Costa Rica's landscape varies from cloudforest to tropical beaches, volcanoes to white water rivers. Our journey takes us from Pacific to Caribbean - on horseback, white-water raft, bike, and on foot to explore Central America's most highly regarded multi-active destination. Watch troops of Capuchin monkeys, catch sight of the distinctively inactive sloth or take to the sea and go dolphin spotting. This tour is a potent mix of activity, adventure, scenery and wildlife, with time to relax towards the end on the Caribbean coast. A tour for people of all abilities.

Rainforest Walks & Whales
We fly to the Osa Peninsula and travel by boat to our lodge to immerse ourselves in Costa Rica's finest wilderness, where primary rainforest tumbles into the ocean. Exploring on foot and by boat, we visit Cano Island and snorkel amongst the coral reefs. We return to the mainland to stay at Canto de Ballenas, taking boats into the marine caves where there's the chance to snorkel and also to hopefully spot dolphins.

Forest Walks & Horse Riding
Continuing up the coast we head to Manuel Antonio National Park where wildlife-spotting opportunities and the chance to swim off white sand beaches abound. From here we head across country to Rincon de la Vieja National Park - famous for its volcano and waterfalls. Here we stay on a working ranch where we join in driving cattle, ride to a nearby waterfall on horseback, bathe in volcanic mud pools and explore the trails in the National Park.

White Water, Biking Beneath Volcanoes and the Caribbean
Pausing at Arenal we cycle beneath what is one of the most active volcanoes in the world before continuing to Sarapiqui. Here we take in the sounds of the rainforest at our lodge, home to an array of bromeliads and heliconia and alive with birdlife - especially the beautiful hummingbird - and we take time to explore the jungle by canopy and zip-wire. We try our hand at white-water rafting and take to the Grade 3 rapids of the Rio Reventazon, whisking us down to the Caribbean lowlands where we end with a chance to relax - or for the energetic to kayak, surf and hike - an excellent finale to this active tour.

Itinerary:

Day 1 Join San Jose. 2 Fly to Palmar Sur; bus and boat to Osa Peninsula; walks on Drake Bay. 3 & 4 In Corcovado, visit reserve, horse riding, snorkelling, walks. 5 Boat and Bus to Canto de Ballenas, visit caves; snorkelling and dolphin spotting. 6 Drive to Manuel Antonio NP; jungle walks and swimming. 7 Drive to Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. 8 & 9 At Rincon de la Vieja, visit National Park, farm, horse riding to waterfalls and hot springs, optional canyoning. 10 Drive to Sarapiqui via Arenal for cycling. 11 At Sarapiqui, rainforest walk, optional canopy walk. 12 Drive to Caribbean, white-water rafting en route; continue to Puerto Viejo. 13 Relax on Caribbean; optional surfing or kayaking. 14 Drive to San Jose. 15 End San Jose.

Accommodation: 4nts hotel, 10nts lodge; 9 breakfasts, 5 lunches & 3 dinners included.
Transport: Boat/Raft/Bike/Bus/On foot.
Comment: Despite its tiny size, Costa Rica has an incredible variety of world-class attractions. All included activities are within the scope of any moderately fit adult - full instruction is given.
Group: Approx. 12 to 16.
Staff: Explore Tour Leader plus driver(s), boatmen and relevant local guides.
Trip Reference: MCC