North America · Costa Rica
Twelve days with flights from Italy and a private Italian-speaking guide, from Tortuguero, Arenal volcano and Monteverde to the Panama Canal and the Casco Antiguo.
Quick facts
Indicative price from
€3,799
per person
This itinerary is a starting point: we'll adapt it with you in your tailor-made proposal.
Request informationThe nature of Costa Rica and the history of Panama in one trip. It starts in Tortuguero, on the Caribbean coast, a park you can only reach by boat: canals through the forest, caimans, howler monkeys, sloths and tropical birds.
Then Arenal volcano, with the hanging bridges in the forest and the Tabacón hot springs, and the Monteverde reserve, a cool, damp cloud forest that is among the richest in species in the country.
In Panama you visit the Canal, which joins the Atlantic and the Pacific, and the Casco Antiguo, the colonial old town. One day is devoted to the indigenous Emberá community, in the forest along the river.
A private trip with a driver and an Italian-speaking local guide, international flights included.
12 days in the programme
International flight from Italy to San José, the capital of Costa Rica. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. The city lies in the Central Valley, at about 1,150 metres, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, which is why the climate is mild all year. With Costa Rica seven hours behind Italy, eight when Italy is on summer time, a light dinner and an early night are a good idea. The next day you leave for the Caribbean coast, a long journey by road and boat.
Departure for the northern Caribbean coast. The road crosses Braulio Carrillo National Park, with forest covering the mountains, and drops into the plain of banana plantations. At the jetty you leave the vehicle behind: the last stretch is by boat along rivers and canals, because Tortuguero has no roads. On the way you already see herons and other birds and, with a bit of luck, caimans on the banks. Arrival and check-in at the lodge, in the tropical forest.
A boat trip with a guide along the park's canals, where the forest comes right down to the water. You look out for caimans, crocodiles, howler monkeys, sloths and many tropical birds, including herons, kingfishers and toucans. The national park entry fee, about 19 US dollars, is not included and is paid on the spot. There is then time for the small village and the long dark beach, where the sea is too rough for swimming. From July to October green turtles lay their eggs here: night viewing is optional.
Back by boat to the jetty and a long transfer west, across the farmland plains of the country's north, to the Arenal region. The journey takes up a good part of the day. Arrival in the La Fortuna area, the town at the foot of the volcano: an almost perfect cone over 1,600 metres high, which erupted from 1968 to 2010 and is quiet today. Check-in at the hotel. When the sky is clear the summit is easy to see from town, but it is often wrapped in cloud.
A walk in the rainforest at the foot of the volcano, along a trail with hanging bridges through the treetops. You walk at the height where monkeys, birds and epiphytes such as orchids and bromeliads live, which you would not see from the ground. In the afternoon, the Tabacón hot springs: a river of warm water, heated by the volcano, flows through pools and small waterfalls in a tropical garden. Bring a swimsuit, a towel and comfortable shoes for the trails.
Transfer to Monteverde, about four hours by road. You skirt Lake Arenal, the largest in the country, enlarged by a dam in 1979, then climb through pastures and hills to about 1,400 metres. Monteverde was born in the early 1950s, when a group of American Quakers settled here and started a cheese dairy that still runs today. The rest of the day is free in Santa Elena, the main village. Up here it is cool and often rainy: bring a light jacket.
A day devoted to the Monteverde Reserve, a cloud forest straddling the Continental Divide, almost always wrapped in low cloud. Moss-covered trunks, tree ferns and hundreds of orchid species; among the birds, hummingbirds and the quetzal, with its long green tail feathers. On the trails you walk slowly and quietly, to have more chances of spotting wildlife. Entry to the reserve is not included. Optional and booked separately: the zipline over the forest and the night walk.
Transfer to San José, about four hours by road, and a flight of about an hour and a half to Panama City. The ticket for this flight is not included in the price. On arrival, private transfer with driver to the hotel. In Panama the clock goes forward one hour from Costa Rica. The capital faces the Pacific bay with a long line of skyscrapers, a few kilometres from the entrance to the Canal. In the evening, if there is time, a first walk along the seafront.
A guided visit of the city, starting with the Canal: opened in 1914, it crosses the isthmus for about 80 kilometres and joins the Pacific to the Atlantic. From the locks you watch ships rise and fall, one chamber after another. Then the Casco Antiguo, the old town founded in 1673, after the pirate Henry Morgan had destroyed the first city. With the cathedral, Plaza de Francia and the church of San José and its golden altar, it is a UNESCO site together with the ruins of Panamá Viejo.
A guided excursion into the forest to meet an indigenous Emberá community. The Emberá have lived for generations along the forest rivers between Panama and Colombia; the villages closest to the capital stand along the Chagres River and are usually reached by dugout canoe. During the visit you see the stilt houses thatched with palm leaves, the music, the dances and the crafts, such as woven baskets and figures carved from tagua nut. Return to Panama City.
A free day. One idea: the ruins of Panamá Viejo, the first city founded by the Spanish on the Pacific, in 1519, with the cathedral tower still standing. Then the Amador Causeway, the road over the sea built with rock dug out for the Canal, home to the Biomuseo designed by Frank Gehry, and the Cinta Costera, the city's seafront. Optional visits, booked separately. In the evening, private transfer to the airport and flight home. Night on board.
Arrival in Italy and end of the trip.
