Menu
The Costa Rica trip offers students a truly unique and hands-on learning experience. Although only about the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica has 12 distinct ecosystems and more biodiversity than North America or Europe!
Students (and their families!) explore rainforests, dry forests, mangroves, cloud forests, volcanoes and coastal beaches in a matter of days and learn how organisms adapt to their corresponding habitats. This program includes exciting adventures and a chance to experience a new culture: integrating fun and social studies with science to create an unforgettable learning experience.
As you exit the Juan Santamaría International Airport you will be met at the airport by Toku Travel staff who will have a vehicle ready to take you to your hotel in the heart of San Jose.
In the evening you will meet your guide and fellow travelers at your Welcome Dinner at the appointed hour.
On this day, and as the first thing of the day, you will bring your luggage down to the bus. Then you will enjoy a delicious breakfast at the Aurola Holiday Inn.
After breakfast, you will board the bus to go to the Sarapiqui area. On the way to the region of Sarapiqui, you will pass through the magnificent Braulio Carrillo National Park and witness breathtaking views of the huge rainforest that forms it.
En route, you will stop at the Aerial Tram of the Rainforest.
You will arrive at the parking lot and from there you will hop in their vehicle to go down to the area of the park. The Aerial Tram is a buffer zone for the Braulio Carrillo National Park and an extension of its forest.
You will enjoy a ride on the tram, where you will witness, at a very slow pace, the tops of the rainforest, where 80% of the activity of the ecosystem happens.
As you finish your ride on the tram, your local guide will take you on a naturalist walk to tell you some super interesting information about the rainforests of Costa Rica.
When you leave the aerial tram of the rainforest you will go straight to the area of Sarapiqui.
The region is known throughout the country for its splendid and abundant biodiversity; it is also a well-known destination for eco-adventurers, offering plenty of thrilling activities. Sarapiqui lies to the east of Costa Rica, bordering Nicaragua to the north.
On this day you will bring the luggage to the bus to be put in the storage area and go enjoy a delicious typical breakfast at El Bambu Hotel.
You will drive to La Selva Research Station.
La Selva Biological Station is an amazing rainforest biological research spot. With naturalist guides and 30 miles of hikes, the forest is spectacular.
Over 4,000 acres (160 hectares) were purchased by the Organization for Tropical Studies to create La Selva Biological Station. It’s one of the greatest areas to study tropical rainforests. About 100 university students and 300 scientists utilize the labs each year.
This trip may include poison dart frogs, monkeys, peccaries, and more. You’ll learn about the environment’s circumstances, relationships, and adaptations.
In La Selva, you will walk for a couple of hours witnessing one of the most sophisticated life systems on the planet.
As you finish your walk at La Selva, you will drive to Cano Negro Natural Lodge.
On the way to Cano Negro you will see some of the most fertile areas of Costa Rica: The plains of San Carlos. A very progressive region.
You will see several fruit plantations, oranges, papayas, and pineapples are just some of them.
On this day, you will travel to a new region of Costa Rica! The beautiful Monteverde.
Located on the Tilaran Mountain Range and a haven within the clouds, Monteverde encompasses wilderness, sustainability, community, and beauty. It is a breathtaking place, and you will get the best!
As you start the day, and before getting to breakfast, you will have the chance to leave your luggage by the bus and enjoy a delicious breakfast before departing to Monteverde.
Once on the bus, the route shows itself! You will be driving around the lake and up the mystical cloud forests. At the top of the mountains, you will find Santa Elena, the most important town in this significant biodiverse and touristic location. You will have some time to walk around this bustling, tiny town.
Town of Santa Elena
Santa Elena is a small town located only some kilometers north of the relaxing Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve in Puntarenas province on the Cordillera Tilaran.
This cloud forest is a popular tourist destination and one of Costa Rica’s most visited wildlife and nature reserves.
Santa Elena is the nearest town to the reserve and is frequently used by tourists as a rest stop while exploring this magnificent area and its breathtaking views.
After you board back the bus, you will get to the Monteverde Mountain Lodge, fantastic and quite cozy accommodations in Cerro Plano.
You will have the rest of the afternoon at your leisure. Later on, early in the evening, you will go for Cloud Forest Night Tour.
