Costa Rica Summer Tour day-by-day itinerary

Day 2 Coffee Plantation, Poas Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Head to a nearby coffee plantation for a hearty breakfast before touring the estate and learning how coffee is cultivated. No tour is complete without sampling the product of course…

From here you will travel to Poas Volcano National Park, home to the very active Poas Volcano. You will view the impressive mile-wide crater with its sulphur fumaroles and bubbling green lake. Afterwards you will enjoy lunch in the gorgeous La Paz Waterfall Gardens and spend the rest of the day exploring trails surrounded by lush tropical rainforest, home to exotic birds, butterflies and monkeys. Return to your hotel for the night.

Day 3 San Jose – Tortuguero National Park
Rise early this morning for Tortuguero National Park, situated in a remote location on the Caribbean coast. The park is a protected area that is famous for the turtles that come ashore during the summer months to lay their eggs. There is no road access and the last part of the journey is by boat with excellent wildlife spotting opportunities en route.

In the afternoon you can visit the small museum or just sit on your porch and keep your eyes peeled for howler and spider monkeys jumping through the forest canopy, as well as tree frogs and the occasional iguana or sloth.

Day 4 Tortuguero National Park
This morning you will take a sunrise boat ride through on the canals surrounding the lodge. Your eagle-eyed guides will point out the incredible range of wildlife, including sloths, snakes, bats, iguanas, monkeys, caiman and a huge variety of birds.

Later you will head out on foot into the jungle to try to spot some of the beautiful birds and insects that live here.

In the evening there is the opportunity to head to the beach to see mother turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. The visit is strictly controlled by the national park and the viewing times are in the late evening so can be difficult for younger children. However, it is completely magical to see these giant creatures wade onto the shore, dig a hole and then lays dozens of eggs, all under the moonlight.

Day 5 Tortuguero National Park – La Fortuna
After breakfast you will transfer back by boat and vehicle and head to the picturesque town of La Fortuna and the huge Arenal Volcano that towers over it.

Day 6 La Fortuna
This morning those with older children will head off for a rafting tour on the Balsa River. This is an exciting adrenalin fuelled activity and you will paddle through crashing rapids as the river descends through a beautiful landscape of forest that is packed with wildlife if you have a chance to look around!

Those with younger children will enjoy a more relaxed raft experience on a flat section of the river. Giant trees overhang the banks with monkeys swinging from branch to branch and crocodiles bask in the sun on the sand bars at the edge of the river. You will stop at a local farm for snacks and may be lucky enough to see sloth in the jungle that surrounds the farm.

This evening perhaps head to some of the hot springs for a rejuvenating experience.

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