COSTA RICA WILDLIFE in Costa Rica

Facilities available

Wheelchair access

Adapted transfer

Description

12 nights

From £1495 per person sharing (Flights quoted separately)

If you have upper body strength & can transfer into an SUV vehicle, this wheelchair accessible Costa Rica wildlife holiday explores the amazingly diverse flora & fauna of this tiny Central American country, offering a superb birding vacation. Also see sloths, monkeys & rainforest wildlfe in La Selva, view Arenal Volcano & Manual Antonio National Park. All sightseeing & transport included.

Highlights:

• Costa Rica wildlife holidays
• Arenal volcano
• Manuel Antonio park
• San Jose gold museum
• Hanging bridges & hot springs
• Wheelchair accessible Costa Rica
• Sarapiqui
• Poaz volcano
• La Seliva research station
• Birding station

Day 1

You will be met at San Jose Airport and transferred to this capital city in the Central Valley, surrounded by the Talamanca Mountains to the south and the volcanoes of Poas, Irazu and Turrialba.

Check into your hotel and relax in this modern city.

Day 2

Leaving San Jose today, we travel 2-hours to the lowland tropical rainforests of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui.

We drive through coffee plantations, strawberry fields and dairy farms and past Poás Volcano National Park, with its magnificent active volcano. The crater of this enormous stratovolcano measures over 1-mile (1.6 km) wide and over 1,000 ft (300 m) deep, making it the largest open volcano in the world.

Along the way we stop at the Doka Coffee Estate in the coffee capital of Sabanilla, to learn more about the production, harvesting, processing and roasting of this grain. The farm belongs to the Vargas Ruiz family, who have pioneered coffee production for more than 70 years. Here we enjoy an included lunch.

We then continue to the lush green rainforests of Sarapiqui which have a huge diversity of indigenous tropical birds, flora and fauna. This region is also know for its banana plantations, adventure activities such as white water rafting and ‘turnos’ (outdoor festivals) - which include fairs, bull riding and cattle shows.

Day 3

This morning we explore the La Selva Biological Station, which is situated in a protected lowland tropical rainforest with nearly 10 miles (15 km) of paved forest trails. La Selva offers a great number of different micro-habitats and to hear the chorus of birds calling from the forest is an amazing experience.

Owned and managed by the Organisation for Tropical Studies, a consortium of universities dedicated to rainforest research, each year hundreds of scientists visit this internationally renowned research station bordering Braulio Carrillo National Park, to study its tropical ecology. With over 435 species of birds, more than 1,900 species of plants and over 330 tree species, its diversity is spectacular.

La Selva is great for 'big birds' and we have the chance of seeing species such as Great currasow, Grey-headed chachalaca, Semiplumbeous hawk, Tiny hawk, White-crowned parrot, Red-lored parrot and Mealy parrot. Toucans, hummingbirds and trogons are also frequently seen - as well as sloths, monkeys, peccaries, agoutis and coatis. Also many species of rainforest butterflies and frogs.

Day 4

This morning we visit the Sarapiqui Neotropical Centre, with a museum that showcases indigenous cultures and a botanical garden that feature their plants.

Also enjoy a Chocolate Tour. Considered a 'gift from the gods', the cocoa tree was very important in ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations, having both ceremonial and economic value, with the seeds used as coins in many areas. Today its produce is enjoyed throughout the world in cocoa and chocolate treats. Learn the secrets of transforming cacao and view the chocolate-making process - from the harvesting of the fruit to the drying and grinding of the seed. Then treat your tastebuds to some delicious organic rainforest chocolate.

We then travel 2-hours towards the Arenal Volcano - one of the most active in Central America, with a perfect cone that on a clear day is visible from almost anywhere in the area. We check in to our hotel in La Fortuna, where you can relax surrounded by rainforests, waterfalls and thermal hot springs.

Day 5

This morning your guide will take you to the start of the Mistico Hanging Bridges - a series of ten fixed and six suspension bridges, located in a natural corridor followed by migratory birds travelling between North and South America and offering wonderful views of the lake and volcano.

For 2-hours you can enjoy the great diversity of flora and fauna found inside this mountainous zone, as well as outstanding bird watching. Keep an eye out for howler monkeys, sloths, anteaters, coati, racoons and other rainforest wildlife. Birds you can hope to see include the Yellow-throated toucan, Crested guan, Grey-headed chachalaca, Baltimore oriole, Clay-coloured thrush and Red-throated ant tanager, amongst others.

In the afternoon relax at the Hot Springs at your hotel.

Note: Only some of the trails are accessible, but sufficient for you to enjoy the rainforest. Bring a sun hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and binoculars, as well as rain gear. The hanging bridges are not suitable if you have a fear of heights.

Day 6

This morning we ride the Sky Tram, which offers wonderful views of Arenal Volcano and the lake.

We ascend for 6-minutes by gondola to the top of the mountain and, after spending some time on the observation platform, we return down again by gondola. A great variety of plants, wildlife and lava rock formations are found in these rainforests, as well as much bird life.

In the afternoon we visit the Sloth Watching Trail outside La Fortuna, which will give you the opportunity to observe and photograph four or five of these fascinating mammals along a 1.2 mile (2 km) trail. You may also see various birds, snakes, insects, frogs and a lot of floral biodiversity.

