One Week In Costa Rica
One Week In Costa Rica
One Week In Costa Rica
8 Days Starting and ending in San Jose
Visiting: San Jose, Monteverde, La Fortuna, Cahuita National Park - Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Tour operator:
Tour code:
QBYC
Specialist Group:
18-30 Somethings
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 16
Age range:
18-35 years
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Tour Overview
Calling all nature lovers! Spend a week in Costa Rica beginning in San Jose – the thriving urban centre abundant with colourful markets, vibrant nightlife and spontaneous art fairs. Explore Monteverde’s Cloud Forest at your own pace, keeping your eye out for sloths and the elusive quetzal bird. Head to La Fortuna, shadowed by the immense Arenal Volcano, and enjoy free time to chase waterfalls and soak away your worries in the natural thermal hot springs. Explore Cahuita National Park with a hike and a swim, then enjoy some beach time on the Caribbean coast in Puerto Viejo. If you're lucky, spot sloths, hummingbirds, iguanas, monkeys, toucans, coatimundis, quetzals and racoons, then take a cooking class to learn the local cuisine. With a local leader with insider knowledge and a likeminded group of travellers – what better way to dive into Costa Rica?
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: San Jose
Location: San Jose
Accommodation: Hotel
Hola! Welcome to Costa Rica. Your adventure begins in San Jose, home to a lively cultural atmosphere and heaps to do. If you arrive early (it’s recommended that you stay an extra few days), maybe explore the markets – you might even be lucky enough to see a spontaneous art fair! If history is your thing, maybe head to the Gold Museum to see the collection of Indigenous gold art. Perhaps visit Arte Contemporaneo if you’re an art lover or get your first taste of the rich coffee that Costa Rica is known for in a nearby coffee shop. You’ll have a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight at your hotel. After, maybe head out to a local restaurant or the Central Market where you can pick up some fresh seafood.
Optional Activities:
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Day 2: Monteverde
Location: Monteverde
Accommodation: Hotel
Take an early public bus to Monteverde this morning – this area was initially used as an environmentally conscious agricultural community and has now been transformed into the internationally recognised Cloud Forest Reserve. Make the most of your free time in lush Monteverde, maybe exploring the cloud forest at night with a local guide or heading out on a zip lining adventure. There are also several local communities that operate co-ops here, which are well worth the visit. Maybe walk through the canopy on suspension bridges or watch butterflies in the Butterfly Garden and Insects Farm. If food and coffee are more your thing, maybe head out on a chocolate and coffee tour.
Optional Activities:
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Day 3: La Fortuna
Location: La Fortuna
Accommodation: Hotel
If you have time this morning, maybe head out on a nature hike and look out for hummingbirds, sloths and the infamous (and seldom seen) quetzal birds. Today you’ll drive to Lake Arenal and take a boat to La Fortuna – a small but vibrant town with abundant hot springs and natural pools. Sitting under the shadow of a towering volcano, this spot is the perfect place to relax, explore or get active. Tonight, maybe grab dinner with your fellow travellers at a local restaurant and try some sopa negra (black bean soup) or pozole (a stew made from pork, hominy, cilantro, bell peppers and achiote).
Optional Activities:
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Day 4: La Fortuna
Location: La Fortuna
Accommodation: Hotel
Enjoy a free day to explore La Fortuna today. Maybe you’d like to take a day trip out of town and go white water rafting. Costa Rica is renowned for its natural beauty, so an adrenaline-filled adventure on the action-packed rivers is highly recommended. Alternatively, stay in La Fortuna and head out on a hike through the lush surrounding forest or go stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Arenal to enjoy the incredible backdrop of Arenal Volcano from a new perspective. If you’re an animal lover, look out for coatimundis, racoons and toucans across the water on a boat tour of Cano Negro Reserve. Soaking in the local thermal hot springs is a popular activity here – these natural springs are fed by the volcano that overlooks the city and are the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the surrounding scenery.
