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. Meet your guide for a program orientation at 6 pm prior to a welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant.

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 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 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. 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 plants and animals 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 the central pacific coast. En route, stop for lunch at a local restaurant and explore the famed Tárcoles River for an up-close experience with the massive American crocodiles that inhabit these waters. Before dinner, your guide will provide an introduction to Carara National Park, its importance, and its successes and challenges in preparation for the visit there tomorrow.

After breakfast, explore the biodiversity of the transitional forest during a hike in Carara Biological Reserve. The park is located in the Central Pacific region, one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the country. The intersection of northwestern tropical dry forest with the humid rainforest of the South Pacific region, concentrated in a relatively small area, produces an interesting combination of species from both ecosystems. Next, travel to Manuel Antonio arriving in the afternoon with time to enjoy the hotel amenities. This evening gather for a presentation, "Conservation and History of the Quepos Region" followed by dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast, set out 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 morning exploring the park's beautiful beaches and trails. This afternoon at leisure. Dinner on own this evening to explore local options.

This morning 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. This evening, lecture on the history of this region and then have dinner at the hotel.

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. Later, ride in 4x4 vehicles to reach upper trails, then hike in the lodge’s reserve adjacent to Los Quetzales National Park. Return to the lodge late this afternoon, time at leisure to relax, or perhaps enjoy the spa. Before dinner, attend a talk about the history and development of this region.

This morning have breakfast and then 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.