This is a roundtrip combines the most important highlights of Costa Rica in a 7 day itinerary. Active volcanoes, rainforest, jungle canals, cloud forest, wildlife, lowland, mountains and friendly people will give you the best possible overview of the country. A great itinerary for first time visitors!

Type of car: a 4x4 car is recommended during any time of the year. (see below)

Day 1: San José - Poás Volcano - Pedacito de Cielo/ Horquetas

Today you'll start your tour by visiting Poas volcano, passing Alajuela, Costa Rica's second largest town on the way. An entrance fee of $7 per person is charged to visit the main crater, which you reach after a short walk from the parking lot where you can safely park your car. With a diameter of 1,8 km Poás Volcano crater is one of the largest in the world. It is recommended to visit this place before 10h00 in the morning, as it usually gets obscured by clouds later in the day. Afterwards you can explore the area further by walking for 30 minutes further to visit another crater. Along the way you'll be able to observe a lot of interesting plants and birds.

After you return to you car we suggest you drive towards San Miguel. On the way you can visit "La Paz Waterfall Gardens" which features the biggest butterfly garden in the world, as well as a hummingbird garden and a beautiful orchid collection. During a 2-hours-walk you can admire four waterfalls "El Templo", "Magia Blanca", "Encantada" and "La Paz". Afterwards you will pass La Paz Waterfall once more by car giving you one last opportunity to take a photograph of it. From here you will drive towards the Caribbean lowlands and pass Pital and Boca Tapada on the way to your lodge for the night:

Overnight at: Pedacito de Cielo **(*)
Total km today: approx. 150 km
Total driving time today: approx. 4 hours
Included meals today: none

Day 2: Pedacito de Cielo/ Horquetas

A 250 ha protected rainforest reserve is part of the lodge grounds, whose name means "little piece of heaven". Today you can enjoy a hike in this impressive ecosystem and observe animals and plants. Right next to the lodge you will find a lagoon extending 900 meters into the jungle. You can use the complimentary kayaks to paddle silently through the rainforest. This is one of the best ways to see animals.

Overnight at: Pedacito de Cielo**(*).
Total km today: none
Total driving time today: none
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 3: Pedacito de Cielo/ Horquetas - La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano

Drive back to Pital and reach La Fortuna via Aguas Zarcas and Muelle. Your room is reserved at Hotel Lomas del Volcán***. In the afternoon we recommend taking a hike to the old lava fields of the volcano (entrance fee US$ 6.-per person for the national park). Enjoy an unforgettable view of the active volcano and across Lake Arenal. The hotel offers an extensive range of choices for tours and excursions in the surrounding area, such as a visit to Ecocentro Danaus with its butterfly garden, plantations of medicinal plants and variety of tropical plants, trees and animals. Or a visit to the waterfall of La Fortuna is also very nice, and you can swim in the cold water. If the weather is nice and the night is clear it is worth driving closer to the volcano to observe its nocturnal activity.

Overnight at: Hotel Lomas del Volcán***.
Total km today: about 100 km
Total driving time today: about 3 hours
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 4: La Fortuna - Caño Negro - La Fortuna

Today we recommend a visit to Caño Negro Wildlife Reserve. To get there you have to drive to Muelle and then up to Los Chiles, close to the Nicaraguan border. There are several tour operators offering boat trips on the Rio Frio to Caño Negro. This tour takes up to 5 hours and normally includes lunch. Enjoy an interesting boat trip observing birds, crocodiles, sloths, monkeys and other animals. Return to La Fortuna.

Overnight at: Hotel Lomas del Volcán***.
Total km today: about 100 km one way, total 200 km
Total driving time today: about 3 hours
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 5: La Fortuna - Lake Arenal - Monteverde

Once again you'll pass the volcano and continue along the shores of Lake Arenal followed by a beautiful stretch of road through tropical rainforest. Sometimes you can see coatis, monkeys and a various colorful birds. Then the street deteriorates and you reach the village of Nuevo Arenal. You continue around the northern part of Lake Arenal, where it is almost always windy. Already from afar you can see the windmills of the Guanacaste Mountains. In Tilarán you drive towards Monteverde / Santa Elena. The last part of the road is also in a rather poor condition, especially after heavy rainfalls. An alternative, but longer route first leads you to Las Juntas or Cañas and from there on for about 35km of bumpy road to Monteverde. Check-in at Hotel Belmar*** (Mainbuilding) in Monteverde.

Overnight at: Hotel Belmar
Total km today: 100 km on the direct road via Tilarén, or 145 km via Las Juntas or Cañas
Total driving time today: 3 ½ hours on the direct road via Tilarán, 4 1/2 hours via Las Juntas or Cañas
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 6: Monteverde

Monteverde offers many different options for excursions and tours. We especially recommend the Monteverde or Santa Elena Reserve or the private reserve at Hotel Heliconia, where you won't find many people walking on the trails. Another very interesting tour is the 'hanging bridge' tour of Selvatura, or the SKYWALK, a system of suspension bridges in the canopy of the cloud forest. SKYTREK is a very adventurous option to observe the jungle, while gliding from platform to platform via a system of steal cables. Santa Elena, a small village near Monteverde has a butterfly farm, a snake museum, a hummingbird gallery, a cheese factory and much more.

