Iconic Costa Rica

Ziplining, Canyoning, and Rafting the Pacuare River

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Overview

This Costa Rica adventure is iconic for many reasons! Not only will you partake in some of Costa Rica’s classic activities – ziplining, river rafting, snorkeling, hiking, and wildlife viewing – you’ll also surround yourself with some of the country’s classic landscapes – jungle, ocean, volcano, beach, and rainforest. From the flanks of Arenal Volcano to the Pacific shores of the Osa Peninsula, and the whitewater of the Pacuare River to the city of San Jose, this journey offers up the essence of Costa Rica from start to finish!

The iconic Arenal Volcano stands imposing and symmetrical, surrounded by rainforest. You’ll explore the area by day with hanging bridges, ziplining, and a tram ride to a vantage point where you can take in the big picture. In the evening, enjoy local restaurants and soaking in one of the local aguas termales – hot springs. Day and night – keep an eye out for wildlife! Fly and boat to your next destination in Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula – one of the lesser-visited areas of the country. Drake Bay features the Pacific Ocean, white-sand beaches, an island accessed by boat for snorkeling, and the thick, wildlife-rich jungle that is Corcovado National Park. Two overnights in San Jose offer the opportunity to visit nearby Poas Volcano National Park and spend a full day rafting the classic, famed Pacuare River on a fully guided river trip.

Costa Rica is captivating for so many reasons – many of which, you’ll experience first-hand!

Price From*

$6,525 USD
Trip Type

Custom-Made Travel
Best Months for Travel

January, February, March, September, October, November, December
Duration

9 days / 8 nights
Trip begins/ends
Arenal. Costa Rica / San Jose, Costa Rica

*Price per person based on sample itinerary detailed. Pricing will vary depending upon number of travelers, rooming configuration, and other planning details specific to your trip.

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How Can We Customize This Sample Itinerary For You?

If this sample itinerary looks intriguing, let us know and we can begin the process of tailoring it for you and yours! Call or email us today: [email protected].

Trip Details

Trip Highlights

Costa Rica zip-lining through the rainforest

What’s Included? Everything you need, plus everything you want.

Wet & wild: Challenge yourself as you rappel remote, tropical waterfalls through beautiful canyons. This activity is always a highlight of the trip for the entire family! A few days later, you’ll be doused yet again on the world-famous rapids of the Pacuare River.
Old Smokey: You’ll visit two stunning and active volcanoes on this journey, both of which have a tendency to huff and puff steam and vapor from their craters.
Welcome to the jungle: From your beachside bungalow, you’ll explore one of Earth’s most biologically diverse ecosystems, with the chance to view rare wildlife in the ocean, in the rivers, in the canopy and on the forest floor.

The Essentials

Iconic Costa Rica

Trip Type: Custom-Made Travel

Territory: Central America

Region: Costa Rica

Trip Price: $6,525

Duration: 9 days/8 nights

Trip Begins/Ends: Arenal. Costa Rica / San Jose, Costa Rica

National Parklands: Corcovado NP;Poas Volcano NP

Select Terms & Conditions

All custom travel is tailored to the desires and interests of our traveling clients (see How Custom Travel Works tab). Trip pricing detailed is an estimate of the per person pricing for the sample itinerary detailed and includes all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences described. Actual pricing for the trip designed expressly for you and others traveling with you will depend on the features and elements developed during the trip planning process. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.

Energy Index

No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking per day, plus easy activities

Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration

High Five! – 5-10 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun

Iconic Costa Rica

The Energy Index detailed above relates to the level of exertion associated with the sample trip detailed. This would be modified to fit the style and ability of your group as a part of the custom trip planning process

Make It Private

How custom-made travel works at Off the Beaten Path

We’ve been tailoring custom journeys for clients since our very inception in the mid-1980s! The process is all about connecting the interests of the travelers with the best that a given destination has to offer. To achieve this, we rely upon good ol’ fashioned conversation! Our geographically focused travel designer love to meet new people and learn about their interests for travel. Understanding your goals informs the process immensely and serves as the foundation for the development of a bespoke travel experience for you and yours.

The trip detailed on this web page is a sample of something we’ve done for other clients over the years. In order to start the process of designing your own custom travel experience, just call us at (800) 445-2995 and ask to speak with one of our Travel Advisors. After a bit of time on the phone, you will then have the opportunity to connect with one of our travel designers.

The entire planning process is very personalized and works in an iterative fashion until a final, perfect trip has been created. We then secure all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences associated with your trip and send along abundant trip materials capturing these details – and much more about your travels!

Trip Highlights
The Essentials
Energy Index
How Custom Travel Works

What’s Included? Everything you need, plus everything you want.

Wet & wild: Challenge yourself as you rappel remote, tropical waterfalls through beautiful canyons. This activity is always a highlight of the trip for the entire family! A few days later, you’ll be doused yet again on the world-famous rapids of the Pacuare River.
Old Smokey: You’ll visit two stunning and active volcanoes on this journey, both of which have a tendency to huff and puff steam and vapor from their craters.
Welcome to the jungle: From your beachside bungalow, you’ll explore one of Earth’s most biologically diverse ecosystems, with the chance to view rare wildlife in the ocean, in the rivers, in the canopy and on the forest floor.

