Costa Rica Signature: Arenal & Manuel Antonio

Welcome to Costa Rica!

Costa Rica is certainly known for the friendliness of its people, its environmental concerns and its all-year-round good weather. However, there is much more to entice you to travel to go on a Costa Rica vacation. Above all are the diversity of places to visit and the wide choice of activities.

The country’s name means “Rich Coast” due to the vast quantities of jewels and gold found by the Spanish when they first discovered Costa Rica. It is bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea with excellent beaches on each coast with 1300 kilometres/800 miles of coastline in total. It has a reputation for its well-established systems for environmental sustainability programmes. In fact, 25% of the country consists of protected areas and national parks. Costa Rica has become the poster child for ecotourism.

After clearing Immigration and Customs formalities you will be transfered to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure to relax or explore San José at your own pace.

This morning it's a scenic drive to the area of Vara Blanca for your first stop. The La Paz Waterfall Gardens, located around a 1-hour drive from San Jose, are stunningly beautiful. Walk down trails that lead to a series of spectacular waterfalls in the middle of the rainforest. During your visit, you can also enjoy the hummingbird gallery, the reptile house, the birdhouse, the butterfly garden, and the frog exhibit. After some time in nature, you'll have lunch here (included), and continue your travels to Arenal area.

Discover the beauty of Lake Arenal and the National Park on this full-day tour. The tour begins with a 20-minute drive from your hotel to the Peninsula section of the National Park, near Lake Arenal. Here you will begin a 1.5 km (roughly 1 mile) long walk along an easy trail for about an hour.

Throughout the tour, you can enjoy excellent views overlooking Lake Arenal and the Tilaran Volcanic Mountain Range from the bays that are found along the trail. At the end of the walk, you will have the opportunity to climb to an observation platform approximately 12 meters (40 ft) high for an amazing view of the volcano and receive a full explanation of its history, activity cycles, and geological formation. At the end of the trail, you will enjoy a snack of fresh fruit before boarding a boat for a tour along the forested shores of Lake Arenal and islets to try and spot some wildlife. This is the ideal place to take scenic photographs of the volcano if it is clear.

You will cross the lake and soon reach the town of El Castillo, a small developing community where a family business will welcome you with open arms to share a snack of traditional food accompanied by typical drinks; café chorreado, agua dulce, or natural juice, all while enjoying the view of Lake Arenal.

After this relaxing break, you will take the boat again to navigate the lake to the pier where a minibus will be waiting to return you to the hotel.

After a private transfer to the Sky Tram & Sky Trek grounds, the tour begins with the Sky Tram, a delightful activity for people of all ages. Before leaving the main building to start the tour, you will be given the necessary equipment (harness, helmet, gloves), which the guides will be responsible for adjusting correctly. You will then participate in a brief safety talk regarding the proper way to fasten the cables and to use the braking system. From there, the gondolas of the Sky Tram rise delicately above the rainforest, offering beautiful landscapes during the journey. The walk starts at the reception and ends at the highest point of the reserve, on a lookout with an excellent view of the forest, the volcano, and the lake. The gondola ride lasts approximately 20 minutes during which a local guide will explain the vegetation and fauna of the forest canopy. Then, the Sky Trek will take you back to the starting point. From this area, you will begin to slide on a track of zip lines that extend through canyons in the middle of the treetops. So begins the exciting adventure in zip lines descending the mountains and returning to the starting point in the main building. You will be able to experience and observe the rainforest from a bird's eye view, admiring the wildlife from the heights. This adventure includes eight cables with a distance of almost 3 km (2 miles) in length, all while enjoying panoramic views of the forest, lake and Arenal Volcano.

Following breakfast you will be transfered to Manuel Antonio.

Located on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica in the Central Pacific Conservation Area is Manuel Antonio, National Park. Despite being small in size, covering just 1,983 hectares, the park is home to a wide variety of wildlife and biodiversity to be seen on a Costa Rica vacation.

The park was created in 1972 because the local population wanted to preserve the forests of one of the most beautiful and diverse areas in the world. Manuel Antonio became Costa Rica’s first ecotourism destination supporting a combination of rainforest, beaches and coral reefs. It provides a habitat for over 100 mammal species and more than 180 bird species. Dolphins are common off the coast, fishing is excellent and at times, migrating whales can be spotted.

Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most famous in the country, thanks to its wide variety of flora and fauna. Home to three of the four species of monkeys in Costa Rica, the park has three different paths that vary in difficulty, from flat to very steep. The path that is covered during this tour is flat and easily accessible, and is approximately 3 km (~2 miles) long. A naturalist guide who knows the area well will escort you during the walk, explaining the different animals and plants that can be observed on the tour. Upon reaching the third beach, a 20-minute break will be taken to rest, sunbathe or take a dip in the sea if you wish. During the tour you can observe monkeys, sloths, birds, and reptiles, as well as admiring orchids, butterflies, and tropical trees. The guides are equipped with Pentax and Swarovski telescopes for a better wildlife observation or for taking pictures with a different perspective. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

A full day to enjoy this beautiful part of Costa Rica at your own pace.

Following breakfast, you are transfered to the airport for your onward flight.

If you have more time, a Goway Destination Specalist will be please to customize an itinerary for you.