Costa Rica2010

Map and Itinerary

Travel Map

San JoséPoás Volcano

Arenal

Monteverde

Coastal PuntarenasManuel Antonio

Day 1 > June 09 >  Fly to San José Start TourDay 2 > June 10 > Travel to Arenal via Poás Volcano  Day 3 > June 11 > Arenal Landmarks  Day 4 > June 12 > Arenal to Monteverde  Day 5 > June 13 > Monteverde Landmarks  Day 6 > June 14 > Monteverde to Coastal Puntarenas   Day 7 > June 15 > Manuel Antonio Excursion  Day 8 > June 16 > Coastal Puntarenas--Sarchí--San José  Day 9 > June 17 >  Travel home  

Day 1 > June 09

• Meet at the school• Travel to the airport together• Fly to San José• Meet the tour director• Check in to the hotel• Start the tour

Day 2 > June 10 > Travel to Arenal via Poás Volcano

• Sulfurously glowing, the Poás Volcano has been gurgling and burbling since its last major eruption in the 1950s. From the viewing terrace, visitors can look down over 1,000 feet into the world's largest active crater.

Day 3 > June 11 > Arenal Landmarks• Lake Arenal kayaking tour Glide along the still waters

reflecting the perfect cone of Arenal Volcano and the surrounding rolling hills. Lake Arenal, the country's largest, is also among its most scenic, and the area has become popular area to kayak, windsurf, sail, fish, and hike.

• Hot Springs visit Let the volcanoes take you away. At Arenal’s hot springs, bubbling lava fields heat the waters to make nature’s own jacuzzi. Take the chance to rest in the steamy water, or get more adventurous on waterslides, under waterfalls, or in the natural saunas

Day 4 > June 12 > Arenal to MonteverdeTravel to Monteverde  Because of its

humidity and latitude, the entire city of Monteverde can disappear in a second under a massive cloud cover. Founded by Quakers in 1951, the city boasts the best in Costa Rican creatures. Observe a proud display of howler monkeys, revered quetzals and native frogs in the dense cover of the cloud forest.

Day 4 > June 12 > Arenal to Monteverde

• School visit  Take the opportunity to enrich a Costa Rican school with gifts of notebooks, pens, erasers -- all basic supplies that few students here can afford. Learn how rural communities are working to give their children educational opportunities in extremely difficult conditions, often with dozens of students in all different grades taught in a single classroom. We will stop to pick up supplies before visiting, but feel free to bring donations of school supplies like chalk or paper from home, too. (If schools are not in session, you'll be able to give gifts of t-shirts, socks, and other clothing to local children.)

• Canopy Tour  Soar through the treetops for the unmatched close-up of the New World’s best wildlife refuge. Harness yourself to cables that run between platforms high in the trees, then step into thin air and zip from tree to tree. Experience a true bird-eye view from your new aerial perspective.

Day 4 > June 12 > Arenal to Monteverde

Day 5 > June 13 > Monteverde Landmarks

• Santa Elena Biological Reserve Get your spider monkey fix as you climb into the clouds. The Santa Elena Reserve reaches high into the atmosphere, bringing the cloudy mists into its lush forests and letting you see all the way to the Arenal Volcano.

Day 5 > June 13 > Monteverde Landmarks

• Plant your own tree In 1987, a nine-year-old Swedish student asked what he could do to save the rainforests, and Children’s Eternal Cloud Forest was born. The Monteverde Conservation League oversees the planting of deforested land and virgin rainforest in the Children’s Forest and throughout the area, and now owns more than 22,000 hectares. Contribute your green thumb efforts to their conservation work.

Day 5 > June 13 > Monteverde Landmarks

• Horseback ride Step back in time as you explore Monteverde on horseback, following time-worn trails through the mountains as you breathe in the mists of the rainforest.

Day 5 > June 13 > Monteverde Landmarks

Frog Pond visit  Rrribbit. Venture to a frog sanctuary at night for an amphibious symphony. Most of Costa Rica’s famous frogs are nocturnal, making this evening activity a great opportunity to both hear and see the colorful creatures. The tiny Tink Frog, often no more than an inch long, is making the metallic clanging noise you hear (hence its name), while the flashes of red you see might be the Red-Eyed Tree Frog hopping from leaf to leaf. Get up close and personal with 25 other species at this frog museum, where crayola-perfect reds, greens, yellows, and blues mark the inhabitants. Just watch which plants you stand under -- mistletoe is also native to Costa Rica, and not every frog will turn into a prince!

Day 6 > June 14 >  Monteverde--Coastal Puntarenas 

• Travel to Coastal Puntarenas

Day 7 > June 15 >  Manuel Antonio Excursion

• Manuel Antonio National Park guided visit Take a tour of this national park from a professional, local guide. Manuel Antonio includes 12 islands and is known for its white sands and array of wild life. You will share the park and its four beaches with sea turtles, parrots, three-toed sloths, tapirs, howler monkeys and iguanas. A word to the wise—be careful of the sneaky white face monkeys. They know how to unzip backpacks. The park boasts an estuary, mangroves, a lagoon and paths, one which leads to an observation tower for a 360° view.

Day 8 > June 16 > Coastal Puntarenas--Sarchí--San José

• Travel to San José On the way to San José, travel to Sarchí, a highly artistic city known for its painted designs and brilliantly colored wheels of local ox carts.

• Sarchí Costa Rica's premiere crafts village provides the perfect opportunity for souvenir shopping. Sarchí became famous in the mid-1800s for its elaborate hand-painted oxcarts, and now its artisans create clothing, shoes, chess sets, and other items all decorated in the traditional manner.

• Folklore evening Costa Rica’s culture draws on African, Caribbean, and Spanish roots to create a unique and lively blend. Sit back and surround yourself with this colorful culture during an evening of fine food and fiesta. Brightly costumed locals serve up a typical Costa Rican meal of beans, rice, white cheese, fruit, and a main dish of fish, chicken, or beef, and a performance of traditional music follows.

Day 8 > June 16 > Coastal Puntarenas--Sarchí--San José

Day 9 > June 17 >  End Tour

• Travel home – Say good bye to Costa Rica and all of your new friends, but take with you the fond memories, lessons learned, and of course… souvenirs!

We will have a picture sharing event a few weeks after we come home!

Tour Summary

• 7 cities and towns, 4 national parks, 2 volcanoes, and one frog sanctuary

• Kayaking, horseback riding, zip lining, hiking, soaking in hot springs, swimming

• Community service and rain forest conservation

• Tons of plants, animals, culture, and fun!