Prices per person, in US dollars, including accommodation, breakfasts and the services listed in the program. The package details are listed below.
The Howler Monkey Tour is a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary designed for travelers who want to see the country through its wildlife, its farms and its rivers rather than through a car window. You cross the country from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific, through Turrialba, Cahuita, Sarapiquí, the remote lowlands of Boca Tapada, Arenal Volcano and finally Playa Sámara.
For the first ten days, a private driver-guide takes care of the roads, the timing and the small logistics, so you can watch the landscape change from coffee-covered hills to banana country, from rainforest to the dry forest of Guanacaste. You visit two wildlife rescue projects near Cahuita, walk the coastal trail of Cahuita National Park, taste fresh hearts of palm on a family farm, look for red-eyed tree frogs at nightfall and raft the Sarapiquí River.
The second half of the trip leads you by boat to the border river Río San Juan, then to Arenal, where hot springs, old lava flows and hanging bridges await. The last days are slower: a dolphin-watching outing off Playa Sámara and time on the beach before a private transfer to the airport. Throughout these 13 days in Costa Rica, our team in San Francisco de Heredia stays reachable and answers you in English.
Your itinerary
San José · 1 night
Cahuita · 3 nights
Sarapiquí · 1 night
Boca Tapada · 2 nights
Volcán Arenal · 2 nights
Playa Sámara · 3 nights
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1
Arrival in Costa Rica and first evening in San José
Welcome to Costa Rica! When you land at Juan Santamaría International Airport, your private driver-guide is waiting in the arrivals hall with a sign bearing your name. Before you set off, a welcome note from Vincent, the agency's founder, sets the tone: leave your watch and the stress of daily life behind, the agency takes care of the details. Costa Rica has been his adopted home for more than 40 years, and this trip reflects the country he likes to share, beyond the classic sights. A private transfer then takes you to your hotel in San José. This first drive is a gentle introduction to the warm, tropical air and the easy rhythm of the country. The holiday has begun.
Day 1 of a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary begins with a night in San José after landing at SJO airport.
Day 2
Turrialba: organic coffee from cherry to cup
After breakfast, you leave around 9:00 for the green region of Turrialba, where the road winds between mountains, plantations and tropical valleys. Around 11:30, you reach an organic coffee farm whose production follows international standards, with careful attention to quality and to the environment. You visit the beneficio, the mill where freshly harvested coffee is processed, and follow each step that turns the red coffee cherry into beans ready for roasting. The visit ends, naturally, with a cup of Costa Rican coffee, a chance to recognize the aromas of a local harvest. You then continue toward the Caribbean coast and settle in Cahuita for three nights.
Coffee cherries spread out to dry under a plastic tunnel, a stop on a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary.
Day 3
Two wildlife projects near Cahuita
You leave around 8:45 for a private wildlife rescue center about 20 kilometers from Cahuita, with your visit scheduled for 9:30. Set in the rainforest, it cares for injured, sick or orphaned animals and, whenever possible, prepares them to return to the wild. You learn about the daily work of the team and may see mammals, reptiles, butterflies and birds, sloths and frogs among them, depending on the day. In the afternoon, a second visit takes you to a conservation project devoted to breeding, reintroduction and habitat protection. After a presentation, a walk with your guide through the surrounding forest offers a chance to spot birds, monkeys, sloths, frogs and reptiles, as conditions and luck allow.
A guide shares information with visitors next to a wooden enclosure surrounded by tropical vegetation.
Day 4
Cahuita National Park: rainforest, reef and white sand
Today belongs to Cahuita National Park, protected both for its forest and for its coral reefs. The park is open from 8:00 to 16:00, and the full trail between the Puerto Vargas and Cahuita entrances covers about 11 kilometers. You may walk the whole way, or enter from Cahuita, walk part of the trail and return at your own pace. The path runs through dense vegetation, sometimes a few meters from the shore, with glimpses of the turquoise Caribbean between palms and lianas. Keep an eye out for monkeys, iguanas, raccoons, coatis, sloths, basilisks and tropical birds. At Playa Blanca, take time to swim, rest in the shade or enjoy a picnic to the sound of the waves.
Day 4 of a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary: the forest-fringed beach at the entrance of Cahuita National Park.
Day 5
Sarapiquí: hearts of palm, pineapples and red-eyed frogs
You leave around 8:30 for Horquetas de Sarapiquí, a rural region known for family farming. Around 11:30, the owner of a small family farm shows you how palmito, heart of palm, is grown, and how mature palms produce pejibaye, a fruit loved in Costa Rican cooking. After tasting fresh palmito, lunch at the family soda lets you try traditional dishes such as palmito ceviche, lasagna, bread, chorreada or picadillo, depending on what is prepared that day. Next comes an organic pineapple and sugarcane farm, where you plant a young pineapple yourself and finish with a tasting. From 18:00, a guided night walk goes looking for the red-eyed tree frog as the forest wakes up.
A local host carries freshly cut sugarcane through the garden during a day 5 visit in Sarapiquí.
