Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenal Volcano & the Monteverde Cloudforest
9 days / 8 nights
From $3,115 per person, double occupancy for 2011

Day 1: San Jose
Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. Overnight accommodations at the Hotel Bougainvillea(or similar), breakfast included.

Day 2: San Jose - Poas Volcano - Manuel Antonio National Park
Morning drive to Poás Volcano, whose colorful main crater is one of the widest and deepest in the world. You may stand on the edge and look down into its cauldron. Its second crater, Botos, is a crystal clear rain-fed lake surrounded by highland jungle and is reached by a walk of about a half-mile through a unique dwarf cloud forest. After exploring the park drive to the Central Pacific Coast. Overnight accommodations at a hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park. (B)

Day 3: Manuel Antonio National Park
Pacific Aerial Tram. Board the tramcars for an aerial excursion through and above the airy canopy of the rainforest. Afternoon hike in Carara National Park, home to parrots, parakeets, toucan, trogons, Scarlet Macaws, and three species of monkeys. Overnight at your Manuel Antonio hotel. (B)

Day 4: Manuel Antonio - Monteverde
Drive to Monteverde, one of the most diverse and richest tropical cloud forests in the New World. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is the richest and most complex tropical cloud forest in the New World, and home to the beautiful Resplendent Quetzal. There are at least 400 other bird species, including the three-wattled bellbird, not easily seen but frequently heard, over 100 species of mammals and an estimated 2500 species of plants. For the most part you will experience a misty forest with dense vegetation and majestic trees. Here you will find many wild relatives of familiar tropical houseplants including philodendrons, ficus trees, bromeliads and ferns. Orchids abound with over 300 species occurring here, however many are tiny and inconspicuous while others thrive among the lush vegetation of the canopy 125 feet above the forest floor. This diversity of flora and fauna throughout the eight distinct ecological communities at Monteverde makes it a paradise for the nature lover. The reserve encompasses approximately 10,200 hectares and one can enjoy an extremely rich variety of species with relatively little walking on well-maintained trails. In the afternoon hike a trail with a series of suspension bridges. Overnight accommodation at a lodge in the Monteverde area. (B,D)

Day 5: Monteverde
Morning guided walk through the Monteverde Reserve along with your naturalist guide. Dusk/evening forest nature tour. Overnight at your Monteverde hotel. (B.D)

Day 6: Monteverde - Arenal
Morning depart for Arenal. Due to its continuous activity Arenal is considered one of the world's most active volcanoes - there are only 5 or 6 volcanoes worldwide that are perpetually active. Arenal is the only volcano in Costa Rica producing continuous lava flows. The eruptions are variable and range in frequency from several times daily to a few times per month. When these eruptions occur on a cloudless night, visitors are awed by the natural fireworks display of the ejected red-hot rocks and thunderous booms that accompany them which can be heard over 10 miles away. Overnight accommodation at a hotel or lodge in the Arenal Volcano area. (B,D)

Day 7: Arenal
Morning guided walk of Arenal Volcano National Park. Afternoon hike to La Fortuna Waterfall. Overnight at your Arenal hotel. (B.D)

Day 8: Arenal - Sarchi - Zarcero - San Jose
You will enjoy a scenic drive through the mountains with a stopover in Sarchi to see the colorful artisan crafts for which the community is famous. Following Sarchi you will continue on to the farming village of Zarcero and see the whimsical topiary garden in the center of the community. En route you will have lunch serving typical Costa Rican fare. After lunch, continue to San José. Overnight accommodation at a San Jose hotel. (B,L)

Day 9: Int'l departure
Hotel pickup and transfer to the airport. (B)

Child rate - $850 (10 years old and under)