Day 1: Fly to the San Jose International airport (SJO). As soon as you step off the aircraft you will be met by one of our representatives, where your itinerary will be explained and any questions you have will be answered. The representative will provide you with a pouch that contains vouchers and information about your trip. You will be privately transported through the mountain town of Heredia outside San Jose to the Hotel Bougainvillea. This hotel is famous in Costa Rica for its gardens and the wildlife that inhabits it. There are lots of hummingbirds, tropical butterflies and much much more. Enjoy the refreshing warm climate of the Costa Rican highlands and the natural surroundings. Relax in comfort at the hotels beautiful bar and restaurant.

Day 2: You will be picked up early in the morning and the drive through Braulio Carrillo National Park, where you have the opportunity to see beautiful views, abundant vegetation and a variety of bird life . On the way you will stop for breakfast at Selva Tropical Restaurant where you can enjoy a butterfly garden with a variety of tropical flowers. After breakfast you will continue our trip to Caño Blanco deck driving by banana plantations. At Caño Blanco, you will board the covered boat to the lodge, passing the Tortuguero canals arriving between 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. You will stay at Pachira Lodge in Tortuguero which is famous for where the Turtles lay their eggs (July -Sept)

Day 3: The Tortuguero National park on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is a great location for seeing a great variety of bird life. You can organise early morning tours through the canal ways and in the Tortuguero National Park. You will see such birds as Tinamou's, Brown and Red Footed Booby's, Brown pelicans, Magnificent Frigate bird, Black-eared Wood-Quail, a variety of eagles and birds of prey, White-throated Crake, Purple Gallinule, Plovers, Oystercatcher, Northern Jacana, San Dippers and Allies and Parakeets, Parrots, and Macaws. There are many of species of birds in Tortuguero and hopefully you will get to see all the ones you want to see. Enjoy the evening and the wonderful tranquility of Tortuguero.

Day 4: You will arise early and maybe able to fit in another bird watching tour before you private transfer up into the mountains of Arenal. You will go through small villages, see outstanding views of valleys and rainforest. The great thing about transfers in Costa Rica is that you are constantly looking around!! You will arrive into Arenal and stay at the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort. The Tabacon Hot Springs are famous world wide for their beauty and location. You can sit in the naturally heated pools and watch as the Arenal Volcano glows in the night sky.

Day 5: Wake up early as the birds and the sun waits for no one. You will embark on an early morning bird watching tour. This excursion starts at 5:45 and lasts between 3 and 4 hours. After enjoying Coffee or any other beverage and some snacks, a guide specialized on bird observation and behavior will join you on the Galeria Nature Trail where species like Manikins, Wood creeper, Tyrants and many others representing several families could be seen. Bird observation will go through pastures, ponds and secondary Forest where species like Toucans, Oropendolas, Tanagers and Hawks could be found. What to bring: binoculars, long pants, hiking boots, insect repellent, sun-block lotion and rain gear, in the tropics occasional rain showers could be present.

Day 6 : Staying at The Tabacon Hot Springs you will be able to see the world famous humming birds. These small birds are abundant in Costa Rica due to the vast amount of sweet tropical flowers on the menu. Did you know that Humming Birds feed every 10 minutes on average throughout the day. Also a humming birds heart beats 1,260 per minute during the day and slows to 50 beats per minute during the night. These little birds flap their wings so fast that you will need a very fast shutter speed to get a great picture of them as you see to the right. These birds are amazing and we are sure you will see many in Costa Rica. You may wish to again do the bird watching tour in the morning like the morning before.

Day 7 : Today after breakfast you will take the quickest route to Monteverde, which is a straight line. However on the way you will have to board a small boat to get across the man made Lake Arenal. Once at the other side you will continue your journey onwards to the Monteverde Cloud Rainforest. Once at the Monteverde Cloud Rainforest you will check into Hotel El Establo.

Day 8: Today is your day to explore the Santa Elena Reserve and the Monteverde Cloud Rainforest. One of the sightings of the day however would have to be the Quetzal that inhabits this area of Costa Rica. Enjoy the freedom of roaming the trails of the rainforest.

Day 9: Today you will be transported to the tropical paradise of Manuel Antonio. On your journey from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio you will hopefully see Toucans, Crocodiles and Policemen. The journey from the mountains to the coast will take you through the rainforest and along the beautiful Pacific Coast. Once you reach Manuel Antonio you will stay at La Mariposa Hotel which has one of the top 5 views of the Pacific Ocean in the world. Enjoy relaxing as your view will never get better than this!!!

Day 10 - 14: Relax in Manuel Antonio and one one day take the Manuel Antonio Birding tour through the Manuel Antonio National Park. Some birds to keep your eyes out for include: tanagers, buff-throated saltators, trogons, euphonias, which is some of the few bird species in Costa Rica.

The total cost of your Costa Rica Holiday will be

from £1,900* per person (double occupancy)

Remember that all holidays are customised, just tell us what you like!!

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*Prices are subject to change without notice and are based on an exchange rate of 1GBP to 1.5USD. . The price you are quoted by our Travel Consultants will be 100% accurate based on the exact time of your inquiry. Price per person, double occupancy accommodation and includes domestic transportation, hotel accommodation, tours and all taxes and charges. International airfare is not included.