Letter Codes:
B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner  SG= Service Guide LG=Local guide TG=Transfer Guide RG=River Guide

Day 1: Arrive San José

Arrive at San Jose’s Juan Santamaría International Airport, where you will be met by our representative at the ramp, helped through immigration and customs, and transferred to your San José area hotel (no meals).

Day 2: San José / Tilajari

After breakfast, drive 4 hours to Tilajari. 

After settling in and having lunch, you will go out for your first bike ride. The area around Tilajari and Arenal Volcano is recognized for having some of the best conditions for biking in the world. Tilajari co-owner Ricardo Araya, an avid biker, has found some especially unique and beautiful rides for you.

This afternoon's 15-mile ride goes through flat to easy rolling countryside. On this loop ride, which starts and ends at Tilajari, you will peddle about half of the distance on back country paved roads and the rest of the time on little traveled dirt roads, passing through cattle and hearts of palm farms. After passing through a patch of tropical rain forest where sloths, toucans, and howler and white-face monkeys abound you cross a hanging over the San Carlos River. This means that you will be unsupported for a few miles, while our support vehicle goes around to meet us on the other side. By late afternoon you are back at Tilajari for a well-deserved dip in the pool. Overnight Tilajari Resort. (BLD)

Day 3: Tilajari

Your last day of land biking takes you from the base of Arenal Volcano, 1625 feet above sea level, back down to Tilajari, 211 feet above sea level. Although you will need to climb (or ride in the van) up a few steep hills, this ride is characterized by its exhilarating downhills. You start out on this 33.5-mile ride with 7.5 miles of dirt roads. There will surely be several stops on this section to take in the views of Lake Arenal. You reach the pavement at the Arenal Dam and start a series of steep downhills and 2 short, steep, uphill stretches over the next 4 miles. For the next 6 miles, the terrain becomes more gently rolling. If you are lucky enough to catch Arenal out of the clouds, the views of the Volcano are spectacular on this stretch. Having pedaled 17.5 miles in all, you will stop at Doña Mireya’s hot springs for lunch and a soak. These are natural hot springs that a local Costa Rican family has diverted into a rock pool, located in a pasture with volcano views (clouds permitting). Doña Mireya, your host, will prepare a typical Costa Rican lunch for you from her small, rustic kitchen. After lunch, it’s 16 miles of mostly gentle downhill and a few short easy climbs back to the lodge. Overnight Tilajari Resort. (BLD) (SG)

Day 4: Tilajari / Tortuguero

This day is the least active and in some ways the most interesting. After breakfast, you will drive 1 1/2 hours to the river port of Puerto Viejo, where your boat will be waiting to take you down the Sarapiquí River to the Rio San Juan and Nicaragua. Shortly after entering the San Juan, you will stop at a wooden shack on the bank of the river, which turns out to be Nicaraguan immigration. You will quickly go through the formalities and proceed down river.

The rich human history of the San Juan rivals that of any river in our hemisphere. The famed pirate, Henry Morgan, plied these waters on his way to plunder his first fortune in the Spanish settlement of Granada, on the other side of Lake Nicaragua. Lieutenant Oliver Nelson (later Admiral Nelson of Battle of Trafalgar fame) won his first victory at the fortress town of Castillo, a short distance up stream from where you enter the San Juan. The Vanderbilt Steamship Company provided passenger service on the San Juan to thousands of forty-niners on their way to the gold fields of California.

Going down stream southeast, you will be following in the footsteps (not easy on a river) of the thousands of forty-niners who returned to the east, usually empty-handed. After 1 1/2 hours of cruising down the San Juan River, you turn onto the Rio Colorado and return to Costa Rica. About an hour later, in mid-to-late afternoon, you will arrive at Tortuga Lodge in time for a dip in their award-winning pool before dinner. Overnight Tortuga Lodge. (BLD) (SG)

Day 5: Tortuguero

For those interested in birds, your Service Guide will be leading a bird walk at 5:30 a.m. today. For those who don’t want to bird and aren’t awakened by the barks of the Howler monkeys in the forest in Tortuga Lodge’s private nature reserve, breakfast is at 6:30 a.m. (The early adventurer catches the wildlife!). After breakfast your Guide will take you on your first journey into the Tortuguero Rainforest.

Originally intended to protect a major nesting beach of the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle, Tortuguero National Park now protects 51,870 acres, one of the last large areas of tropical rain forest in Central America. Tortuguero National Park is home to the endangered Great Green Macaw, White Faced, Howler and Spider monkeys, Chestnut Mandibled toucan, the Slatey Tailed trogon, and many more species, which you will have the opportunity to observe during today’s ride through the back water canals of Tortuguero National Park.

You will head north to Caño Palma (Palm Canal) for a day of adventure and exercise with canoes, kayaks and hydro-bikes. Once you have chosen your vessel, you will be ready to visit one of the most magical places in this flooded forest. These agile, human-powered vessels will allow you to go where our motorboats cannot and wildlife is most abundant. (There will be plenty of time for every body to have a chance to try the different kinds of crafts.) After a picnic lunch, depending on the group’s energy, you will return to the lodge any time from early to late afternoon. Relax in the pool or a hammock before dinner. Overnight at Tortuga Lodge.

Day 6: Tortuguero / Pacuare

Early morning departure from Tortuga Lodge for a 30-minute flight (single engine Cessna 206) to San José. Here, your van will be waiting to take you on the 1-hour drive to Orosí valley, where you will stop for breakfast in a restaurant with a view of the Orosí Valley. After breakfast, proceed to the put-in on the Pacuare River. After a safety talk and paddling instruction, you will raft the most beautiful river canyon in the tropics. Over 20 Class III and IV rapids, primary rain forest miraculously clinging to 100-foot high vertical canyon walls, and waterfalls plunging from the canyon rim into the river will bewitch the adventuresome beginner and the experienced rafter alike. Half way down the river your guides suddenly become chefs and prepare and serve lunch on the riverbank. Finally after more great rapids and scenery you arrive at the take-out in the mid-afternoon and return to San José (two hours driving time) in time to get ready for the Farewell Dinner. Overnight at your San José area hotel.

Day 7: Depart

Transfer to the International Airport approximately two hours before your flight’s scheduled departure time (no meals).

DIFFICULTY: Easy to Moderate: This trip is designed for people in reasonably good shape with wide range of physical stamina. Support vehicles and boats will always be close by on Days 2-5 allowing participants to choose the amount of exertion that suits them. No previous experience is required for the white water rafting portion of the trip on Days 6, but participants in paddle powered rafts will need to be able to paddle Class III and IV rapids. Oar powered rafts are available for participants who do not feel that they want to paddle. Participants who want to use this option should inform us at the time of booking.

For people going on this trip who do not exercise regularly we strongly recommend a regular exercise program starting at least 6 weeks before departure. (We strongly recommend a regular exercise program for people who do not exercise regularly who are not going on this trip).

INCLUDES: 6 nights lodging, all land, air and water transportation within Costa Rica, all airport/hotel transfers, meals as specified in the itinerary, entrances to national parks and other parks as specified, use of kayaks, hydro-bikes, 21-speed mountain bikes with front suspension, and all white water rafting equipment, all tours as specified in itinerary, guides’ services as specified in the itinerary, guides’ expenses.

NOT INCLUDED: International airfare, airport departure taxes ($20.00 per person as of February 2001), meals not specified in the itinerary, alcoholic beverages, personal equipment, extras in hotels (laundry, phone calls, room service), gratuities.

Note regarding arrival and departure transfers: Transfers are available by previous arrangement through Costa Rica Expeditions for participants not arriving or departing on the stated arrival and departure dates of the tour.  The cost, per person, per transfer is: 1 person=$44, 2 people=$22, 3 people=$14, 4 people=$11 and 5 or more=$9.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ALTITUDES

San José: 69°F; 3,500 ft.
Tilajari: 73°F; 200 ft.
Tortuguero: 79° F, sea level
Pacuare River: at put-in: 2,165 ft, at take-out: 205 ft

REV: 23OCT01 M2002