DAY BY DAY ITINERARY:

LETTER CODES: (B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1. WELCOME TO COSTA RICA. Arrival to the International Airport Juan Santamaría. Transfer to Hotel Sleep Inn or similar and check in.

Optional and depending on arrival time: City Tour: Visiting: San Jose, University of Costa Rica, San Pedro, Principal buildings as National Museum, National Teather, Congress, Yellow House, Plaza de la Cultura, Gold Museum, etc. Residential areas and principal Malls. Evening, stop at El Pueblo, one of the most famous entertainment centers of San Jose. Dinner on your own.

Day 2. POAS VOLCANO, LA PAZ WATERFALLS & SARAPIQUI TOUR (B, L, D). Breakfast at the hotel and departure to the tour to Poas Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Enjoy the contrasts of urban and rural areas, as we drive to the Poas Volcano National Park and continue up the mountains toward San Pedro de Poas. The good climate and fertile soils make this area very productive. Dairy farming, coffee, sugar cane, vegetables, all can be seen during this tour. Poas Volcano National Park is considered the largest geyser in the world, due to its explosive, geyser-like eruptions, which it frequently displays at irregular intervals. This park offers more than just the spectacular volcanic activity. The visitor will be struck by the intense green colours of the foliage and the great variety of wild flowers. The most conspicuous plant in the park is the poor man's umbrella, whose leaves grow up to 2 meters in diameter.
On a clear day you will see the lagoon at the bottom of the crater, whose muddy waters changes colours depending on the volcanic activity. After enjoying the attractions of this park, we will take the road to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This complex is an excellent educational center where you will learn about butterflies, Orchids, frogs, snakes and hummingbirds. Five magnificent waterfalls with nine observation platforms allow the visitors a close up view of the falls and the spectacular La Paz River.
Waterfall Gardens is proud to have the largest Butterfly Observatory in the world. The enclosed structure allows butterflies to soar freely while guests walk amid the natural habitat. An on site laboratory is a breeding ground for the eleven fluttering species. In the Hummingbird garden, our feathered friends will delight and fascinate you with their antics as they play and fight with each other at amazing speeds. These normally skittish creatures have become so tame; they will feed within a few feet of you. After exploring Waterfall Gardens , you will enjoy a delicious buffet style lunch at the terrace dinning room. After lunch, drive to Sarapiqui upon arrival to La Tirimbina Rainforest Center.

Day 3. CHOCOLATE TOUR & WHITEWATER RAFTING. (B, L, D). In this three-hour activity the students will discover the marvels of one of the favorite foods of humankind - chocolate. A plant originating in Mesoamerica with an extraordinarily rich history, cacao, or chocolate, was one of the most important products of the Maya and Aztec, as well as other Central American cultures. The tour includes a guided hike across the Tirimbina suspension bridge to a cacao plantation, as well as to a forested section where you will observe forest species of cacao and how the product originally developed there. During the hike, the natural and cultural history of the cacao tree is explained. Onsite, you will learn about the process by which cacao is processed into chocolate (harvesting, fermentation, drying, milling). There also you may taste different types of chocolate, made from organic chocolate grown by the Association of Amazilla Women of the Caribbean , a group of rural women from Pueblo Nuevo de Guacimo dedicated to the production of organic chocolate.
Lunch at La Tirimbina Reserva and during the afternoon, whitewater rafting tour. Sarapiquí River is a great choice for a first rafting trip in Costa Rica. Classified as Class III, this river has a lush vegetation where is easy to find many wildlife species as toucans, egrets, anhingas, trogons, parrots and monkeys.

Evening: BAT TOUR: Did you know that bats represent 50% (110 species) of Costa Rican mammals?  We invite you to enhance your education, dispel myths you may have heard about these wonderful mammals, and enjoy this adventure into the world of the bats. Tirimbina Rainforest Center will provide a multi-media presentation on the history of bats, their classification system, diversity, adaptations, reproduction methods, threats, and more.  And for the most popular part of the Bat Tour, a trained guide will provide visitors a safe opportunity to touch, feed and release safely captured bats. Visitors can also take a short guided walk (15–30 min.) to see the mist nets used to gently catch these creatures.  The bats are kept for less than 2 hours and the professional methods used assure the well-being of the animals. 

Day 4. COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM & ARENAL VOLCANO. (B, L, D). Breakfast at the lodge and during the morning, special Community Service Program at the local school Calle La Lucha. Greenway Tours adopted this school in February 2006 and since this time we had been helping this public educational center to improve their educational programs and infrastructure. With the different group’s supports, the school has now better conditions and we are identifying new necessities to be covered as the student’s dining room and library. During the visit to the school, your students will have the opportunity to learn about a typical rural school in Costa Rica and promote an intercultural experience. Different activities will be run during this day such a reforestation program, school painting, English classes, etc, etc. The activities will be identified before the group arrival.

Lunch and transfer to the next destination. Arenal volcano. Two hours bus ride will take us into the mountains of this fascinating region where the main attractions are the active volcano and the largest lake in Costa Rica. Upon arrival, check in at Hotel La Pradera or San Bosco in La Fortuna town.

