Wildlife holidays in Costa Rica | 3 week itinerary self drive Costa Rica
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Titel
country Costa Rica
duration 20 nights
attribute Breakfast
money 3.007,89 This amount is per person (based on 2 adults sharing a double room in low season) In USD$ 3251 money

21 days immersed in nature in Costa Rica!

This Pure Nature Edventure takes you on a journey exploring some of the most beautiful destinations in the country. You will travel to true off-the-beaten-track locations where you will find true Costa Rican hospitality and stunning natural landscapes. Spot unique animals during this wildlife holiday in Costa Rica!

You will travel to both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts and explore Costa Rica’s interior as well. You will spend the night in a bungalow in the middle of a private nature reserve and the owners will show you around themselves. Besides, you will stay in a luxurious safari tent in the green hills near Quepos, where various exotic birds can be spotted from your tent’s terrace.

In Costa Rica, nature is often combined with adventure. This will certainly be the case during your trip.  You can go rafting, hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking in the mountains and national parks or book a zip line tour and fly between the treetops, an exhilarating experience!

We think a journey around Costa Rica is not complete without a true taste of the country’s culture. Therefore, you’ll visit a local coffee plantation and taste some of the best coffee in Costa Rica!

  • Transportation from / to airport
  • Local (Dutch) contact before and during the trip
  • 19 days car rental with full cover insurance
  • All inclusive package in Barra Pacuare
  • All meals in Bananito Sur and Drake Bay
  • Activity included in the glamping in the area of Quepos
  • Transfer by boat to Drake Bay (Corcovado)
  • 24/7 telephone service
  • (International) flights
  • Entrance national parks
  • Excursions

San José

duration 1 night
attribute Hotel
attribute Breakfast
attribute Transfer in/out
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San José

duration 1 night
attribute Hotel
attribute Breakfast
attribute Transfer in/out

Your tour through Costa Rica starts in the capital San José. The city has a bustling center with many small shops and markets full of exotic fruits and vegetables. 

However, the bustle in the city can be a bit overwhelming and finding your way is sometimes difficult. That is why a free city tour is a fun and easy way to explore the city. The tour departs every day (except Sunday) from the Teatro Nacional, a 10 minute walk from your hotel.

After the walk you can relax in one of the parks in the center. Later on, in the evening, it is nice to go and have dinner in the so-called “Calle Gastronomico”, an up and coming neighborhood with many excellent restaurants and bars near your hotel.

Manzanillo

duration 3 nights
attribute Bungalow
attribute Own kitchen
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Manzanillo

duration 3 nights
attribute Bungalow
attribute Own kitchen

From San José you will travel south along the Caribbean coast. Your Pure Nature Edventure has begun! You spend the night in Manzanillo, a small village near the border with Panama.

Your beautiful wooden jungle house is fully equipped, including a bbq on your terrace for a nice outdoor dinner after a day at the nearby beach. In the morning you’ll wake up from the sound of howler monkeys and prepare your fresh coffee with parrot chirping in the background.

While the beach is only a few hundreds meters away, we do recommend you to explore the coastline a little further to the south and to hike (possibly with a guide) to Punta Mona, a beautiful spot.

In addition, a visit to the national (marine) park Cahuita is a great experience. You can book several different tours to explore the park either on foot or during a snorkel tour.

Barra Pacuare

duration 2 nights
attribute Bungalow
attribute All meals
attribute Transfer by boat
attribute 2 tours
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Barra Pacuare

duration 2 nights
attribute Bungalow
attribute All meals
attribute Transfer by boat
attribute 2 tours

Today you will travel by boat deep into the jungle to Barra Pacuare. You will discover one of the most remote places of Costa Rica. 
Barra Pacuare is a tiny village along the Pacuare river, located south of the wellknown Tortuguero National Park.  

Nature around your hotel is of an overwhelming beauty. You will stay in a simple lodge, fully equipped and you will be well looked after by a team of friendly Costa Ricans.

From the water you will be able to spot a large number of birds, butterflies and animals such as caimans, monkeys and iguanas.