Night Tour in Monteverde
Night hiking trails are a fantastic way to see most of these animals, both those that are nocturnal and falling asleep. Your guide will have an eagle’s eye for spotting wildlife with a special UV flashlight.
Enjoy a two-hour hike while observing sleeping birds like toucans, trogons, and the famous long-tailed manakin. If you are lucky, you may even see mammals such as kinkajous, sloths, olingos, monkeys, snakes, frogs, spiders, and a variety of insects.
On this day you will wake up early, deliver your luggage to your vehicle and go enjoy breakfast at the Natural Lodge Caño Negro.
Then we will depart to take you to the next destination, the fantastic Arenal Volcano.
As you drive through different fruit plantations, you’ll witness the fantastic fertility and beauty of the Costa Rican countryside.
As you arrive in the region of the volcano, you will visit the breathtaking Fortuna Waterfall.
La Fortuna Waterfall
The Fortuna River waterfall is located in a 210-acre ecological reserve of transition premontane tropical wet forest in Arenal Volcano National Park at 1720 feet above sea level, where our mountains and the Fortuna River originate.
To see this 70-meter-high waterfall, you will come down 530 stairs, to enjoy a most natural environment surrounded by rainforest.
Once in front of the waterfall, you’ll discover a vast and pleasant vantage point to snap unique, unpublished photos and then swim in the pristine waters of the Fortuna River.
As we exit the waterfall you will go to La Fortuna town, where we will enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and then you will have some time to explore the village
After that, we will drive you to the Hotel Linda Vista in the area of El Castillo, quite close to the Arenal National Park.
Hotel Linda Vista is set on a slope overlooking the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal. The fantastic views are accompanied by a great sort of surrounding forest, wildlife, and birds.
You will enjoy a hefty breakfast at the hotel and then depart to go to the Arenal National Park.
You will visit the Peninsula trail at Arenal Volcano National Park, which surrounds lake Arenal and has amazing views of the lake. It features a 360 observation deck of the volcano, forest, and lake: The trail has great possibilities for wildlife viewing.
Afterward, you will have a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.
And then you will visit the Coladas trail. This goes into the lavas that were spewed by the volcano in 1992.
In this area, you will see some fantastic vistas.
As we finish hiking in the old lava fields, you will delight in the natural hot springs completely surrounded by rainforests.
On this day you will have the chance to go birdwatching in the early morning and to start the day. But you have to have your luggage ready to depart towards the stunning Central Pacific region of Costa Rica and the Punta Leona Hotel.
You will go up the mountains and down to the coast, passing by some breathtaking landscapes and a great diversity of ecosystems. On the way, we will stop at a local restaurant for a delicious lunch.
As you arrive in the Central Pacific region you will enjoy a walk in the Carara National Park. This fantastic transition forest has species from the rare tropical dry forest and the humid rainforest. Birdwatching is fantastic in this park.
As we exit Carara, we will take you to the fantastic Punta Leona Hotel, immersed in forests and right by the edge of the ocean you will have a great time here!
On this day you will have the chance to go in a fantastic adventure in the Tarcoles River, which has the largest population of American Crocodiles in Costa Rica.
On this tour, you will also delight in many aquatic and marine bird species, like the Brown Pelicans or the Olivaceous Cormorants.
After this, we will return to the hotel and you will have the day to relish in the tropical weather and gardens of the Hotel Punta Leona. Go to the white sanded beach, bathe in the warm Pacific Ocean waters, and have all the fun in the fantastic swimming pools of the resort.
Enjoy yourselves!
On this day, you will start the day by dropping off your luggage at the bus and going for a good breakfast before departing for the Costa Rica Animal Rescue Center in the area of Turrucares, in the Central Valley.
This rescue center is committed to protecting and assisting endangered Costa Rican wildlife as their primary purpose is to safeguard the health of the animals at the center and to assist them in recovering from physical and psychological scars caused by their previous suffering.
After that, we will drive you back to the Aurola Holiday Inn in San José downtown.
Later on we will enjoy together our farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Mostly all the art crafts in this store are made by locals and you will find some quite unique items to take back home.
As you finish your lunch you will get back on the bus and drive to the KC Hotel. The rest of your afternoon is at your leisure.
In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.
Fly back home!
If you have any questions, or comments or you just simply want to book a tour with us, please send us a note! Let’s talk!
