Ecotourism in Costa Rica; rainforests, coffee & coastline

Arrive into San Jose and be met and transferred to your centrally located 4* boutique hotel to freshen up and relax. If you have chosen a flight to arrive in the morning, or have chosen to arrive a day earlier in order to recover from any travel fatigue, then you will be able to enjoy a brief walking tour of the central area around the Hotel Presidente. San Jose is considered to be one of the most cosmopolitan and vibrant cities in Latin America, and features many historical buildings, including the National Theatre; the 'Jewel of San Jose', a masterpiece in art and architecture. Your guide will offer you a group welcome briefing this evening, before a delicious meal in the excellent hotel restaurant. The rooftop terrace bar is also there to enjoy before or after your meal.

After breakfast, we leave San Jose to transfer to San Gerardo de Dota, a small town set in cloud forest in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountain Range approx 90km (2.5h) away. The journey gives you a chance to acclimatise to the Costa Rican countryside and you will enjoy the views en route. Our destination is Quetzales National Park, famous for (and named after) the striking Quetzal bird. Popular with ornithologists for obvious reasons, the gentle walk is not all about trying to spot the Quetzal (although who knows, you may well!), but is an introduction to the wide variety of plant species that thrive in the different climatic conditions within the cloud forest. Many endemic species are to be found here including vegetation, birds and mammals. A visit to a nearby conservation project focused on the protection of the Quetzal, gives us an opportunity to be led on a walk by a naturalist and ornithologist who is passionate about photography. We are highly likely to see a Quetzal here, under their expert guidance. Walking will be at a leisurely pace on defined paths, and will cover approximate distances of 2kms for each route. There will be some undulations in the gradient.This afternoon we check in to at Saverge Lodge, a rustic spa resort sympathetically set in a nature reserve, with a beautiful bar & restaurant, where we will be staying for 2 nights. There is plenty of opportunity to explore the area around the lodge or to relax with a book, listening to the sounds of the forest.

After a delicious breakfast, we travel for about an hour to the Green Communities Experimental farm. There is a distinct educational slant on today, and we start by learning about the process and production of organic coffee, as well as the volunteer programs being run here. We get to see the complete process in action at the Coffee Mill before enjoying a typical and amazing lunch at the farm. In the afternoon, we get the opportunity to visit an organic model farm so can see the differences between ecological production and conventional coffee production. Naturally, we will be able to take part in a coffee tasting at the 'clinic' before we stretch our legs with a gentle walk to El Pozeron and Velo de Novia waterfalls.We return to the comfort and serenity of Saverge Lodge for a short talk about the impact of ecotourism and our second night's stay.

It is time to head towards the coast, to continue to appreciate the staggering biodiversity of Costa Rica. Ballena Beach, our destination, is located just offshore, along the Central Pacific coast, in South Puntarenas.The Ballena National Marine Park, in which it is situated, protects more than 13,000 acres of ocean and 9 miles of coastline. Here you can escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and experience mangrove forests, coral reefs and untouched beaches. The park is named after the humpback whales that migrate here between August & November heading north from Antarctica, and December to April, when they are travelling south from Alaska. Depending on the aspirations of the group, there are a number of beautiful walking routes that can be explored in the park this afternoon. La Cola de Balena (the embolic 'whale tail' sandy spur) is an option at low tide. Regardless of the trails chosen, you are likely to see iguana and beautiful bird species.Our hotel this evening is a 4* boutique hotel and spa on a hill between the Pacific Ocean & rainforest-covered mountains, offering incredible views.

The National Park offers many opportunities to the traveller in search of wilderness, beauty and an immersion into the exotic natural world of Costa Rica. Playa Bahia Ballena is a pristine beach, home to nesting colonies of several exotic bird species including frigate birds and blue-footed boobies. Green iguanas and basilisk lizards can be seen scampering across the sand, and hermit crabs scuttle in and out of the waters. You are at your leisure to relax and enjoy the beach and hotel today, or to sign up for an optional excursion; horse riding (see Optional Extras).

Our destination, Drake Bay, can only easily be reached by boat, so this morning, after breakfast, we transfer an hour (57km) to the Sierpe River to catch the 11.00 boat. Seclusion, stunning vegetation and clam waves describe the Drake Bay Area, which offers access to Corcovado National Park, famous for its population of Tapir. This afternoon we have a range of optional activities that you can reserve (see Optional Extras), or the Jintesa de Osa is a wonderful place to relax, with ocean views and the sound of lapping water.Optional Extras: Sea Kayaking, Bird Watching, Night Rainforest Tour, Horse Ride on the beach

Corcovado National Park is the largest of the 27 National Parks in Costa Rica, stretching for over 263sq miles. It boasts the largest primary forest on the American Pacific Coastline and is one of the few remaining lowland rainforests in the world. It is home to innumerable variations of plants and animals, prompting a National Geographic writer to call the park 'the most biologically intense place on Earth'. As previously, there is a choice of trails to suit the aspirations of the group, and we will be joined by a local guide from the National Park, so will have the flexibility to split into subgroups as required. An exciting option is to walk to the mouth of the Sirena River (5km circular route) where you can sot bull sharks and crocodiles at high tide. Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant.We return to our hotel, nestled in the lush foliage on the coast, for a second night.

Today you will visit Cano island, with a scenic boat journey taking around 50 minutes. You can expect to see dolphins and marine birds as well as whales, false orcas and sea turtles if in season. Cano Island is a significant historical archaeological site in Costa Rica, where two of the miraculous and mysterious, perfect spheres from the pre-Colombian era, were discovered, along with other historical items. The aquatic life around Cano island is simply spectacular so we invite you to snorkel this afternoon (included) to marvel at the colourful spectrum of Pacific Coast reef fish such as triggerfish, needle fish, parrot fish, angel fish, puffers, grunts and barracudas, as well as rays, sea turtles and white tip reef shark.

Reluctantly we have to pull ourselves away from the peace and tranquillity of Drake Bay, and make our way back on the familiar route to the Sierpe River, by boat. We need to cover some ground today, to get back to within an arm's length of San Jose (a journey of around 4.5 hours) but we will make a stop at Tarcoles River for a safari boat tour. The river is famous for its large crocodiles so this is not an opportunity to be missed.Our hotel in Alajuela tonight gives us panoramic views over San Jose, and is the perfect place to recall the highlights of the trip before your travel homewards (or onwards!) tomorrow.

After breakfast, at the established time, we will transfer you the 20mins to Juan Santamaria International Airport for your flight home. It must be time to plan the next adventure!