Early spring adventure in Costa Rica
Finca Rio Perla waterfall. Photo by Matt Miller
The 8-night Spring Costa Rica Caribbean Experience offers a diverse adventure that combines the Caribbean Highlands of Costa Rica – with its breathtaking tropical beaches. It begins by sampling some of the color that San Jose, the nation’s vibrant capital has to offer; continues with a whitewater rafting run down to the Caribbean Lowlands, with their tropical beaches, unique flora and fauna, active nightlife, and indigenous culture; continues with a visit to Tortuguero National Park, with its majestic jungle canals and the late-night ritual of endangered turtle nesting on its beach; and it ends in the highlands, with their lush mountainous rainforest, waterfalls, freshwater pools and serenity - spending the time based at a cool eco-farm on the slopes of Volcan Turrialba.
This complete tour package provides a diverse and exciting adventure-experience brimming with activities (including chill time), all in a short but long week, and all in the beautiful and peaceful paradise called Costa Rica. It offers a mosaic for all your senses, focusing on the contrast between the highlands and the lowlands-coast. So come and spend an amazing week in the Costa Rican Caribbean!
We take the environment seriously, and plan our trips in accordance with the guidelines of eco-tourism: minimizing environmental damage through low impact travel, supporting local environmental projects and indigenous communities, and learning about the culture and natural environment of the places visited.
This complete tour package provides a diverse and exciting adventure-experience brimming with activities (including chill time), all in a short but long week, and all in the beautiful and peaceful paradise called Costa Rica. It offers a mosaic for all your senses, focusing on the contrast between the highlands and the lowlands-coast. So come and spend an amazing week in the Costa Rican Caribbean!
We take the environment seriously, and plan our trips in accordance with the guidelines of eco-tourism: minimizing environmental damage through low impact travel, supporting local environmental projects and indigenous communities, and learning about the culture and natural environment of the places visited.
EVERYTHING listed below is included in our trip. These adventures are paid for already – including a swim in the pool above – just imagine that! You may, but you do not need to spend another dollar on an adventure – it’s all priced into our packaged tour.
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Trip Itinerary
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Saturday, April 21
Welcome to Costa Rica!
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The National Theater in downtown San Jose
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Sunday, April 22
Today we will be heading south to the coast, and on the way go on a rafting adventure on the mighty Pacuare River, known as one of the top five rafting rivers in the world for its scenery and rapids (Class III-IV). Late afternoon: we will arrive at Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast - one of the most happening places in Costa Rica - a place the international crowd blend with the local Latino, Afro-Caribbean and Bribri indigenous cultures, with its pristine coastline acting as a backdrop! After dinner, enjoy live Reggae music with moijtos, daiquiris or fresh Pina Colada! |
 Rafting adventure on the Pacuare River |
Monday, April 23 Punta Uva beach
Today we have a free morning on the amazing Caribbean beach. Options include:
Afternoon : we will visit the Indigenous BriBri Tribal Area and learn about the history of the native people of Costa Rica, medicinal plants, as well as the history and production of chocolate – including tasting! Late afternoon: enjoy a sunset swim along the magnificent Punta Uva beach, thought by many as the most beautiful beach in Costa Rica! Later, we will participate in a Caribbean cooking lesson: using fruits and veggies typical to Coastal Talamanca, you’ll learn to cook in the traditional Caribbean way from some of the local matriarchs - and enjoy a great meal afterwords. Night : explore the town– all while taking in the special and laid back ambiance of Puerto Viejo. We may hit one of the bars, clubs, or live music venues that dot the town… |
 Traditional chocolate making at the BriBri reservation 
Tour participant with young
howler monkey at the Jungle Rescue Center
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Tuesday, April 24
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Hiking the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
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Wednesday, April 25
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 Zipline adventure in the Talamanca Mountains! |
The Evergreen Lodge, Tortuguero
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Thursday, April 26
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 Tortuguero National Park 
A Howler monkey is one of the many animals that inhabit Tortuguero
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Friday, April 27 Time toget on a boat for a last trip though the canals to the village of Pavona, from where we will head up to Finca Rio Perla, an -farm up in the Caribbean Highlands. This is where we will spend our last two nights in Costa Rica. After eating a delicious vegetarian lunch, today’s activities will include:
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 Horseback riding on Finca Rio Perla 
Lunch at Finca Rio Perla
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Saturday, April 28
Good morning Finca Rio Perla! Today is our last full day in Costa Rica– and depending on what you are up to, you can chill during the day, explore the area and/or partake in some farm activities:
Later in the day....
Sunday, April 29 Time to say goodbye! We will leave Finca Rio Perla by 7:30 am, in time to make our flights back home. ***Please note that the time and location of an activity might change due to unexpected circumstances, such as inclement weather and hazardous road conditions. |
 Finca Rio Perla Activities 
Hot pepper in the farm's organic garden
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Dates
The Caribbean Experience trip will take place from Saturday, April 21st to Sunday, April 29th, 2012 (8 nights in total). We will be meeting at and leaving the San Jose (the capital) international airport (SJO).
We ask that you plan to be on a flight that will land in San Jose by 4 pm on April 21st Your flight home should be no earlier than noon on Sunday, April 29th.
