| country: | Costa Rica |
| trip type: | Introductory walking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 19 Jul, 2 Aug, 16 Aug, 11 Oct, 25 Oct, 8 Nov, 22 Nov, 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 20 Dec 2009: 17 Jan, 7 Feb, 28 Feb, 4 Apr, 25 Apr, 1 Aug, 17 Oct, 31 Oct, 14 Nov, 28 Nov, 12 Dec, 19 Dec |
| price: | From £1649 - £2099 (16 days) including flights from UK, from £999 - £1099 excluding flights. Local payment US $300. Single supplement £195. |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Discover amazing wildlife, rainforest, volcanoes and tropical beaches
Volcano, River & Coast
From San Jose you make for the summit of Irazu Volcano to peer into its smoking crater. Rafting down the Pacuare River and into the rainforest provides great excitement before you head through vast banana plantations to one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica - complete with a fringe of palm trees. A series of walking trails through the rainforest provides an opportunity to spot and learn about the flora and fauna.
Tortuguero & Monteverde
You’ll navigate the waterways of Tortuguero to your riverbank lodge set amidst lush rainforest from where you go in search of turtles and other wildlife. Following an exciting flight by small plane you’ll see Poas and Arenal Volcanoes, the latter punctuating the night with its pyrotechnic displays. In Monteverde you walk trails in the Cloudforest, home to quetzal and iridescent hummingbirds, before combining beach and forest at the idyllic Manuel Antonio.
Volcano, River & Coast
From San Jose you make for the summit of Irazu Volcano to peer into its smoking crater. Rafting down the Pacuare River and into the rainforest provides great excitement before you head through vast banana plantations to one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica - complete with a fringe of palm trees. A series of walking trails through the rainforest provides an opportunity to spot and learn about the flora and fauna.
Tortuguero & Monteverde
You’ll navigate the waterways of Tortuguero to your riverbank lodge set amidst lush rainforest from where you go in search of turtles and other wildlife. Following an exciting flight by small plane you’ll see Poas and Arenal Volcanoes, the latter punctuating the night with its pyrotechnic displays. In Monteverde you walk trails in the Cloudforest, home to quetzal and iridescent hummingbirds, before combining beach and forest at the idyllic Manuel Antonio.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Fly to San Jose; walking tour. |
| Day 3-4: | Turrialba, Irazu Volcano, Guayabo ruins & rafting. |
| Day 5-6: | Puerto Viejo de Limon. Visit Gandoca- Manzanillo NP. |
| Day 7-8: | Tortuguero NP |
| Day 9: | La Fortuna; visit Poas and Arenal Volcanoes. |
| Day 10-11: | Monteverde NP; walks. |
| Day 12-13: | Quepos, Manuel Antonio NP. |
| Day 14: | San Jose |
| Day 15-16: | Overnight flight to London. |
travellers' tales
Most memorable bit - spending Christmas Day exploring the waterways of the rainforests of Tortuguero in a small boat, seeing monkeys swinging through the trees, otters, caiman, iguana, toucans, parrots and countless other birds.
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small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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On this trip: We employ local group leaders, stay in locally owned hotels, eat in local restaurants and travel in small groups - all this benefits the local people by providing valuable employment and distributing evenly the money we spend, whilst not overburdening them with visitors. The agent we use contributes to Fundacion Neotropica which protects rainforest and educates people about conservation.
Our Responsible Travel Code: Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. Charity Partnerships: We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Carbon Balancing: Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full. Our Foundation: We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you book. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |














