Day 1

On arrival into San Jose International Airport you will be met by our ground agents and have a private transfer to either the; Alta Hotel, the Grano de Oro Hotel or the Xandari Plantation y Spa Hotel for 2 nights BB.

• The Alta Hotel is a luxurious, unique hotel with architecture that combines the colonial style and current trends. It is just 15 minutes away from the airport and downtown San Jose. It is a very comfortable hotel and has a gym, swimming pool & superb views of the central valley.

• Grano de Oro Hotel is a true oasis in San Jose. It combines the character and charm of a mansion with the comfort and facilities of a classy hotel. It has 36 rooms, carefully decorated, and a secluded terrace garden with jacuzzi and tropical flowers. This European‐style hotel offers the advantage of being close to downtown, but in a peaceful, private area. It is also one of the exclusive “Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica” hotel.

• The Xandari Plantation & Spa Hotel is a small exclusive hotel set in a tropical paradise with panoramic views of the central valley. The hotel has 16 villas scattered among coffee plantations and exotic gardens. Each room has its own terrace; rooms are large and carefully decorated to give them originality. The hotel also has 2 swimming pools, Jacuzzi & wonderful spa area with each hut having a Jacuzzi with fantastic views of the valley. The spa also has a special yoga room and weights, which can be taken to guest’s rooms.

Day 2

Day 3

Early morning pick‐up to join a small group travelling by road through the coffee & banana plantations and then transferring to river boat to arrive in Tortuguero to stay at either the Evergreen Lodge or Mawamba Lodge for 2 nights on a full board basis with tours included. You are escorted by a guide and a driver, stopping en route at some amazing viewpoints and places of interest. This is a great introduction to Costa Rica and you will learn a lot from your guide.

• Evergreen Lodge. This lovely lodge has 26 comfortable rooms; all are spacious, with comfortable beds, private bathrooms, hot water, and ceiling fans, swimming pool. The property has an excellent restaurant (built on stilts) and bar services and offer bilingual guided tours in the area. The beautiful main dinning room with soaring ceilings provides first class meals in an atmosphere that reflects and compliments the jungle paradise surrounding it. Is lodge is owned & operated by Pachira Lodge. They also have there own swimming pool.

• Mawamba Lodge is a great lodge with a lovely swimming pool and bar. Full board and regular tours are included. Tours include is an early morning bird watching tour, trek to the Butterfly farm and Tortuguero Hill, the night‐time nesting turtle tour along the beach (extra approx $30 charge). Entrance to the National park is payable locally.
Note: As the return flight has a 30Lb luggage limit you will leave the majority of your luggage @ your hotel in San Jose. Our ground agents will then collect your luggage and have it with them when they meet you off your flight from Tortuguero.

Day 5

After breakfast you will be transferred by riverboat to the local airfield to take a short domestic flight back to San Jose. On arrival you will be met by our ground agents (they will have the luggage you previously left in San Jose). You will then have private transfers to Arenal Volcano Area for 2 nights @ either the Arenal Manoa Hotel, Arenal Kioro Hotel, Lost Iguana Resort of Royal Corin Resort With the private transfers you will be driven between hotels by a driver who is fluent in English and will give you all sorts of information on Costa Rica and its people, stopping en route at places of interest. He will then leave you to your own devices whilst at the hotels.. Although we also try to give you the same driver for all your transfers we cannot guarantee this.
Arenal Volcano is the most fantastic sight in all of Costa Rica. It erupts at least once every hour, it is mesmerising at any time of day, but it is especially magical at night, when a river of red‐hot magma flows down its northern slopes. There are several hot springs resorts where you can enjoy the pools of thermo mineral waters, heated naturally by the volcano, with temperatures ranging from 23^C to 40^C. The pools are reputed to cure any number of maladies. Most people spend at least half a day and evening @ a springs, relaxing in the pools whilst drinking a cocktail watching the lava flowing from the volcano, having massage treatments or dining in the resorts restaurant. In & around this area there are lots of activities; horse riding, mountain biking, Arenal Lake‐ which offers lots of activities, including fishing and water sports‐ canopy tours, suspension bridges & close by is the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge.

• Arenal Manoa Hotel is a beautiful place to rest, relax and enjoy the marvellous view of Arenal Volcano. Surrounded by gardens, pastures and animals, the rooms have been designed so that each one offers guests a panoramic view of the volcano. Visitors can take advantage of our spacious gardens as well as the opportunities to see the daily operations of a typical Costa Rican farm. The property has 40 junior suites, a superb swimming pool, jacuzzi & wet bar.

• The Lost Iguana Resort offers 24 luxury rooms & a villa within a 100 acre rain forest property with direct volcano views. All rooms are spacious, beautifully designed with large private balconies. The property has it’s own trails, a double swimming pool with swim‐up bar & excellent restaurant. The Luxury Suite is the ideal romantic room with its own Jacuzzi on the deck with fantastic views of the jungle & volcano.

