Costa Rica | Rainforests, Cloud Forests, and Gardens

Upon arrival at the airport in San José, after clearing customs and collecting your luggage, you will be met and transferred to Hotel Bougainvillea. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

After a delicious breakfast, meet with your fellow travelers and guide for an orientation in the beautiful gardens at the hotel. If available, meet the owner of the property, who created the gardens with his love of the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. Next visit a local nursery that exports to the United States and elsewhere. Expect to see many species of tropical flora. Enjoy lunch at a typical tico restaurant then enjoy some free time in the late afternoon before dinner at the hotel. Hey

After breakfast, travel to Villa Lapas, stopping first at Else Kientzler Botanical Garden, which was created by Mr. Ludwig Kientzler and dedicated to his mother, who was of great assistance in the forming of the gardens. Enjoy lunch en route as you continue your transfer to Villa Lapas. After getting situated in your room, go on the Sky Walk at Villa Lapas with your guide. The Sky Walk consists of five suspended bridges at more than 180 feet above the ground. Each of these bridges is 300 feet in length, crossing through the tropical rainforest.

This morning visit the nearby Carara National Park for a guided walk through beautiful transitional forest. This is the northernmost region of Pacific rainforest remaining in Costa Rica, and is the beginning of the transition zone into the tropical dry forests of the northwest. Trails through Carara feature thick, ancestral forest that’s remained unchanged for thousands of years, replete with towering ancient trees, vines and dense shady canopies that block out the light. Flocks of Scarlet Macaws swarm the palm trees in search of fruit. After lunch at the lodge, you will have the remainder of the day to explore the area on your own or take advantage of the Villa Lapas zip line canopy tour (available at extra cost; please make arrangements upon check in). After dinner, meet with your guide for a night walk and look for nocturnal wildlife.

If you wish, wake up early and enjoy a walk with your guide as you watch and listen to the wildlife start their day. After breakfast visit the Organization of Tropical Studies Las Cruces Station, located in the mountains close to the Panamanian border. Stop in the town of San Vito for lunch at a typical tico restaurant. This afternoon, receive a site lecture by the director of the station. The station is a mid-elevation site, and protects more than 740 acres of premontane wet forest habitat, some 500 of which are primary forest.

Breakfast is served early at Las Cruces, so be prepared to wake up with the birds. Take a morning guided walk through the on-site Wilson Botanical Garden. Wilson Botanical Garden is the most famous botanical garden in Central America, featuring beautifully diverse plantings of tropical and subtropical ornamentals, representatives of unusual plant families, and rare and endangered plants from Costa Rica and elsewhere. The garden also boasts the second largest collection of palms in the world. Other well-represented groups include ferns, aroids, bromeliads, gingers, heliconias, and marantas.The afternoon is at leisure for an opportunity to explore the gardens and trails on your own or with your guide.

This morning travel to San Gerardo de Dota with lunch en route. After checking in at Savegre Lodge, meet with your guide to learn the history of the lodge and the area, with a visit to the on-site research station. The property has nearly 1,000 acres of trails, both in virgin and secondary forests, and has been owned by the Chacon family for more than 40 years.

If you wish, your guide will meet you for an early morning birding walk. After breakfast, take a guided hike on the Los Robles Trail. Hiking this trail takes you to trees more than 700 years old and up to 197 feet tall. The varying degrees of incline are not particularly strenuous, apart from the effort needed for the mountainous 2.8 mile stretch. Stop for a photo opportunity next to the magnificent Centenary Oak, given the Exceptional Tree Award in 2010 by the Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute (INBio). Lunch at the lodge. If desired, enjoy another hike with your guide on the Las Cataratas Trail. This trail takes you along the banks of the Savegre River and leads to two waterfalls: the first is 1 mile from the hotel and the second, just 0.34 mile further, is more challenging and recommended only for those in good physical shape. If you would rather not go on one or either of these hikes, you can take advantage of the on-site spa and arrange treatments upon check in (at additional cost).

Following breakfast, enjoy an easy guided hike through primary rainforest on the La Quebrada Trail. Along the way, look out for many bird species and other wildlife. After lunch at the lodge, travel back to San José. Enjoy a delicious farewell dinner at the hotel.

Today you will be transferred to the airport in San José for your flight home.