Treasures of Costa Rica

Adventure, discovery, and beauty all await on our “Treasures of Costa Rica” tour. This full-day journey opens the door to awesome scenery, free-spirited adventure, and cultural discovery as we visit three of Costa Rica’s most unique regions – the vast Central Valley, the meandering Sarapiqui River region, and the densely forested Braulio Carillo National Park. Additionally, you will visit the inspiring La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

This tour is fast-paced and challenging, perfect for bold, curious individuals with adventurous souls. Nature’s raw, unspoiled beauty will move and inspire as you explore the diverse ecosystems that make Costa Rica’s beauty unparalleled.

The excitement begins as soon as we pick you up at your San José hotel. Our knowledgeable, entertaining bilingual guides will explain the customs and culture of the people who live in the quite little pueblos that dot the countryside of the Province of Alajuela. You’ll pass by gourmet coffee plantations where traditional harvesting techniques are still used. We will stop for breakfast at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where you can enjoy a robust cup of Costa Rican coffee and a hearty, traditional breakfast. In the background, you will be surrounded by the rainforest canopy and tropical vegetation.

After breakfast, you’ll explore the grounds and see living examples of the butterfly’s life cycle in the world’s largest Butterfly Garden. You’ll see the fuzzy caterpillars, mysterious cocoons, and the beautiful butterflies, learning about the winged creature’s battle for survival along the way. The Garden houses many varieties of beautiful butterflies in their natural habitats, including the stunning Blue Morph, with its vivid blue wings set against the tropical greenery.

Next, you’ll listen to the electric hum of the hummingbird’s tiny wings as dozens of these creatures fly around in the Hummingbird Gallery. Here, you can stop and gaze as the planet’s smallest birds hover before you, their wings beating at lightning speed. We’ll then head on a short walk through dense rainforest, in search of enchanting waterfalls. On this short, 20-minute hike, we’ll pass four dazzling waterfalls, each one tumbling from the heavens. The hypnotizing rhythm and cool mist from the waterfalls will sooth your spirit and mind as you are enveloped in nature’s beauty.

After we emerge from the charms of the rainforest, you’ll head to the banks of the Sarapiquí River, where a two-hour Class III white-water rafting adventure awaits you. Each raft will be led by a professional, bilingual guide, who will instruct you on safety precautions and paddling techniques. Then, you’ll head down river, elevating your senses as you anticipate the rapids ahead and follow the instructions shouted by your leader.

The pounding rapids will help you hone your skills quickly, as water spills over the sides of your raft, passing beneath giant tree limbs and tropical forests. The adrenaline-packed rapids are tempered by gentle stretches, perfect for observing toucans, bright tropical vegetation, and other mammals and birds.

You’ll enjoy a much-deserved picnic lunch along the riverbank, an informal restaurant with unmatched ambience. At the end of this unforgettable day, you’ll have time to shower and change into dry clothes in our private facilities before we return to San José.
Minimum age: 8 years old.

Note: Please bring appropriate shoes and apparel for hiking and rafting (shoes or sandals that can get wet and will not slip off), light jacket, bathing suit or swim trunks, change of clothes, towel, waterproof camera, and your "sense of adventure".