Traveling Deeper with Costa Rican Trails
March 3, 2019 by Lark Gould
Resting snugly in between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica is a paradise for nature enthusiasts. With 27 national parks (boasting more than 150 protected areas), nearly 1,500 miles of coastline anchored on the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, this Central American country checks the boxes for travelers searching for adventure, couples seeking relaxation, family outdoor activities, giving back, birders discovering new species or solo travelers embarking on a journey.
Costa Rica is comprised of six regions, each with its own magic to offer. These include the Central Valley, the North Pacific, Central Pacific, South Pacific, the Caribbean and the Northern Zone. The path leading to paradise here takes unexpected dips and turns and may mean horseback riding through the Cloud Forest in Monteverde or forest bathing through a guided canopy tour along the Congo Trail to discover rare and endangered species in their natural habitats. Rare ecosystems, mysterious natural phenomena and isolated native cultures can be found in Costa Rica’s lush rainforests.
Costa Rica’s Experts:
Celebrating life’s simple pleasures, Costa Ricans live by the mantra, Pura Vida, that translates to Pure Life. Costa Rican Trails, a bespoke DMC, takes the travail out of planning, so guests are more present in the moment and connect themselves with nature and its surroundings.
While there are many options for excursions through your hotel’s Concierge, Costa Rican Trails takes the lead on private guiding with its knowledge and expertise by digging its heels into Costa Rica’s terrain and by connecting with local communities for more than a quarter of a century. Specializing in bespoke itineraries, its passionate team can create dream journeys based on a traveler’s passions or provide a family or group with a diverse range of adventures.
What is the dream today? Perhaps it is a sunrise yoga session on a tranquil stretch of beach followed by a massage. Bird watching in a cloud forest. Hiking to a hidden volcano and soaking in ancient mineral waters. Eco-glamping in a rainforest. Rappelling down remote cliffs and waterfalls in Calle Chirraca or sailing along a pack of Pacific Humpback whales.
Customized Journeys with Costa Rican Trails includes:
- Bird Watching and seeing up to 100 species in a day
- Beach Excursions
- Children’s educational and interactive activities in Biology
- Coast to Coast Walking tours
- Culinary tours to local markets
- Cooking and cheese-making classes
- Guided tours through the Panama Canal
- Hiking through a canopy or “The Path of the Panther”
- Horse-back riding
- Mask carving
- Mountain biking
- Luxury eco-glamping in the rainforest
- Private helicopter rides over active volcanoes, waterfalls, hidden lagoons and virgin rainforest.
- Rappelling down remote cliffs and waterfalls in Calle Chirraca
- Sailing through the only calving area home to Pacific Humpback Whales
- Visits to art studios, coffee plantations and organic farms
- Visits to indigenous hill tribe villages
- Water Sports (Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Surfing, Tubing, White Water Rafting)
- Wellness activities (Hot Springs and Healing Baths, Yoga and Meditation, Spa Treatments with exotic natural ingredients and more)
- Wildlife Encounters
Soaring High with Costa Rican Trails:
A perfect entrée to a Costa Rica vacation would be with a helicopter transfer. Costa Rican Trails offers this VIP service to visitors who want to dive into their time in Costa Rica starting with safe and efficient transfer to their villa or hotel, whether their lodgings are in San José, Tortuguero, Arenal, Liberia or Manuel Antonio.
Passengers pass over stunning landscapes covered by coffee, rice, pineapple and palm oil plantations, between jungles and pristine rainforests and even active volcanoes. Helicopter tours are available taking guests to three volcanoes: Irazu, Poás and Arenal where you can witness a spectacle of jagged rocks and mystical emerald lagoons only seen from soaring above.
Packaging to Perfection:
No matter what the region or interest, Costa Rican Trails also offers package itineraries perfect for families or those who want to leave the planning and the choices to the experts.
For instance, a ten-day package fits the fold for a family vacation that focuses on quality time. Taking families to the Poás Volcano, visiting coffee plantations, and passing by fern, flower and strawberry farms along the way. Arriving at the main crater of the volcano, families will observe active sulfur fumaroles and learn about how these spectacles from deep in the earth continue to form the different ecosystems around the country. They visit La Paz Waterfall Garden for lunch and then walk the trail leading to a hidden waterfall in the middle of the rainforest, followed by visits to a hummingbird gallery, the serpentarium, the bird house, the butterfly garden and the frog’s exhibit.
The following day, families will hike to the Arenal Volcano and soak in the Ecotermales hot springs. Then onto Monteverde, a place of peace founded by conservation-minded Quakers, and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve to zipline. A Sky Walk system of trails and suspension bridges takes visitors deep into the clouds to observe the forest as a bird might, from the heights. It is also known as a mecca for bird watching where it is possible to catch sight of the Quetzal, a rather large and solitary bird bearing bright and resplendent plumage.
Other days are filled horseback riding fields and forests, sailing a catamaran through a marine preserve filled with dolphins, whales and sea turtles and stopping to snorkel in calm warm waters amid unspoiled underwater reefs.
Bespoke Central America:
Bespoke itineraries also extend onward to Nicaragua and Panama for travelers who choose to extend their vacations or try new and less traveled places. For instance, Panama Trails focuses on the best of Panama, with beach, birding, adventure and sailing packages carved around target experiences like turtle and whale watching, agricultural tours, snorkeling, riding, diving, fishing and much more.
Similarly, Nicaraguan Trails packages hotels, tours and transfers with a variety of possibilities – from hiking volcanoes and exploring inland reserves, touring the country’s colonial cities, discovering Nicaragua’s beautiful beaches and immersing in pristine rainforest landscapes, whether with the help of a knowing guide or an exciting self-drive itinerary.
Contact:
Costa Rican Trails
P.O. Box 2907-1000,
San Jose, Costa Rica
Email: info@costaricantrails.com
Telephone: (+506) 2527-6700
Toll Free USA: 1-888-803-3344
www.costaricantrails.com
