Welcome to a great vacation at an affordable price. Your Latin America tour includes all meals in Latin America, all activities, all hotels, a great itinerary, all airport transfers, all transportation and excursions. A professional tour director accompanies you for the entire tour.


Itinerary:

Day 1 – San Jose, Costa Rica
Welcome to the “rich coast,” friendly land of democracy and rare natural beauty. With naturalist guides, see exotic birds and wildlife, hike in jungle rainforests, view volcanoes, soak in hot springs and cruise through biological reserves. Relax on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Caravan provides transfers from the San Josй airport to your hotel for a two night stay. Dine at your hotel, then join us for a welcome briefing. D

Day 2 – Poas Volcano, Cloud Forest Hike
After breakfast, see the statue of the drummer boy, Costa Rica’s hero. Next, weather permitting, visit Poбs Volcano. You can safely view this dramatic mile-wide crater from an overlook. Next, hike the Escalonia Cloud Forest Trail, home to epiphytes, orchids, ferns and tropical hummingbirds. Cloud forests are like rainforests, but with less rain and more humidity. Enjoy lunch. Then, see San Jose’s Plaza de la Cultura, Central Park and the National Theatre. Visit the National Museum (on Mondays, visit the Gold Museum instead). Enjoy dinner. BLD

Day 3 – Rainforest Aerial Tram
Scenic morning drive through Braulio Carrillo Park. Look for cascading waterfalls. Then, a thrilling adventure into the heart of the rainforest. Glide through the jungle canopy on the world famous rainforest aerial tram, rated one of Costa Rica’s top tourist attractions. Next, with a naturalist guide, enjoy a short rainforest hike on level terrain. Enjoy lunch. Visit a butterfly garden. See a banana plantation. Then, cruise through rivers and canals to the 47,000 acre Tortuguero National Park. Tortuguero is home to more than 300 species of birds. Look for toucans, parrots, kingfishers and the rare green macaw. Enjoy a two night stay at your lodge. After dinner in Tortuguero, a naturalist talks about the rainforest. BLD

Day 4 – Tortuguero Park, Canal Cruise
Cruise this morning with naturalist guides along canals lined by raffia palm, habitat of howler and white-faced monkeys, green iguanas and tropical birds. Look for white and snowy egrets and the amazing nests of the montezuma oropendola. Then, enter the mysterious reflecting waters of Caсo Palma wildlife reserve. Next, visit the Green Turtle Research Station. Learn about efforts to protect the turtle’s nesting habitat, eggs and young hatchlings. Walk along the Atlantic turtle nesting beaches with a naturalist guide. Next, to Tortuguero village. Meet Costa Rican school children on your visit to a local school (when in session). Return to your lodge for lunch. Free time to enjoy your lodge’s swimming pool and tropical flower gardens. Enjoy an afternoon boat excursion into Tortuguero Park. Look for otters, turtles and manatees. Dinner. BLD

Day 5 – San Carlos Valley, Fortuna
Morning cruise on Tortuguero River. Enjoy lunch. Visit a pineapple plantation. Next, through scenic countryside to the San Carlos Valley for a two night stay in Fortuna. Dinner. BLD

Day 6 – Caсo Negro, Hot Springs, Arenal
Head north this morning, passing through sugar cane, teak and orange plantations. Then, cruise on the Rio Frio which runs through the world famous Caсo Negro wildlife refuge, home to many migratory birds found nowhere else in Costa Rica. Look for whistling ducks, roseate spoonbills, cormorants, anhingas, blue heron, and northern jacanas. Watch for caimans, crocodiles, spider monkeys and web-footed, water-walking lizards. Lunch. Return to Fortuna. Free time to explore this charming village. Then, enjoy a relaxing soak in the volcanic hot springs. Weather permitting, see nearby Arenal Volcano’s softly glowing lava flow. Enjoy dinner. BLD

Day 7 – Hanging Bridges, Guanacaste
This morning enjoy an unforgettable adventure at the Hanging Bridges. Here you can hike on six suspension bridges, through lush tropical rainforest canopy. Enjoy views of a waterfall and look for tropical birds. Later, a spectacular drive around Lake Arenal. Enjoy lunch. Next, enter the Guanacaste province. Drive through the only tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. Then, to Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast for a two night stay. Dinner is at your resort. BLD

Day 8 – Central Pacific Coast, Manuel Antonio
This morning drive by the Carara Biological Reserve. This tropical bird and wildlife sanctuary is one of the world’s few nesting places for the scarlet macaw. Then, visit Manuel Antonio National Park, home to the playful rare squirrel monkey. Time to beachcomb or swim at the pristine beaches (on Mondays, visit Manuel Antonio’s beautiful public beaches instead). Lunch. Return to your resort to enjoy leisure time. Dinner. BLD

Day 9 – Handicrafts, Coffee Plantation
Morning drive to the Central Valley. Time to shop for colorful handicrafts, including painted oxcarts. Enjoy lunch. Then, visit a coffee plantation. Pick a few beans when in season. Sample fresh Costa Rican coffee and learn about the history of the coffee bean. Return to San Josй. Farewell dinner. BLD

Day 10 – San Jose
Your tour ends after breakfast this morning at your hotel. Transfer throughout the day to the San Jose airport. Hasta la vista! B