The Wild Caribbean Side of Costa Rica

This sample itinerary is meant to serve as a sales tool which you can either share with your clients, or send to your preferred DMC as an example of what you would like to book for your clients. It is recommended that Aguas Claras is at the end of this itinerary for logistical reasons. Travelers also enjoy relaxing on the beautiful Caribbean beaches after 4-5 days of whitewater rafting, zip-lining, and exploring Tortuguero National Park.

Important note — if a group, perhaps a family or even a couple, is unable to raft and not interested in taking a boat to Tortuga Lodge, then we suggest they visit Tortuga Lodge first. There are daily flights from San Jose to Tortuguero Airstrip which is directly across the river from TL. So, they can fly in and return to San Jose. Upon arrival in San Jose a driver can be arranged (with either of the hotels, or a local DMC), to take them all the way to Pacuare Lodge. They will have to take the cable car over the river to the property. Afterwards, instead of rafting out, a driver will take them directly to Aguas Claras after they exit the cable car. That turns it into about a 3.5 hour drive from Pacuare Lodge to Aguas Claras. A to-go lunch will be packed for them.

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Remember, September and October is sunshine and calm ocean on this side of CR, while the Pacific side receives more rain.

Quick Summary

Day	Description	Accommodation
Day 1	Arrival Day	Hotel Grano de Oro
Day 2	Transfer/White Water Rafting to Pacuare Lodge	Pacuare Lodge
Day 3	Activities at Pacuare Lodge	Pacuare Lodge
Day 4	Pacuare Lodge to Tortuga Lodge	Tortuga Lodge
Day 5	Explore Tortuguero National Park	Tortuga Lodge
Day 6	Tortuga Lodge to Hotel Aguas Claras	Hotel Aguas Claras
Day 7	Explore Puerto Viejo	Hotel Aguas Claras
Day 8	Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras	Hotel Aguas Claras
Day 9	End of Tour

Itinerary Detail

Day 1: Arrival Day

Daily Summary

Accommodation: Hotel Grano de Oro

Arrival at SJO, transfer to Hotel Grano de Oro. They can can offer private transportation from the airport and bill guests when they check out, or it can be arranged through a local DMC.

Day 2: Transfer/White Water Rafting to Pacuare Lodge

Daily Summary

Transfer: Transfer to Pacuare River
Tour: White Water Raft to Pacuare Lodge
Accommodation: Pacuare Lodge
Meals: B, L, D

After meeting in the lobby of Hotel Grano de Oro at 6:20am. A driver and guide takes guests via private transportation roughly one hour and thirty minutes to Cafe Viñas where breakfast and fresh coffee will be served. From there, continue for another 45 minutes driving to Tres Equis (the entry to Pacuare River).

White Water Raft to Pacuare Lodge

Upon arrival at the Pacuare River, guests meet their guides and receive a quick briefing before heading to Pacuare Lodge. This will be around a one hour and thirty minute paddle through Class II & III rapids reaching Pacuare Lodge. En route, quick stop to explore a small waterfall.

* On this day, guests will need to wear water shoes (tevas or chacos) and clothes that you don't mind getting wet like board shorts and a water-resistant shirt. The guides will have dry bags for anyone who wants to bring along their phone or camera. All of the luggage will continue with the driver to Pacuare Lodge and will be waiting for you in your room once we get to Pacuare Lodge.

Day 3: Activities at Pacuare Lodge

Daily Summary

Tour: Full Day at Pacuare Lodge
Accommodation: Pacuare Lodge
Meals: B, L, D

Full Day at Pacuare Lodge

Full day to explore Pacuare Lodge and sample their onsite activities. Other than white water rafting, there will be options for:

- Canopy Tour (zipline)
- Canyoning
- Birdwatching
- Hike to a Nearby Cabecar Indigenous Village
- Hike to the Healing Waterfall
- Night Tour of the property to see nocturnal animals.

*These are all included in the pricing besides the hike to Cabecar Indigenous tribe village (6 hour hike)

Day 4: Pacuare Lodge to Tortuga Lodge

Daily Summary

Tour: White Water Raft to Siquirres
Transfer: Transfer to La Pavona Dock/Boat Ride to Tortuga Lodge
Accommodation: Tortuga Lodge
Meals: B, L, D

White Water Raft to Siquirres

After breakfast around 8:30am guests leave Pacuare Lodge by water water rafting towards the Caribbean to a town called Siquirres. This raft journey will take about 4 hours and consists of rapids ranking Class III & IV. After getting through the rapids, pass between two cliff faces where everyone can jump in and swim alongside the rafts. Before exiting the river, our guides will serve a healthy lunch on a scenic riverbank.

From the whitewater rafting river exit in Siquirres, our driver will take us for approximately two hours to La Pavona Dock in order to enter Tortuguero National Park. At La Pavona Dock, there is a store and restrooms. From here, we will continue via private boat with an English-speaking expert guide for about fourty-five minutes to arrive at Tortuga Lodge. Check-into rooms and reconvene for dinner at the lodge.

