Adventure Costa Rica!​

Upon arrival at the San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport, meet your complimentary hotel shuttle curbside outside the customs area. The driver will be holding a VBT sign or a Wyndham San Jose Herradura  sign. Then transfer by minibus (approximately 5-10 minutes) to your hotel in San Jose. 

The rest of the day is free to settle in and explore the city. Choose a restaurant for dinner on your own.

Please note: Flights from Los Angeles, JFK and Miami are early morning departures. If you arrive early, your hotel room may not be available until 3 p.m. You may store your luggage with the Reception Desk.

Our splendid San Jose hotel, Wyndham San Jose Herradura, is located just minutes from the International Airport and approximately 30 minutes from the center of the city. VBT provides you with a City Information Packet in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in San Jose during your stay.

VBT Pre-Trip Extension guests: Later this morning, an included Panama City tour and Mirflores Locks tour will be provided en route to the airport for your late afternoon flight to Costa Rica.

Upon arrival at the San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport, meet your complimentary hotel shuttle curbside outside the customs area. The driver will be holding a VBT sign or a Wyndham San Jose Herradura  sign. Then transfer by minibus (approximately 5-10 minutes) to your hotel in San Jose. 

VBT No-Air Package guests: Meet your VBT Trip Leaders and the rest of the group at 9 a.m. at our San Jose hotel (Wyndham San Jose Herradura, General Cañas Highway, 5 km. South from International Airport, San Jose, Costa Rica, phone +506 2209 9800). Trip Leaders will be wearing VBT staff garments. Please be dressed for your first warm-up bicycle ride. From San Jose we transfer by private motor coach (approx. 45 mins) to the site of our warm-up ride. If your arrival at the hotel is scheduled later than 9 a.m., or if you are delayed, you must take a taxi at your own expense to the Villa Blanca Cloud Forrest Hotel & Spa in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest near the town of San Ramon (approximately $100 USD). Please contact the hotel if any travel delays or changes; the staff will pass the message on to your VBT Trip Leaders.

VBT Air Package guests and Pre-Trip Extension guests: Meet your VBT Trip Leaders at your San Jose hotel at 9 a.m. Trip Leaders will be wearing VBT staff garments. Please be dressed for your first warm-up bicycle ride. From San Jose we transfer by private motor coach (approx. 45 mins) to the site of our warm-up ride.

This morning participate in a safety and bike-fitting session, followed by a warm-up ride.  Lunch is included today. After lunch, we follow “the route of the Ox-Cart” through small historical towns as we shuttle (approximately 45 mins) to the Los Angeles Cloud Forest and the conservation-focused Villa Blanca Resort, one of the elite “Green Hotels of Costa Rica.”  Villa Blanca strives for absolute guest comfort while maintaining the highest standards of respect for its natural surroundings. Villa Blanca was given a “5-leaf” rating by the Certification Board of Sustainable Tourism, their highest score. Tonight, we enjoy a satisfying dinner at El Sendero, the resort's restaurant.

Get to know your fellow travelers over a welcome reception and dinner tonight at the resort.

REMINDER:  It can be cool in the evenings and on cloudy days at the elevations visited on this trip. You will want to have a lightweight layer of warm clothing for travel in any month of the year. You may wish to have a pair of water shoes or casual sandals for the rafting trip.

Those interested may join expert naturalists on an optional early morning guided bird-watching expedition through the Los Angeles Cloud Forest. Costa Rica is home to an estimated 840 bird species, so we will be treated to a variety of unusual sightings including a variety of colorful tropical hummingbirds darting through the forest.  We might even spot the elusive resplendent quetzal.

After breakfast this morning we enjoy the thrill of a canopy tour, ascending high into the treetops and soaring through the canopy on a secure zip-cable line. It's an experience unlike any other, and a great way to get a magnificent view of wildlife in the rainforest.

After flying high over the rain forest we will shuttle to the start of today’s ride. From here we cycle through the northern lowlands close to the Arenal Volcano. Arenal is also the youngest volcano in Costa Rica; it erupted for the first known time around 7,000 years ago. We cycle through small towns on paved paths and across rushing rivers to the foothills of Arenal Volcano, which are dotted with yucca, pineapple and papaya farms.

This evening gather for a VBT private reception at the thermal springs of our hotel Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.  Enjoy the remainder of your evening at the hot springs before dining on your own at one of the resort’s fine restaurants.

Please note that Arenal Volacano has been dormant since 2010 and therefore most likely will not be active during your visit.

Today, we cycle to a boat launch for a peaceful river-rafting safari on the Peñas Blancas River, where we'll be on the lookout for some of Costa Rica's diverse wildlife. The crystal-clear waters of the Peñas Blancas are fed by surrounding cloud forests in adjacent Monteverde. We'll drift by lush rainforest, volcanic hot springs and cascading waterfalls.

We always find this to be a mesmerizing journey. The sights and sounds of the natural world surround us as we float through the rainforest. Our river guide points out examples of Costa Rica's abundant and varied creatures such as lizards, sloths, monkeys, toucans, herons and kingfishers, as well as native plants. This is an ideal opportunity to photograph wildlife, plants, and even butterflies up close. Before we return to land, you'll understand more fully that Costa Rica's landscape and wildlife are among the most diverse on Earth — and so valued that more than a quarter of the country's land has been set aside for conservation.

Later this afternoon we will shuttle back to cooler altitudes and Costa Rica’s central valley.

Enjoy the remainder of the evening at your leisure at our resort.

This morning a shuttle transports us to Poás Volcano, which has seen only occasional eruptions since 1828. We have time to explore before cycling down its slopes on smooth paved roads to the charming farm town of Poasito.

Here, we stop to visit a family-owned fruit stand where we'll taste some of Costa Rica's sweetest strawberries and discuss local agricultural practices with the farmers. Then shuttle to Doka Estate Coffee Farm, Costa Rica's largest family-owned coffee plantation. The estate is located in Costa Rica's “Coffee Capital,” Sabanilla de Alajuela. We enjoy a tour of the award-winning farm and mill, learning about the coffee-brewing tradition of chorrear and tasting some of the estate's fresh-roasted coffees.

Return to our resort by bicycle or shuttle.

This evening we gather for a festive farewell dinner at our resort.