Optional Activities:
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Day 5: Cahuita National Park - Puerto Viejo De Talamanca
Location: Cahuita National Park - Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Accommodation: Hotel
This morning, leave the volcano behind and take a private transfer to Cahuita National Park, where you’ll explore the lush landscape on a 2-hour hike with your leader. You’ll also visit the beach here, where you can cool off with an ocean swim or go wildlife spotting, looking out for paca, iguanas, giant blue crabs, racoons, opossums, porcupines and the capuchin monkey. This is a great day for photos, so keep your camera or phone on you! Carry on to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, where you’ll spend the night. On the Caribbean seaside, you can spend tonight hopping to different reggae bars and watching the sunset on the palm-fringed beaches.
Included Activities:
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Day 6: Puerto Viejo De Talamanca
Location: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: dinner
Explore the area on a bike ride along the palm-fringed coastal road, stopping at various beaches and inlets as you make your way south. Visit Punta Uva Beach, where you can find a little hidden cave with a gorgeous view. This afternoon, you can opt to head to Manzanillo for an immersive forest therapy session, where you'll learn about sustainable eating practices and the medicinal uses of local plants with a guided tour through the gardens. Learn more about local Afro-Caribbean culture, taste breadfruit and take a brief Spanish lesson. Finish your day by watching a Caribbean cooking demonstration. Experience a melting pot of culinary traditions using a mix of spices and fruits influenced by local Indigenous, African and Spanish cuisines. Then, return to Puerto Viejo for the evening to hit the bars with your fellow travellers for a drink.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 7: San Jose
Location: San Jose
Accommodation: Hotel
Journey back to San Jose and explore the historic buildings and artisan markets on an orientation walk with your leader. When you're done with the morning adventure, the afternoon is all yours. You can go café-hopping, hit up some local bars or just wander around soaking in the local scene. Tonight, maybe get your fellow travellers together for a final group dinner to say your goodbyes, and after that, dive into the vibrant nightlife scene to wrap up this epic journey on a high note.
Included Activities:
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Day 8: San Jose
Location: San Jose
After breakfast, there are no activities planned and your trip comes to an end. If you’d like to explore San Jose in more depth, why not book an Urban Adventures tour like the San Jose Bites & Sights tour. Unmask the beauty and culture of contemporary Costa Rican life on this San Jose walking tour that takes you through the busy streets, bustling markets and tranquil parks. If you want to spend more time in San Jose, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time.
Optional Activities:
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What's Included
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Accommodation
Hotel (7 nights) -
Cahuita National Park - Entrance
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Cahuita National Park - Hike
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Puerto Viejo de Talamanca - Coastal Bicycle ride
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Puerto Viejo de Talamanca - Caribbean Cooking Demonstration
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San Jose - Orientation Walk
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Meals
1 dinners
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San Jose - Leader-led orientation walk
What's Not Included
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Insurance
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International Travel
Transport
- Shared Vehicle , Private Vehicle , Public Bus , Boat , Taxi
Accommodation
- The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.
- Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.
Important Information
- 1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
- 2. Please be careful when booking flights to/from San Jose; make sure you fly into/out of Juan Santamaria International Airport [SJO]. Please do not book flights to/from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport [SJC] as this is located in California, United States.
- 3. This tour includes accommodation in multi-share rooms (triple and quad). This means travelers on the same booking may be split between rooms due to single gender allocation.
Mode of Transport
- Shared Vehicle , Private Vehicle , Public Bus , Boat
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
This trip is for travellers who appreciate a bit of independence. You'll get plenty of free time in each location to make your own choices, do your own activities and eat where you like. Your leader is always there to give you tips and suggestions. Please budget spending money for optional activities you want to partake in.
With so much to see and do, Costa Rica can sometimes be expensive. Expect to pay more than you would in other Central American countries for a lot of things.
Costa Rica is generally hot and humid year-round, and from May to October can be wet too. At nighttime and in locations at higher elevations it can get chilly. Protect yourself from the sun, bring light clothing you can layer and a waterproof jacket, and stay hydrated. Please carefully consider which time of the year you'll feel most comfortable travelling.
Most of the activities (both included and optional) on this trip take place in the great outdoors. This means you'll need to be prepared to deal with insects and occasionally rustic conditions. It's all part of immersing yourself in this natural paradise. -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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