Overnight at: Hotel Belmar (Mainbuilding)***.
Total km today: none
Total driving time today: none
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 7: Monteverde - San José

Enjoy the morning in the cloud forest with another optional activity. At around noon you should drive back to San José and drop off the car.

Note: You have the option to drop off your car at any other destination at the pacific coast or to connect with another fly & drive program.

Total km today: about 160 km
Total driving time today: about 3 ½ hours
Included meals today: breakfast

Package Rate Per Person 2010

More information and ideas on day excursions in the Central/ San José area that can be booked through Sacred Earth Travel

The package rate is per person. The rental car, insurance charges and any other extra costs have to be added to the total per person rate to determine the final price.

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Rates valid until 16 April 09

Extras: GPS system US$: 7 per day

US$100 deposit for mobile phone

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Hotels Used for this Itinerary

	Pedacito de Cielo**(*), Boca Tapada A charming new Jungle Lodge in Boca Tapada at the shore of the San Carlos River.
	Official category:	**(*)
	Total number of rooms:	12
	Location:	The new Pedacito de Cielo Lodge located in the northern lowlands, 23 km south of the Nicaraguan border and close to San Carlos River has its own private 250ha pristine tropical rainforest reserve. From San Miguel or Aguas Zarcas you drive to Pital, where you will find the intersection towards Boca Tapada. Follow this road for the next 25 km and once in Boca Tapada, follow the signs to the lodge. You need a 4-wheel drive car to reach Pedacito de Cielo Lodge. Besides Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, this is the only lodge in this area, so you can't miss it. (Road Signs)
	Transfer time:	From San José about 4-5 hours, from Pital 1 - 1½ hours.
	Hotel facilities:	This lodge is run by Costa Ricans and offers a restaurant serving mainly local dishes. Within close proximity of the lodge you can make your first wildlife and flora observations. Hiking through the private reserve into the rainforest at about 2km from the lodge, you can encounter Poison-arrow frogs, monkeys, toucans, green parrots and caimans, as well as an impressive range of plants. You can also do kayaking or boat tours etc on the river near the lodge. A very special experience is a boat tour on the San Carlos River until you almost reach San Juan River, which represents the border to Nicaragua.
	Room facilities:	All rooms have private bathrooms and a terrace with chair-hammocks. No hot water yet.
	Our opinion:	A real piece of heaven in the jungle with attention to detail and excellent Tico-Service! Recommended minimum stay: 2 nights.

	Hotel Lomas del Volcán***, La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano, Zona 1
	Official classification:	***
	Number of rooms:	40
	Location:	The hotel lies directly at the foot of Arenal Volcano. The huge property on the slopes of Cerro Chato is surrounded by pure nature. You can enjoy a great view of the northern lowlands and the volcano. Driving from La Fortuna towards the volcano, you will find the entrance after 1 km on your left hand side. From there, you have to follow the signs for another 900 m to reach the hotel.
	Transfer Time:	3 ½ hours from San José, 2 hours from Tilarán and approximately 3 hours from Monteverde
	Hotel Facilities:	This quiet bungalow hotel has a main building with restaurant, bar and reception. At some distance from there, you will find a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. The bungalows are well distributed on the huge property. You can walk on the hotel's own trails to observe birds and sometimes see some monkeys too.
	Room Facilities:	All bungalows are built from wood and are very spacious. They offer a private bathroom, fan, air-conditioning, 2 terraces, of which one offers a refrigerator and a coffeemaker. All rooms have garden and volcano view. The glowing lava, however, cannot be seen from the position of the hotel (as per May 2007)
	Our Opinion:	A basic and quiet hotel for nature lovers. Offers lots of excursions to explore the area.

	Hotel Belmar***, Monteverde
	Official category:	***
	Total number of rooms:	34
	Location:	This rustic hotel is located on a hill between Santa Elena and Monteverde Reserve, about 4km from the reserve. It offers a great over the Gulf of Nicoya.
	Transfer time:	From San José about 4 hours, from Santa Elena by car about 10 minutes.
	Hotel facilities:	The hotel is built from wood and is divided into a main building and a separate chalet. The restaurant in the main building serves local and international cuisine. There is also a bar and a Jacuzzi.
	Room facilities:	The rooms provide private bathroom and are comfortably equipped. Chalet rooms are slightly smaller than the rooms in the main building.
	Our opinion:	A comfortable hotel with a marvelous view over the Gulf of Nicoya

For further information and booking inquiries please send us and e-mail.