WHERE: Through the heart of conservation in Costa Rica: from the scenic peaks and foothills surrounding Monteverde in the Tilaran Mountains, to the warm and lovely beaches of the Central Pacific Coast.

Click here to download the MCLUS Costa Rica Trip Registration Form (.doc)

Globally, Costa Rica sits at the center of conservation in the tropics, and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Monteverde is the heart of conservation in Costa Rica. This 13 night/14 day adventure will show you why Costa Rica is a popular destination for ecotourists worldwide and a biological Mecca for researchers, nature lovers, and conservationists for nearly 50 years. Come experience this marvelous transformation for yourself; from humble Quaker beginnings to the creation of Costa Rica’s largest private reserve (purchased in part by donations and funds raised by children in over 40 countries). People leaving the Children’s Eternal Rainforest are not the same as when they entered; and we invite you on this unforgettable opportunity that will likely drive your own personal transformation as well.

Sample Itinerary 

Fly to Costa Rica and arrive in San Jose (SJO, airport code). You should try and arrive between mid-day and late afternoon in order to make our welcome dinner. Please contact us with your flight information to help you arrange transport to Hotel Cacts. Overnight at Hotel Cacts ( D)

 DAY 2:

The day will begin with breakfast on Hotel Cacts’ rooftop restaurant with panoramic views of the capital city and the surrounding mountains. We take a short drive to the Institute of National Biodiversity (INBioParque) and spend the morning wandering through slices of different forested habitats looking for sloths, caimans, deer, and a variety of birds that make INBio home. There are a variety of exhibits extolling the  ecological and biological diversity of Costa Rica and its conservation importance on national and international scales. We’ll leave in time for lunch on the road, cruising the Pan American Highway traveling northeast into the Tilaran Mountains. We pass sugar cane fields and coffee plantations, as we ascend the ridge above the San Luis Valley with views of the Pacific Ocean below us. We’ll check into La Calandria, a lodge on a private reserve established for the protection of breeding territory for the endangered Three-wattled Bellbird. At some point (maybe today) during our stay in the Monteverde area we’ll hear presentations about the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, MCLUS, and efforts to save the bellbird, and how these all relate to the greater conservation movements in Monteverde and Costa Rica. Enjoy a typical Costa Rican supper, while taking in the sunset over the Gulf of Nicoya. Overnight at La Calandria ( B, L, D)

DAY 3: After breakfast we’ll hike down from the continental divide through the cloud forest into the Children’s Eternal Rainforest or El Bosque Eterno de los Niños (CER/BEN) – 54,000 acres of protected forest. We’ll settle in at San Gerardo Biological Field Station with an extraordinary view of Arenal Volcano. After lunch we’ll get out onto the trails for unique, individual experiences of sensory immersion in this amazing habitat. Never a guarantee but always possible to come face to face with a variety of organisms, large and small, that call this place home: howler monkeys, coatis, morpho butterflies, swallowtail kites, leafcutter ants, crested curassow, or the endemic Orange-bellied Trogon. After dark, we take a hike with a local guide to see bioluminescent fungus, stick insects, katydids, rainfrogs, stream frogs, and other denizens of the night. Overnight at San Gerardo (B, L, D)

DAY 4:

Early morning bird walks are always an option, for those so inclined! Prong-billed and red-headed barbets, masked tityra, emerald toucanet, cotinga, and scarlet-rumped tanagers are among the frequently spotted birds. Our local guide will lead us on a full morning hike, sharing with us the local lore of many plants, along with the natural history of the many animals we will see. These could include praying mantis, toucans, beetles, orchids, morpho butterflies, coati, lianas, palms, white-faced capuchins, oropendolas, hawks and falcons, peccary, or even the elusive and rare Bare-necked Umbrellabird! Free afternoon for hiking trails of your choice, amidst towering strangler figs festooned with epiphytes or off to the waterfall. Supper by candlelight. After dark, mist-net bats with our naturalist and learn about the fascinating diversity of these miracles of nature. Overnight at San Gerado (B, L, D)

