Highlights of Central America
Day 1
Arrival San José
After arrival at the International Airport Juan Santamaría, you will be welcomed by your guide and transferred to hotel Palma Real for overnight.
Day 2.jpg)
Poás and Arenal
After breakfast you will be taken to Poás Volcano, with the second largest crater in the world.
You can admire the blue lagoon of this crater from as close as its edge.
After this impressive scene of nature, you will be transported to Tilarán, along Lake Arenál.
With good weather you will be able to see the volcano with the same name, while crossing the little town of Fortuna.
At hotel Tilajari you can relax and prepare for a full day of sight-seeing.
Day 3
Arenal – Muelle de San Carlos
In the morning you will enjoy a boat ride through Nature Reserve Caño Negro. Starting from Los Chiles you will float through the canals and see the beautiful flora and fauna surrounding you. A great variety of birds can be spotted, but also crocodiles and monkeys can be encountered.
After this wildlife tour it is time to relax in the Hot Springs of Ecotermales. The water in these thermals is being heated by the volcano’s activity
and can reach a temperature of 50º C.
You will spend the night near Arenal volcano and with some luck you will be able to see the spectacular eruptions of this still active volcano.
Once again you will stay at Tilajari Resort.
Day 4
Arenal – Rincón de la Vieja
After breakfast you will be transported to another active volcano: Rincón de la Vieja. In the afternoon you will explore the national park by foot. The main attractions in this 14.000 ha park are the bubbling mud pools and geysers. Other than that, there is a
n amazing flora and fauna to be seen. You might even see a Tapir, Jaguar or Puma, and there is a large diversity of avifauna. Also you can find here the guaria morada, the purple orchid and Costa Rica’s national flower.
You will spend the night at Hacienda Guachipelin.
Day 5
Rincón de la Vieja – Managua (Nicaragua)
After breakfast we will take you to Nicaragua. We will cross the border at Peñas Blancas. We will drive to Managua, Nicaragua’s capital city, along Lake Nicaragua with a view on the volcanic island Ometepe.
In the afternoon we will visit the Coffee Plantation Bosque Las Nubes, where you can see how coffee is being grown.
Overnight at Hotel Las Mercedes.
Day 6
Managua - Leon
Today a city tour is planned, on which you will be taken along to the Plaza de la Republica, El Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, the old and new cathedral, the old Somoza Bunker and the Sandino Statute.
In the afternoon more cultural sight-seeing is on the program: you will visit the colonial university city of León. See the historical city with the cathedral, the most impressive colonial architecture of Central America.
Overnight at Hotel Austria.
Day 7
Leon – National Park Masaya Volcano- Granada
After breakfast we will take you to the active volcano Masaya, which expulses fumes and gasses. You can see the crater from its very edge. After this, it’s time for some souvenir shopping at the national artisan-market. In the afternoon we will drive you to the white village of Catarina, with its Lagoon Apoyo, and to San Juan de Oriente with its beautiful pottery hand-made by the indigenous people inhabiting this village.
Late afternoon you will reach the colonial city of Granada.
You will stay at hotel Alhambra.
Day 8
Granada
In the morning you will visit the historical city center of Granada, with its Central Park, the Kathedral and the Bishop’s Palace.
At Plaza de la Libertad we will be visiting the renovated Lions House and the Franciscan Convent.
In the afternoon we will take you on an old-fashioned coach through the city and to the harbour, where we will board a boat to navigate through the 365 Isles of Granada located in Lake Nicaragua.
You will spend the night at Hotel Alhambra.
Day 9
Granada– Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica)
After breakfast we will drive to the border, this time to Rivas, to enter Costa Rica once again. After crossing the border we will go to the Central Pacific. You will see the transition between tropical dry forest and tropical rain forest. We will stop for a short break in Tarcoles near Carara National Park, where we can view the crocodiles.
After that we will continue to our hotel, Villa Teca, for overnight.
Day 10
Manuel Antonio – Golfito
After an early breakfast we are on our way to Manuel Antonio National Park, Village and Beach. This park houses 682 ha and has one of the most diverse flora and fauna of the country.
After a guided walk it is time to relax at the sandy beach with a picnic.
In the afternoon we will continue our journey to the South and will .jpg)
arrive at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge. This lodge is frequently visited by nature lovers, study groups and ornithologists, due to its richness of tropical rainforest. The variety of exotic birds, such as Macaws and Toucans, is impressive.
Trails lead you to pristine woods, which are being preserved by the people of Austria.
We will spend the night at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.
Day 11
Golfito – Panama: Barú Volcano
After breakfast we will make a short visit to Piedras Blancas National Park at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.
After this we continue to the border to reach Panama and the Barú Volcano. Volcan Baru National Park is located in the Province of Chiriqui, with a surface of 14,325 hectares and has a highly valuable geological and ecological scenic landscape that protects a biological diversity with some unique species of this area. In this park you will find tropical rainforest landscapes with highlands species and the remains of the last blast of the Baru Volcano that happened millions of years ago.
After crossing the border we will visit Finca Drácula, with one of the largest and most complete collection of Draculas, orchids.
In the afternoon, we will take a hike through the cloud forest of the National Park La Amistad. This park is considered as the first Bi-National Biosphere Reserve of the world because it is located between Panama and Costa Rica. The Panamanian side of the park is part of the mountain range called 'Cordillera de Talamanca'. It covers 207,000 hectares of cloud forests and 95% of it is located in the province of Bocas del Toro with the rest in the province of Chiriqui. The Teribe and Changuinola rivers are the main waterways of this park and both are considered to have a high potential for hydroelectric development.
Overnight at Hotel Bambito.
Day 12
Panama: Barú Volcano- Bocas del Toro
Today you will be transported to David to board a flight to Bocas del Toro. The magical island group of Bocas del Toro counts seven larger and thousands of smaller islands, known for their large sandy beaches, their crystal clear waters and the tropical rainforest.
The provincial capital city can be found on the Caribbean Island of Colón. The small town offers a relaxed atmosphere and is the ideal place to unwind and fill your free time with snorkelling, surfing or swimming.
We will take the boat to go to Colón.
You will stay at Hotel Swan’s Cay. 
Day 13
Panama: Bocas del Toro
Today you will take a tour to Coral Cay and Bocatorito. Optional activities are swimming and snorkelling (snorkelling equipment is not included).
You will have the day at leisure at these pretty islands.
Once again you will be staying at Hotel Swan’s Cay.
Day 14
Panama: Bocas del Toro – Panama City
In the morning we will take a flight from Bocas del Toro to Panama City. Here you will board a ship to cross the Panama Canal. The Canal is 81,6 km long and is located between the small Caribbean town of Colón on the Atlantic side and Panama-City on the Pacific side. The time to cross the Canal is about eight to ten hours. Overnight at Hotel Ejecutivo.
Day 15
Panama: Panama City
In the morning we will take you on a city tour to visit both the historical colonial part of Panama City and the modern Financial District.
After this, we will visit the .jpg)
museum of the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal.
After these cultural visits we will continue to Gamboa Rainforest Lodge.
Here you have the choice between two optional Tours: Hop on the Aerial Tram to see the rainforest’s canopy from a unique point of view, or go on a Monkey Tour to discover the wildlife of the forest.
Late afternoon you will be taken back to Panama City for your last overnight at Hotel Ejecutivo.
Day 16
Departure Panama City
After breakfast you will be taken to the International Airport to board your flight home.
