Pure nature, authentic Costa Rica in 8 days

Experience the real Costa Rica off the beaten track

On this 8-day tour through adventurous Costa Rica you will experience people who represent the real Costa Rica. Some of the beautiful landscapes you will also be hiking by yourself. 

Farm holidays ‘a la Tica’. We don't work with professionals here, but with ordinary people who own a mini accommodation and want to bring their country closer to the visitor. And they do this brilliantly.

Experience the real Costa Rica on the 8-day/7-night Eco Tour North Costa Rica. This is a very special & individual tour.

Here you get to know the authentic, the real Costa Rica from the inside. A non-commercial organisation that has been active for 23 years and helps to offer young people in rural areas a perspective is helping us to organise this extraordinary trip. The whole thing is based on eco-tourism. A hackneyed word, but one that is rightly used here. With the help of the authentic owners and their families, you experience a very personal holiday and get to areas that the ‘normal tourist’ cannot reach.

We support this commendable project and are also happy to put together completely customised packages. The mini trip presented here is just one good combination. However, we can also offer this tour in other combinations and also in conjunction with one of our round trips. The route is best travelled by hire car, but we can also organise transfers. On request, we can also organise a combination with public buses.

Day 1 + 2: San José (Santa Ana, Central Valley) - Sarapiquí - Braulio Carrillo National Park (B, -, D)

Drive from San José, from Guápiles or our Posada Nena in Santa Ana to Horquetas, close to Sarapiqui, but already on the edge of the evergreen rainforest. Normally it makes sense to plan this tour after the tour to Tortuguero and possibly after the Caribbean. You meet your guide in or near Horquetas and head deep into the rainforest to the Yatama Ecolodge. It couldn't be more original. The lodge is located in the lower altitudes of the Braulio Carrillo National Park and is an animal paradise and a haven for exciting adventures. Breakfast and dinner are included in the stay, as well as an exciting activity. This is usually a night hike on the first day and a tour into the rainforest on the second day - which can be very strenuous if desired - possibly even into the national park. Adventure guaranteed!

Day 3+4: Braulio Carrillo National Park (B, L, D)

That may sound boring now. We stay in the same region and the same national park. In my opinion, this is the most spectacular national park in the whole of Costa Rica. That's right - Braulio Carrillo, not Corcovado. There is a huge amount of nature here and 5 different vegetation zones - unique in the world. And the park is huge and hardly explored - a retreat for many animals. Here, at San Miguel near Sarapiquí, you are at an altitude of around 700 metres and find completely different vegetation than on the eastern side of the national park.

The Albergue el Socorro is a typical Costa Rican accommodation where you can truly experience the hospitality of a family. Just a few kilometres on foot from the Braulio Carrillo National Park and connected to it by primary and secondary forests, el Socorro offers nature and adventure in a family environment.

Here you are lovingly welcomed and looked after by José and his family. The lodge consists of 5 simple, detached bungalows situated on a green hill surrounded by rainforest. An ideal place to relax, watch birds and other animals and enjoy the real nature undisturbed.

All meals are of excellent quality and individual tours of the adventurous neighbourhood are included.

On request, José will organise an extremely adventurous hike to a nearby waterfall - his own paradise! For those who don't like it so intense, he has many other tours and hikes in his programme - it never gets boring. Young people can help out on the farm, and some of the tours lead to spectacular viewpoints and into unspoilt primeval forests. Here, nature is still 100% nature.

Day 5: El Socorro-  Rio Celeste (B, -,-)

After a hearty breakfast, another exciting tour in el Socorro is available on request. Animals, nature and waterfalls - the area has so much to offer! Exciting and natural.

In the late morning, the tour continues to Rio Celeste. The Tenorio Volcano National Park is located between the cantons of Guatuso and Upala de Alajuela, Bagaces and Tilarán de Guanacaste. The national park is located within the volcanic mountain range of Guanacaste. This area is divided into eight different life zones in which a variety of ecosystems, natural environments and species exist.

Overnight stay in Posada Rural Rio Celeste

Day 6: Rio Celeste- La Fortuna (B, -, -)

After a hearty breakfast, you must of course experience the national park (not included). The 3.5 kilometre hike through the Tenorio Volcano National Park is quite challenging and leads to the following attractions::

• The Rio Celeste waterfall with a height of 30 meters.
• A viewpoint with panoramic views over the Tenorio volcano massif and Montezuma
• The Blue Lagoon
• The “ Teñideros ”, where, weather permitting, you can observe the exciting phenomenon of the blue coloring of the water.

Overnight stay and dinner in Posada Rural Rio Celeste

Day 7: La Fortuna (B, -, -)

After breakfast, the wildlife-rich tour to the Rio Peñas blancas starts from the lodge.

We travel along a calmly flowing river through the rainforest, with constant opportunities to spot interesting animals. The trained eye of the guide helps here, as the sloth, for example, adapts very well to its surroundings and moves so slowly that we simply don't normally notice such an animal.

Caimans, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, many bird species and 3 different species of monkey are also very likely to be seen. The nature is absolutely stunning. During a stop at a farm in the middle of the jungle, you can experience life in Costa Rica over 70 years ago - a small snack is served here.

Day 8: La Fortuna (B, -, -)

Our eco-tour programme ends here. We are happy to book extra days at the lodge; the area around la Fortuna offers many more adventures. Of course there are many possibilities to continue the tour. We are happy to organise transfers and further accommodation.
Costs: The round trip described here for 8 days and 7 nights costs US$ 800 per person in a double room.
The eco-tour described here is only a suggestion - start in Guápiles after the tour to Tortuguero or in the Central Valley, end in la Fortuna. We can customise this tour or use or supplement parts of it!