If you travel in the right season, you’ll have a good chance of watching leatherback turtles laying their eggs on the beach. This is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Bananito Sur

duration 2 nights
attribute Lodge
attribute All meals
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Bananito Sur

duration 2 nights
attribute Lodge
attribute All meals

Reaching your next destination is sometimes a challenge, but once you’ve arrived there are breathtaking views from your cabin balcony waiting for you.  

This fantastic lodge including the surrounding jungle is owned by a Costa Rican family with German roots. The owners are passionate about protecting the natural environment around the lodge. The area around the lodge is a private reserve and serves as an important corridor for big cats such as pumas and jaguars.

Discover life in the jungle during a guided tour. In addition, you can go horseback riding or enjoy  the jungle from the air with an ultralight!

Turrialba

duration 3 nights
attribute half-open eco deck
attribute Breakfast
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Turrialba

duration 3 nights
attribute half-open eco deck
attribute Breakfast

You continue your journey to your next destination, Turrialba, which means “river of fire” in the Huetar language. You will spend the coming nights on the 300-hectare farm of a local family. They produce coffee and sugar cane, but also have cows, chickens and horses. A large part of the farm is still untouched nature that you can explore on horseback and mountain bike or simply on foot.

You spend the night on a beautiful eco deck (open house) in nature and from your bed you have a magical view over the valley of Turrialba with its thousands of lights and the endless starry sky above. The eco decks have no electricity (but there are candles!) so that you can immerse yourself completely in the sounds and views at night. A unique experience!

The rivers in this area are known for their wild waters; there’s excellent rafting here and the best kayakers in the world come here to train. Other options include horseback riding, mountain biking or a canyoning tour.

If you prefer to take it a bit easier, you can also visit the CATIE botanical garden.

Providencia

duration 2 nights
attribute Luxurious safari tent
attribute Breakfast
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Providencia

duration 2 nights
attribute Luxurious safari tent
attribute Breakfast

Via the Cerro de la Muerte mountain range you descend to the idyllic village of Providencia. Tourism is still new here and during your stay here, you really experience the authentic Costa Rican life on the countryside. In the coming days you will stay in a comfortable cabin with its own bathroom on the premises of a local family. A special and above all pleasant experience!

The best coffee of Costa Rica is being produced in the region of Providencia. Local growers claim that they produce even the best coffee from Central America …. and you can of course taste that during a coffee tour!

There is even more to see and do. Go for a guided walk in this beautiful area and try to spot the rare Quetzal. Furthermore, you can learn to make jam or cheese during a visit to a local farm. Do you like crafts? Join the art workshop of the most creative family in the community!

Ojochal

duration 2 nights
attribute Luxury tent
attribute Breakfast

Ojochal

duration 2 nights
attribute Luxury tent
attribute Breakfast

You drive towards the most famous marine park in Costa Rica: Costa Ballena. During a boat trip in this park you may spot whales and dolphins. Also enjoy the sun, sea and sand on the quiet beaches of Playa Tortuga and Las Ventanas.

The next few nights you sleep in the middle of nature in a real safari tent in Ojochal. In the morning you are waken up by howler monkeys and you can start the day by taking a refreshing dive in the nearby river.

During the day you can hike to a beautiful waterfall where you can also swim. A visit to one of the nearby national parks is recommended or you might choose to relax on the beach for a day.

Via the owners of the lodge you can also book hikes and go on guided horseback riding tours.

Drake Bay (Corcovado National Park)

duration 2 nights
attribute Lodge
attribute Breakfast
attribute Transfer per boot
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Drake Bay (Corcovado National Park)

duration 2 nights
attribute Lodge
attribute Breakfast
attribute Transfer per boot

Drake Bay is a beautiful bay near the Corcovado national park. Corcovado is located in the south on the Osa Peninsula and is one of Costa Rica’s most isolated nature reserves and therefore known as a biodiversity hotspot.

This unique piece of tropical rainforest is home to ecosystems that are found nowhere else in the world, and so you come across animals that can hardly be found in their natural environment in the rest of Costa Rica, such as the red macaw, the tapir, the puma, the jaguar and ocelots.