DAY 5:

Before and during breakfast we will mist-net birds with our naturalist and maybe get close-up looks at nightingale thrushes, wood wrens, manakins, spinetails, wood thrushes, flycatchers, and hummingbirds. In the afternoon, we will participate in trail maintenance or other service projects to benefit the CER/BEN. We’ll have a yummy tortilla-making lesson before dinner, allowing you to participate in the preparation of a typical Costa Rican meal. Evenings always bring the possibility of viewing lava flow and glowing sparks from the volcano.  Overnight at San Gerardo (B, L, D)

DAY 6:

Today, after an early breakfast, we’ll bid farewell to the majestic Arenal Volcano and hike out through the clouds. At the top you will have a few hours to engage in your choice of optional activities ($). Some may want to walk the mystical cloud forest trails and climb the lookout tower of the Santa Elena Reserve. Others may want to fly through/above the canopy on zip lines, or walk through the canopy at your own pace on a series of suspension bridges. For guaranteed views of some of the cloud forest denizens we would suggest visits to the serpentarium (frogs too), insect collection, or hummingbird and butterfly gardens. There’s a cafeteria where you can get coffee, pastries, and other snacks, and plenty of tables inside and out for just relaxing. We’ll get back to Calandria for a late lunch, then head into “downtown” Monteverde for some shopping at a crafts/souvenirs cooperative (CASEM), strolling through some of the local shops, and a must-stop visit to the famous Cheese Factory for the best milk shakes in the world. Overnight at La Calandria (B, L, D)

DAY 7:

Pre-breakfast birdwalks offer plenty of opportunities to spot the bellbirds, as they loudly announce their location. This morning we travel to nearby San Luis Valley for a visit with a local rural school, where we can deliver donated school supplies and play soccer with the children, or be entertained with a demonstration of folkloric dancing in costume. Afterwards we’ll have a tour of Finca la Bella, a sustainable organic coffee plantation and some yummy tasting of the fruits of their labor. In the afternoon we’ll engage in a moderately difficult and strenuous hike to a spectacular 200ft double waterfall and bathing pool. There we can enjoy swimming and a picnic lunch. After dinner we’ll wind up our day with an after dark visit to the Ranario (Frog Pond) and encounter many more of the local frog species. Overnight at La Calandria (B, L, D)

DAY 8:

After a full week of adventure the morning is yours to spend as you see fit. There will be a variety of options you can pursue in and around Monteverde ($) or just sleep late and enjoy La Calandria at your own pace. We can help you organize your morning, but we’ll all meet around noon “downtown” near CASEM. We’ll hike into protected land above the Monteverde Institute to climb an enormous hollow strangler fig tree and have a picnic lunch. After lunch comes dessert with another stop for ice cream or shakes at the Cheese Factory. In the afternoon we’ll return to Calandria for some community service at the tree nursery, planting or sorting seedlings for reforestation projects helping the bellbirds. Overnight at La Calandria (B, L, D)

 

DAY 9:

After an early breakfast we’ll visit a smaller section of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (Bajo de Tigre), this time on the drier Pacific Slope. It’s another opportunity for some solo time on the trails after exploring the interactive exhibits in the nature center. We are likely to see white-faced capuchins, blue-crowned motmots, agouti, chachalacas, and guans. Just before 10 am we’ll make our move towards the weekly Quaker Friends meeting and learn about the historic beginnings of Monteverde, and may even meet some of the original settlers. After a picnic lunch, we will visit homes of artisan members of the Women’s Co-op and visit a wood-working shop where you can try your hand at bowl-making. There will be an excellent opportunity to photograph a magnificent collection of orchids in the garden behind the shop. Overnight at La Calandria (B, L, D)

DAY 10:

