Costa Rica and Panama along the Caribbean 2027

Immediately after passport control, you will proceed through baggage claim and customs until you exit the airport, where our airport tour guide will be waiting for you with an ARA Tours sign. Then transfer to the hotel in San José and check-in to your room.
Meals included: None
Entrances/excursions included: None

In the morning, your tour guide will pick you up and, after a brief presentation, head to the cloud forest paradise of Monteverde. The afternoon is free for you to enjoy at your own pace: breathe the fresh mountain air or participate in an optional excursion.
Meals included: Breakfast
Entrances/excursions included: None

Today you will visit the famous Curi Cancha reserve, where a 2 to 2.5-hour hike is planned on well-maintained trails. This region is famous for its lush vegetation and extraordinary variety of birds. With a bit of luck, you may spot the colorful quetzal, the bird of the Mayan gods.
You will then continue your journey to La Fortuna. The route will take you along the scenic Arenal Lake, a reservoir that harmoniously integrates into the surrounding landscape and offers impressive views along the way.
Upon arrival, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a bath in the thermal waters.
Meals included: Breakfast
Entrances/excursions included: Curi Cancha Reserve

After breakfast, you will take an excursion through Arenal National Park, always with views of the majestic volcano. The trail will take you through a small section of forest to an impressive lava field that formed during the 1968 eruption.
Afterward, more adventurous guests will have the opportunity to participate in an optional canopy excursion (not included in the price, please consult with your guide).
Late in the afternoon, you will embark on another exciting excursion, a nighttime walk with cultural exchange. Experience the fascinating diversity of the tropical rainforest at night. Together you will search for colorful tree frogs, lizards, insects, birds and other nocturnal animals. Halfway through the tour, a delicious snack awaits you: freshly squeezed sugarcane juice and its derivatives, which will give you new energy to continue discovering. Finally, you will enjoy a traditional Costa Rican dinner prepared with care in a wood-fired oven.
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Entrances/excursions included: Arenal Volcano National Park, nighttime cultural visit

Today starts very early. You will leave around 05:30. The journey will take you through Puerto Viejo and Horquetas to Guápiles, where you will enjoy a typical Costa Rican breakfast at a restaurant around 8 am.
Afterward, you and other international guests will depart on the lodge's bus toward La Pavona and Caño Blanco. Along the way, you will learn interesting facts about banana cultivation that characterizes this region, including interesting insights into the opportunities and challenges surrounding the yellow fruit.
From there, the boat transfer to the lodge begins, which will take you through an extensive network of rivers and channels amid lush nature. By lunchtime, you will arrive at your accommodation for the night, a jungle lodge, where a delicious lunch awaits you.
In the afternoon, you can choose to relax by the pool or visit the village of Tortuguero with your guide. There you can visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy museum (entrance USD 2 per person, not included), dedicated to the protection of endangered sea turtles. Enjoy a drink at one of the small typical restaurants of the country (known as sodas) before returning to the lodge for dinner.
Between July and September, you can participate in an optional sunset beach walk to observe sea turtle egg-laying. An unforgettable experience. Please wear dark clothing, as the turtles are very sensitive and may decide not to approach the shore or turn around and disappear back into the sea at the slightest disturbance.
Info: On the excursion to Tortuguero National Park (days 8, 9 and 10), other guests participate in addition to your group.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Entrances/excursions included: Excursion to Tortuguero village

Early in the morning, you will depart in small boats with your tour guide to explore the narrow channels of Tortuguero National Park. The lush vegetation is so dense in some places that it is as if you are traveling by boat through a green tunnel. With a bit of luck, you may spot crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, iguanas, freshwater turtles, sleeping bats and numerous waterbirds. The flora also delights with an almost endless variety.
After this nature experience, you will return to the lodge, where a delicious breakfast already awaits you.
After breakfast, we have planned another boat excursion through the channels. Weather permitting, you may spot monkeys, sloths, turtles, iguanas and numerous bird species amid the lush vegetation. Lunch will be served at the lodge.
In the afternoon, a walk through the lodge gardens is scheduled.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Entrances/excursions included: Two boat excursions, entrance to Tortuguero National Park, one hike

The boat takes you back to the departure port, La Pavona or Caño Blanco. At the restaurant, where you will also have lunch, you will change to the comfortable tourist bus, which will take you further along the Caribbean coast. The route passes through the port city of Limón, where you may be lucky enough to see ocean liners or cruise ships. The journey continues along the coast to Puerto Viejo de Limón, a small town with a relaxed Caribbean atmosphere.
After checking in to your hotel room, you will have the afternoon free. Enjoy a drink at a reggae bar and soak in the atmosphere. In the town there are numerous local restaurants for dinner, which you can discover individually. The beaches of the Caribbean coast are also perfect for enjoying the tropical climate and the relaxed atmosphere of this unique region.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Entrances/excursions included: None

