Hidden Costa Rica

Price guide

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Hidden Costa Rica

Duration13 days

Price guide

From

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Destinations

Days 1–2

Central Valley Highlands

red-eyed-tree-frog-tortuguero-costa-rica

Take a journey through off-the-beaten-path Costa Rica. Your adventure begins with a night in the beautiful Coffee Valley before heading to Rio Celeste, where you’ll hike through Tenorio Volcano National Park, passing its striking turquoise blue rivers and waterfalls. It’s then onto Rio Perdido where more adventure awaits in the forms of white-water tubing through the canyon and zip-lining across the canopy. Time to head to the stunning Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. Enjoy kayaking, swimming, hiking and horse riding within the incredible surroundings of the park. The last stop on this epic trip is Hacienda AltaGracia, a luxurious retreat blanketing the foothills of the emerald Talamanca mountains.

Highlights

Relax in the stunning Coffee Valley and Pacific Coast
Hike among waterfalls in Tenorio Volano National Park
Get your adrenaline pumping with canyoning at Rio Perdido
Enjoy snorkelling and kayaking along the Osa Peninsula

Colourful macaws play in the trees of the Corcovado National Park

Venture through the wild mangroves in the Osa Peninsula in a canoe

A farmer tends to his coffee trees on a plantation

The lush vegetation of the Osa Peninsula

Wander through the treetops surrounding Hacienda AltaGracia

Bespoke trips with Jacada

We design one-of-a-kind journeys incorporating luxury in all its forms. Our bespoke trips include:

Luxury accommodation throughout
Privately guided tours
Private transfers
Meticulously selected experiences
Expertise and support from your Jacada Concierge

Black and white illustration of two guides pointing to a building in the distance

Itinerary in detail

Every Jacada trip is tailored to your personal preferences and interests. Below you’ll find a sample itinerary to inspire your own custom-designed journey.

Days 1–2

Overnight in the Coffee Valley

Spend your first night relaxing in the beautiful surroundings of the Coffee Valley. Your travel designer will also be able to arrange a variety of activities if you wish, from touring organic coffee plantations, to volcano visits and birdwatching tours.

Where you could stay

Positive Impact

The Coffee Valley

Finca Rosa Blanca

Finca Rosa Blanca is the sort of place that’s difficult to leave once you’ve settled in. Mornings are spent sipping fresh Costa Rican coffee, grown right here on the plantation, overlooking the lush forest that surrounds the lodge, while by night you can gaze out to see the twinkling lights of San Jose in the distance, listening to the sounds of the Costa Rican wilderness around you.

Days 2–4

Two nights near Rio Celeste

Rio Celeste is a hidden gem nestled in the north of Costa Rica. Enjoy exploring the aquamarine rivers and waterfalls and the nearby Tenorio Volcano National Park. The striking colour of the water comes from a mixture of sulfur and calcium carbonate.

Where you could stay

Rio Celeste

Origins

Nestled amid the wild rainforest of the relatively untouched Rio Celeste region in Costa Rica’s beautiful north west, Origins is a stunning retreat with a focus on nature, well-being and superb service.

Rio Celeste

Hotel Rio Celeste

The Rio Celeste Hotel comprises 26 casitas set amongst tropical scenery, as well as being well-positioned for access to the Tenorio National Park and the Rio Celeste itself.

Hiking Rio Celeste and Tenorio National Park

According to legend, when God finished painting the sky, he washed his brushes in the river that now bears the name Rio Celeste. Hike through the beautiful Tenorio National Park ecosystem, which offers the chance to see colourful fauna and flora. Along the walk you will come across the magnificent Rio Celeste waterfall, the place where the river gains its amazing light blue colour and natural hot springs.

Tapir Valley Expedition and Tree Chocolate

Set out on a hiking adventure through the lush rainforest to the Tapir Valley private reserve, located at the base of the stunning Tenorio volcano. Here you’ll spot the famed tapirs, one of the largest and most unique mammals in Central America, as well as other exotic wildlife.

After the hike, continue the tour with a visit to the chocolate tree, an activity that offers an insight into the history, process, and tasting of chocolate (cacao). This family-run project goes beyond just a chocolate tour, featuring sugar cane tasting, coffee shrubs, and a lesson in medicinal plants.

Days 4–7

Three nights at Rio Perdido

Spend your time at Rio Perdido Hotel and Thermal River enjoying the property’s natural springs, heated by the surrounding Miravalles Volcano lowlands. This area is also a haven for hikers and bikers, and there are plenty of outdoor activities such as canyoning and tubing.

Active adventures

Through the forest

In the water

Canyoning

The trip takes you from deep within the narrow canyon into the convergence, where the hot waters of Rio Perdido and the Yurro Waterfall meet the cool waters of the White Canyon. You then ascend well above Costa Rica’s only dwarf forest and get the spectacular views of the Miravalles Volcano’s rocky lowlands. You will zip-line down state-of-the-art carbon fibre cables, swing on a human pendulum and do a Tarzan swing, cross the wobbly challenge bridge and climb several via ferratas.

