Sea Turtles & "La Amistad": 13 days / 12 nights
Mid-MARCH through mid-AUGUST
DAY 1 Arrive from your country of origin to Costa Rica. Overnight at Hotel Milvia or similar (lovely small B&B located in the suburb of San Pedro, just ten minutes away from downtown San Jose).
DAY 2 Early start to meet the rafting challenge of an untamed river, the world famous Pacuare River, class III & IV. Discover the mystical Pacuare Canyon while rafting passed a Cabecar Indian reserve. Waterfalls and wildlife will be part of the adventure. At the end of the day, and after paddling through and surviving some very exciting rapids, you will enjoy a dinner in the light of candles at Reserva Pacuare. The next two nights you will be hosted at Casa Grande, the main building of “Private Sea Turtles Conservation Sanctuary”. The romantic setting of this ample house built on stilts, following Caribbean style, is base for our next two days while taking an active stand in sea turtle conservation.
DAY 3 SEA TURTLES calls for active participation of our guest by patrolling the 4-mile long volcanic beach at Reserva Pacuare, to which this program has exclusive right to access. The presence of our guests, and their participation in the organized night patrols on the beach together with biologists, volunteers and private park rangers is a positive deterrent against sea turtle nest poachers. Watching a giant Leather Back turtle emerge from the waves on to the beach covered by the darkness of the night and the safety of our presence is an unforgettable sight and a very special experience. You will help relocate and hide the nests, so poachers do not find the turtle eggs they intend to sell on the street. The turtle has to be measured and tagged and escorted back into the safe ocean. By mid-June and until mid-August minute Leather Back hatchings will squirrel off on their way to the ocean, many times not having the opportunity to do so because of their natural predators and the strong sun. During this time you will help to make sure that as many of these hatchings as possible find their way into their natural element, the ocean. During the stay at Reserva Pacuare you will also have the opportunity to walk the natural trails of the preserve and to observe great wildlife during the boat tour of the natural canals and lagoons created by the Pacuare River when it enters the ocean.
DAY 4 Transfer to Selva Bananito Lodge & Preserve. At Selva Bananito you can choose from a number of exciting adventure activities such as hiking through the exuberant tropical rainforest of our preserve. At Selva Bananito Preserve you will find trees, over 200 feet tall, that you can climb using our special tree climbing gear and canopy exploration technique. From our canopy platform you will be overwhelmed by the wild and rich diversity in, and absolute serene beauty of our primary rain forest.
DAY 5 At Selva Bananito you can choose from a number of exciting adventure activities such as hiking through the exuberant tropical rainforest of our preserve. At Selva Bananito Preserve you will find trees, over 200 feet tall, that you can climb using our special tree climbing gear and canopy exploration technique. From our canopy platform you will be overwhelmed by the wild and rich diversity in, and absolute serene beauty of our primary rain forest. Have fun, enjoy the lovely scenery, and learn about the region’s low impact agriculture during our tour through the farm on horseback.
DAY 6 Selva Bananito Lodge & Preserve. Enjoy the beautiful hike following the Bananito River upstream, deep into the Selva Bananito Preserve. Lunch and fruit juices by the last of a series of charming waterfalls. Highly recommended for adrenaline seekers is the Waterfall Rappel!!!
DAY 7 Selva Bananito Lodge & Preserve. Adventure horseback tour with Jungle tree climbing. Get to know the canopy in the most spectacular primary rain forest setting imaginable. Climb up a gigantic Kapok tree and become part of this unique natural cathedral at 120 feet above the ground. Optional adventure activities at Selva Bananito Lodge include canopy observation from our tree platform and / or 130 feet free rappel down a vertical rock wall.
DAY 8 After breakfast, it is time to change the scenery. A scenic ground transfer will take you to the most beautiful Caribbean islands and coral keys imaginable. After immigration procedures at Sixaola Costa Rica border and Panama, we will take a gorgeous boat transfer to “Punta Vieja” on Bastimentos Island. Your base for the exploration of Bastimentos Marine National Park and our beach activities will be “Al Natural” Resort. “Al Natural” is built in a very open and natural Caribbean style and offers a very personal atmosphere. “Al Natural” blends in harmoniously with the tropical forest of its own private preserve, and offers kilometers of golden beaches to walk on, and it also faces directly the two most beautiful Caribbean coral islands in the “Bastimentos Marine National Park”, which we have included in our program.
DAY 9 The “Zapatillas Keys” are located just a short boat ride away from “Al Natural”. You can snorkel, kayak, windsurf, sunbathe, swim and relax during your stay at “Al Natural” and your excursion to “Cayo Zapatillas” during our stay in this area. You can also take a hike through the jungle of “Old Point”. If you prefer to stay in a hammock or relax on the beach you are welcome to do so as well.
DAY 10 “Al Natural” enjoy the activities, swim in the calm waters, snorkel in crystal clear tides or try kayaking in a traditional dugout exploring the close by mangroves, a very diverse and important habitat to many marine, wildlife and bird species or visit to the Indigenous village of Salt Creek. Enjoy romantic and delicious dinners in the light of candles.
DAY 11 Another high light of your stay in Bocas delToro is a snorkel tour to Crawl Key, also knows as Coral Key. Immerse yourself in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and enjoy the diverse marine life and colorful coral formations. At last, after all the activity, all the adrenaline and all the magnificent experiences, you deserve to rest, relax, and to feel satisfied.
DAY 12 On your last day of adventure and conservation program you will return to the main island Bocas del Toro for lunch (not included), before taking your return flight to Costa Rica in a scheduled flight back to San Jose. Your last Overnight will be at the charming Hotel Milvia.
DAY 13 Return home.