After breakfast, we will load your luggage back onto the coach and take you to a cacao plantation over 100 years old. During an informative guided visit, you will learn everything you need to know about cacao fruit cultivation and can also taste it fresh. You will discover historic machines that now adorn the small museum as exhibits and gain a fascinating insight into the entire production process, from the fruit to the finished chocolate. Of course, you will also be able to taste a little!
You will then travel through Bribrí to the border at Sixaola (approx. 14 h). The tour guide will assist you with border formalities. You will cross the Sixaola River into Panama on foot over a bridge. In Guabito, the journey continues to the port city of Almirante. Here we will reload your luggage onto a boat and travel about 30 minutes to Colón Island, in the small town of Bocas del Toro, where we will stay in our room.
Bocas del Toro is a collection of numerous idyllic islands, bathed by the clear and fish-rich Caribbean Sea. On the main island, Colón, with the small city of Bocas del Toro, you will find cozy bars, restaurants, souvenir stalls and shops. The atmosphere is relaxed, typically Caribbean. The main attractions are the solitary beaches of the main island or the side islands, as well as the underwater world, perfect for diving or snorkeling. Afternoon free.
Meals included: Breakfast
Entrances/excursions included: Chocolate tour, exit tax

Today an exciting boat excursion awaits you. First, the boat will take you through small waterways that wind between mangrove-covered vegetation. Don't miss the waterbirds. Next, we head to Cayo Coral, where the sea is calm year-round and therefore suitable for divers of all ages. Local restaurants built on stilts over the water offer a wide variety of seafood (not included).
Later, the boat tour continues to Bastimentos Island. The island is covered with mangroves everywhere and surrounded by nature and fresh air. Bastimentos Island is still largely formed by jungle, with no roads or airstrips, so it can only be reached by boat.
Bastimentos Island is not only for adventurers or nature lovers, as it is home to one of Bocas del Toro's most famous beaches, "Red Frog Beach", which takes its name from the red poison dart frogs. The beach is popular not only among tourists but also among surfers. Within the island, there are many paths and trails through the jungle inviting you to explore. The most popular activity, however, is simply "letting your mind wander" and listening to the sounds of the sea. Return to the main island in the afternoon.
Meals included: Breakfast
Entrances/excursions included: Boat excursion, entrance to Red Frog Beach

Transfer to Colón/Bocas del Toro airport and a flight of approximately one hour to Panama City. This is followed by a city visit. The first stop will be at the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal. Here you can get a first idea of how the famous Panama Canal works and its dimensions. The terrace offers a unique view of the locks and ships passing through them on their way to the Pacific or Atlantic. The Panama Canal is one of the world's most important shipping routes. Around 14,000 ships transit it every year and about 6% of world trade passes through it. In the museum you can learn many interesting facts about the canal.
The visit continues along the waterfront to the old town. Here you will find today the oldest facilities and buildings of the modern city; the neighborhood is known locally as Casco Viejo or Casco Antiguo. On a walking tour, you will see many unique colonial buildings, some of which are largely preserved in their original state and others have been lovingly and colorfully restored. The historic quarter, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has become the center of art, design and cultural renaissance of the country in recent years. Many new bars, terraces, restaurants and hotels have opened here. A stop at the coastal road of Cinta Costera or at Punta Pacífica is also a must. Here you will find Panama City's famous skyscrapers. Finally, visit the 16th-century ruins of Panamá Viejo (closed Mondays), which were destroyed by pirate Sir Henry Morgan in 1671.
In the afternoon, check in and settle into your hotel room, located in the heart of the city with numerous shops, restaurants and bars in the immediate vicinity.
Meals included: Breakfast
Entrances/excursions included: City tour, entrance to Miraflores locks, Panamá Viejo

Discover up close one of the most impressive engineering achievements in human history: the Panama Canal! It is no coincidence that this artificial waterway, over 80 kilometers long, is often known as the Eighth Wonder of the World.
The excursion begins with pickup at your hotel and a short drive to Amador port. There, you will board the ship and begin your journey. During the cruise, which lasts approximately 4 hours, you will travel a section of the Panama Canal from Panama City to Gamboa. Along the way, you will pass through the Miraflores locks, Miraflores Lake, the Pedro Miguel lock and Culebra Cut (also known as Serpent Cut), the narrowest section of the canal and the connection to Gatún Lake - and therefore to the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout the journey, you will enjoy impressive scenery and countless photo opportunities. It is a truly unique experience that leaves a lasting impression on all travelers.
After lunch served on board and arrival at Gamboa port, you will return by bus to Panama City, on the Pacific coast.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Entrances/excursions included: Partial Panama Canal transit

Transfer to Panama City International Airport for your return flight.
Meals included: Breakfast
Entrances/excursions included: None