Overview
Explore Monteverde, one of the outstanding nature reserves in the New World tropics, with its complex forest canopy and distinct ecological communities. More than 400 species of birds—including toucans, tanagers, barbets, hummingbirds, and bellbirds—have been recorded here, and this is the place to see the resplendent quetzal, the venerated bird of early Central American mythology.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 (pre-trip)
San Jose
Arrive in San Jose, where you are met and transferred to the Hotel Grano de Oro (this hotel night is part of your Private Journey itinerary)...meals on your own
San Jose - Day 1 (pre-trip)
Grano de Oro
San Jose, Costa Rica
Day 1 (1 night)
A great place to stay for your first or last night in Costa Rica! This historic and elegant 35-room hotel was created from a former Victorian mansion. Rooms are furnished in tropical Victorian style, with wrought-iron beds and handcrafted furnishings. The upscale yet unpretentious restaurant adjoining the garden courtyard is one of San Jose’s finest, and was chosen by the “Junta Asesora Gourmet Centroamericana” as one of the top 25 restaurants in Costa Rica. Be sure to take a soak in the rooftop Jacuzzi.
Day 2 (pre-trip)
Monteverde / El Refugio Reserve
Morning transfer to Monteverde, a world-famous reserve set at 4,600 feet in the Tiláran Mountains straddling the Continental Divide. Monteverde was founded in 1951 by a small group of Quakers from Alabama, attracted to Costa Rica by its lack of an army and its peaceful policies that matched Quaker philosophy. They bought land and brought dairy farming and cheese production to the region (today, Monteverde’s cheese is sold throughout the country). They preserved about a third of the land they purchased to protect the watershed above Monteverde, and in 1972, after visiting biologists noted the richness of the flora and fauna, the Quakers turned it into Monteverde Biological Cloudforest Reserve, owned and operated by the Tropical Science Center of San Jose. After settling into the Monteverde Lodge, explore the grounds with your guide. The gardens are teeming with plants like tree ferns, bromeliads, and anthuriums, as well as several varieties of orchids, agapanthus, and hydrangeas. In addition to butterflies and a wide variety of birds, it’s not uncommon to see mammals like white-nose coatis, agoutis, and white-faced capuchin monkeys. On a night tour this evening, you’ll head to the nearby El Refugio Reserve to walk along the trails with a naturalist who will point out sleeping birds and nocturnal animals. Wildlife is unpredictable, but with your well-versed guide you may spot armadillos, scorpions, two-toed sloths, porcupine, bats, frogs, and many others. Regardless of what you see, the experience of walking in the forest after dark is unique. Overnight at Monteverde Lodge...BLD
Monteverde / El Refugio Reserve - Day 2 (pre-trip)
Monteverde Lodge
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Days 2 to 3 (2 nights)
The winding paths of Monteverde Lodge’s beautifully manicured gardens are flanked by ferns and bromeliads, a magical butterfly and hummingbird garden, and a stream, pond, and small waterfall provide a habitat for riverine birds and a host of reptiles and amphibians. After an active day exploring the cloud forest, relax in a hammock or take a dip in the solar heated swimming pool. The elegant dining room, with its cloud forest mural and abundant tropical flora, offers excellent Costa Rican specialties. Spacious rooms with private bath have two double beds with fluffy comforters and large windows, and are designed to put you “in the forest”—there are no TVs!
Day 3 (pre-trip)
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
In the cloud forest of Monteverde, the forest floor is carpeted in fern, mosses, and shade-loving plants, while high above is a thick, green canopy made by the branches of tall trees reaching for sunlight. In addition to the more than 400 species of birds, there are also more than 100 species of mammals, including howler and capuchin monkeys, deer, tapirs, sloths, and five species of cats. Enjoy a morning walking tour with your private guide and visit the reserve’s butterfly garden (the Jardin de las Mariposas), with its gardens, greenhouses, and netted flyway. The nearby Saint Elena Forest Reserve, which you can visit on your own, is home to quetzals, ocelots, howler and capuchin monkeys, and spider monkeys. Overnight at Monteverde Lodge...BLD
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve - Day 3 (pre-trip)
Monteverde Lodge
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Days 2 to 3 (2 nights)
The winding paths of Monteverde Lodge’s beautifully manicured gardens are flanked by ferns and bromeliads, a magical butterfly and hummingbird garden, and a stream, pond, and small waterfall provide a habitat for riverine birds and a host of reptiles and amphibians. After an active day exploring the cloud forest, relax in a hammock or take a dip in the solar heated swimming pool. The elegant dining room, with its cloud forest mural and abundant tropical flora, offers excellent Costa Rican specialties. Spacious rooms with private bath have two double beds with fluffy comforters and large windows, and are designed to put you “in the forest”—there are no TVs!
Day 4 (pre-trip)
To Arenal
A scenic 3.5-hour journey brings you down the mountain road by 4WD vehicle to beautiful Lake Arenal. Boarding a boat, enjoy a 30-minute ride across the lake and begin your Private Journey itinerary in Arenal on Day 2...B
Note: This is a pre-trip extension.
