Costa Rica, ¡Pura Vida!
Costa Rica | 6 days / 5 nights
DAY 1: USA | COSTA RICA
- Fly to San José, Costa Rica.
- ¡Bienvenidos a Costa Rica! Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your local Forum Tour Manager who will remain with your group for the duration of your tour.
- Transfer by private bus to Alajuela, a small village 18 miles northwest of San José and 15 minutes from the Juan Santamaría International Airport.
- Check in at your hotel Rancho Lodge (or similar) followed by a welcome fruit cocktail (non-alcoholic) and dinner.
DAY 2: SCHOOL VISIT | COOKING WORKSHOP
- This morning after breakfast, visit a local Costa Rican school. Practice your Spanish and maybe even challenge your new friends to a soccer (fútbol) match!
- Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
- In the afternoon, discover San José on a guided walking tour. Explore La Plaza de la Cultura bustling with daily life and La Plaza de la Democracia, where you can test your Spanish skills while bargaining with local vendors at the flea market.
- Later, roll up your sleeves for a cooking workshop with a member of the local community. Learn how to make traditional Costa Rican dishes such as patacones, empanadas or batidos!
- Return to your hotel for dinner and night accommodation.
DAY 3: COFFEE TOUR | LA PAZ WATERFALLS
- After breakfast, head to Doka Coffee Plantation for a tour. Breathe in the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans as the production cycle comes to life before your eyes – see how coffee is grown, harvested, processed and produced.
- Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
- Next, take a tour of La Paz Waterfalls. Explore the lush tropical rainforest as you wander the trails lined with five spectacular waterfalls. Stop by the hummingbird garden, serpentarium, frog exhibit, Tica House and Trout Lake.
- Return to your hotel for dinner and night accommodation.
DAY 4: ZIP LINE TOUR | GRECIA & SARCHI
- This morning after breakfast, go on a canopy zip-line tour — 70% of life in the tropical forest takes place at the tree canopy level, and you´ll see it up close and personal as you fly via zip-line through the forest, from platform to platform, built on 60- and 90-foot trees.
- Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
- Later, take a tour through Grecia, famous for its unique metal church.
- After, stop for a visit in Sarchi, home to the world’s largest oxcart and dozens of small family-operated woodworking factories that produce “carretas,” elaborately painted oxcarts that traditionally carried coffee from the highlands down to the port on the Pacific coast.
- Return to your hotel for dinner and night accommodation.
DAY 5: MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK
- This morning, head out to explore Costa Rica’s most biologically diverse national park, Manuel Antonio National Park and spend the entire day exploring. Although it is Costa Rica’s smallest national park, the breathtaking beauty and diversity of wildlife is unparalleled.
- Enjoy a packed picnic lunch while taking a break from hiking.
- Spend the afternoon on the beautiful white beaches of the park.
- Return to your hotel for dinner and night accommodation.
DAY 6: DEPART
- Enjoy a final breakfast at your hotel before transferring to the airport for your flight back to the USA.