EXPLORE USA -01
COSTA RICA'S COASTAL SECRETS (14Days/13Nights)
Day 01
Arrives into San Jose & Stay night in there
Day 02
Tortuguero National Park by boat or light aircraft
Tortuguero National Park is a national park in the Limón Province of Costa Rica. It is situated within the Tortuguero Conservation Area of the northeastern part of the country. Despite its remote location, reachable only by airplane or boat, it is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica. The park has a large variety of biological diversity due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats, including rainforest, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. Located in a tropical climate, it is very humid, and receives up to 250 inches (6,400 mm) of rain a year.
The Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles starting with Cuba, to the east by the Lesser Antilles, and to the south by the northern coast of South America. The Gulf of Mexico lies to the northwest.
Tourism based upon scuba diving and snorkeling on coral reefs of many Caribbean islands makes a major contribution to their economies.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy
The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), formerly known as Caribbean Conservation Corporation, is an American not-for-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization based in Gainesville, Florida. STC was incorporated, based on an earlier informal organization known as The Brotherhood of the Green Turtle in 1959 by Joshua B. Powers in response to renowned ecologist Dr. Archie Carr's award-winning book, The Windward Road, which first alerted the world to the plight of sea turtles.
Stay Night in Tortuguero
Day 03
Boat Ride at Tortuguero
Stay Night in Tortuguero
Day 04
Moving to Cahuita
Cahuita National Park
Cahuita National Park is a terrestrial and marine national park in the Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area of Costa Rica located on the southern Caribbean coast in Limón Province, connected to the town of Cahuita. It protects beaches and lowlands and attracts tourists and other visitors who are able to snorkel in the protected marine area which contains the coralline reefs, as well as being a nesting ground for sea turtles. The 600-acre (242-ha) reef is known to have at least 35 species of coral, 140 species of molluscs, 44 species of crustaceans, and 123 species of fish. The outer reef is about 4 km long On land there are many types of animal as well including northern tamanduas, pacas, white-nosed coatis, raccoons, sloths, agoutis, mantled howlers and white-headed capuchins. It has a variety of birds as well including the green ibis, green-and-rufous kingfisher and keel-billed toucan. Marine mammals are also present including orcas.
Stay Night in Cahuita
Day 05
Kekoldi
The reserve is run by the Kéköldi Wak ka Köneke Association (Kéköldi Land Carers), which works to preserve indigenous culture and purchase additional land to reforest and conserve. The majority of the population speaks both Bribri and Spanish. The reserve has a biological station for scientific research and a bird watching area for tourists.
process of making artisan chocolate
Stay Night in Kekoldi
Day 06
visit La Marta Wildlife Refuge
Stay Night in Turrialba
Day 07
The resplendent quetzal
The resplendent quetzal is a small bird found in southern Mexico and Central America, with two recognized subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis. These animals live in the tropical forest, particularly montane cloud forests and they are part of the Trogonidae family. Like other quetzals, the resplendent is omnivorous, its diet mainly consists of fruits of the Lauraceae family, but occasionally also preys on insects, lizards, frogs and snails.
The species is well known for its colorful and complex plumage that differs substantially between sexes. Males have iridescent green plumes, a red lower breast and belly, black innerwings and a white undertail, whilst females are duller and have a shorter tail. Grey lower breasts, bellies, and bills, along with bronze-green heads are characteristic of females. These birds hollow holes in decaying trees or use ones already made by woodpeckers as a nest site. They are known to take turns while incubating, males throughout the day and females at night. The female usually lays one to three eggs, which hatch in 17 to 19 days. The quetzal is an altitudinal migrant, migrating from the slopes to the canopy of the forest. This occurs during the breeding season, which varies depending on the location, but usually commences in March and goes as far as August.
Stay Night in there
Day 08
Savegre Valley
Bring your binoculars to spot some of the 170 bird species, trek through the tropical cloud forest or simply enjoy the incredible view from the lodge. Birds that may be seen in this area include hummingbirds, colibri, tanagers and trogons, whilst tapirs and Squirrel monkeys may also be seen.
Stay Night in there
Day 09
Take a Boat Ride Osa Peninsula.
The Osa Peninsula is a peninsula located in southwestern Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas Province, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Golfo Dulce to the east. The peninsula was formed geologically by a faulting system that extends north into California.
The peninsula is home to at least half of all species living in Costa Rica. The main town on the peninsula is Puerto Jimenez, which has its own airport and provides access to Corcovado National Park as well as the coastal villages of Cabo Matapalo and Carate. A large part of the peninsula is a wildlife/forest preserve that is protected: the Osa Conservation Area.
The Osa Wildlife Sanctuary or Caña Blanca Wildlife Sanctuary, is an animal rescue center located in Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica. The Sanctuary is accessible only by boat and is completely surrounded by Piedras Blancas National Park. The center is dedicated to the rehabilitation of mistreated, injured, orphaned, and/or confiscated animals. The animals that are received by the sanctuary include a variety of monkeys, anteaters, exotic birds, sloths, and wildcats Once the animals are fully rehabilitated, they are reintroduced into their natural habitats in protected areas within Costa Rica, including the Corcovado National Park. The Osa Wildlife Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization that receives funds from volunteers, donations, and tours.
Stay Night in there
Day 10
Boat ride in boat to Caño Island
It is a popular tourist destination for ecotourism such as whale watching, attracting visitors for its beaches, coral beds, and sea life. Researchers currently use the coral beds to study the factors surrounding coral death and recolonization. Marine life includes manta rays, dolphins, false killer whales sea turtles, whales, a wide variety of fish, and possibly manatees as well.
Stay Night in there
Day 11
Corcovado National Park
The park conserves the largest primary forest on the American Pacific coastline and one of the few remaining sizable areas of lowland tropical forests in the world. Historically, logging has taken place in lowland areas because those areas are more easily accessible and contain the largest and most economically valuable trees. But those habitats, which feature diverse vegetation, are also usually the richest in biodiversity. On today's hike along the parks trails we may see all four of Costa Rica's monkey species, tamandua, two and three-toed sloths, peccary, tapirs and of course many reptiles, insects and amphibians.
Stay Night in there
Day 12
Take a boat ride Sierpe town
Moving to San Jose.
Day 13
Volcano National Park
Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers 160 km2 (62 sq mi) of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. It borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. It is home to the mountain gorilla and the golden monkey, and was the base for the primatologist Dian Fossey.
Moving back to San Jose & Stay night in there
Day 14
Move Back to Airport