Note: The Sky Tram gondola is large enough to take one manual wheelchair, but is not suitable for power chairs.

Days 7 To 8

This morning your guide will transfer you to Arenal Observatory, where you can spend the day birding, photographing and observing wildlife in the garden with its frog pond (pay for lunch locally).

Situated on the slopes of the Arenal Volcano, wildlife found here includes the lesser anteater, sloth, white-faced capuchin monkey, deer and coati. You can also hope to see toucans and one of the country's most elusive and beautiful birds - the endangered resplendent quetzal. In the late afternoon you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Note: Only some of the trails are accessible, but sufficient for you to enjoy the rainforest. If you would like to spend more days exploring these trails, we suggest you ask to be upgraded to stay at Arenal Observatory.

Days 9 To 10

This morning enjoy exploring the area around Monteverde with your guide. Set on Costa Rica's continental divide, this high elevation cloud forest has miles of trails and is a magnet for certain flora and fauna thanks to its high rainfall and constant veil of mist. Woodlands give way to rainforests and tall trees festooned with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines, strangler figs, epiphytes and mosses rise high into the sky. In other parts you will find swamp forests and deep gorges with numerous streams creating waterfalls, rapids and pools.

Monteverde Cloud Forest sustains over 2,500 different plant species including the highest number of orchids in the world, over 90 different avocado species, 120 reptiles and amphibians and thousands of butterflies and other insects. Although not often seen, more than 100 small mammals are present (including sloths, white-faced and spider monkeys). However be aware that spotting birds and wildlife in this cool high altitude region is much more difficult than elsewhere in the country.

Over 400 bird species can also be found here including two toucan species, the Three-wattled bellbird, Bare-necked umbrella bird, Golden-browed chlorophonia, Black-breasted wood quail, Bananaquit and the magnificent resplendent quetzal, which is most often seen during the breeding season from February to May. Up to 14 different hummingbird species can also be seen at the Humming Bird Gallery outside the gate, including the Magenta-throated woodstar, Coppery-headed emerald, Lesser violetear, Violet sabrewing, Purple-throated mountain-gem and Green-crowned brilliant.

In the afternoon we visit Selvatura Park, situated in over 1,200 acres (486 hectares) of virgin cloudforest. This private reserve has a Butterfly Garden, containing over 50 different species in an enclosed dome of over 29,000 sq ft (2,700 sq m). You can learn about their life cycle and special behaviors that have helped them evolve over thousands of years. The Reptile Terrarium features a variety of iguanas, frogs, lizards, geckos and snakes. You can also see the start of the 1.9-mile (3-km) Hanging Bridges trail that passes through the treetop canopy, with 8 spectacular bridges - the longest and strongest bridge system in Costa Rica. Lunch is for your own account today.

Note: The hanging bridges and not all trails are accessible, but your guide will do his best to ensure you have good views of the cloud forest. Bring binoculars, camera, jacket & rain gear. Also sun hat, sunscreen & insect repellent. Your carer should wear comfortable walking shoes.

Day 11

Rise early this morning to avoid the heat of the day for a guided tour through the tropical humid rainforests of Manuel Antonio National Park - the oldest and most visited national park in the country,

Situated on the Pacific Coast, this wildlife sanctuary consists of four protected white sandy beaches bordered by verdant tropical jungle. An accessible boardwalk offer a direct 2-mile (3.2 km) route towards the main beach, or a longer 3.5-mile (5.6 km) route that detours to a second spectacular beach.

Over 100 mammals can be found here, as well as over 350 different bird species. You can hope to spot an adorable sloth - a tree-dwelling animal that sleeps for over 15 hours a day, whilst hanging from the branches of trees. The two-fingered sloth is largely nocturnal, so you are more likely to see the three-fingered sloth, although both species have excellent camouflage so can be hard to spot. These cute creatures move so slowly that algae grows on their fur. Look out for white-faced capuchins and cute squirrel monkeys and listen out for howler monkeys calling across the trees. You should see hermit crabs scurrying across the sands, halloween crabs (with their bright orange & black colouring) and may even see a bullfrog, helmet basilisk (type of lizard), black spiny-tailed iguana, caiman, American crocodile, fish moth or spectacular blue morpho butterfly.

Birds you can hope to see include the Brown pelican flying in formation over the sea, Yellow-throated toucan, Tendin fruit bat, Long nosed bat, Mangrove hummingbird and Bananaquit amongst many others.

Afterwards return to your hotel, with the afternoon at leisure.

Note: Manuel Antonio Park is closed on a Monday. Wear shorts & T-shirt, as it will be very hot & humid. Bring water, binoculars, raingear, sun hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, swimwear & towel if you intend to swim (but the paved road down to the beach is extremely steep). Expect this park to be very busy.

Day 12

Today is free to explore more of Manuel Antonio with your guide (pay any entrance fees locally).

Many activities are available in this bustling town - from returning to Manuel Antonio National Park for a second visit to relaxing near the beach.

Day 13

This morning we leave Manuel Antonio and drive 4-hours to Sarchi - an artisan town known for its colourful and decorative oxcarts. Here you can buy a variety of local handicrafts including bowls, utensils, jewellery and masks made of fine Costa Rican wood. This charming town also has a pink and blue painted church, with two turrets.

Afterwards we continue to San Jose Airport for your flight home.

Information last updated: 04/12/2023 13:30:14