From Sierpe you travel by boat via mangrove forests and the open sea to Drake Bay, quite an adventure already! Once you’re settled in at your beautiful ecolodge, you might explore the national park with a guide (do not these tours have to be booked in advance!) or go snorkeling near the Isla del Cano island.

Quepos

duration 2 nights
attribute Luxury tent
attribute Breakfast
attribute Guide
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Quepos

duration 2 nights
attribute Luxury tent
attribute Breakfast
attribute Guide

Your penultimate destination is at least as special as Drake Bay. You will travel to Quepos, where you will stay near the Rio Savegre in a beautiful and luxurious safari tent.

The owners not only run the lodge, but also offer adventurous tours and are also committed to nature conservation and sustainability.

Your safari tent is originally from South Africa and you really feel ‘at home’ in the jungle while staying here. In the evening you can enjoy a traditional “braai”,  a South African bbq. Because of the diverse background of the owners of the lodge, your stay here is a great mix of South African hospitality and Costa Rican nature.

Alajuela

duration 1 night
attribute Hotel
attribute Breakfast
attribute Transfer in/out
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Alajuela

duration 1 night
attribute Hotel
attribute Breakfast
attribute Transfer in/out

You will spend the last night of your holiday near the airport.

Take another dip in the pool and toast together to the adventures you’ve had. The beautiful garden with a walking trail is the last tropical setting before you leave for home again. The rental car will be picked up at the hotel and our driver will pick you up for the transfer to the airport.

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Van de Luijtgaarden family

We explored the beautiful nature of Costa Rica and were impressed by our accomodations, all with an eye for sustainability. Our favorite destination was Bananito Sur!

We stayed at beautiful, airy bungalows with great views. Intimate atmosphere with other guests during meals and joint trips. We were impressed by the beautiful nature on site and the jungle sounds and fireflies. To us this was really a small paradise far away from the rest of the world.

We made an extra jungle hike here, went on a night tour and planted trees. Those were all great activities, thanks also to our great guide  Harvey (2018).

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De Lange family

During our trip we also stayed in Ojochal at a beautiful accommodation in the middle of the forest. The lodge has its own river and waterfall where you can swim.

The Dutch owner can arrange all kinds of tours in the area. We choose to go on a day tour to Corcovado (San Pedrillo), which was great! (2018)

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Van Wambeke family

Our stay in the safari tents in Quepos / Rio Savegre was the highlight of our Pure Nature trip in Costa Rica. Great owner, good food, well kept tents!

We chose to go rafting here again, which was a great experience and a lot of fun, thanks also to our guide! (2018)

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Remco and Louise

We really liked our homestay in Providencia and stayed in a private house in the garden of a local family. To us it was one of the nicest houses we stayed at. The views over the mountains were beautiful.

While there, we hiked to a nearby, beautiful waterfall.  The local family was very sweet and their son spoke English, which made communication very easy (2018).

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Verloop family

We very much enjoyed our stay in Barra Pacuare, thanks also to our great guide Herman (2018).

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Raeymaekers family

We thought our stay in Barra Pacuare was an absolute highlight of our Pure Nature trip in Costa Rica. The transfer by boat through the laguna and later an improvised night excursion through El Capitan were great. Our skipper took us on a tour watching crocodiles and the kitchen staff of the hotel came too, great experience!  (2017)

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Aad and Jos

Manzanillo was one of our first accommodations and we really liked our stay there. A former cocoa plantation has been transformed by the Dutch owner Daan into a tropical paradise with 7 fully furnished, wooden houses. Early in the morning we were woken up by howler monkeys, a great  start of the day (2016).

Tip of Linda:

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Tip of Linda:

If you have the time and are interested in a multi-day hike, do contact us!

Because if you travel between November and May you hike (in 3, 7 or 9 days) from Providencia to Londres in Quepos.
You will be accompanied by a professional guide and along the way you’ll stay with local families. The hike takes you down from the mountains to the coast, so in terms of natural landscapes, it will be very diverse.

 

Contact us for more info!

What can you see and do during your Pure Nature Edventure?

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