Complete Intinerary - Clearwater Ski and Sports Club

Clearwater/St.Petersburg- Ski &
Sports Club
8 Days / 7 Nights – Costa Rica Program
May 2017
May 11th – Arrival to Costa Rica
Arrival to Costa Rica. A representative from Costa Rican Trails will meet you at the
airport and will guide you to the bus that will take you to your hotel in San Jose.
Due to its strategic location, San Jose is the ideal place to use as a base to start or end
your journey in Costa Rica. San Jose is set in the middle of the central valley and
surrounded by high mountains. The city enjoys a spring-like climate and high quality
cultural events year round. It is the country's main transportation corridor and many
voyages involve passing through San Jose and it offers some of the best hotels and
lodging options in all the country. In the city of San Jose you will find a broad range of
centrally located boutique hotels with historic value and charm as well as modern
commercial corporate type hotels.
Dinner will be served at Ram Luna Restaurant.
Overnight at Boungaivillea Hotel, Standard Room.
Bougainvillea Hotel
Here you'll easily forget that you're just 15 minutes from downtown or the airport San
Jose. Set amidst the coffee farms of Santo Domingo de Heredia, the hotel has extensive
areas dominated by tall trees and brightened by plentiful flowers. In Hotel Bougainvillea
we offer you the chance to enjoy our country from the first minute of your vacation.
Hotel Bougainvillea has the charm of a family owned and operated hotel. Every detail of
the hotel and restaurant is personally supervised by owner Hans van der Wielen, who
brought his experience and style when he came to Costa Rica in 1961.
Bougainvillea Hotel surroundings
May 12th – Poas Volcano National Park - San Gerardo Area (B)
Breakfast included at the hotel.
This morning visit the city of Alajuela (Juan Santamaria monument, and church). On the
way to Poas Volcano National Park, will pass through coffee plantations, flowers, dairy
farms. At the Volcano we will have time to observe the impressive main crater with its
sulfur fumaroles. Then we will hike on a trail to the beautiful Botos Lagoon that will
allow us to learn about the different ecosystems in the Park.
Poas volcano crater
Then, we will head up to San Jose city where you will visit the Gold Museum
It has a substantial collection of over 1600 artifacts of Pre-Columbian gold dating back to
AD 500.The collection includes Costa Rica's first coin, the Media Escudo which was
minted in 1825, animal (notably frog) figurines, amulets, earrings, erotic statuettes and
El Guerrero, a life sized gold warrior figure adorned with gold ornaments in a glass case.
In Costa Rican history, gold was considered a symbol of authority and the items are
testament to the craftsmanship of the Pre-Columbian period. There is also a replica of a
pre-Columbian grave containing 88 gold objects which was unearthed on a banana
plantation in southeastern Costa Rica in the 1950’s.
Gold Museum
In the afternoon, return to your hotel.
Overnight at Hotel Bougainvillea or similar, standard room
May 13th – San Gerardo Area (B,L,D)
Breakfast included at the hotel.
Today, the group will drive through the Cartago City, here you will have the chance to
see our Basilica de los Angeles, and then the Lankester Botanical Garden.
Cartago Los Angeles Main Cathedral
Lunch included on a local Restaurant.
The drive will continue to Savegre Area. San Gerardo de Dota is a tiny community in the
Talamanca Mountains settled in the fresh mist of a mountain valley surrounded by deep
cloud forests and filled with massive tropical trees. The neighborhood is frequently
visited by eco-tourists from around the world who come to enjoy the large diversity of
plant life, including oak and laurel trees, orchids and bromeliads. San Gerardo is also a
paradise for birdwatchers as it has more than 170 bird species, including some of the
most rare and endangered bird species. It is a special place for watching the resplendent
quetzal bird, one of the most ornate creatures of the wild which belongs to the family of
Trogonidae. In the past only royalty were permitted to wear Quetzal feathers which
served as a substitute for the gems and diamonds known to European royalty. Mayan
kings wore headdresses of dozens of the long feathers with their stunning iridescence. It
is also a great place for freshwater fishers as it encompasses the most pristine rivers and
waterfalls.
Overnight and dinner at Trogon lodge, Standard Room.
