SAVE THE DATE
January 4- 12, 2012
Trip to the Best of Costa Rica
The Land of the Natural Adventure
Lead By : Dr. Yaser Najjar, Geography Department
ynajjar@framingham.edu
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9 Days/ 8 Nights Departing From Boston
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$1876 Include Almost Every Thing
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Open to Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends
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Optional registration in Winter Course
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22.290 Non Western Regional Geography
Detail Itinerary
Day 01 San José
Arrival at the San José airport. Right after immigration at the end of the escalators there will be someone from Canatur (local chamber of tourism) with the group’s name on a board. Our English-speaking guide will be at Juan Santamaría International Airport, waiting to meet the group and transfer the group to Country Inn & Suites Hotel in San José Area (approximately 10 minutes)
Overnight at Country Inn Hotel
Day 02 San José Breakfast
Today we will visit the Poás Volcano.
Poás Volcano National Park
Visit the lush and verdant Poás Volcano, considered the largest active crater in the world. It is approximately 1.6 Km (1 mi) wide and over 1,000 feet (320 m) deep. This crater is well-known for its frequent geyser-like eruptions.
Stunning scenery will unfold on the way to Poás Volcano National Park, as you pass through coffee, sugarcane, fern, and strawberry plantations. The picturesque sightseeing ride to the volcano will allow you to see how the vegetation changes as you keep ascending until you reach the cloud forest.
You will find incredible trails that lead through cloud forests, where you will see stunted and twisted vegetation not only because of the volcanic emissions, but also due to the rigors of the cold, windy, high-altitude habitat. If weather conditions allow for it, you will have the chance of visiting and seeing Lake Botos, which fills an extinct crater at the end of one trail. The area around the Lake is home to many cloud forest birds like hummingbirds, tanagers, flycatchers, toucanets, clay-colored robins and the resplendent quetzal.
DURATION: 4 hours approximately.
INCLUDES: Transportation, bilingual tour guide (Spanish / English), and entrance fee.
WHAT TO BRING: Hiking shoes, raincoat, light jacket and camera. Overnight at Country Inn 
Day 03 Arenal Breakfast
Private guided transfer to Arenal Area ( Approximately 3 hours)
In the afternoon we will be part of an adventure activity.
Sky Tram & Sky Trek
When you travel, you must plan your time carefully, making sure that you will experience every aspect of Costa Rica. Sky Tram and Trek is a 2-in-1 adventure in the depths of the tropical rainforest that you must be
part of before you leave Arenal.
Once you arrive to the main building, you will be taken on an amazing the Sky Tram. This means you will be able to fly among the trees inside a comfortable and spacious gondola while you watch local wildlife nearly at your fingertips. As you move among the forest, you will see how it starts changing due to the height. Here you will enjoy the fantastic views of Arenal volcano and its highly known lake, as well as great views of the Tilarán mountain range.
When you get to the end of the Sky Tram you will be faced with a choice: you can either go back down in the same way or you can enjoy the ultimate adrenaline rush: the Sky Trek. As you fly across the forest, you will be exploring the trees’ canopies, which studies have shown are filled with a wide variety of animals and vegetation. Your nerve and sense of adventure will be put to the test when you cross any of the ten zip lines with heights ranging from 30 to 200 meters and with length of over 200 meters. All of these zip lines were built to give you a 360° perspective of the rainforest.
With the Sky Trek and Tram you will be able to see the rainforest just like birds usually see it, giving you the best views of the area, on top of the unforgettable experience.
DURATION: 4 hours approximately.
INCLUDES: Transportation guide, entrance fee.
WHAT TO BRING: Long pants, hiking shoes, camera, binoculars, sun lotion, repellent and raincoat.
Overnight at Lomas del Volcán Hotel
About Northern Area:
This is a large region which includes tropical rainforests, wide plains with pasturelands, an active volcano, and outstanding mountains; not to mention other attractions such as: canopy rides, river floats, nature trail walks for both, leisure, and scientific purposes, hot springs, great scenery, and lots of wildlife.
Also Sarapiquí, La Fortuna (where Arenal Volcano sits), and Monteverde, are located here. This region is one of the favorites for nature lovers. The area’s location makes it a great itinerary connection point. One can easily head towards the Caribbean, stopping over at Sarapiquí, or from Arenal to Monteverde and the Pacific beaches. This is a good starting point for hopping from one volcano to another (Arenal to Rincón de la Vieja, for example) but could just as well be scheduled as an intermediate stop, or ending point.
Costa Rica’s Northern Region is on of the most important sites in the world for the exploration and research of the rainforest and, though the main attractions in the area are nature, and the adventure that can be found here, it also boasts an important cultural component due to the influence of the Quaker community that settled years ago in Monteverde.
On the way to Arenal, lie the towns of Zarcero and Bajo Rodriguez, where traditional dairy products are made. One can find high-quality cheeses, cookies, candy, and others. The area of La Fortuna is a cattle farming area, and it is well-known for the excellent quality of its meats. Established restaurants here offer both, international and typical foods, but the Steakhouses are the stars of the culinary world here, chicharrones are an ingredient in other savory dishes of these lands.
Day 04 Arenal Breakfast,dinner
Breakfast at Lomas del Volcán Hotel
Day at leisure for optional activities
In the afternoon, let’s go to enjoy and relax with the mineral water, surrounded with wonderful tropical forest gardens.
Volcano hot springs are the result of rainwater heated by magma in the Earth’s interior. Once heated, the water rises to surface, taking with them minerals that are found in the earth’s rocky crust; this way, water becomes beneficial to our bodies because of its temperature that helps to relax muscles, clean pores and rejuvenate the skin.
Dinner is included.
Overnight at Lomas del Volcán Hotel
Day 05 Jaco Breakfast
Breakfast at Lomas del Volcán Hotel
Private guided transfer to Jaco Area ( Approximately 4 hours)
Overnight at Punta Leona Hotel
Day 06 Jaco Breakfast
Breakfast at Punta Leona Hotel
Overnight at Punta Leona Hotel
Day 07 Breakfast
Breakfast at Punta Leona Hotel
Private guided transfer to Guanacaste Area ( 3 hours and half)
The rest of the day on the Beach .Overnight at Tamarindo Diria Hotel
Day 08 Breakfast
Breakfast at Tamarindo Diria Hotel
Full day on the Beach : swimming, Surfing and sunbathing
Overnight at Tamarindo Diria Hotel
Day 09 Breakfast
Breakfast at Tamarindo Diria Hotel
Private guided transfer from Tamarindo Diria Hotel to Liberia Airport ( Approximately 1 hour)
ACCOMMODATION
• Total of two (2) Nights at Country Inn & Suites Hotel. San José. Standard Room
• Total of two (2) Nights at Lomas del Volcan Hotel.Arenal. Standard Room
• Total of two (2) Nights at Punta Leona Hotel. Jaco.Selvamar Room
• Total of two (2) Nights at Tamarindo Diria Hotel .Guanacaste. Pool side room
