Pura Vida in Costa Rica
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Overview
Highlights
- Raft the Río Pacuare, considered by many to be one of the top 10 most beautiful whitewater rivers in the world
- Zip-line your way through a private rainforest reserve and explore secluded channels by kayak in Tortuguero National Park
- Take a forest hike near stunning Arenal Volcano and paddle the mystical waters of Lake Arenal
- Spot a variety of wildlife, including monkeys, iguanas, sloths, toucans, and caimans
- Enjoy a seamless, flexible, non-stop water park adventure—it's great value and perfect for families!
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- Expert leadership
- Accommodations as noted in itinerary (or similar)
- If applicable, tent or safari accommodations and all arrangements in the field, including camp and cook staffs, comfortable and roomy two-person tents, kitchen and dining tents, and other community equipment
- Meals as noted in the itinerary
- Airport transfers
- Sightseeing as noted in the itinerary
- Ground transportation
- Additional guides and porters where necessary
- Tips for lodge, hotel, or camp staff
- Entrance fees and permits, unless noted separately in costs
- Basic medical and evacuation insurance
Itinerary
Accommodation: Hotel Bougainvillea
Arrive in San José, Costa Rica's capital city and cultural hub. Your trip leader (or a Mountain Travel Sobek representative) will meet you outside the customs and immigration area at the airport, brief you on the immediate arrangements, and escort you to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Paradise Lodge
After breakfast we'll drive north towards the town of Fortuna and home of the Arenal Volcano. Here we'll spend time paddling the calm waters of Arenal Lake, Costa Ricas’s largest a...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain Paradise Lodge
After breakfast, we’ll take a moderate 3-hour hike in the area surrounding Arenal Volcano, enjoying the stunning primary and secondary forests. Keep a look out for a wide variety o...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mawamba Lodge
Today we'll say "hasta luego” to the volcano and take a scenic drive through the Caribbean Lowlands to our put-in on the Río Suerte for a unique kayaking trip into Tortuguero National Park, ...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mawamba Lodge
Early this morning we’ll go for an optional birding boat tour with our guide. After breakfast, we’ll take a motorboat loaded with our kayaks and head to a secondary channel in the national p...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Rios Tropicales Lodge
After breakfast we’ll take a 90-minute boat ride to Matina, then drive for about two hours to our put-in on the beautiful but endangered Rio Pacuare, Costa Rica's most remarkable riv...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Rios Tropicales Lodge
Enjoy a full day at Ríos Tropicales Lodge! Take an optional early morning guided bird-watching hike to see toucans and many other species, before returning for breakfast and gearing ...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Bougainvillea
Today we’ll continue our whitewater rafting adventure, entering the lush, magical gorge of the Río Pacuare. The rapids become more powerful and technical in nature here, and we’ll powe...
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, transfer to the San José airport and depart on homeward-bound flights.
Want a tailor-made trip instead?
Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:
- You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
- Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with MT Sobek (Mountain Travel Sobek).
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
MT Sobek (Mountain Travel Sobek) Reviews & Ratings
The Pura Vida trip was an outstanding family vacation
With teenage children, we wanted to do something that would satisfy all of us. There was enough fun activities to keep us active and enough down time for us to relax...
Excellent adventure!
I have taken several trips with MTS and each has delivered and excellen...
Costa Rica was a fantastic trip with multi-sport activities.
It surpassed my expectations. The trip leaders and assistant guides were excellent with great patience to make sure everyone is interested and comfortable in all act...
Variety of exciting activities.
Mountain Travel Sobek always delivers a wonderful traveling experience. This ...
Best adventure vacation.
Pura Vida in Costa Rica is a vacation is for those who like the water—we were white water rafting, kayaking, rappelling down a waterfall, and even soaking in hot spr...
Other MT Sobek (Mountain Travel Sobek) Reviews
Recommend Japan hikes but not with Mt Sobek
First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfor...
Spectacular scenery
Spectacular scenery, great hiking, and fascinating conversations with...
Truly enjoyable
Thanks to MT Sobek this trip was seamless and truly enjoyable. The accommodations, logistics, and guides were all excellent. I always felt safe, cared for, and well ...
Tour Operator
Mountain Travel began with the belief that there is a little bit of adventure in everyone. The early days were fueled by the passions of outdoor enthusiasts who loved exploring wild places. 40 years later, we offer almost 200 adventures to destinations worldwide.
