Costa Rica

Ultimate Wildlife 9-Day Adventure

A shorter version of our most popular itinerary emphasizing wildlife and bird-watching "off the beaten path." This is our signature wildlife adventure, with many of Wild Planet's special touches, including:
. More value than any other professional wildlife tour, including over 6 paid admissions to national parks, wildlife refuges, private wildlife reserves, and adventure activities such as canopy tours and hot springs.
. Expert Local Naturalist Guides Even biologists in some places.
. Breathtaking Rainforest Lodges Each specially chosen for the unique access they offer to our unique wildlife destinations, as well as their distinct level of comfort. Many have been featured in top magazines and guidebooks for excelling in quality and comfort.
. Specifically designed to optimize the chances of seeing more wildlife by visiting a variety of different eco-systems, with no commercial "filler" activities.

Detailed Itinerary

DAYS 1-3 Cahuita National Park, Toucan Rescue Ranch
Highlights: Jungle Beach, Canoeing on Virgin Wetlands, Rainforest Hiking, Sloth Sanctuary, Bird and Wildlife Watching.

Wildlife: sloths, white-faced monkeys, anteaters, otters, caiman, morpho butterflies, poison-arrow frogs, and over 300 species of exotic tropical birds.

Start your adventure  with a visit to Toucan Rescue Ranch wildlife rescue center, a beautiful sanctuary for rescued sloths and other wildlife. On your tour you may have an opportunity to witness the feeding of the baby sloths!  This sloth rescue experience is far superior to the Sloth Sanctuary on the Caribbean coast, which we included in our itinerary for many years but is now servicing a huge cruise ship clientele and no longer offers the opportunity for a more personal and intimate experience with the sloths. We learned about the Toucan Rescue’s sloth program through the sloth veterinarian at the Sloth Sanctuary, who is also the veterinarian for the sloths at Toucan Rescue. We’ve been thrilled to discover that Toucan Rescue offers exactly the same quality of intimate sloth program that the Sloth Sanctuary used to offer in the past. You will love their sloths!

Upon arrival we’ll have some free time to relax from our journey and explore the grounds of our lodge. After dinner, we may embark on a short night hike looking for kinkajou, sleeping monkeys and sloths, caiman and other nocturnal animals such as red-eyed tree frogs or poison-arrow frogs. Then canoe in a private wildlife refuge through virgin wetlands where rainforest canals (similar to Tortuguero, but without the crowds!) are habitat for exotic colorful birds such as the purple gallinule, boat-billed heron and northern jacana.   

In the afternoon, we'll hike in Cahuita National Park, a crowd-free rainforest beach teeming with monkeys, sloths, toucans and more. We'll usually see 5-12 troops of monkeys of 2 species (with 3-30 individuals in each troop) as well as 5-20 sloths of 2 species, and a wide variety of other wildlife common to the Caribbean lowlands. This easy-paced hike ends with relaxing on the beach before heading into Cahuita for a fresh-caught seafood dinner at one of the most acclaimed restaurants on the Caribbean coast.

DAYS 3-4 La Selva Biological Reserve, Sarapiqui River
Highlights: Whitewater rafting, flat-water wildlife expedition on a rainforest river, hiking in a biological station with biologists studying the rainforest.

Wildlife: Extreme biodiversity including 400 species of birds, rare rainforest frogs, river otter, agouti, coati, monkeys, anteaters, and more.

The Sarapiqui is one of the highlights of every paddler's "dream trip." Passing directly through La Selva Biological Reserve, the river is surrounded by old-growth rainforest and exotic birds. The next day we'll run the Puerto Viejo River, a remote river that rarely sees any humans besides us!

Wild Planet Adventures Exclusive

Choose from rafts or inflatable kayaks for both whitewater and flat-water segments. More boats spread out along a wider stretch the river exposes us to more wildlife habitat, which means we see more wildlife! And in the flat-water sections we can stop, get out of our rafts and observe wildlife for a more intimate experience of the rainforest and wildlife than any other conventional tour.

DAY 5 Arenal Volcano, Hot Springs, Wildlife Interaction
In the morning we visit Mirador el Silencio, a Wildlife Reserve located 12 km from the center of La Fortuna and only 5 km from the Arenal Volcano National Park. The Reserve comprises 225 hectares of protected land that cover more than 100 hectares of primary forest. There are some particularly interesting animals that can sometimes be seen here, due to the uniqueness of the eco-system. Sightings have included oncilla, grison, peccary, coati, armadillo, paca, 3 species of monkeys and 2 species of sloth, as well as many birds, amphibians and reptiles.

Later, we'll enjoy soaking in a spectacular hot springs at the base of the Arenal Volcano, with spectacular views of the volcano, right from our lodge!

DAYS 6-8 Monteverde Cloud Forest
Highlights: Cloud forest, Canopy Tour, Naturalist-guided Hiking and Birding.

Wildlife: Resplendent quetzals, trogons, rare hummingbirds and hundreds of birds unique to the cloud forest. Howler monkeys and other small mammals.

The bio-diversity and exuberance of life in the cloudforest is a result of clouds drifting in and dripping constant moisture on the dense canopy tops. A naturalist guide points out a stunning array of plant and birdlife, perhaps even the endangered resplendent quetzal. Later, a series of suspended bridges and platforms offers an unforgettable glimpse of life high amongst the canopy and the transcendent sensation of walking amongst the clouds.

EVE 8 Carara National Park
Highlights: Evening scarlet macaw migration, rare wildlife, giant exotic hardwoods.

Wildlife: Crocodiles, scarlet macaws, anteater, ocelot, peccaries, white-faced and spider monkeys, poison-arrow frog.

An old growth forest of striking complexity and density, Carara's giant trees include 10 of the rarest hardwoods in Costa Rica. The unique combination of ecosystems is habitat for many rare and endangered animals, including one of the largest populations of scarlet macaws in the country, which migrate twice daily from the inland rainforest to the coastal mangrove swamps.

Transfer back to San Jose for the overnight.

DAY 9 San Jose / USA
At the appropriate time, transfer to the airport for your ownard flight.

Extensions:

Manuel Antonio National Park

See our 10.5-Day Ultimate Wildlife EcoTour itinerary.

Manuel Antonio National Park / Golfito Bay / Corcovado National Park

See our 14-Day Ultimate Wildlife EcoTour itinerary.

Bocas Del Toro - Snorkeling, Islands & Beaches

Much of Costa Rica's coral reef has been destroyed due to polluted run-off from banana plantations, which means the snorkeling is poor at best. However, the nearby archipelago of Bocas del Toro just across the border in Panama is world renowned for some of the best snorkeling in all of Central America, even better than that of Belize's renowned barrier reef. Bocas has coral of every imaginable color, teeming with marine life, as well as dolphins and turtles. On islands such as Bastimentos you can visit an authentic indigenous village and hike with indigenous guides to see the endemic strawberry poison arrow frog and rare night monkeys, neither of which exist in Costa Rica.

Tortuguero National Park

A natural network of scenic jungle canal navigable only by boat, Tortuguero protects over 350 species of birds and mammals, including endangered great green macaws and jaguars. It is one of the most important nesting sites for green sea turtles. Enjoy boating, canoeing and wildlife watching from your waterfront lodge. Call for different price options.

Drake Bay

Explore Osa's wild northern end. Hike Corcovado National Park with local naturalist guides, boat to Cano Island for a day of snorkeling, or just relax at one of Costa Rica's best jungle lodges. Call for different price options.