Day 6
Rafting the Sarapiquí River, then on to Boca Tapada
After breakfast, you head to an adventure center, where you must arrive by 9:15 at the latest. A professional guide gives the safety briefing before a half-day rafting trip on the Sarapiquí River, with class II and III rapids and calmer stretches to admire the forest along the banks. If you prefer something gentler, you can swap the rafting for a safari float of about 2 hours 30 minutes, in an inflatable raft without a motor or a motorboat, ideal for spotting birds, monkeys and reptiles. A traditional Costa Rican lunch is served back at the center. You then discover the world of leafcutter ants before driving to the wild lowlands of Boca Tapada.
Rafters paddle through foaming rapids on day 6 of a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary in the Sarapiquí region.
Day 7
Boca Tapada: by boat to the Río San Juan
Right from your lodging, you board a boat bound for the mouth of the Río San Carlos, where it meets the Río San Juan, the natural border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The ride is calm, through a largely untouched landscape of rivers and rainforest. Herons, ibises, egrets and kingfishers often appear along the banks; with some luck, you may also see caimans, iguanas, turtles and frogs, while your guide helps you read this water-rich ecosystem. Later, a guided hike with a local guide leads into the forest reserve. This is the land of the howler monkey that gives the tour its name: spider monkeys and capuchins also live in the canopy, along with birds, insects and reptiles.
A covered boat waits on the riverbank, ready for a river excursion on day 7 of a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary.
Day 8
Arenal: a waterfall below the volcano and an evening in hot springs
You drive through the green countryside of San Carlos toward La Fortuna, watching the cone of Arenal Volcano, about 1,600 meters high, rise on the horizon. It erupted suddenly on July 29, 1968, and remains closely monitored today. On arrival, you visit a waterfall of more than 70 meters on the outskirts of La Fortuna, reached by a staircase of about 530 steps, a 15 to 20 minute descent. At the bottom, swim when conditions allow, take photos and look for butterflies, birds and perhaps monkeys. The afternoon is spent at a hot springs complex fed by the volcano's geothermal waters, with pools of different temperatures, before a buffet dinner at 19:00.
Hikers head down a stone staircase through the rainforest, with a tall waterfall visible across the valley.
Day 9
Arenal Volcano National Park and the hanging bridges
Around 8:30, you set out for a walk of about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours in Arenal Volcano National Park. The trail is mostly flat and easy, except for a 200 to 300 meter section across old lava rocks that calls for attention and rewards you with a view of the volcano and its lava fields when the weather is clear. You see the 1992 lava flows and a ceiba tree more than 400 years old, and your entrance fee supports Costa Rica's protected areas. In the afternoon, a walk of about 2 hours covers nearly 3 kilometers of trails, with 8 fixed and 6 hanging bridges, some 48 to 98 meters long, high in the canopy.
The cone of Arenal Volcano stands behind the national park sign, a stop on day 9 of this 13 day Costa Rica itinerary.
Day 10
Cañas and the Río Corobicí, then the Pacific
You leave around 7:30 for Cañas, crossing the open plains and pastures of Guanacaste. There you visit a refuge for wild animals that can no longer return to the wild, founded through the work of Lilly and Werner Hagnauer and supported by a foundation since 2003. Pumas, jaguars, ocelots and several monkey species live here. At 11:30, you board a boat on the Río Corobicí for a calm outing of about 1 hour 30 minutes, looking for American crocodiles and waterbirds amid the dry tropical forest, a contrast with the humid forests of earlier days. Lunch is included. You then continue to Playa Sámara, where your driver-guide's services come to an end.
A puma looks on attentively, a wildlife encounter on day 10 of a 13 day Costa Rica itinerary.
Day 11
Playa Sámara: dolphins in the morning, free afternoon
Around 8:00, the tour company picks you up at your hotel's reception for a shared boat trip off Playa Sámara. You head out onto the Pacific looking for dolphins and, depending on the season, the weather and the animals, humpback whales, with views back toward the Guanacaste coast. The approach respects the animals and their habitat. You return around 12:00, and the afternoon is yours: walk along the shore, swim or simply rest on the beach. As an option not included in the package, a turtle-nesting night walk can be booked with the same company, leaving around 18:30 for a nearby refuge, mainly from July to January.
Two dolphins swim side by side at the surface during a boat outing near Playa Sámara.
Day 12
A free day by the Pacific
No activities are scheduled today, and that is deliberate. After twelve days of trails, rivers and early starts, this day at Playa Sámara is yours to shape as you like. Breakfast is served at your lodging, and the rest of the day follows your own pace: a long walk on the sand in the morning light, a swim in the Pacific, a book in the shade, or a quiet look back at the photos of sloths, frogs and volcano slopes gathered along the way. It is also a good moment to soak up the relaxed village atmosphere of the Guanacaste coast before the journey home.
Optional during your free day in Playa Sámara: sea turtle nesting, from July to January, at the Camaronal refuge.
