Itinerary

Day 1 – San Jose
Arrive in San Jose and transfer to your hotel for a relaxing evening before your adventure begins tomorrow. Overnight at Hotel Bougainvillea or similar.

Day 2 – Uvita
After breakfast, you will transfer back to the airport for your flight to Palmar del Sur. A local representative will meet you at the airport for your transfer to La Cusinga Lodge in Uvita on the Pacific Coast. The afternoon is yours to explore the trails in the private reserve adjacent to the lodge. The reserve protects over 500 acres of primary rainforest, home to blue morpho butterflies, howler and white-faced monkeys, toucans, tree frogs and many other tropical species. Overnight at La Cusinga. (B,L,D)

Day 3 – Marino Ballena National Park (Whale watching tour)
Today, you’ll set out for a whale watching tour in Marino Ballena National Park. For thousands of years, humpback whales have been visiting Marino Ballena. The park is an important area for females to birth and care for their calves before they continue their migration. In addition to humpbacks, sightings of false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins are possible during the tour. Overnight at La Cusinga. (B,L,D)

Day 4 – Caño Island Biological Reserve (Snorkeling and hiking)
Caño Island, located 10 miles off the coast, has archaeological and biological importance. Your tour to the island will include snorkeling, wildlife watching, and a hike to see the archaeological site. The waters surrounding the island are home to orcas, humpbacks, spotted and bottlenose dolphins, and marine turtles. Overnight at La Cusinga. (B,L,D)

Day 5 – Puerto Jimenez and El Remanso
After a final morning at La Cusinga, you’ll be met at your hotel for a transfer to the southern coast of the Osa Peninsula and El Remanso Lodge. El Remanso’s Private Reserve covers 185 acres of tropical rainforest that acts as an important buffer zone to Corcovado National Park. National Geographic Magazine labeled the Osa Peninsula as “one of the most biologically intense places on Earth”. Wildlife are plentiful here. Feel free to explore the trails near the cabins or hike down to the secluded beach. Overnight at El Remanso. (B,L,D)

Day 6 – El Remanso (Waterfall rapelling)
Today, you will have all day to explore the lodge’s nature reserve and beach. We encourage you to head to the beach during low tide to relax in the natural jacuzzis created by the tide pools. This afternoon, you’ll embark on a wet and wild adventure – waterfall rappelling! This activity takes you into the heart of the jungle and through a river canyon. Keep an eye out for monkeys overhead and Golfo Dulce dart frogs along the river’s edge. Overnight at El Remanso. (B,L,D)

Day 7 – San Jose (Jaguar project)
After breakfast, you will meet Aida Bustamante, one of the principal researchers for the Yaguara Wild Cats Conservation Program in the Osa. This project is the largest of its kind in Central America and its primary goal is to conserve habitat for jaguars, pumas, peccaries and tapirs. Yaguara uses remote cameras and satellite tracking devices to monitor populations. You get to help with their research today by monitoring camera traps and tracking animals in the forest. (B,L,D)

Day 8 – San Jose
Transfer to Puerto Jimenez airport for your flight back to San Jose. Depart for home. (B)

Optional Extension: If you want to add even more adventure to this package, we can help arrange a multi-day trip to Corcovado National Park. Corcovado conserves the largest primary rainforest on the American Pacific coastline and is one of the few remaining sizeable areas of lowland tropical rainforests in the world. Contact us for more details.

More information from Reefs to Rockies:

• View trip on provider's website
  reefstorockies.com/destinations/costa-rica/ultimate-wildlife-…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips