Costa Rica | Preserving Paradise: Parks and Reserves of Costa Rica

Upon arrival at the airport in San José, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to the hotel. Check in starts at 3 p.m.

Costa Rica has a long history of environmental conservation and ecotourism. Today you will gain a deeper understanding about the importance of incorporating humankind into the conservation landscape and the aim of creating sustainable livelihoods as a part of environmental initiatives. After breakfast and an orientation at the hotel restaurant, check out and travel about two hours to Sarapiqui. Receive an orientation to the lodge and facilities. Later, receive an orientation to the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC), an initiative to connect local communities and visiting guests with educational resources and conservation projects. SCLC programs include environmental education, rural tourism activities, English classes, community outreach, women's groups, and scholarship funds for high school students. Join a local community member at the SCLC to experience cooking a traditional Costa Rican dish for lunch. This afternoon, visit Best Chocolate to learn about the natural and cultural history of chocolate. Experience the story of pre- and post-colonial chocolate in Costa Rica while sampling chocolate prepared on the spot in the traditional way. Return to the lodge for dinner.

After an early morning breakfast, set out to explore the biodiversity of the lowland tropical rainforest during a hike in the Selva Verde Rainforest Reserve. A variety of wildlife can be seen along the reserve's forest trails, including sloths, monkeys, iguanas, parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, and other tropical fauna. After lunch, take a nature boat ride on the Sarapiquí River. The journey will introduce birds and animals that frequent the riverine vegetation, including caimans and a variety of water birds. A site lecture during the boat ride will draw attention to land use on the river banks and human impact on the ecology of the river system. Return to the lodge for time to relax and enjoy its amenities.

Set out for early morning birding with your guide. After breakfast, depart for La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where you will get an up-close look at rainforest plants and animals before continuing your journey toward the Pacific Coast. Explore La Paz's many trails, picturesque waterfalls, lush botanicals, and animal sanctuary featuring rescued jungle cats, tropical butterflies, frogs, monkeys, and birds. After lunch at La Paz, continue to Macaw Lodge, situated on a 264-acre private reserve. Upon arrival, receive an orientation to the lodge's facilities and the reserve, located near the Carara National Park. Before dinner, your guide will provide an introduction to the park, its importance, and its successes and challenges.

Today, you will experience two more types of tropical rainforest, as well as get a glimpse into the rainforest canopy where a majority of the biodiversity resides. First, rise early for birding along the forest trails. After breakfast, explore the biodiversity of the transitional forest during a hike in Carara Biological Reserve. Experience double the diversity exploring this forest, where Pacific rainforest and tropical dry forest overlap. Next, explore the famed Tárcoles River for an up-close experience with the massive American crocodiles that inhabit these waters. Return to the lodge for lunch, and then hike along the hotel's trails. In the evening, there will be a lecture on macaws, followed by a night walk to look for kinkajous and other nocturnal animals.

After breakfast, head out to Hacienda Barú for lunch and a talk on rainforest conservation. Afterwards transfer to Karahe Hotel for some free time to enjoy the area at your leisure. Return to the hotel for a 5pm presentation, "Conservation and History of the Quepos Region." This evening, dinner is on your own to explore local fare.

After breakfast, check out and travel further south for a hike in the very popular Manuel Antonio National Park. The park is situated along the Pacific coast and is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, including white-faced capuchin and howler monkeys, the endangered Central American squirrel monkey, basilisk lizards, coatis, and sloths. Spend the day exploring the park's beautiful beaches and trails. After lunch, begin your transfer to the tropical cloud forest realm of San Gerardo de Dota's Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa (elevation: 7,300 feet). Encompassing nearly 1,000 acres, Savegre's reserve is just five miles from the country's newest national park, Los Quetzales, and home to one of Costa Rica's avian treasures, the beautiful Resplendent Quetzal.

Spend a full day exploring the cloud forest ecosystem near the hotel and on the surrounding trails, including a horseback ride along the Savegre River. Horses have been a part of the culture in the Savegre Valley for a long time, and are still a mode of transportation for many of the local people. This evening is at leisure to relax, or perhaps enjoy the spa. Before dinner, attend a talk with a member of the Chacón family about the history and development of this region.

Begin the day with an early morning hike in search of the Resplendent Quetzal with its iridescent green, gold, and blue-violet feathers and long, streaming tail, thought to have been the inspiration for the feathered snake god of the Aztec and Maya cultures. Breakfast is followed by departure toward San José. Along the journey, stop at Irazú Volcano, one of the highest active volcanoes in Costa Rica. Briefly visit the 11,000-foot summit of the volcano, which experienced its last eruption in 1994. Arrive at the hotel in the evening for a farewell dinner.

Transfer to the airport for the flight home. Check out is at 12 p.m.