Costa Rica: Flora and Fauna of the Northeast
Spend one day and two nights exploring San Jose’s historic center before heading to Tortuguero where we’ll travel along the canals and observe nature. Then we’ll spend a few days at the La Selva Biological Research Startion learning about their research and reforestation efforts.
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Tours
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Tours
Costa Rica: Flora and Fauna of the Northeast
September 25 – October 4, 2025
This trip to Costa Rica’s northeast 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 spend three nights in the coastal town of Tortuguero. Here we can explore the National Park, look for nocturnal creatures, observe life in town, and hopefully see turtles nesting on the beach.
Finally, we’ll have four nights and three full days to explore La Selva Biological Research Station. There will be numerour oppotunities for bird watching, trail walking, and learning about the work of the researchers at the Station.
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
There are no daytime activities scheduled leaving you free to explore on your own: the Jade Museum, the Gold Museum, the National Museum, just to name a few. In the evening, you have the option to attend an 8:00 pm concert in the historic Teatro Nacional by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica. Meals included: breakfast.
Day 3
Transfer to Tortuguero
Today we are transferring to Tortuguero. We’ll get picked up early, stop for breakfast on the way, transfer to a boat for the last leg and arrive in Tortuguero for a late lunch. Meals included: breakfast.
Day 4
Tortuguero
We’ll take an early morning, two-hour tour of the canal by canoe. This is for lovers of adventure and exercise as you can enter the deepest and longest channels and the charm of the National Park’s water trails will be more fully observed. After dinner, we’ll take a turtle tour where we hope we’ll see them digging nests and laying their eggs. Meals included: breakfast.
Day 5
Tortuguero
Today, we’ll take a two-hour walk along Tortuguero National Park’s Jaguar Trail. The trail is parallel to the beach and during the walk we’ll get acquainted with the tropical rain forest. It’s a great chance to to get to know the rich flora and fauna of the National Park. Meals included: breakfast.
Day 6
Transfer to La Selva Station
We’ll check out of our hotel and get on the boat to go back through the canal in order to meet our van which will take us to La Selva Biological Research Station. Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 7
La Selva
Those who wish, can join Fabian on pre-breakfast and/or pre-dinner birding tours. In addition, a naturalist will lead us on a walk to give us a glimpse of the leading-edge research conducted at La Selva as well as the natural history of the tropical rain forest. Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 8
La Selva
Today we have a seminar on plant adaptions and then we’ll explore the wildlife on a 2-hour boat tour down the Sarapiquí River where you’ll observe the exuberant flora and fauna including monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, sloths, otters, caimans, and a wide variety of bird species in their natural habitat. Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 9
La Selva
Today we’ll focus on forest restoration. La Selva is a unique place for this having started down this path as a farm dedicated to sustainable forest research. La Selva’s influence has served as a key training and research site for numerous professional scientists and pioneered private forest conservation in Costa Rica, as it was the first of what is now a large network of private forest reserves in the country. Meals included: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 10
Transfer to SJO & flights home
We’ll depart La Selva at 8:30 am in order to arrive at SJO by 11:30 am for flights home. Meals included: breakfast.
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.
Costa Rica
Flora and Fauna of the Northeast- • Price per person/double occupancy. Single supplement of $575
- • Transfers between San Jose, Tortuguero, La Selva, and to SJO.
- • Other transfers as listed.
- • Meals: 9 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
- • Other meals will be on your own individually or as a group
- • Tours (including entry fees) as listed
- • Minimum travelers: 5
- • Maximum travelers: 9