Best of Costa Rica

Tiskita Reserve - Arenal - Monteverde

Duration:9 days

This itinerary takes in a remote rainforest bordered by a stunning Pacific beach, a steaming and lava producing volcano, and a beautiful cool mountain cloud forest. Rainforest exploration at Tiskita and in Arenal, and cloud forest exploration in Monteverde show the beautiful nature of the country and introduce the lovely nature of its people. This trip combines Tiskita, one of the best rated eco-lodges in the country, with our timeless tour of the mountains and cloud forests of the interior.

Day 1

Arrive San José

Upon your arrival in San José, Costa Rica and after you clear customs & immigration, exit the airport terminal, take the right hand side exit door, where you will meet a representative of Costa Rica Sun Tours who will present you with land portion vouchers and transfer you to your hotel in San José. B

Days 2-4

Tiskita Rainforest Reserve

Travel by flight and ground transfer directly to the jungle! The Tiskita Reserve is set on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a deserted beach lined with coconut palms that extends for miles. Three species of monkeys, over 285 species of birds (including toucans, parrots and scarlet macaws), sloths, iguanas and much more reside here. You will enjoy guided hikes through the private reserve of Tiskita, and the tour of the tropical fruit orchard. In the afternoons you will have free time to explore on your own. You may wish to walk to the nearby seaside village of Punta Banco to see how rural Costa Ricans live, or enjoy an optional tour: ride horses, bike, go surfing or sea fishing. BLD

Day 5

Cocora Cloud Forest & Gardens - Transfer to Arenal Volcano

Flight back to San José. En route to Arenal Volcano you will take a short break and visit the community's agriculture town market in San Ramon. This market offers a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables, including some that are rarely seen outside the tropics.

You will continue on with a visit to the Cocora Private hummingbird and butterfly gardens. Cocora is located in the cloud forest belt at 3000 feet elevation and offers the visitor attractive tropical plants and colourful butterflies and hummingbirds. After a traditional lunch at Doña Mara´s house, you will continue on to your Arenal area hotel, travelling in the north central lowlands of Costa Rica among farmlands of tropical crops and cattle ranches. Lunch at Doña Mara´s house. In the foothills of the mountain range adjacent to Arenal volcano lives Doña Mara Rojas. She is a housewife (or domestic engineer as she prefers to say) who has lived all her life in Chachagua. Her husband Edgar is from Guanacaste and has worked as a chofer in the tourism industry and now works with the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity. They have seven children although only their youngest son Geraldo still lives with them at home. In their backyard, typical of rural homesteads in the area, they have several orange trees, coconut palms and one cacao tree (the source of chocolate). L

Day 6

La Fortuna Waterfalls - Organic Farm - Danus Ecological Center

In the morning you will visit the Fortuna Waterfalls. Located just 3 miles away from the town of La Fortuna, this beautiful 200 foot-tall waterfall receives its cool clear waters from the pristine forested mountains of Arenal National Park. En route and near the falls one may see parrots, toucans and tropical hummingbirds. The steep trail to the waterfall goes down through dense, lush rain forest and ends at a large pool at the base of the falls. In addition to seeing a majestic waterfall in a beautiful setting, visitors to the falls are helping the local community. The fees collected are used for important community projects such as supporting area schools, buying books, and helping cover some of the expenses for the town orphanage. Additionally funds are used for recycling projects, maintenance of the community water supply, improvement of the local roads and sidewalks and construction of an educational center.

Later you will have lunch at a local organic farm in the town of La Fortuna. At the farm you will see how farming techniques can be practiced in an environmentally sound way. The farm produces more than 60 crop species, including native and introduced plants. With your guide, you will learn about many of the crops and the challenges and benefits of farming organically in the tropics.

After lunch you will have a natural history walk at the Danaus Ecological Center. This small biological reserve east of the town of La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano is a model of conservation. Visitors will see that it is possible to restore a rainforest. This reserve was once open farmland, but has been allowed to revert back to forest which now teems with wildlife. Slow-moving sloths live here, and along the main trail visitors may see a number of the 154 bird species recorded here. This trail passes by a small lake where boat-billed herons and alligator-like caiman reside. Tiny native red poison dart frogs can be seen in a little 'ranario' (frog farm) and many different species of butterflies flit about the reserve. A nursery on the property is used to propagate native trees - including species in danger of extinction-for reforestation projects. L

Day 7

Arenal Hangin Bridges - Transfer to Monteverde

You will continue on with a visit to the Cocora Private hummingbird and butterfly gardens. Cocora is located in the cloud forest belt at 3000 feet elevation and offers the visitor attractive tropical plants and colorful butterflies and hummingbirds. After a traditional lunch at Doña Mara´s house, you will continue on to your Arenal area hotel, travelling in the north central lowlands of Costa Rica among farmlands of tropical crops and cattle ranches. Lunch at Doña Mara´s house. In the foothills of the mountain range adjacent to Arenal volcano lives Doña Mara Rojas. She is a housewife (or domestic engineer as she prefers to say) who has lived all her life in Chachagua. Her husband Edgar is from Guanacaste and has worked as a chofer in the tourism industry and now works with the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity. They have seven children although only their youngest son Geraldo still lives with them at home. In their backyard, typical of rural homesteads in the area, they have several orange trees, coconut palms and one cacao tree (the source of chocolate). L

Day 8

Monteverde Reserve - Sugar Mill & Coffee Tour

In the morning you will visit the Trapiche ('sugar mill') and coffee farm, that first began operation in 1948. The Monteverde Trapiche is run by a local family, and on your tour you will not only learn about the local process of making sugar, but also about the other most important agricultural products of the region. Your tour will be partly 'hands-on,' and your hosts may invite you to participate in the processing of the sugar cane! You will also have a short walk on the farm and see how tilapia fish are raised, and also learn about the production of coffee (and if in season, pick some). Following your walk, you will then take a ride back to the main building in a traditional farm ox cart! There you will enjoy a refreshment of sugar cane juice or lemonade, eat picadillo de arracache (a typical Costa Rican food) and make candy out of sugar cane (everyone makes their own candy!).

After lunch enjoy a guided visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, entrance fee included. Located in the Tilaran Mountain Range of Puntarenas Province, the Reserve is one of the premier natural history destinations in Costa Rica. Later in the afternoon the forest may be cool and misty from low cloud cover, so bring a light jacket for your walk.

The forest consists of lush, verdant vegetation containing understory palms, majestic canopy trees, arching 'ropy' lianas, bizarre 'strangler' fig trees and epiphytes-small plants that grow on the trees. Outstanding among the epiphytes are orchids-although most are small and high in the tree canopy, more orchid species are found in Monteverde for its size than any other place yet known (some 500!). As you walk through the forest, you may encounter a variety of wildlife. Frequently-sighted mammals include white-faced capuchin and howler monkeys, white-nosed coatis, two-toed sloths, kinkajous, and agoutis. Of the 400 bird species found in or nearby the reserve, outstanding species you may see include the legendary crimson and iridescent-green Resplendent Quetzal (which spends about ½ the year in the area during its breeding season from February or March to July), Emerald Toucanets, Black guans, Keel-billed toucans, Blue-crowned Motmots, Orange-bellied Trogons, Three-wattled Bellbirds (approximately April to August), and hummingbirds such as Purple-throated Mountain-gems, Violet Sabrewings, and Magenta-throated Woodstars. The wonderful songs of many of these birds will accompany you as you travel.