Trogon Lodge
Trogon Lodge is located in San Gerardo de Dota on a 105 acre farm, at an altitude of 700
ft (2200 mts) above sea level. It is the perfect hideaway for nature lovers, birdwatchers
and guests looking for a peaceful rejuvenating vacation. The lodge sits amidst dazzling
flowers, showing amazing shades of colours and centennial oak trees with impressive
roots. The song of the magnificent Quetzal, a collage of green trees and mountains, a
peaceful setting enhanced by the sounds of the river in its endless travel through the
rocks, all let you feel nature and see it come alive, in a place where the scenery sets the
mood for those searching to get away from it all. The cozy and relaxing ambiance of the
Lodge makes guests feel at home away from home. The mystic, tranquil and exotic
surroundings provide a unique opportunity to relax and feel the energy of the cloud
forest. The clear waters of the Savegre River run through the property on an endless
travel through the rocks. Guests will enjoy heavenly peace falling asleep with the nearby
sounds of the river. The river hosts a large population of Rainbow trout and is a supply
of potable water to the area.
Trogon lodge property
May 14th – Savegre Area (B,L,D)
Breakfast included at your hotel.
After a delicious breakfast, you will go for an early hiking quetzal quest tour with a local
guide .2 hour walk, searching for the mythical Quetzal, while enjoy the natural scenery
of the forest of San Gerardo de Dota. Horseback riding optional tour.
Quetzal
Overnight and dinner at Trogon lodge, Standard Room.
May 15th – Savegre Area to Manuel Antonio Area (B,L,D)
Breakfast included at your hotel.
After breakfast you will be transferred to your next destination: Manuel Antonio Area.
Manuel Antonio is considered the most beautiful park in Costa Rica, with enchanting
white-sand beaches ideal for swimming, tropical rainforest with abundant wildlife and a
group of islands offshore. White sands are bordered by lavish vegetation and the park
also includes a network of trails that will guide you through an amazing tropical rain
forest. Watch out for the howler and white faced monkeys bounding from branch to
branch and the sloths peacefully hanging from the treetops as they share the park with
you. Its southern beach, Playa Espadilla is a long beach with stronger waves which ends
in an isthmus formed from sedimentation that connects a former island to the coast.
Manuel Antonio National Park
During the afternoon, as an optional activity you can visit and hike through the trails of
the Manuel Antonio National Park.
Dinner served at the hotel’s Restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel San Bada, Standard Room.
Hotel San Bada
Enjoy one of the best experiences in Costa Rica lodging in the new Hotel San Bada, right
beside the world-wide recognized Manuel Antonio National Park, just a few steps from
your room. Hotel San Bada is located two minutes walking, from one of the most visited
beach of Costa Rica and the most beautiful of the country, Manuel Antonio Beach.
San Bada Hotel, Standard room
May 16th – Central Pacific coast (B,L,D)
Breakfast included at your hotel.
Today prepare yourself for a white water rafting adventure.
The more family-friendly Savegre River provides Class II, III and some rare IV rapids that
are more than manageable in sturdy rafts that accommodate 2 to 6 people comfortably.
Guides stop at locally known swimming spots and breathtaking waterfalls, if the rafters
want a break from paddling, and there is always time to enjoy the abundant variety of
wildlife along the river. On most trips, rafters will observe egrets, osprey, toucans,
parrots, kingfishers, cormorants, and many other species local to this protected area of
the tropical rain forest. After a steady 13 mile trip down the river, we wind our way back
to the little village of “Silencio” where a gladly awaited hot lunch “Tico Style” and local
refreshments are waiting.
White water rafting
In the afternoon, return to your hotel.
Dinner served at the hotel’s Restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel San Bada, Standard Room.
May 17th – Heredia Area (B)
Breakfast included at your hotel.
Morning at your leisure to enjoying the area or simply relax at the hotel facilities.
Ground transfer back to the city.
Lunch and dinner will be on own.
Overnight at Boungainvillea Hotel, Standard Room.
May 18th – Departure from Costa Rica (B)
Breakfast at your hotel.
After having breakfast and checking out, a representative from Costa Rican Trails will
meet you at the hotel’s lobby. You will be transferred back to Juan Santamaria
International Airport in order to take your flight back home. Remember you have to be
at the airport 3 hours prior to the departure time.