| Starts | San Jose, Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Ends | San Jose, Costa Rica |
| Region | South America & Central America |
| Duration | 5 days |
| Tour Operator | Peregrine |
Itinerary
Day 1 - Starting: San Jose - Pacuare & Finishing: San Jose - Pacuare
Early morning pick-up from a central location in San Jose by a Costa Rica Nature Adventures representative. Transportation service (approximately 2½ hours) to our Pacuare River put-in including a typical Costa Rican breakfast in route. Get picked up by 4x4 and transferred to the lodge. After lunch participate an optional canopy tour (not included in package price) or waterfall hike, or simply relax in your private bungalow or suite. After candlelight dinner visit our upstairs lounge for a cocktail or refreshment before retiring to a restful night’s sleep.
Day 2-3 - Starting: Pacuare Lodge & Finishing: Pacuare Lodge
Wake up to bird song and the soothing sound of the river nearby. Then head over to the main lodge for a delicious breakfast of home-made bread, tropical fruits, yoghurt, eggs, pancakes, cereal and juice and coffee. The lodge employs a resident naturalist guide who will provide you with unique insights into the plant and animal world. Choose from exciting optional tours that include guided hikes through an emerald rainforest, the Cabecar Indian Hike - where visitors may participate in a cultural exchange, our Adventure Canopy Tour – where visitors glide amid a tropical rainforest canopy or a therapeutic massage. The next 2 days are free for you to choose the activities you wish. INFLATABLE DUCKIES TOUR After breakfast, cross the river in a cable basket and board a 4x4 vehicle for the drive to the Pacuare River. An experienced river guide will teach you how to paddle duckies and provide detailed safety information, ensuring that you are comfortable and capable of manoeuvring the kayak before you begin paddling downriver. You’ll then begin a nine-mile trip down that scenic waterway at a leisurely pace that allows you to admire the surrounding nature and paddle through small, but exhilarating rapids. There will be a stop en route for a snack and a short hike, for a closer look at the rainforest’s flora and fauna. You’ll be back at the Pacuare Lodge in time for lunch. TROPICAL CANYONING TOUR This tour lets you experience the adventure sport of canyoning, or canyoneering, which combines hiking, climbing and rappelling. The adventure includes a hike through the rainforest and exploration of El Tesorito Creek Canyon, where you’ll make several short rappels perfect for learning the technique before an exhilarating rappel down a 30-meter (90-foot) rock wall. The tour can be done just after breakfast, or lunch, and it begins with safety training and instruction in using the equipment. You’ll hike for about 15 minutes through the rainforest from the main lodge to a point where you begin your descent into the narrow canyon of El Tesorito Creek. The canyon exploration provides a great introduction to rappelling, since it includes six short rappels of between 2 and 20 meters (6-65 feet) that will prepare you for a final rappel of more than 30 metres (90 feet). After that, you’ll continue hiking through the creek and the forest back to the lodge. DAY BREAK ACTIVITY TOUR After a cup of steaming coffee we begin a short session of stretching and relaxation exercises designed to aid us in our exploration of the grounds surrounding the lodge. Our naturalist guide will lead you from the Pacuare Lodge along a series of sites from which you can observe buzzing hummingbirds, dancing butterflies and exquisite tropical flowers. The guide will point out delicate bromeliads, like the lovely “sexy lady”, and answer questions about the wide variety of native ferns, lichens and orchids. See Mother Nature at her best as you spot the many birds and other wildlife that are indigenous to the area. Look and listen carefully for the Montezuma Oropendula, which nests far above in the towering trees. The area around the lodge is home to an extraordinary number of exotic bird species including a variety of colourful toucans. The tour lasts about an hour and a half, after which we will return to the lodge for a hot delicious breakfast. SWEDISH MASSAGE Experience the energy of a tropical paradise with this relaxing, soothing, and rhythmic massage and reflexology. Performed in the privacy of your luxury bungalow, our therapeutic rainforest massage offers you a blissfully relaxing spa escape with treatments for the whole body. Other options such as hot stone massage and facials are also available. PLANT A TREE The OWE “Plant a tree program” was begun in honour of Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen, two renowned Polar explorers who completed the first ever trek to the North Pole in summer. Their goal was to create international awareness about the dangers of global warming as well as to collect scientific data to measure the effects of global warming in the Arctic. A few months after successfully completing their historic journey, Lonnie and Eric visited the Pacuare Lodge to offer a presentation detailing their gruelling expedition. On December 6th 2006, the day after their presentation, Lonnie and Eric planted a Mahogany seedling, thereby initiating this fund. The cost per tree is US$14 which will be donated to the “Bajo del Tigre” elementary school located a 45 minute horseback ride away. Donations will be used to purchase materials, help with maintenance, and to educate the children about how they can protect the environment. Participants will take part in a tree planting event and your tree will include a small plaque with your name and date of the planting To participate in the The One World Expedition “Plant a tree program”, make sure to inform one of our reservation agents at the time of your booking. CABECAR INDIANS HIKE The Talamanca Mountains are host to the Cabecar Indians, the largest indigenous group in Costa Rica, and one that retains many of its traditional customs and beliefs. From the Pacuare Lodge it is possible to visit an isolated family group to learn about their way of life, as well as enjoying the alluring tropical rainforest. The experience to walk to these families is a challenge due to the difficult conditions of the trails; nevertheless the trail offers a wonderful opportunity to discover many secrets of the forest, interact with the ecosystem, and hike the same trails the Cabecar Indians have for centuries. Sometimes there is the possibility to talk with the Shaman or medicine man, which is still a more enriching experience. After briefly visiting with a Cabecar family, we will begin our trek back down to the lodge. As an indigenous people with little contact with the outside world, the Cabecar can sometimes be shy and reclusive; this will influence the amount of time and contact visitors will have with the Shaman. We urge our guests to request permission from our guide before taking photographs of any Cabecar people. The Cabecar do not like to be photographed, and we strongly respect this wish. A percentage of the tour cost goes directly to the Cabecar family and will be invested in sustainable projects with this community. The tour takes 4-5 hours and is quite physically demanding.
Day 4 - Starting: San Jose & Finishing: San Jose
In the morning depart by 4x4, before being transferred by private minibus to San Jose. Arrive back between 5:30-6:30pm.
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