waiting.
White water rafting In the afternoon, return to your hotel. Dinner served at the hotel s Restaurant. Overnight at Hotel San Bada, Standard Room. May 17 th Heredia Area (B) Breakfast included at your hotel. Morning at your leisure to enjoying the area or simply relax at the hotel facilities. Ground transfer back to the city. Lunch and dinner will be on own. Overnight at Boungainvillea Hotel, Standard Room. May 18 th Departure from Costa Rica (B) Breakfast at your hotel. After having breakfast and checking out, a representative from Costa Rican Trails will meet you at the hotel s lobby. You will be transferred back to Juan Santamaria International Airport in order to take your flight back home. Remember you have to be at the airport 3 hours prior to the departure time.