This morning you’ll enjoy something very special indeed. Starting with a morning visit to a local coffee farm. You’ll be taken on a tour of the farm, where they grow all sorts of local produce, not just coffee. You’ll learn all about the fruits and vegetables from your fantastic guide, before heading to the production area to watch the team as they process the coffee beans. You’ll have the opportunity to sample the delicious drink before heading off to your next stop – Doña Elida’s home. After being welcomed into the family home nestled on the hillside, it won’t be long before Doña Elida puts you to work as her sous chefs. She’ll teach you how Costa Rican food is prepared using the traditional ways in her wood stove, even sharing her secret recipe for making “gallo pinto”, Costa Rica’s national dish. Once the hard work is done, you’ll sit down around the kitchen table with Doña Elida, sharing a deliciously local lunch that you’ve helped to cook. It doesn’t get much more authentically local than this. 

Today you’ll journey from the Central Valley, well beyond the traditional tourist path to Boca Tapada. As the miles tick by, the view out the window will get more and more rural, and the road more bumpy! Boca Tapada is an area that true eco-travellers embrace for its natural beauty and tranquillity. And Maquenque Eco Lodge, where you’ll stay for the next three nights, is the perfect place to fully immerse yourself in the magic of Costa Rica, its wildlife and its culture. The experience starts when you leave the car behind, and have to use a small phone box to call for the boat to pick you up from the river bank. The beaming staff will be ready and waiting at the other side to check you into your very own treehouse high in the trees.

There are few wake-ups as special as the one where you wake up in a treehouse on your first morning. The sun glinting through the curtains. The sounds of bird calls hanging in the air. Mischievous monkeys playing (noisily) as they swing from tree to tree. It’s impossible not to be excited about the day ahead when this is your alarm clock. Today’s wildlife adventure will take you downstream on the San Carlos River. The guides at Maquenque are as entertaining as they are knowledgeable, so you can trust them to spot the crocodiles, tortoises, bats, herons, kingfishers and king vultures that call the banks of the river home. You’ll make a stop at the remote village of Boca San Carlos town, where you’ll have the chance to grab a refreshing drink, meet the locals and learn a little more about life in this hidden corner of Costa Rica that so often goes unexplored. 

For your last day at magical Macquenque Eco Lodge, there’s so much you could do. Start your day with a delicious local breakfast whilst countless birds swoop in to feed on the natural bird feeder on the lake. Then head off on a guided rainforest hike that's included in your stay. The rainforests surrounding the lodge are absolutely packed with wildlife, but colourful frogs and harder-to-spot creatures are tricky to spot unless you know what you’re doing. That’s where the brilliant local guides come in – you’ll learn a huge amount. Next up, pay a visit to a local school to further immerse yourself in the lifestyle lived in this remote region and know that you’re directly contributing to it. You’ll also have the opportunity to support sustainable tourism by planting a tree in the rainforest – a lovely way to leave a lasting gift in such a special part of the world.  For the rest of the afternoon, you might choose to drift around the lake on a canoe or visit the lodge’s farm for a brilliant chocolate and coffee tour. 

It’s time to hop in the car and be driven to Arenal, the heart of Costa Rica’s adventurous side, today. If the weather is clear, you’ll be welcomed by the impressive spectacle of Arenal volcano and its perfectly conical peak. There are countless opportunities to ignite your adrenaline, explore the unique landscapes and unwind in the town of La Fortuna and nearby. You’ll find tropical forests peppered with hanging bridges just asking to be explored, canopy zip lines to bring out your inner Tarzan, hiking trails across lava fields, and horseback riding routes to tumbling waterfalls. And that’s just the start. When there are so many options to choose from, it’s best to pick up the phone. We’ll be sure to suggest some of the best options for you. 

Today you’ll get the chance to meet another very important local of Costa Rica, the snoozy and adorable sloth. Arenal Volcano's forest is home to many sloths, who have made their home in the trees and are well known to the brilliant guides who visit daily. Your guide will pick you up and you’ll head out together, exploring the forests on foot with your eyes to the treetops. The guides know the sloths so well – their names, their characters and their favourite spots to relax. You’ll come away knowing so much more about these Costa Rican residents – a lot of which might just surprise you. Today’s not just about the sloths though, on the way you might be lucky enough to spot monkeys, leaf cutter ants and poison dart frogs.

More insider insights into the lifestyle of traditional Costa Rican families awaits you today with a visit to La Tigra Agro-ecological farm. This is a brilliant day where you’ll be welcome into the heart of the home and given the chance to learn firsthand about their customs, culture, and traditions. Always eco-conscious, you’ll also learn about the efforts the family goes to to ensure they’re sustainably maintaining their property. It’s an informative and eye-opening day that’ll get you even closer under the skin of the country and its incredible people. 

Transfer to Monteverde today, Costa Rica’s most famous cloud forest. It’s a popular place to visit and definitely falls into the ‘highlights’ category – but for good reason. There are so many activities to enjoy and unique ways to explore this new ecosystem, whether that be on foot or while flying above the clouds on a zipline. After checking into your hotel and once the sun goes down, you’ll venture into the rainforests after dark for a guided night walk. From red-eyed leaf frogs to hairy tarantulas tucked away in their spider holes, Costa Rica’s nocturnal wonders are worth exploring. 

More sloth adventures await you today with a guided tour around Selvatura Park sloth sanctuary. Exploring the centre with your sloth expert guide will give you the chance to observe plenty of the hairy residents as they slowly move among the trees and foliage around the sanctuary. The sloths here are all rescued for various reasons, and Selvatura Park cares for them until they’re ready to be reintroduced back into their natural habitat – where they belong. Your visit will be directly supporting environmental conservation and education in the region, and we know it’ll be a highlight of your Costa Rica holiday. 

Your final days in Costa Rica will be spent in Manuel Antonio. With lush rainforests to one side and white sand beaches to the other, it’s the perfect place to soak up all of the Pura Vida magic you can before it’s time to fly home. Take a walk through Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the most biodiverse in the country and home to more than 100 species of mammals and 180 species of birds. Don’t forget to look up! You might just be lucky enough to spot the elusive great green macaw flying through the skies or resting on a branch. The wildlife isn’t just restricted to the national park, though; you simply have to stick your head out of your balcony door for the chance to spot playful white-faced capuchin monkeys flying through the trees, or even a sloth hanging lazily in the hotel trees. 

It’s your last full day in Costa Rica today, so we’ll make sure it’s an unforgettable one. There are plenty of activities to enjoy in the area. Nearby Playa Manuel Antonio and its soft white sands are the perfect place to indulge in a little swimming and snorkelling, or simply a few hours of soaking up the sunshine. We recommend the Damas Islands mangrove kayaking tour for a chance to meet more wonderful locals and explore another kind of ecosystem that thrives in this brilliant country. If you fancy leaving dry land behind you, why not head off on a whale watching tour to encounter some of the wild residents that live off Costa Rica’s shores? However you fill your day today, be sure to leave plenty of time for a sunset sundowner at your hotel – a holiday this wonderful deserves to be toasted.

It’s time to say goodbye to the wonderful people and wildlife of Costa Rica and head back to the airport in San Jose today. We hope you’ll be boarding your flight full of smiles, memories and a real insight into the communities, people and cultures that make this country the special place it is. Pura Vida!