Day 13
Private transfer to the airport and farewell
After breakfast, your private driver picks you up at the hotel reception. The drive takes about 4 hours 30 minutes to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, or about 2 hours to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia, depending on your return flight. Departure is planned so that you arrive at least 3 hours before take-off. If your flight schedule allows, a short visit of San José or Liberia may be possible, with museums, parks or a stroll through the streets; any entrance fees are not included. Then it is time to fly home, with forests, rivers, volcanoes and beaches in mind. Pura vida, and we hope to welcome you back one day.
Where you will stay
San José · 1 night
A comfortable city hotel in San José with an executive room and a king-size bed, ideal for resting after your flight. Breakfast included.
Cahuita · 3 nights
A superior room in a lodging on the Caribbean coast near Cahuita, a quiet base surrounded by tropical greenery for exploring the national park and the wildlife projects. Breakfast included.
Sarapiquí · 1 night
Family-style cabins in the rural, green countryside of Sarapiquí, close to the farms and to the forest where the night frog walk takes place. Breakfast included.
Boca Tapada · 2 nights
A bungalow in a remote lodge in the lowland rainforest of Boca Tapada, from which the boat trip to the Río San Juan departs directly. Breakfast included.
Volcán Arenal · 2 nights
A junior suite in a hotel near La Fortuna, at the foot of Arenal Volcano, convenient for the waterfall, the hot springs and the national park. Breakfast included.
Playa Sámara · 3 nights
A double bungalow near the beach at Playa Sámara, on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste, for the slower final days of the trip. Breakfast included.
What the package includes
Included
Private transfer from the airport to your hotel
Nights in the hotels listed, or similar if unavailable before final booking
Breakfast every day of the tour
Lunches mentioned in the program *
Dinners mentioned in the program *
The tour with a private driver-guide **
The vehicle with all relevant insurance
National park entrance fees listed as included in the program
Activities and visits listed as included in the program
Private transfer to the airport on departure day
The 13% hotel tax
The 13% tax on tourist activities
Our assistance in English throughout your stay
* Meals include a main course and one non-alcoholic drink
** Included: road costs (the driver’s meals and lodging), the guide’s entrance fees to national parks and to all activities booked in advance (with some exceptions such as horseback rides, boat trips, flights and rafting, depending on the operator), insurance, fuel, parking, ferry (vehicle fee) and tolls
Not included
International flights to Costa Rica
Drinks outside meals and alcoholic drinks
National park entrance fees listed as optional in the program
Activities and visits listed as optional in the program
Extensions, variations and suggestions
Personal expenses and tips
Travel or repatriation insurance
Any other service
Optional activities
Night sea turtle watching tour: USD 45, payable on site
Who this trip is for
This 13-day Costa Rica tour suits couples, friends and families of up to four travelers who love nature and want to understand what they see: how coffee is processed, why animals end up in rescue centers, how a forest reclaims a lava field. The pace is active but measured, with walks you can shorten in Cahuita, an easy-to-moderate lava trail at Arenal and a gentler alternative to the rafting. Travelers who dislike handling roads and timetables will appreciate having a private driver-guide for the first ten days, then the freedom of a few unstructured days on the Pacific. It is less suited to those looking for nightlife or a beach-only holiday.
Frequently asked questions
Is the driver-guide with us for the whole 13 day Costa Rica itinerary?
Your private driver-guide welcomes you at the airport on day 1 and accompanies you until your arrival at Playa Sámara on day 10. Days 11 and 12 are spent in Sámara, with the dolphin outing organized by a local company that picks you up at your hotel, and a private driver takes you to the airport on day 13.
Which meals are included?
Breakfast is included every day. Lunch is included on day 5 at the family palmito farm, on day 6 at the adventure center and on day 10 during the Río Corobicí outing, and a buffet dinner is included on day 8 at the hot springs. Included meals cover a main course and a non-alcoholic drink.
Is the rafting on the Sarapiquí River suitable for beginners?
The section runs through class II and III rapids, with a safety briefing and a professional guide throughout. If you prefer a calmer experience, the rafting can be replaced by a safari float of about 2 hours 30 minutes, better suited to wildlife watching.
Is the sea turtle night walk included?
No. It is an optional activity, booked with the same company that runs the dolphin outing. It takes place mainly from July to January, sometimes into early February, and sightings always depend on the presence of the turtles.
Can we fly home from Liberia instead of San José?
Yes. The final transfer can go to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, about 4 hours 30 minutes from Sámara, or to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia, about 2 hours away. Departure is timed so you arrive at least 3 hours before your flight.
From the coffee hills of Turrialba to the dolphins off Playa Sámara, this 13 day Costa Rica itinerary links the Caribbean, the northern rivers, Arenal and the Pacific in a steady, logical route, with time to observe rather than rush. Our team in San Francisco de Heredia builds each Costa Rica tour with a private driver-guide around your dates and travel style, and answers your questions in English. If this journey speaks to you, feel free to ask us for a quote: we will gladly adapt the details with you.
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