Welcome to San Jose

• Fly to San José International Airport 
• Meet your guide on arrival 
• Transfer to San José hotel
• Overnight San José 

 As you touch down in the capital of Costa Rica, your expert guide will be there to greet you and accompany you into the vibrant city of San José.

Once you arrive at the hotel, your group will get their first taste of the country’s delicious food with a welcome meal. It’ll then be time for bed so that everyone can rest up ready to start the big adventure tomorrow. 

Tortuguero

• Journey to Tortuguero, driving through Braulio Carrillo National Park and banana plantations 
• Boat transfer on jungle canals 
• Tortuguero beach walk 
• Overnight Tortuguero

Your journey around Costa Rica begins with a trip to the Caribbean coast.

As you leave the busy Central Valley behind and ascend into the volcanic mountains, the towns will be replaced by lush green rainforests as you drive through the Braulio Carrillo National Park.

As you descend the other side, the landscape soon changes again to productive agricultural land, featuring an abundance of banana plantations. This has been a staple crop of Costa Rica’s economy for over a century and now, despite its small size, the country is the third largest producer of bananas in the world. 

To make the final journey to Tortuguero, leave the coach behind and travel via boat along the rivers and canals.

Though this region was once an archipelago of islands, rivers transported and deposited vast quantities of alluvial sediments to form the interconnected marshy islands and mangrove swamps of Tortuguero National Park.

This 19,000 hectare national park is rich in biodiversity and marks the transition zone from freshwater to saltwater, featuring lagoons, beaches, canals, and wetlands.  

As your group walk along the beach, discuss with your guide about the variety of animals that thrive in this swampy, rainforest environment, and how they manage this transitional zone.

If you’re travelling between July and October, you may be lucky to witness some of the 22,500 Green Sea, Hawksbill, and Leatherback turtles that nest here every year.  

Your group will then spend the night at your accommodation in Tortuguero. Be sure to get to sleep early as it’ll be an early start tomorrow morning.  

Day 3: Tortuguero National Park & village tour

• Dawn wildlife boat tour of Tortuguero National Park 
• AM: Choice of Tortuguero optional activities 

• PM: Tortuguero village tour and talk on Caribbean heritage and culture 
• Sea Turtle Conservancy Centre 
• Overnight Tortuguero 

As the sun rises over the Caribbean Sea and illuminates the trees, the rainforest awakens to the sound of birds and howler monkeys. This is the best time of the day to explore this region’s rivers and waterways and spot a wide variety of wildlife, and with the help of your guide, your dawn wildlife boat tour will allow you to do just that. 

Once you return to the village of Tortuguero, you have a choice of activities to enjoy for the rest of the morning including

• A cacao and chocolate tour
• A guided nature walk
• Voluntary work at the San Francisco school
• A lecture on sea turtles or the rainforest
• A hill hike up a 110m extinct volcano 

The afternoon will give your students an opportunity to explore Tortuguero village further with a guide and better understand its unique Caribbean culture and its dependence on ecotourism. 

Expanding their learning, your students will also enjoy a talk on Caribbean heritage and culture to learn about how this region’s unique culture was shaped by the history, landscape, and religions of its people. Whether it’s the distinct Afro-Caribbean music, instruments, and dances, the fact that Creole English (called Patois) is spoken alongside Spanish, or that the people hold diverse religious beliefs, this discussion will provide a deep insight into the uniqueness of this culture. 

Following the talk, spend some time learning about the thousands of sea turtles that nest here every year, their habitats and reproduction cycle, and the importance of protecting them.

Serving as both an educational museum and a conservation centre, the Sea Turtle Conservancy Centre plays a vital role in assisting the Green Sea, Hakwsbill, and Leatherback turtles that return to Tortuguero’s beaches every year. Finally, return to your accommodation in Tortuguero to rest up for your day tomorrow. 

Day 4: Sarapiquí & Tirimbina rainforest walk

• Boat transfer from Tortuguero and onward journey to Sarapiquí 
• Choice of Sarapiquí optional activities or Tirimbina rainforest walk 
• Overnight Sarapiquí 

 Leaving Tortuguero by boat, return to your coach and continue west to the Sarapiquí region.

Becoming an increasingly popular destination amongst ecotourists and nature lovers, the premontane rainforests that border the Sarapiquí and Puerto Viejo rivers are ideal for students looking to explore the diverse wildlife of this drier ecosystem. 

During your visit, you have the opportunity to choose the activities you’d like to experience.

In and around Sarapiquí, your choice of activities includes an arts & crafts class, a chocolate tour, a cooking class, a dance class, the Melipona bee tour, or extra options to discover the region’s wildlife on guided night walks. 

Another option to consider is the eco-lodge and rainforest research station of the Tirimbina Biological Reserve.

Located on the west side of the Sarapiquí river, this reserve serves as a research base for scientists and ecologists looking to conduct studies on the flora and fauna of this environment.

To assist with the ongoing biodiversity studies, cross the river and access the lush rainforest via an 860ft long hanging bridge, the longest in the country. Your expert guide will show you around the 345-hectare rainforest via a network of trails, all while pointing out the diversity of plants and wildlife found here, and the intricate relationships between them and the environment. 

The Tirimbina Biological Reserve also offers a wide variety of other activity options to choose from.

These include biodiversity field studies, night wildlife tours, twilight tours, science & butterfly field studies, bats & seeds field studies, water quality field studies, and a cacao and chocolate tour. Once you’ve finished your activities for the day, it’s a short drive to your overnight stay in Sarapiquí.