Expert Guides: When you venture into foreign lands, tackle snowy peaks or raging whitewater, you want the best guides at your side. With decades of experience in the field, MTS guides offer inspirational enthusiasm, exceptional leadership, and sheer volume of knowledge (better than any guidebook!).
What makes us great!
At Mountain Travel Sobek, we are driven by two philosophies.
One is the credo by which we have guided our company for over 30 years. Mountain Travel Sobek is a continuing experiment in discovery: of new lands, of exotic cultures, and of wondrous wildlife far from fences and highways. We believe the best way to bring to light the marvels of nature, the people of the world and ourselves, is by traveling in small groups—treading lightly with responsibility and sensitivity—while enjoying firsthand the boundless beauty and variety of our miracle planet.
The other is our philosophy for you, our client. Plan nothing, enjoy everything. We take care of all of the logistics so that you can have more time to do what's most important: relax, enjoy the experience, and have fun!
Active Unique Itineraries
Our adventures are planned with reasonably paced itineraries, incredible attention to detail, and the right mix of fun, learning, and challenge that ensure a memorable vacation. You will find our adventures physically active and culturally rewarding. Whether you ride a camel in Rajasthan or climb to the top of Kilimanjaro, you'll experience firsthand the cultures and environments of the region you are visiting. And after a long day of adventuring, we ensure you a comfortable night's rest in deluxe accommodations from regional inns to our own private camps.
In keeping with our founders' adventurous spirit, Mountain Travel Sobek is constantly seeking innovative new trips throughout the world. You will always find an array of new trips to exotic locales in our trip list in addition to the classic adventures for which we are renowned. So whatever your level of adventure, there is a Mountain Travel Sobek adventure just right for you.
Small Groups
You're probably wondering about the people with whom you'll share your adventure. Chances are, they're a lot like you. Our guests come from all walks of life and are spirited travelers who share a passion for our wonderful world. They range in age from their late 20s to mid-80s, reminding us all that you can never be too young or too old to have fun!
Our groups are intentionally kept small—usually less than 15 people—to allow you a more intimate experience with the people and wildlife you encounter on your Mountain Travel Sobek adventure. With such a small number of people, we can take advantage of many unexpected invitations and opportunities that would be impossible with larger groups.
Our guides often have very close ties to the local community and we are readily welcomed into the lives of the local folk. We may be invited to share lunch with a Turkish family or visit an artist's studio in Tuscany. Don't forget to ask us about the time we spent Thanksgiving at a Fulani "festival of the cows" in the Dogon lowlands of Mali—now there's something we won't soon forget!
Private Adventures
Our Private Adventures are an incredible series of itineraries designed especially for small groups, whether it be families, couples, or treasured friends. These selected trips are ideal for reunions with family or old friends, a great way to celebrate a milestone birthday or anniversary - and can you imagine a more exotic honeymoon?
Like all Mountain Travel Sobek trips, you can count on an adventure that reflects Mountain Travel Sobek's time-tested commitment to authentic, personalized experiences and world-class service.
Customized Adventures
You can either book your group on one of our scheduled departures, choose your own dates for one of our regular trips, or let us create a special trip hand-tailored to your specific needs and wishes. If you can imagine it, we just might be able to make it happen!
Safety
Our safety record is unparalleled (good to know if you're stepping into a river raft for the first time or planning to trek in the high mountains of Nepal). The guides are fully trained, our equipment is state-of-the-art, and we continually monitor conditions with our worldwide team of outfitters to make certain every trip is run safely and with the highest standards of quality.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International airfare
- Meals not noted on itinerary
- Insurance other than basic medical and evacuation insurance
- Optional tipping to leader, guides and local staff
- Excess baggage charges
- Airport taxes (international—varies by location)
- Cost of medical immunizations
- Items of a personal nature (sodas, alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.)
Accommodation
Transportation & flights
If written cancellation is received and Cancellation fee will be:
- 90 days prior to departure $150
- 89 to 61 days prior to departure $400
- 60 to 46 days prior to departure 50% of Land/Cruise Cost
- 45 to 0 days prior to departure 100% of Land/Cruise Cost
8 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches and 7 Dinners
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