Arenal Volcano & Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve - 5 days / 4 nights
Accommodations
The Observatory Lodge is just 1.8 kilometers across a deep valley from the active crater of Arenal Volcano. The location was specifically chosen by the Smithsonian Institute. Adjacent to Arenal Volcano National Park, the site contains 270 acres of primary rain forest with well-marked trails. 
The Fonda Vela is dedicated to the idea of eco-tourism in harmony with nature, The Latin root Fonda means a place of rest or nourishment after a long journey. Vela, or candle, for us represents service and hospitality. To this we add a peaceful atmosphere that is sensitive to the local environment. Tours
Gently bathed in mist from low lying clouds, the Cocora Cloud Forest & Gardens is a mountain rainforest whose trees are densely covered by small plants including mosses, lichens, ferns, bromeliads and orchids and are entire minature ecosytems in themselves.
When you're near Arenal Volcano, don't miss the La Fortuna Waterfall. This impressive 75-meter cascade plummets into a cool pool where you can swim (just don't go directly under the falls).
A visit to Arenal Hanging Bridges consists of traversing 15 bridges from 5 to 100 meters long that cross the rain forest and a 3 km circuit of interpretive trails built with paving blocks to prevent slipping.
The Monteverde Trapiche tour is run by a local family who tries to teach a little more about Costa Rica culture and even though the name of the tour means sugar mill process the tour also demonstrates how coffee is produced and you will learn about other crops grown on the farm.
In Newsweek's 100 Places to Remember Before They Disappear, Monteverde appears as the Americas' #14. It has also been deemed one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica by popular vote, and has been called by National Geographic "the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves".Rates
| Dates | Until Nov 30 / 2012 |
|---|---|
| Rates | $1,200.00 |
| CentralAmerica.Com's SPECIAL |
$1,059.00 |
| Single supplement | $288.00 |
| Children (3-11 yrs) | $247.00 |
For package price with discount airfare use Package Quote Form.
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Itinerary
Day 1: COCORA GARDENS - ARENAL VOLCANO - Your journey will begin by traveling northwest along the Interamerican Highway for an hour or so and then turning off to head north through the town of San Ramon. Here you will take a short break and visit the community's agriculture town market. This market offers a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables, including some that are rarely seen outside the tropics.
After taking a break at the market, you will continue on with a visit to the Cocora Private hummingbird and butterfly gardens en route to Arenal Volcano. Cocora is located in the cloud forest belt at 3000 feet elevation. Lunch at Doña Mara´s house, located In the foothills of the mountain range adjacent to Arenal volcano. After lunch you will continue on to your Arenal area hotel, travelling in the north central lowlands of Costa Rica among plantations of tropical crops and cattle ranches. (L)
Overnight in Arenal at Arenal Observatory Lodge (2 nights) or similar. (2B)
Day 2: FORTUNA WATERFALLS & DANAUS ECOLOGICAL CENTER - In the morning you will visit the Fortuna Waterfalls. Located just 3 miles away from the town of La Fortuna, this beautiful 200 foot-tall waterfall receives its cool clear waters from the pristine forested mountains of Arenal National Park. En route and near the falls one may see parrots, toucans and tropical hummingbirds. The steep trail to the waterfall goes down through dense, lush rain forest and ends at a large pool at the base of the falls. In addition to seeing a majestic waterfall in a beautiful setting, visitors to the falls are helping the local community.
Later you will have lunch at a local organic farm in the town of La Fortuna. At the farm you will see how farming techniques can be practiced in an environmentally sound way. The farm produces more than 60 crop species, including native and introduced plants. With your guide, you will learn about many of the crops and the challenges and benefits of farming organically in the tropics.
After lunch you will have a natural history walk at the Danaus Ecological Center. This small biological reserve east of the town of La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano is a model of conservation. Visitors will see that it is possible to restore a rainforest. This reserve was once open farmland, but has been allowed to revert back to forest which now teems with wildlife. Slow-moving sloths live here, and along the main trail visitors may see a number of the 154 bird species recorded here. (L)
Day 3: ARENAL HANGING BRIDGES; TRANSFER TO MONTEVERDE - Today you will visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges. This is a complex of suspended bridges and trails through a beautiful rain forest. The lush vegetation contains palms, heliconias and tall trees that you will view from ground level to above the tree tops as you meander along the trails and on the bridges. From some of the bridges there are also panoramic views of nearby Arenal Volcano. As you walk through the forest, you may encounter a variety of the forest wildlife, including toucans, motmots, trogons, poison dart frogs, howling monkeys, spider monkeys and white-faced capuchin monkeys.
After your rainforest bridges walk, you will travel up into the mountains on your way to Monteverde. Your journey will bring you through small rural Costa Rican villages passing coffee and dairy farms.
Monteverde is both a community and forest reserve. The world-famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve protects a mountain forest characterized by majestic trees densely covered by thick, wet and heavy "carpets" of epiphytes, including orchids and wild relatives of familiar tropical house plants – philodendrons, ferns and ficus trees.
The beautiful Resplendent Quetzal spends about ½ the year here and the forest is home to hundreds of other bird and mammal species. Overnight in Monteverde at Fonda Vela (2 nights) or similar. (2B)
Day 4: MONTEVERDE RESERVE; SUGAR MILL & COFFEE TOUR - In the morning you will visit the Trapiche ('sugar mill') and coffee farm, that first began operation in 1948. The Monteverde Trapiche is run by a local family, and on your tour you will not only learn about the local process of making sugar, but also about the other most important agricultural products of the region. Your tour will be partly 'hands-on,' and your hosts may invite you to participate in the processing of the sugar cane! You will also have a short walk on the farm and see how tilapia fish are raised, and also learn about the production of coffee (and if in season, pick some). Following your walk, you will then take a ride back to the main building in a traditional farm ox cart! There you will enjoy a refreshment of sugar cane juice or lemonade, eat picadillo de arracache (a typical Costa Rican food) and make candy out of sugar cane (everyone makes their own candy!).
After lunch enjoy a guided visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, entrance fee included. Located in the Tilaran Mountain Range of Puntarenas Province, the Reserve is one of the premier natural history destinations in Costa Rica. Later in the afternoon the forest may be cool and misty from low cloud cover, so bring a light jacket for your walk.
Day 5: TRANSFER TO SAN JOSE (OR BEACH EXTENSION) - Explore the main community of the area, Santa Elena, before going back to San Jose or being transferred to the beach or other destination. You may just want to take advantage of banks and supermarkets or visit the local cheese factory, women's cooperative (CASEM) or one of the many art and craft galleries to purchase some souvenirs or gifts for the folks back home. Local coffee, wood sculptures, embroidered clothing, and paintings by resident artists are just some of the offerings available.
Trip Includes: As specified in the above itinerary, lodging, transportation within Costa Rica, airport/hotel transfers on scheduled arrival/departure dates, meals [B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner], national park entrance fees, guide services, ground operator support within Costa Rica and taxes.
Not Included: International airfare, 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.