Day 5: Explore Tortuguero National Park

Daily Summary

Tour: Full Day at Tortuga Lodge
Accommodation: Tortuga Lodge
Meals: B, L, D

Full Day at Tortuga Lodge

Full day to explore Tortuguero National Park and enjoy their onsite activities. There will be options for:

- Touring through Tortuguero National Park via boat at sunrise
- Hiking "Cerro Tortuguero,"
- Kayaking through the canals of Tortuguero National Park and visiting a nearby local family.
- See the local music school perform (Tortuga Lodge helps fund the school and employ the teacher)
- Night Tour
- Tour of Tortuguero Town
- Fishing for Tarpon (extra cost, not included)

Day 6: Tortuga Lodge to Hotel Aguas Claras

XPlore Air - Flight from Tortuguero to Limon

Daily Summary

Transfer: XPlore Air - Flight from Tortuguero to Limon
Accommodation: Hotel Aguas Claras
Meals: B, L, D

Experience a domestic flight in Costa Rica like never before, similar to as you would during a safari in Africa. Böëna Wilderness Lodges, who owns and operates Lapa Rios (as well as 4 other wonderful eco-luxury lodges in CR), recently acquired a 6-passenger brand new Cessna Caravan available for private charters. In order to get from Tortuga Lodge to Hotel Aguas Claras without private charter, it would be a 45-minute boat ride to La Pavona Dock, and a 5-hour drive to Aguas Claras.

Instead, with XPlore Air, you can go from Tortuguero to Limon on a 25-minute flight with amazing overviews of the massive Tortuguero National Park and the Caribbean coast. Upon arrival in Limon, a driver will be waiting to take you to Aguas Claras by private vehicle (45-minute drive).

*Keep in mind that there is one daily domestic flight from Tortuguero to Limon at 7:00AM with SANSA Airlines. (This service is on a private basis.)

Upon arrival at Hotel Aguas Claras, guests have the remainder of the day to relax by the beach or pool. The goal is to make it just in time for Happy Hour at Da Lime restaurant located on the beach outside of the property. There is access to snorkel gear and we recommend having a sunset toast on the beach!

Day 7: Explore Puerto Viejo

Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras

Daily Summary

Tour: Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras
Accommodation: Hotel Aguas Claras
Meals: B, L, D

Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras

Aguas Claras, part of the Cayuga Collection, is the perfect place to relax or continue the adventures to cap off your Caribbean adventure. Here, jungle meets beach, so there are plenty of opportunities to see wildlife from Green Macaws, yellow pit vipers, sloths, monkeys, tropical fish, etc.. There are also nearby tribes you can meet and hike to waterfalls on their properties. Bikes and snorkel gear are available for any guests to use.

Here is a list of a few tours we recommend booking from Aguas Claras:

- Snorkeling Inside Cahuita National Park
- Yoga at Casa Ghandi
- Hiking at Cahuita National Park
- Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve Tour
- Dolphin Tour
- Sea kayaking Punta Uva
- Mangrove + Hike Mirador Punta Uva
- Visit Gandoca's Lagoon
- Surf Lessons
- Horseback Riding
- Zipline Canopy Tour
- Waterfall Hike (Kekoldi Hike)
- Bri Bri Dialect Tour
- Caribbean Cooking Class
- Caribbean Dance Class

*Excursions are not included in Aguas Claras pricing. Commission can be included if you book your client's tours in advance, or with a local DMC. A sustainability tour at any of the properties in our Costa Rica portfolio is complimentary.

Day 8: Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras

Daily Summary

Tour: Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras
Accommodation: Hotel Aguas Claras

Excursions of Your Choice from Aguas Claras

Day 9: End of Tour

Daily Summary

Transfer: Flight from Limon to San Jose

SANSA Airlines has daily flights form Limon to San Jose, about a 30-minute flight. The reservations team at Aguas Claras can help book these, or a local DMC can help arrange them. Private charter flights for 2 - 12 people are available as well. We do not recommend driving back to San Jose because it can sometimes take over 5 hours. Upon arrival in San Jose, walk across the street from the Domestic Terminal to the SJO International Terminal for return flight home.

Accommodation

Hotel Grano de Oro

Pacuare Lodge

Located on the Pacuare River, world famous for it’s whitewater rapids, in the heart of the Talamanca Mountains on 840-acres of private reserve, Roberto Fernandez, who is from nearby Turrialba, created Pacuare Lodge as a camp where whitewater rafters could be set up for the evening. Fast forward to now, the objective has not changed, but the camp has transformed into one of the most unique wilderness lodges in the world. A string of luxury treehouses are spread across the forest canopy above the azure blue waters of the rushing river

Tortuga Lodge

Tortuguero National Park, on Costa Rica’s northeast Caribbean coastline, near the border with Nicaragua, is one of the most wild and biodiverse areas you can explore. Only reachable by boat or light aircraft, the mega-diverse Tortuguero National Park covers almost 300 square miles, two-thirds of which is marine reserve and hosts one the worlds most active and pristine sea turtle nesting areas. This rugged park has few hiking trails, but is dissected by numerous waterways emptying into the Caribbean which make it best explored by boat, and has given the area the reputation of the “Amazon of Central America”.

Tortuga Lodge was built in harmony with its tropical environment, offering a tranquil, relaxing and exclusive experience. Each of our 29 rooms provide sweeping views of the Tortuguero River and a magnificent view of the sunrise.

Hotel Aguas Claras

A boutique jewel on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, Hotel Aguas Claras in Puerto Viejo is a beautifully curated collection of Victorian-tropical bungalows and suites, discreetly tucked within 2 acres of lush gardens. Untouched by the development of the Pacific Coast, Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean has long captivated local Ticos with its laid-back vibe, crystal clear seas and influence from Afro-Caribbean and indigenous cultures.

About Clark Kotula Representation

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