Costa Rica - one or two tours in 2024 with details to come

TOUR ITINERARY

This is a small group tour with a maximum size of 12 people plus guide(s).

The meals included on the tour are specified for each date: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L) and Dinner (D). 

DAY 1 - Thursday, Jan. 19 or Feb. 2 (D)

Flight on your own to San Jose, Costa Rica. Taxi or shuttle on your own to the hotel. We can offer help with flights, as needed. Suggested sites to see in your free time are the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, National Theatre, Jade Museum, the Central Market, or Galeria Namu. We will eat dinner as a group.

Lodging: Hotel Presidente - www.hotel-presidente.com

DAY 2 - Friday, Jan. 20 or Feb. 3 (B)

This morning we visit the Irazu volcano. At 11,260 feet, it is is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. We then go to Cartago, the capital of Costa Rica from 1574 to 1824, where we will take a look inside the beautiful basilica. We return to San Jose in the afternoon for free time the rest of the day.

Lodging: Hotel Presidente

DAY 3 - Saturday, Jan. 21 or Feb. 4 (B, L, D)

We depart our hotel and eat breakfast in route to our boat. The boat ride is full of natural beauty and wildlife. After a buffet style lunch, take some free time to enjoy the freeform swimming pools, butterfly and frog gardens, hammock and bar areas, and beautiful botanical gardens that attract the tropical birds. Later in the afternoon, we take a boat ride to the Caribbean Conservation Corporation center for Tortuguero village history, a video about sea turtles, and a visit to the village of Tortuguero.
Lodging: Laguna Lodge - www.lagunatortuguero.com

DAY 4 - Sunday, Jan. 22 or Feb. 5 (B, L, D)

We take two tours to the Tortuguero National Park to see tropical lowland wildlife, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We hope to see monkeys, sloths, toucans and more (pictures are below). All three meals are included at the lodge. You will have free time in between the tours and meals.

Lodging: Laguna Lodge

DAY 5 - Monday, Jan. 23 or Feb. 6 (B, L, D)

After breakfast, we take the return wildlife boat tour to Guapiles. We then continue to enjoy the variety of Costa Rica's natural beauty as we head to Arenal. Our hotel is in the town of La Fortuna, and you can walk to the central park and souvenir shops in just a few minutes.

Lodging: Arenal Xilopalo - www.arenalxilopalo.net

DAY 6 - Tuesday, Jan. 24 or Feb. 7 (B, L, D)

We take a private tour to the La Fortuna waterfall. Located within a rainforest and towering over 230 feet high, you can view the La Fortuna Waterfall from a viewpoint or walk about 984 feet down a steep but safe pathway and get up close to it! We also go to the Mistico Hanging Bridges where you will experience the rainforest. This tour includes 10 regular bridges and 6 hanging suspension bridges. Your naturalist guide will point out the different species of plants and animals unique to each habitat and elevation. Keep your eyes sharp, looking for lizards and small mammals (coatis, agoutis, peccaries) on the ground, and once you get to the treetops, look for colorful toucans and parrots. Our day also includes a "typical" Costa Rican lunch.

Lodging:  Arenal Xilopalo

DAY 7 - Wednesday, Jan. 25 or Feb. 8 (B)

After breakfast, we travel to the unique cloud forest of Monteverde by land and across beautiful Lake Arenal. Lunch is on your own before we go to El Trapiche, a beautiful farm where we will learn the process of growing coffee, chocolate, and sugar cane. You will have a chance to make your own candy and enjoy a taste of their organic coffee. After dinner, we take a fascinating guided night tour where we will hopefully see sloths, sleeping toucans, kinkajous, and maybe even a frog. 

Lodging: Hotel Camino Verde - www.hotelcaminoverde.com

DAY 8 - Thursday, Jan. 26 or Feb. 9 (B, D)

We are up early to take a guided tour of the Monteverde cloud forest. Monteverde houses 2.5% of the world's biodiversity. After lunch, we head to Sarchi, famed throughout Costa Rica for its brightly colored and intricately constructed handicrafts. Sarchi is also known for having the world's largest ox cart - who knew? We will take a tour where we see the artists painting the carts and other items. We also will visit the "wedding cake" church in Sarchi. We share our final tour dinner together in the San Jose area.

Lodging: Villa San Ignacio on Jan. 26 -  www.villasanignacio.com or Hotel Aeropuerto San Jose on Feb. 9 - https://www.airporthotelcostarica.com

DAY 9 - Friday, Jan. 27 or Feb. 10 (B)

After breakfast, the tour concludes. 

While changes to the tour are not likely, please realize that weather, site renovations, or other factors could keep the tour group from any given site or lodging choice.

TOUR COSTS

$2,100 (per person) for a double occupancy room and $2,500 (per person) for a single occupancy room

PAYMENTS

Deposit: $200 will secure your place on this tour. Please include your completed Registration Form with the deposit; Terms & Conditions and the Registration Form can be found at https://internationaltourco.com/important-documents

Final payment:  $1,900 (double occupancy); $2,300 (single occupancy) due 90 days before departure.

BOOK YOUR TOUR

Please make your check payable to International Tour Company and put Costa Rica Tour in the memo line. 

International Tour Company

P.O. Box 23

Cloverdale, VA 24077-0023

If you want to pay with a credit or debit card, an invoice will be sent to you. Please note that a 3.3% fee is added on to all credit/debit card purchases. 

What is included:

• Tour Director Aaron Garber will be with you the entire tour.
• Lodging every night
• Transportation for the tours outlined in the itinerary (no airport transfers)
• Meals as outlined in the itinerary
• Entrance fees to the places outlined in the itinerary.
• Tips for your drivers and guides

What is not included:

• Flights; we can offer help with flights, as needed.
• Drinks other than table water at the tour dinners unless already included in the meal.
• Travel insurance (highly recommended) - Aaron is an agent for Allianz Travel Insurance and will be pleased to help you find the insurance you need (cancellation and/or medical).

Other Important Information

• I suggest bringing $300 in cash or less cash if you choose to use a credit/debit card. Bring a minimum of $100 in cash. Costa Rica uses the Colon and also U.S. dollars. Because the use of U.S. dollars is so prevalent, you should not worry about exchanging your money before you get to Costa Rica. When you pay in dollars, you may get back colones in change and can use them as needed. Visa and MasterCard are the most commonly used credit cards followed by American Express. Make sure that you have your PIN number or a card with a chip for them to work. This applies to both credit and debit cards. Call your card company before you leave to let them know where and when you will be in Costa Rica and to find the latest information on your card. Do not bring travelers checks.
• You need a U.S. passport that is valid for the length of your stay.
• You do not need a visa for this trip to Costa Rica.

Tour Director Aaron Garber 

I look forward to my eighth trip to Costa Rica. I first fell in love with this country when I visited in 1999. My international travels began when I spent two months in Germany at the age of 14. It was easy and natural for me to fall in love with a different country, a new culture, and an unfamiliar language. Since that time, I have had the great fortune to travel as a tour director, tourist, and musician to Europe, Africa, South America, and Central America.

Touring the world never gets old for me; in fact, I find that I like it more with every trip I take. As the Founder and President of International Tour Company, you have my assurance that each and every tourist is important to us. 

It is my hope that you will choose one of our tours because I have full confidence that your experience will be one that you remember favorably for a lifetime.

Aaron Garber, Founder and President
International Tour Company 

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