An ACTUAR representative will meet your flight and take you to a charming San José hotel. If you have time, do a walking tour of downtown.

Your 4-wheel drive rental car will be delivered to your hotel in the morning. Start your 2-hour journey going east on the Interamerican Highway, passing by Cartago, the colonial capital of Costa Rica, then into the mountains to the south of San José. Enjoy the beautiful mountain vistas until you arrive at San Gerardo de Dota, a lovely agricultural community in the steep valley of the Savegre River. This region is home to a plethora of flora and fauna, but it is most famous for its old growth oak forests, habitat for the Resplendent Quetzal. San Gerardo is also known for its orchids and its high altitude orchards of peaches, plums and apples. Stay at El Sueño del Bosque, or a similar lodge. *(B). 

Wake up early to go in search of the Resplendent Quetzal, with its iridescent green feathers, its long, graceful tail and bright red breast! Come back to the lodge for a delicious breakfast in the home of the Chacón family, pioneers in this remote valley. Optional activities for the rest of the day include hiking or horseback riding to the Savegre Waterfall, trout fishing, or hiking in the old oak forests. Stay at El Sueño del Bosque, or a similar lodge. *(B).

Say goodbye to the beautiful Savegre Valley and drive about 2 hours south on the Interamerican to the Térraba indigenous lands, where a local guide will tell you about the history and traditions of the Térraba culture. Visit the pre-Columbian petroglyphs and learn the secrets of the Térraba grandmothers, including the uses of medicinal plants. Stay in traditional-style thatched roof cabins at El Descanso Rural Inn. *(B, L, D)

In the morning, travel about half an hour to Boruca territory, an ethnic group known for their amazing balsa-wood masks. Boruca is also one of the only centers of indigenous weaving in Costa Rica. Visit the waterfall with a local guide, then learn about mask making and weaving at the Boruca Indigenous Museum.

After a tasty lunch, drive back to the Interamerican highway and head south for 2 hours to explore one of the wildest regions of Costa Rica, the spectacular rainforests of Corcovado National Park. Turn off the Interamerican at Chacarita and drive to La Palma, then follow the signs shaped like tapir tracks to Danta Corcovado Lodge *(B)

Wake up to the sound of howler monkeys. You have the day free to hike in Corcovado National Park (Los Patos entrance) or go kayaking on the Golfo Dulce. Stay at Danta Corcovado Lodge. *(B)

After breakfast, head north approximately 2 hours to the Pacific coast to explore Ballena National Marine Park. Relax at the beach. Optional activities: 

whale and dolphin observation tour, ocean or mangrove kayaking, or horseback riding to Ojochal. Stay at Villas Gaia, or a similar lodge. *(B)

Free day to go to the beach or do one of the optional activities above. Stay at Villas Gaia, or a similar lodge. *(B).

After breakfast, drive north to Quepos and then head inland to Los Campesinos Reserve, a 2-hour drive. After Londres, this special journey will take you on a dirt road surrounded by pristine forests and rivers to the village of Quebrada Arroyo, where you will meet very special country people, former vanilla farmers, who founded this reserve. After a delicious campesino lunch prepared over a wood fire, walk across a forested gorge next to the huge Los Chorros waterfall on a suspended bridge. Continue up the trail a bit to get to the Poza Olivo, a lovely waterfall-fed swimming hole! Dinner and overnight at Los Campesinos. *(B, L, D)

Don Miguel will take you on the Pacific Lookout trail to share the secrets of the forest passed down for generations. Before you get to the lookout point, you will zoom over a forested canyon in a pulley-powered teleférico, the campesino form of rapid transit. Continue uphill to the lookout point, where you can see the coast south of Manuel Antonio National Park. In the afternoon, visit the village, then enjoy a barbecue at the home of Don Victor and his family. Dinner and overnight at Los Campesinos. *(B, L, D)

Say goodbye to your friends at Los Campesinos and travel about an hour and a half to Manuel Antonio National Park, known for its beautiful beaches and forests. It’s not hard to see tiny, endangered tití monkeys, white-faced monkeys, iguanas and tropical birds that live in the park. Stay at Hotel Los Almendros or a similar lodge. *(B)

You will have the morning free to enjoy Manuel Antonio before departing for San José, about 3.5 hours away. Stay in a charming San José hotel, where you can turn in your car. *(B)

Breakfast and transport to the airport for your flight home. *(B)