• The Royal Corin Resort & Spa is a new property opened in June 2008. It has been designed to enable each of its 54 rooms to have a view of the volcano. Each room is elegantly designed and furnished to the highest standards. With a choice of bars and restaurants and its own thermal pools, the Royal Corin Hotel is a beautiful place to stay whilst in Arenal. The top floor Lava Bar has a great view of the volcano & pools below plus the Loto Spa is wonderful.

• Arenal Kioro Hotel is located in the most perfect location to view & actually be able to hear the volcano. This is one of the newest hotels and offers excellent facilities with each room having direct views of the volcano & each room has it’s own private Jacuzzi bath, also with volcano views. The hotel has a wonderful restaurant, spa, it’s own nature trails & pool. They now also have their own hot springs on the property exclusively to hotel guests, as well as offering transfers to their other hot springs which is open to other guests.

Day 7

Private transfer down the Pacific Coast for 4 nights at the EL Parador Hotel where you have a choice of rooms or at the Arenas del Mar Hotel – both BB Reputed to have some of the best beaches in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio has an ideal combination of beach and wildlife. The National park is one of the countries smallest, but is also one of its liveliest. The animals and wildlife are easily viewed here. There are lots of activities that you can enjoy in this area .. deep sea fishing, snorkelling, white water rafting, take a canopy tour, visit the national park and just relax on a beach or by your hotels pool.

• The El Parador Hotel is hidden in a small private world, surrounded by beautiful gardens and plenty of space. All rooms have a fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean and the jungle, which is very close. El Parador Hotel brings luxury to the jungle. It is built in a Spanish style with antique Spanish furniture. Facilities include a gym, infinity swimming pool, tennis courts, mini golf course and shuttle service to the National Park and beach. They have various room types within the hotel grounds. www.hotelparador.com
◊ Garden rooms have garden views with terrace with direct access to the garden. Ideal for families as are close to the swimming pool & facilities
◊ Jungle rooms are large rooms with either 2 queen or 1 king‐size bed, with a balcony & garden view. These rooms are particularly recommended for families requesting interconnecting rooms.
◊ Deluxe Superior rooms. Are the lovely & spacious, generally have a glimpse of the ocean. They are close to pool & facilities.
◊ Premium rooms. Are located in a separate building, along with the Premium Plus rooms, and have a “cliff lift” up to them. Rooms are spacious and have a balcony with either a jungle or ocean view.
◊ Premium Plus rooms. These rooms are located on the top floor in the same building as the Premium rooms. However the premium Plus rooms are for adults only, have 1 large king size bed & have recently been refurbished.
◊ Golden Suite. This is a new room type located in a brand new building @ the hotel, which opened in December 2008. This block has a superb ocean view, its own reception desk, restaurant & swimming pool. The Golden Suites also have a private Jacuzzi

• Arenas del Mar Hotel is locally in a perfect location to combine nature with a stunning beach. It is the best hotel in the area to have direct beach access. The hotel only opened in 2007 & has 38 rooms – which are either superior rooms or suites. As this is small hotel availability can be a problem, so early booking is recommended. The hotel has 7 small blocks with 3 blocks by the beach & the other 4 @ the top with the best views. There is a pool @ both locations. All rooms are equipped with ceiling fans, air conditioning, flat screen cable televisions, wired internet access, telephones, mini‐bars, coffee makers, safe deposit boxes, luggage racks, irons and ironing boards. The superior rooms have a king size bed, large bathroom & balcony. The suites have a separate bedroom, 2nd bathroom & a larger L shapes balcony with Jacuzzi. It is possible to create a 2 bedroom apartment by having 1 superior & 1 suite & use 1 main entrance door

Day 11

Today you will have a local transfer to nearby Quepos airport to take a flight to Palmur Sur, a land transfer to Sierpe and finally a boat transfer to Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge for 3 nights FB & tours included.

• Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge is located in a 170 acre private reserve bordering Corcovado National Park. It is the closest lodge to this National Park which is considered, biologically, the most intense place on Earth by the National Geographic Society. The Lodge was carefully designed in a unique style by an American naturalist with over 20 years of experience. It offers lodging in full coexistence with nature and the environment. Full board and tours included. The 4 day / 3 nights package includes.
3 nights lodging in a Deluxe Bungalow
Tour to Corcovado National Park
Tour to Caño Island
Bird watching Tour (optional)
Hiking on the Casa Corcovado Trails
All meals, park fees and taxes.

Parque Nacional Corcovado was established in 1970 and is one of the last truly wild places in Costa Rica. It is difficult to get to but it will captivate you with its isolation, beauty and abundance of wildlife. The park includes over 133,380 acres if land and 4,940 acres of marine habitat.
Note: As the flights have a 25Lb luggage limit you will leave the majority of your luggage @ your hotel in Manuel Antonio. Our ground agents will then collect your luggage and have it with them when they meet you off your flight in San Jose.

Day 12

Day 15

Private transfer to the airport to check‐in for your return flights back to the UK.