Shores of Enchantment - Wild and Remote
14 Days, 13 Nights
Experience an adventurous way to enjoy the remote and less traveled corners, beaches, and waterways of Costa Rica. All destinations are located on a shoreline, river side, or canal and offer a vast diversity of adventures into the Costa Rican wilderness. Sandy beaches, jungle wildlife, National Parks and Private Reserves are waiting for you to explore while taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells. Enjoy remote, yet first class, accommodations and meals. From the biologically rich canals of Tortuguero to the jungle elegance on the Caribbean Coast to the remote Osa peninsula, every destination will offer unexpected travel delights.
Pizotes Adventure Tours’ Package Price $1,850 pp
Single supplement: $350
Description of Itinerary
B – Breakfast L – Lunch D – Dinner
Day 1 Arrival – San José
Bienvenidos! Your flight will arrive at Juan Santamaria International Airport and be met by your trip planner and leader, Terri Peterson. Overnight at the quaint Hotel Don Carlos in downtown San José.
Day 2 San José - Tortuguero
After enjoying the complimentary buffet breakfast, we’re off to the Caribbean Coast by motor coach led by our Tortuguero expert, Fran Watson. She and her husband, Modesto, will be our guides for our Tortuguero adventure. We’ll stop in Moín, load up on their riverboat for a 3 hour wildlife-viewing cruise of the canals on the way to our hotel on the Caribbean side. Lunch will be at a family-run restaurant along the way with a stop at the Caribbean Conservation Center to prepare you for your Tortuguero excursion. Enjoy the hotel pool, a walk on the coast, or a relaxing hammock.
Accommodations at Laguna Lodge.B,L,D
Day 3 Tortuguero
After an early morning riverboat trip up some of the smaller canals, you’ll eat breakfast at the lodge. Then we’re off to the Tortuguero pueblo to complete a community assistance project especially designed for your group. This is a wonderful chance to interact with the local community and leave more than just your footprints behind. After lunch at the lodge, enjoy more free time to explore or go out once again in the canals till sunset. After dinner at the lodge, we’ll have an informal presentation by a Tortuguero resident on Caribbean life.
Accommodations at Laguna Lodge. B,L,D
Day 4 Tortuguero - Punta Uva
After breakfast at the lodge we’ll board the riverboat one last time for our trip back to Moín. We meet our bus and driver and continue south to our next destination. Along the way we’ll stop at the Sloth Sanctuary for a tour, personal sloth visits, and lunch. We’ll continue on our way south to a very special eco-lodge carefully located in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge near Punta Uva. This site offers an incomparable jungle elegance Enjoy a fantastic buffet dinner and plan your adventures for the next few days.
Accommodations at Almonds and Corals. B,L,D
Day 5 Punta Uva
Awake amidst the wildlife refuge and most certainly to the howler monkeys and jungle birds. After a hearty buffet breakfast, you will depart for your tour of choice (one full day or 2 half day tours). Enjoy a day trip to the Kekoldi indigenous village, a ½ day ocean boat ride scouting for dolphins, the 2 hour Crazy Monkey Canopy Tour, or a ½ day trip to a local iguana project and cacao farm. Lunch is provided on your tour. Enjoy another scrumptious dinner buffet and relax in the lodge Jacuzzi.
Accommodations at Almonds and Corals. B,L,D
Day 6 Punta Uva - Turrialba
Plan your morning to include a bird walk or a beach walk and of course the lavish breakfast buffet. We’ll board our bus in late morning and make the 4 hour transfer to Costa Rica’s agriculture center of Turrialba. Lunch will be en route. Famous for its cheese and hand-made baseballs used in the U.S., Turrialba is also the home of the 10,824 foot Turrialba Volcano. The volcano last erupted in 1866 but has been making rumblings of late. You’ll have the afternoon and evening to enjoy the environs of this relaxed but productive little town.
Accommodation at Hotel Wagelia in downtown B,L
Day 7 Turrialba - Dominical
After you find your own spot for a typical breakfast, we’ll board the bus for our day ride to the Pacific Coast. We’ll skirt San José, climb to over 11,000 ft. and drive down into the town of Dominical, a beach town popular with surfers. Lunch will be along the way. Our overnight stop will be the quiet and relaxing Villas Rio Mar. Enjoy the pool and the excellent restaurant and rest up for the exciting day ahead.