If you want to arrive a day or two earlier, or choose to leave later, please let us know how we can help you experience more of this magnificent country. We can arrange for a pick-up or drop-off in another part of San Jose at the beginning or end of the trip. Day trips from San Jose include the nearby volcanoes of Poas and Irazu. If you are interested in this option, please let us know!
Accommodations
- In San Jose, you will stay in a comfortable hotel in the downtown area, such as the Costa Rica Guesthouse.
- On the Finca Rio Perla farm, guests will stay in rustic but comfortable rooms, with shared bathrooms and toilets.
- For our time in Turtuguero, we will be staying in the tranquil Evergreen Lodge, set in the rainforest right outside the National Park.
- On the southern Caribbean coast we will be staying in a comfortable mid-level hotel, such as the elegant Banana Azul, or the Shawandha. We will be pairing up to share the rooms, though you might choose to be in a single room for an extra fee.
Guides
For your Caribbean Experience we will provide you with an experienced driver/guide that will escort you for the length of your trip. In various activities, we use the best local specialty guides with years of expertise in introducing tourists to the natural beauty of Costa Rica. We work mostly with local guides as well as with tourism non-profit organizations such as ATEC, which make sure that the local indigenous communities benefit from tourism revenues while protecting the environment and the traditional way of life.
Transportation
We provide all transfers during the week using an air conditioned van or minibus, driven by a bilingual driver / guide.
Packing list
Before departing, you will receive a comprehensive list of suggested things to bring on the Caribbean Experience.
Cost of trip
The cost per person is $1450.
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Great! How do I sign up?
To reserve your spot on the trip, click on the link to the right to make your secure deposit of $150 via the Google Checkout system. After securing your spot, please fill out our tour registration form. The trip will leave with a minimum of 8 participants and a maximum of 16. If this number is not reached by March 15, we will cancel and postpone the trip, and you will be fully reimbursed. If you cancel your attendance after March 15, we will reimburse you the sum of $1300, with $150 kept as cancellation fee. One we reach the minimum of 8 participants, we will notify you so that you can go ahead and purchase your flight. For general questions about the trip, please write us at: info@costaribbean.com Please feel free to forward this info to any friends of yours that might be interested in joining us for this week - ask us about our special registration price for groups of two or more that register together! |
Deposit for April 2012 trip
150$ holds your spot for the amazing April 21-29, 2012 trip. To participate you must cover the full balance by March 15, 2012.
$
150.00
Full payment for April 2012 trip
1450$ reserves your spot on the April 21-29, 2012 trip.
$
1,450.00
Remaining balance for trip
1300$ is the amount that must be payed by March 15, 2012 if you have already made the $150 deposit.
$
1,300.00
If you have a discount code, you will be asked to provide it before submitting a payment via Google Checkout. |
The cost of the trip includes:
- Transportation and transfers to and from all locations in Costa Rica by a bilingual guide/driver.
- Full accompaniment by a Costa Rica Caribbean Experience staff person.
- 8 nights of accommodations on the Finca Rio Perla farm, in San Jose, in Hotel Monte Real in Arenal, and in a hotel in Puerto Viejo. Price is for accommodations of 2 per room. Single occupancy rooms are available for an additional nightly fee.
- All activities and all meals during our 2 nights at the Finca Rio-Perla eco-farm.
- Canal Tour, nature hike and tour of village in Tortuguero
- Meals included in trip: 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 6 dinners!
- One day of amazing whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River (including breakfast/lunch)
- Gandoca –Manzanillo Wildlife Hike
- Caribbean cooking class
- BriBri Cacao Tour (history of local indigenous people and organic chocolate making)
- Jungle Canopy Tour/ Zipline Adventure
- Welcome night dinner in San Jose
Please note that if you do not wish to partake in the rafting, canopy tour, and zipline, you may opt out and we will reduce the cost of your trip accordingly.
The cost does not include:
- Airfare
- Costa Rica departure tax of $28
- Traveler insurance (we will be able to arrange this for you if needed)
- Some meals on the Caribbean coast and in San Jose
- Optional late night turtle nesting tour in Tortuguero
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tips and gratuities
Our tours are organized by the Costa Rica Caribbean Experience, a destination of Greener Travel Company, LLC. The company was founded by Ami Greener, an experienced and enthusiastic environmentalist that has been captivated by the unique beauty of Costa Rica. By forming personal relationships with local providers in Costa Rica (hotel owners, activity outfitters and the staff of Finca Rio-Perla, the amazing farm that we visit), we are able to offer a tailored experience to both individuals and couples traveling alone and looking to explore the area, as well as group tours which a member of our staff or local Costa Rican associates will guide.
Though the dates for this trip are set, if you want to join and cannot take the whole week off from work, we could accommodate you for part of the trip, and price it differently as well.
If you cannot make it on these dates, but would like to plan a visit alone, with a small group of friends or a romantic getaway with a significant other - we can help you plan that trip as well with some of these amazing adventures – we regularly send couples, families and small groups of friends on a tailored Caribbean Experience!
For further information and questions, please contact us at:
The Costa Rica Caribbean Experience
info@costaribbean.com
US: +1-646-469-9743