Preserving Paradise: Parks and Reserves of Costa Rica

Upon arrival at the airport in San José, you will be met and transferred to the hotel. This evening, gather for an orientation and Welcome Dinner with your naturalist guide and tour escorts.

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 Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve. Upon arrival, receive an orientation to the lodge's facilities, its 500-acre private reserve, and 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 a local chocolate farm and learn about family and their history growing cacao, and creating the wonderful treat loved the world over. Return to the lodge for dinner. This evening, enjoy a lecture on Selva Verde's role in the creation of a biological corridor between Braulio Carrillo National Park and the Caribbean coast. This lecture will highlight the flora and fauna found in and associated with the rainforest at Selva Verde.

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 Macaw Lodge, a 264 acre property featuring eight acres of cultivated hiking paths as well as a tropical botanical garden where there are more than 500 species found. Lunch will be taken en route at a local "tico" restaurant. Upon arrival at the hotel, receive an orientation to their facilities. Before dinner, your guide will provide an introduction to the Carara National 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 National Park. 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. In the evening, there will be a discussion about the scarlet macaws that are found in this area, followed by a night walk to look for kinkajous and other nocturnal animals.

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. There will be some free time later this afternoon to enjoy the area at your leisure. Return to the hotel for an evening presentation, "Conservation and History of the Quepos Region." This evening, dinner is on your own to explore local fare.

Have an early breakfast so that you can join your guide for a full morning within Manuel Antonio National Park. Hike the trails, discover amazing views from high above the Pacific Ocean, greet the animals that inhabit the park, and take a swim in the beautiful cove within the park. Lunch and the remainder of the day is at leisure. Dinner is on own.

After breakfast, begin your transfer to the tropical cloud forest realm of San Gerardo de Dota's Trogon Lodge (elevation: 7,300 feet). The lodge is close to the country's newest national park, Los Quetzales, and is home to one of Costa Rica's avian treasures, the beautiful resplendent quetzal. En route, stop at Hacienda Barú for lunch and a talk on rainforest conservation. Later this afternoon, settle in and have dinner at the hotel.

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.

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. In the Aztec and Maya cultures, the quetzal was associated with the feathered serpent god and was considered sacred. 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.