Afternoon: Visit to Baldi Hot Springs where we can take a dip in the warm waters heated from within the volcano and have a great time in this unforgettable paradise. After dark and from this enchanted spot, with a little god luck, you will have the opportunity to see the volcano activity and the red incandescent lava flowing down from the top of the crater to the adjacent areas. Buffet dinner included.

Day 5. VOLCANO HIKE & ARENAL´S LAKE BOAT CRUISE. (B, L, D). After breakfast, boat tour in the Arenal`s Lake for admire the impressive volcano and wildlife & nature. After this, nature walk to the former lava flows into the National Park. Afternoon, visit to La Fortuna town and free time for explore the area on your own and learn about the Costa Rican traditions in a small countryside town.

Day 6. MONTEVERDE CLOUD FOREST (B, L, D) Say farewell to Arenal and departure to Monteverde Cloud Forest. Upon arrival, check in at Tropical Science Center Lodge. The Lodge is located at the entrance of the world famous Monteverde Reserve. During the afternoon, Cloud forest nature walk and before dinner, special lecture about the history of Monteverde and its importance as a world class research center.

Day 7. MONTEVERDE CLOUD FOREST – SAN JOSE. (B, L, D). During the morning, visit to Santa Elena Town and tour to El Trapiche (Sugar Mill Tour). El Trapiche Tour is a Costa Rican Family project that offers visitors a two hour long guided tour. 

We begin with a walk on our farm where our guests will learn about the production of sugarcane, coffee, and the traditional ways of cultivating bananas, arracache (a local legume), avocado, macadamia nuts as well as other products.  Also one can observe our Tilapia fish project and a small-forested area where it is possible to see various flora and fauna of the Monteverde zone.

During the tour of the farm, our visitors will have the opportunity to collect coffee, transport it to the grinding machines and see how the delicious Monteverde coffee is made.  Also on our farm there are oxen with a traditional cart waiting to transport visitors to the sugarcane mill where we will demonstrate the process of making brown sugar and all the other types of products made from sugarcane.  One can also enjoy a representation of the extraction of guaro, a Costa Rican alcohol made from sugarcane.  To end this eventful tour our guests can enjoy “picadillo de arracache”, a traditional vegetable hash, accompanied by a cup of coffee or lemonade. After lunch, return to San Jose City and check in at Hotel Sleep Inn or similar. Farewell dinner.

Day 8. TRANSFER OUT (B). Transfer to the International Airport according with your scheduled flight and good bye.

NOTE: Rates based on Triple & Quad occupancy for the students and double rooms for the teachers. No single rooms available unless a single supplement is paid.

CHAPERONES:  One free ticket for every 15 students.                  MINIMUM: 15 students.

INCLUDE: 7 nights lodging in high quality Hotels, all land transportation within Costa Rica, all airport/ hotel transfers on scheduled arrival/ departures dates only, specified meals, specified tours, private transportation and naturalist tour guide.

NOT INCLUDED: International air fare, airport departure taxes, meals not specified in the itinerary, alcoholic beverages, personal equipment, extras in hotels (laundry, phone calls, room service), gratuities, or costs associated with changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control.

DEPARTURE DATES: All our options are available all year around and we just need your travel dates in order to check the hotel's availability and arrange it.

HOW BIG ARE THE GROUPS: Our vacations are operated in an independent basis and you will not travel as part of a group unless you are part of a group. However, during the transfers and Daily Tours you will travel with other tourist we might have for that particular activity or service.

HOW TO RESERVE THIS PACKAGE: Please send an email to info@greenwaytours.com with as much as information you can about your desired vacation, number of participants, arrival dates, name of the package you are interested on and any other special requirements. Once you receive our confirmation form, a 20% deposit is due. Full payment due 60 days prior to departure.

CAN I CUSTOMIZE A PACKAGE: Yes, you can use our packages as a base and make any change on it. We are very flexible. If these packages do not fit on your desired vacation, just send an email to us and we can prepare a new option for you.

AIRFARE IS NOT INCLUDED: All our options includes the Land Portion only. Airfare must be on your own and indicate your arrival and departure dates to us in order to arrange the hotel's bookings.

HOTEL CATEGORIES: All the hotels used by Greenway Tours had been selected considering the best standards of quality and service. Our Hotels are between 3 and 5 stars. All inspected by our company's owners and managers in order to guarantee an excellent service. At least 50% of our lodging contractors had been certified as Green Companies by the Costa Rican Tourist Board ( Certification in Sustainable Tourism CST ).

AIRPORT TRANSFERS: All our packages includes Airport - Hotel - Airport Transfers with a professional bilingual tour guide upon your flight arrival.

VOUCHERS & WECOME KIT: During the transfer service to your hotel, our tour guide will provide general information about your tour and give you a welcome kit with all the vouchers and documents you will need for your trip.

DURATION: 8 Days - 7 Nights.