Costa Rica Coast to Coast tour, private departure

Environment

You will be visiting 2 National Parks to discover the wonderful wildlife of Costa Rica. The country is in the forefront of eco-tourism and protection of the natural environment, with nature having a legal standpoint in court. Visiting this country and its national park’s ensures the continued protection of flora and fauna in Costa Rica, as well as providing income to the local economy through eco-tourism. The parks ensure wildlife is protected through raised platforms, allowing you to view wildlife in the canopy and not disturb the protected environment below.

On Day 5, you go white water rafting in Sarapiqui on the Pacuare River. Rafting is a great, low environmental impact activity which is fun and creates little disturbance to nature.

On this tour you will be staying in some fantastic accommodation which is focused no sustainability and protecting the local environment. Mawamba lodge has within its gardens butterfly farms, a frog garden, a bio-digester and river turtles' area. Rio Tropicales is an eco-lodge set within the primary rainforest of the Pacuare River. The rainforest surrounding the river is home to the indigenous “cabecar” community, as well as an abundance of flora and fauna. You will have the opportunity to hike through the forest and meet the community to discover why protecting the forest is so important to their culture and livelihood. Staying at Rio Tropicales ensures the communities forest is still protected and through low-impact eco-tourism.

Community

On this particular trip, you will be participating in a Chocolate tour to learn the artisanal process of harvesting, drying and grinding the cocoa beans and learn why cocoa was so important to the Mayas, Aztecs and Caribbean pirates. Tours of this nature ensure the preservation of traditional techniques of cultivation and the cultural connections to these techniques. You will then enjoy dinner in a local restaurant owned by the wonderful Miss Junnie, who has lived the village her whole life. Supporting the local food industry in Costa Rica not only maintains the cultural identity of Costa Rica but connects cultures through the most ancient of pastimes, eating!

Staying at the Casa Corcovado in the Osa Peninsula, you are promoting sustainable tourism. The owner of the lodge is the founder of the Corcovado Foundation. The foundation supports over 12 programs to preserve the park for future generations. Programs include environmental education in the local community and tourists, climate change volunteer program, sea turtle conservation, ranger patrols to reduce illegal hunting and logging and Youth Ambassador program.