Accommodations at Villas Rio Mar. B,L
Day 8 Dominical - Puerto Jiménez
After breakfast, we’ll depart for our 2 ½ hour bus ride to the Osa Peninsula and the community and property of our leader, Terri. Here we’ll visit the property that Terri and her husband, Gary have called home since 2005. Specially planned activities will be a 30 minute hike through the 42 acres of primary forest to their beach where warm water, kayaks, and a tropical lunch awaits you. (Accommodations can be made for those unable to make this trek). A boat will collect the group on the beach and take us on a tour of the Golfo Dulce while we’re looking for dolphins, turtles, and even humpback whales. The boat delivers us at Puerto Jimenez where our bus will be waiting to take us onto our most remote destination, Rio Nuevo Lodge. This facility, simple and wonderfully isolated, sits in a private rainforest next to Corcovado National Park and boasts comfortable tents with mattresses, solar power, and howler monkey wake-up calls. After the family style dinner a night hike will be available. Bring your flashlights.
Accommodations at Rio Nuevo Lodge. L,D
Day 9 Puerto Jiménez
Partake in the early morning bird walk right in the lodge grounds, located at the confluence of two small rivers. No need to hike very far as we’re lodging in prime wildlife habitat, next to the world-renowned Corcovado National Park, described by National Geographic as “one of the most biologically diverse places on earth.” After breakfast, our guide will take us on a short hike to catch a glimpse of what more the area has to offer. After lunch feel free to relax in one of many hammocks, walk to a refreshing swimming hole, or pan for gold. In the afternoon we’ll be treated to a presentation by a local Costa Rican researcher, Aida Bustamante, to hear about her project making a camera census of large cats in the Osa Peninsula.
Accommodations at Rio Nuevo Lodge. B,L,D
Day 10 Puerto Jiménez - Drake Bay
After breakfast at the lodge we’ll load up our gear and make the 1 ½ hour drive in smaller vans to Drake Bay on the Pacific Coast side of the Osa Peninsula. The vans will drop us at the shoreline where our hosts, Marleny and Herb of Drake Bay Resort will pick us up for the short boat trip to the lodge. Lunch will be at the lodge with ample time afterwards for exploring the grounds, beaches, the pool overlooking the ocean, or a quick paddle in one of their kayaks. Dinner is in the dining hall with all the lodge guests makes for a great exchange of ‘who’s done what adventure and where.’ We’ll prepare you for the next day’s Corcovado tour and let you spend the evening under the stars by the pool (and bar).
Accommodations at Drake Bay Resort. B,L,D
Day 11 Drake Bay
After an early breakfast the group will board boats for the 30 minute trip to the San Padrillo Ranger Station on the beach at the northern entrance of Corcovado National Park. Led by expert guides, we’ll trek through the forest in search of the local flora and fauna and learn how this area is maintaining this biological paradise. There are two excellent hikes available - so enjoy one or both. A substantial lunch is presented in between the hikes. Return in the afternoon to meet poolside and write-up your list of sightings for the day. Dinner is sure to be another tasty lodge specialty. Learn of optional activities available the following day and plan your last full day here with a tour of your choice (at your cost). Snorkeling, ½ and full day kayaking tours, horseback riding, diving, fishing, and an excellent ‘Night Bug Hike’ are some of the offerings.
Accommodations at Drake Bay Resort. B,L,D
Day 12 Drake Bay
After breakfast, depart on your optional tour or find plenty to enjoy on or near the lodge grounds. Lunch is offered on the tours or at the lodge, wherever you are. Gather poolside in the afternoon to share accounts of your day’s adventures. Dine again with everyone on a delicious creation from Marleny’s kitchen, where every meal is an adventure in itself! This is a great evening opportunity to take a walk with the ‘Bug Lady’ who’ll share secrets of the insect world.
Accommodations at Drake Bay Resort. B,L,D
Day 13 Drake Bay - San José
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and prepare for the boat transfer that’ll take you to the local Drake Bay airport. You’ll board a Cessna Caravan or Twin Otter airplane and enjoy the picturesque 45 minute flight back to San José and Hotel Don Carlos. Lunch on your own. The afternoon is yours to enjoy but we’ll meet in the late afternoon for our bus transfer to our farewell dinner celebration, complete with a traditional dance troupe performance.
Accommodations at Hotel Don Carlos. B, D
Day 13 San José - Home
Breakfast buffet in the courtyard at Hotel Don Carlos. Transfer to Juan Santamaria International Airport to make your flight back to the U.S. Hasta Luego! B
Minimum number of paid travelers: 18
Maximum number of paid travelers: 24
Trip Includes:
- visits to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts
- all accommodations on the shores of remote beaches, canals, and rivers
- a guided jungle riverboat trip and two nights in Tortuguero National Park
- participation in a community service project in a remote Costa Rican village
- snorkeling, horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, bird/wildlife watching
- a visit, lunch, and tour of the tour leader’s rainforest property, boat tour of Gulfo Dulce
- hike into Corcovado National Park
- in-country flight from Drake Bay to San Jose
- All amenities of hotels and lodges
- Local, expert bi-lingual guides
- In-country bus transport by comfortable motor coach
- 33 meals 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches, 10 dinners
- Most tip