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Trip Overview Join our over-the-top adventure in gay-friendly Costa Rica |
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An illustrated itinerary of one of our many travel adventures for gay men, lesbians, and friends. This information supplements our
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1: Welcome to Costa Rica!
Fly into San Jose's Juan Santamaria International Airport, and then transfer on your own to our Costa Rica hotel. (Hotel details will be sent closer to departure.) Our tour officially begins in the early evening when you'll meet your Alyson Adventures tour director, your local Costa Rican tour guide, and other group members at a special welcome dinner. After dinner there'll be a Night Out city tour to explore San Jose's nightlife, visiting the most popular gay spots of the San Jose area. 
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2: Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall
After breakfast we will head up a winding, panoramic road to the steaming cauldron of Poas Volcano and later visit the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Poas is a beautiful park area with a luxuriant forest, featuring multihued lakes in its two craters. The volcano stands at an altitude of 8,200 feet (2708 meters) above sea level. One of the craters measures a mile (1.5 kilometers) in diameter, and is 900 feet (300 meters) deep. At the bottom of this prehistoric-looking hole, there is a lagoon that spews boiling sulphurous gases. The other crater, called Botos Lagoon, contains cold water that connects to the Rio Angel, and consequently resembles a small lake with clear blue water. Nearby, we can follow a nature trail through a dwarf cloud forest, admiring bromeliads growing in the twisted trees and keeping an eye out for hummingbirds and the elusive quetzal. We will also visit the La Paz ("Peace") Waterfall Gardens. This large private reserve features a butterfly observatory, hummingbird and orchid gardens, and trails along the La Paz River with five impressive waterfalls. We will enjoy lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens Lodge. Later in the afternoon we return to San Jose, where you can explore the city and enjoy dinner on your own.
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3-4: Sarapiqui
Today we head to the lush Sarapiqui River valley where we will spend the next two nights at the Sueno Azul Resort. On the way we will stop at Braulio Carrillo National Park, one of the largest and most beautiful rainforests in all of Costa Rica. Our hotel is an elegant rustic retreat; a sanctuary for nature and peaceful relaxation. The region is one of the most diverse in Costa Rica, offering a mosaic of mountains, plains, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, forests, fruit farms and cattle ranches. During our two-day stay here we will enjoy hiking, a horseback ride through the rain forest, a whitewater rafting trip, and a private hike to the lagoon and waterfalls for swimming.
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5: Arenal Volcano
Arenal Volcano is the youngest volcano in Costa Rica and the most active. Asleep for hundreds of years, with a single crater at its summit, in 1968 Arenal had an eruption and destroyed the small town of Tabacón. The activity nowadays is less damaging but you can still see daily ash columns, underground rumbling, glowing orange lava flows and sudden explosions. With its perfect conical shape it allows breathtaking views of volcanic action at the summit. Almost every night the crater offers a spectacle of lights with its explosive eruptions. The red lava flow is visible from our hotel when the mountain is not shrouded by clouds. We will also visit a hot springs park, consisting of a series of pools and springs heated by the warm underflow of Arenal. Dinner will be at the hot springs resort. Our hotel is the Arenal Volcano Hotel in the shadow of the great volcano.
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6-7: Monteverde Cloud Forest
The next morning we follow a winding mountain road around Arenal Lake up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve at the top of the Continental Divide, where we spend the next two days. The world famous Reserve is one of the most outstanding wildlife sanctuaries in the Americas and includes eight distinct ecological zones. It protects more than 400 species of birds and over 100 species of mammals. We will enjoy a guided nature hike into the cloud forest along the well maintained trails. We will also visit the village of Santa Elena, with its art galleries and shops, and stop at a butterfly conservatory. On our second day, we will literally be swinging above the trees. Sky Trek is a system of several platforms suspended above the ground in the midst of tree boughs. Zip line cables securely anchored to each platform allow us to slide from one platform to the next a total of nine times. The trained guides start us out with a short ride; then we experience longer and longer slides as we gradually ascend the mountainside on a series of paths connecting the platforms. The peak experience starts from the observation platform at the top of the Continental Divide. On one side, you can see a panoramic view towards Arenal Volcano and the Atlantic lowlands, and on the other, you can see the many bays of the Pacific coast. If you have made it this far, you probably don't want to walk all the way back down, so the only remaining way off the platform is to hang onto your pulley, and soar out above the trees. This may be as close as you ever get to experiencing what a bird feels while flying! And if you would rather not fly alone, you may be able to share the experience in tandem with a friend or one of the strong, young Sky Trek guides. For those who would rather not fly through the air, a series of suspended bridges through the canopy also gives a great view of the inner forest.
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8: Return to San Jose
Today we descend along a winding mountain road, almost to the Pacific Ocean. Then we head back east to return to San Jose for our farewell dinner and an evening on the town.
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9: Departure Day
Our trips ends today. (There are no scheduled activities). You are free to schedule your flights home at anytime. If you would like to extend your vacation with a trip to the beach, please contact us to check on availability.
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