White-water tubing

Experience the canyon from the most beloved means of river transportation, the inner-tube. Explore the canyon from this unique perspective, sailing through areas where the rock walls narrow and daylight is scarce. Echoes grow louder and you really get a sense of where you are. But if you remain quiet for a bit, you will find that you are not alone. All kinds of birds and monkeys, and, occasionally, some larger mammals will announce their presence. Look for the hot water spouts along the eastern rock walls.

Days 7–10

Three nights within the Osa Peninsula

The Osa Peninsula is one of the most remote locations in Costa Rica. Located in the south-west with the lush primary rainforest of the Corcovado National Park spreading itself over 105,000 acres and the marine life-rich Dulce Gulf, and embracing the littoral to the east, Osa enjoys a exceptional wealth of biodiversity.

There is a great range of very comfortable hotels to choose from that do their best to blend into and protect their surroundings. We can help you organise your own tailor-made programme of activities, tours and expeditions around the peninsula with a private English-speaking guide that suit your preferences and time.

Where you could stay

Positive Impact

Corcovado and Osa Peninsula

Lapa Rios

Located in one of the most diverse primary rainforests in the world, the Corcovado National Park, this ethically-responsible hotel does all it can to blend inconspicuously into its delicate surroundings and to create as little disturbance to the environment as possible. Guests enjoy exceptional intimacy with nature in authentic comfort.

Positive Impact

Corcovado and Osa Peninsula

Playa Cativo Eco Lodge

The luxury Playa Cativo Eco Lodge is unique in the beauty of its secluded surroundings: accessible only by boat, it’s set on 1,000 acres of private rainforest with both the Piedras Blancas National Park – a former extension of the Corcovado National Park – and its own pristine, sandy beach on its doorstep. The lodge is well aware of the value of its environs and practices high sustainability policies. It was built using precious indigenous wood salvaged from an older lodge and a fallen-tree program and fittingly, each of its comfortable rooms have been decorated using reclaimed hardwood and colourful tile works crafted by local artisans. The bathrooms feature hot-water rain showers and biodegradable bathroom amenities, and each suite is just a few steps away from the beach with majestic ocean views. Surrounded by some of the most unspoilt rainforest in the world, Playa Cativo Eco offers an unrivalled opportunity to immerse yourself in nature. Speak to your travel designer about adding excursions such as kayaking in the Rio Esquinas Mangrove-Ocean, hiking in the Piedras Blancas Nature, guided expeditions to the Nocturnal Rainforest, beach, rainforest and wetland birdwatching tours, Golfo Dulce half-day snorkelling trips, standup paddle boarding adventures, and dolphin and whale sightseeing to your stay.

Corcovado and Osa Peninsula

El Remanso

Set in its own 185-acre nature reserve buffering the Corcovado National Park, El Remanso eco-lodge is the perfect place for nature lovers, adventurers or those simply looking for a peaceful getaway. Its six cabins range in size and speciality, but are impeccably and simply decorated in tropical hardwoods, bamboo furniture, natural stone and wood screens. The private terraces are hung with hammocks and set with elegant chairs. There is a magnificent group cabin that can sleep eight people, making it perfect for families or groups. Similarly designed in rustic fashion and in harmony with its jungle habitat are two deluxe rooms and four standard rooms, although if you’re after an ocean-view it is worth mentioning this. The spectacular setting of El Remanso is matched by its knowledgeable and helpful staff who make every attempt to make your stay a personal one. The international cuisine fused with a few ‘Tico’ touches served at the hotel’s restaurant is very good. Being completely immersed in the pristine and richly biodiverse rainforest, surrounded by the sounds of macaws and howler monkeys, El Remanso has the advantage of also offering a range of private and bespoke activities. The hotel can also provide you with two in-house naturalists should you want a true, local expert to show you around. El Remanso now has eight bungalows and six rooms in Casa Poniente.

Days 10–13

Three nights at Hacienda AltaGracia

Spend the last few days of your trip in the little-known area of southern Costa Rica, where the idyllic hideaway of Hacienda AltaGracia is perched high within the lush mountains of Perez Zeledon.

Combining nature and luxury, AltaGracia has an array of attractions and activities nearby. Local cowboys can take you on scenic horseback rides through the surrounding areas, whilst the onsite restaurants prepare dishes with seasonal ingredients, the majority of which is grown at their organic gardens and ethically run coffee plantations. You will also have a dedicated ‘Compa’ (short for compadre) who will look after you and curate a selection of experiences based on wellness, adventure and dining. The Well spa will transport you into a journey of deep well-being with beyond beautiful spaces like the floor-to-ceiling windowed pool house, Casa de Agua.

“A Luxury Trip to Costa Rica‌”

We requested an itinerary to see the Costa Rica wildlife. Jacada designed our trip to maximize our sightings with stays at wonderful properties. Our planner listened to what we wanted and delivered the perfect trip for our needs. All of the activities planned were provided by guides with great skill and knowledge. And the Jacada ground support while we were…

Published 30th March 2024 on Trustpilot

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