Iconic Costa Rica

Trip Type: Custom-Made Travel

Territory: Central America

Region: Costa Rica

Trip Price: $6,525

Duration: 9 days/8 nights

Trip Begins/Ends: Arenal. Costa Rica / San Jose, Costa Rica

National Parklands: Corcovado NP;Poas Volcano NP

Select Terms & Conditions

All custom travel is tailored to the desires and interests of our traveling clients (see How Custom Travel Works tab). Trip pricing detailed is an estimate of the per person pricing for the sample itinerary detailed and includes all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences described. Actual pricing for the trip designed expressly for you and others traveling with you will depend on the features and elements developed during the trip planning process. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.

Energy Index

No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking per day, plus easy activities

Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration

High Five! – 5-10 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun

Iconic Costa Rica

The Energy Index detailed above relates to the level of exertion associated with the sample trip detailed. This would be modified to fit the style and ability of your group as a part of the custom trip planning process

How custom-made travel works at Off the Beaten Path

We’ve been tailoring custom journeys for clients since our very inception in the mid-1980s! The process is all about connecting the interests of the travelers with the best that a given destination has to offer. To achieve this, we rely upon good ol’ fashioned conversation! Our geographically focused travel designer love to meet new people and learn about their interests for travel. Understanding your goals informs the process immensely and serves as the foundation for the development of a bespoke travel experience for you and yours.

The trip detailed on this web page is a sample of something we’ve done for other clients over the years. In order to start the process of designing your own custom travel experience, just call us at (800) 445-2995 and ask to speak with one of our Travel Advisors. After a bit of time on the phone, you will then have the opportunity to connect with one of our travel designers.

The entire planning process is very personalized and works in an iterative fashion until a final, perfect trip has been created. We then secure all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences associated with your trip and send along abundant trip materials capturing these details – and much more about your travels!

Itinerary

Days 1-2: Arenal

Arrive in San Jose, meet your local driver, and head straight for the flanks of Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica’s youngest and most active volcano. Upon arrival, head straight for the Arenal Hanging Bridges, acquainting yourselves with the rainforest, and possibilities for spotting wildlife, from monkeys to birds to leafcutter ants! On your full day, enjoy thrills and beauty with a Sky Walk over hanging bridges, a Sky Trek, zip lining through the rainforest, and the Sky Tram, taking you up 3,200 feet over the forest to spectacular views at the top. Arenal offers an array of accommodations to suit your tastes – small inns, activity-rich resorts, and hot springs lodges, with varying locations and volcano views.

Day 3: Arenal and San Jose

Spend the day in Arenal or make your way to San Jose – your call! Your accommodations are within easy distance from Poas Volcano National Park, and we highly recommend a visit to hike around the craters, through the forest, or to Botos Lake. Spend the night in a villa at Xandari Resort and Spa, set on a 40-acre plantation at 3,900 feet. Enjoy the grounds and exquisite dining.

Days 4-6: Drake Bay, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Rise and shine and board a flight to Palmar Sur, where you’ll board a boat to follow the Sierpe River to your next destination, Drake Bay. Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge sits on the shores of the Pacific with the beach out the front door and Corcovado National Park in back. This remote destination offers a plethora of opportunities and activities, from early morning birdwatching walks to a boat cruise to Cano Island Biological Reserve for the area’s best snorkeling, and hiking through the jungles of Corcovado National Park. Casa Corcovado sits on a 170-acre private reserve, and provides private bungalow accommodations, family-style dining, a spring-fed swimming pool, and loads of activities, from horseback riding to sport fishing to kayaking.

Days 7-8: San Jose and the Pacuare River

Return to San Jose on a boat going upstream to the airport and a quick flight. If you didn’t make your way to Poas Volcano National Park during your last stay, then you’ll have another opportunity today. Your full day will be – full! Wake, sip your coffee, then head for Costa Rica’s famed Pacuare River, known for offering one of the best river trips in Latin America! You’ll be outfitted and given a safety talk, then will join expert guides and fellow passengers for a very exciting river trip through the jungle.

Day 9: Fly Home from San Jose

Today, you bid farewell to the volcanoes, wildlife, ocean, rainforests, and extraordinary people of Costa Rica. Hang on to your “Pura Vida” for as long as possible!

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Lodging

Xandari Resort and Spa

This resort is a tropical paradise of 24 individual villas nestled on a 40-acre plantation overlooking the Central Valley. Elegant accommodations, stunning views, and unmatched convenience make Xandari the ideal choice near San Jose.

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

This excellent property boasts a prime location on the edge of Corcovado National Park, offering luxury accommodation, first-class service, exciting activities and the opportunity to unwind in one of the world’s most biodiverse locales. Set above a palm-fringed beach in tropical gardens and surrounded by 170 acres of pristine rainforest, this much-loved destination is the ultimate combination of luxurious comfort and adventure. The lodge was built in harmony with the landscape and environment in order to maximize enjoyment of the natural beauty of the Corcovado area. Each of the bungalow accommodations is spaced throughout the property for ideal peace and privacy.

Royal Corin Hotel

The Royal Corin Resort & Loto Spa has 54 rooms with an elegant design and a quiet atmosphere in harmony with the natural wealth of the area surrounding the majestic Arenal Volcano. Each room has a fantastic view of the volcano due to the excellent architectural design of each of the five stories. The Royal Corin offers excellent facilities for relaxation and recreation, with a wonderful on-site thermal hot springs facility, a fabulous restaurant, and a pampering spa.