Costa Rica: San Jose & Refugio San Antonio
Spend two days and three nights exploring San Jose’s historic center before heading to Perez Zeledon and Refugio San Antonio in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountains.
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Tours
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Tours
Costa Rica: San Jose and Refugio San Antonio
June 27 – July 5, 2026
This trip to Costa Rica’s Central Valley and Talamanca foothills gives you the chance to explore the historical center of San Jose and see such sites as the Jade Museum, the Gold Museum, the Teatro Nacional, and many more.
Then we’ll drive over the Talamanca Mountains and spend four nights at Refugio San Antonio. While at the Refugio, we’ll take a tour of a small dairy farm that makes artisanal cheese, immerse ourselves in a multi-generational coffee farm and have opportunities for hiking, bird watching, relaxing on the veranda, etc.
We’ll spend our final night in Alajuela just a few minutes from the airport in order to facilitate morning flights home.
Day 1
Arrival in San Jose
Arrive in San Jose and check in to Hotel Presidente in the historic center in time to meet in the hotel’s rooftop bar by 5:00 pm for our orientation dinner as the sun sets. Meals included: dinner.
Day 2
San Jose
In the morning, we’ll attend a concert in the historic Teatro Nacional by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica. And then you have to afternoon to explore on your own. We highly recommend the Jade Museum, the Gold Museum, the National Museum, just to name a few. Meals included: breakfast.
Day 3
San Jose
Today we will take a walking food tour sampling a wide variety of Costa Rican flavors while learning about the country’s cultural heritage. You’ll shop for fruits and veggies at the Mercado Central and the Mercado Borbón, visit La Laguna Plaza, and try all sorts of local treats along the way. Meals included: breakfast & lunch.
Day 4
Transfer to Refugio San Antonio
We’ll pick up our rental vechicles and drive over the Talamanca Mountains, pehaps stopping for an early lunch at Miriam’s Quetzals or Colibri Pizza. When we arrive in Perez Zeledon, we’ll go to the local farmers market and the supermarket to stock up on groceries. Then we’ll proceed to Refugio San Antonio where we can have cocktails on the porch before we make dinner. Meals included: breakfast & dinner.
Day 5
Refugio San Antonio
In today’s cheese tour you will be immersed in a sustainable agriculture project, from milking a cow, tasting fresh milk, manufacturing room and maturing of cheeses, as well as knowing the enveloping history of the farm’s business and tasting each of their products. Meals included: breakfast & dinner.
Day 6
Refugio San Antonio
This morning, we will visit Café Don Emilio, a family-run coffee farm located in San Luis, Pérez Zeledón. Since 2015, Don Emilio and his family have welcomed visitors to experience the tradition of artisanal coffee—grown, harvested, and processed with care, patience, and respect for nature. With a view toward Bahía Ballena and the warmth of Tico hospitality, you are invited to discover coffee as taught by the grandparents: from the root, with heart. Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 7
Refugio San Antonio
We have nothing scheduled today so you can relax, hike the Refugio’s trails, bird watch, read on the veranda, etc. Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 8
Transfer to Alajuela
After a leisurely morning, we’ll leave the Refugio San Antonio, drive to Alajuela, and check-in to our hotel for an overnight stay to facilitate morning flights home. We should arrive early enough to give you some time to explore the Central Plaza and the Catedral. Meals included: breakfast.
Day 9
Alajuela
Take a quick cab or Uber ride to SJO for your flights home. Meals included: breakfast depending on when you depart the hotel.
Activity Level
Moderate
Activities are generally not strenuous; however, we expect guests to enjoy two hours or more of walking, are sure-footed on rough surfaces, and walk up and down stairs without assistance. In rural and small-town settings, unpaved roads and pathways will be common with some short sections of rough trail, which we expect that guests can traverse with no more than a companion’s hand to steady them. Historic city centers are frequently more accessible by foot than a vehicle, and sometimes your motorcoach can’t drop you off at the hotel and site entrances. Due to the structure of some buildings, facilities for the disabled may be limited.
Byron Adams
Byron’s focus as your travel curator is on sharing a particular area’s culture, history, and nature with a small group of travelers through an immersive experience encompassing small, family-owned hotels and restaurants and local guides (indigenous wherever possible).
Costa Rica
San Jose and Refugio San Antonio- • Price per person/double occupancy. Single supplement of $495
- • Transfers between San Jose, Refugio San Antonio, and to Alajuela.
- • Meals: 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 5 dinners
- • Other meals will be on your own individually or as a group
- • Tours (including entry fees) as listed
- • Minimum travelers: 3
- • Maximum travelers: 6
This Tour’s Local Partners