This morning we will visit the Butterfly Garden after breakfast. The Garden has displays of four habitats and their typical scaled-winged residents. Morpho, owl eye, glasswing, and heliconia butterflies are only a few of the species you’ll be able to photograph. An insectarium, which makes this stop unique, allows you to view hatching pupas plus live stick bugs, mantises, Hercules beetles, jewel scarabs, tarantulas, and scorpions. We’ll walk over to the Monteverde Conservation League office, home of the organization responsible for the protection of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, and have a picnic lunch. The afternoon is yours to pursue any optional activities ($) you have left to cross off your list. Overnight at La Calandria (B, L, D)

DAY 11:

After an early breakfast we will drive down the slope towards the water (Gulf of Nicoya, Pacific Ocean) that has been part of our scenic view from La Calandria for the past 5 nights. We’ll stop near Cañas first, where we will raft the Coribicí or Tenorio River in search of the creatures that live in, or along, the river.  It’s a relatively gentle float trip where we can spot caiman, iguanas, basilisk lizards, otters, howler monkeys, egrets, herons, wood storks, ibis, roseate spoonbill, kingfishers, bats, and more. After rafting we’ll have our picnic lunch, then walk next door to visit the Las Pumas Wild Cat Refuge. You will hear about and get to see close-up Costa Rica’s endangered cats: the puma, jaguar, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, as well as a plethora of parrots, toucans, and other rescued animals. Afterwards, we’ll head south towards the coastal highway which takes us to Punta Leona. We will spend the next two nights here on the central Pacific coast. The mixed-forest of the area is fantastic and alive with an amazing diversity of flora and fauna that represent species typical of both the drier northwest and wetter south Pacific ecoregions. We should be ensconced in our deck chairs by sunset. Overnight at Punta Leona (B, L, D)

DAY 12:

Any early morning birders? A whole new community of species are available for your pre-breakfast enjoyment. After breakfast at Punta Leona, we drive to Carara National Park for an extended morning hike with local guides to look for those lowland, and dry-forest species we’ve missed at our other locations: palms, parrots, poison arrow frogs, paca, agouti, turquoise-browed motmot, and the stunning scarlet macaws. Lunch is back at Punta Leona then the afternoon is yours to spend as you see fit…lounging by the pool, beach, both, or engaging in one of Punta Leona’s optional activities ($), but don’t miss the sunset. Dinner and overnight at Punta Leona (B, L, D)

 

DAY 13:

Sleep late, the morning is yours. Just don’t miss another delicious breakfast buffet (the after trip diet will begin in just a couple days…and who will feed you rice and beans for breakfast in the US?). After breakfast you can lounge by the beach, pool, or squeeze in another walk through the forested trails of Punta Leona before hitting full-lounge mode. After your morning of lounging and leisure and lunch at Punta Leona we will need to jump back onto the bus for our return trip to San Jose. You can maybe sweet-talk the driver into making a detour through Sarchí to see the home of Costa Rica’s traditional icons – the hand-painted oxcarts – and indulge in some last minute souvenir shopping. Farewell dinner at Maria Bonita. Overnight at Hotel Cacts. (B, L, D)

 

DAY 14:

Today is the day we depart.  Please book your airplane reservations to depart no earlier than 11:00 am so that we can take the group to the airport after breakfast.  Contact us if you have specific departure needs.  (B)

We sincerely hope you decide to travel with us to experience first-hand the beauty and  magic of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Costa Rica. For 25 years the Monteverde Conservation League has protected this block of rainforest, a fundamental link in Costa Rica’s conservation network. By joining Monteverde Conservation League US on our trips you play a major role. Together we can ensure that future generations of children will always have this rainforest to return to, and to count on to anchor their own conservation programs.

If you are interested in being part of this unforgettable adventure, or have more questions, please contact our  office or our Travel/Science Director, Maggie Eisenberger, maggie.eisenberger@mclus.org.

Office Number (314) 941-1257  
Email: info@mclus.org
Click here to download the MCLUS Costa Rica Trip Registration Form (.doc)

*The cost includes all items mentioned in the itinerary above, unless otherwise noted. Airfare and the mandatory $26 departure tax paid at the airport are not included as part of this package. The cost is based on double, triple, and in some cases quadruple occupancy, given the rustic or simple nature of some of the lodging.

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