The Gardens & Wildlife of Costa Rica

Departing: January 2027 - January 2027

The term biodiversity may have been coined with Costa Rica in mind, such is the range of different species within its pristine, tropical forests. Throw in some spectacular scenery and resplendently laid-back citizens, and you have all the makings of a life-affirming holiday experience.

On this memorable tour, we visit a broad range of gardens both public and private, such as the Else Kientzler Botanical Gardens with its world-class collection of plants. At the Monteverde Cloud Reserve, we see some of the 100 mammals, 400 bird species and more than 2,500 varieties of plants that thrive here, including, if we are lucky, the famously elusive resplendent quetzal.

Included

Explore CATIE Botanical Garden & Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, with entrance fees included
All other visits as outlined in the itinerary
Professional Tour Manager
3 nights at the Bougainvillea Hotel, San José, 2 nights at Villa Florencia, Turrialba, 2 nights at the Volcano Inn, Arenal, 2 nights at the Trapp Hotel, Monteverde & 2 nights at La Foresta, Quepos (hotels subject to change) with breakfast
11 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 5 dinners
Private air-conditioned coach travel

Highlights

The imposing volcano of Arenal
Exploring the cloud forest at Monteverde
Spotting subtropical wildlife in the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
CATIE Botanical Gardens, home to a wide variety of tropical plants from around the world

Trevor Edwards

A horticulturist, garden designer and consultant with almost 50 years’ experience. He has led garden tours worldwide and lectured internationally on the Gardens of Ireland. A former garden centre owner, he is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners and Freeman of the City of London.

Tour Itinerary

Join our arrival transfer from San Jose Airport or meet your tour manager and fellow travellers that evening at our hotel.

Meals: In-flight, Dinner

Accommodation: Bougainvillea Hotel, San José

After breakfast, we visit the stunning Else Kientzler Botanical Garden, home to a vast array of tropical plant species from around the globe. We spend some time exploring the gardens, wandering the trails and discovering the collections of succulents and bromeliads.

Also on the agenda today is a visit the Ark Herb Gardens, where there are more than 1,600 species of ornamental plants and fruits. Here we visit the thematic ethnobotanical garden terraces, a culinary garden, tropical food garden and an essential oils garden.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

We check out of our hotel and depart for a visit to Lankaster Gardens a research centre that is part of the University of Costa Rica and is dedicated to the exhibition, conservation and study of orchids. We continue through Costa Rica’s spectacular countryside through the central valley region to our hotel for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Bougainvillea Hotel, San José

This morning, we visit the CATIE Botanical Gardens, where we discover a wide variety of tropical plants from around the world. The garden is home to a century-old kapok tree, towering stalks of bamboo, dripping orchids, and hanging bromeliads. There is also the chance to learn about the research institute's contributions to research and education of tropical agriculture.

Later, we visit Hacienda Tayutic, a century-old plantation owned by the Ortuno family. Here we learn about the ancient methods of growing and processing sugarcane and the growing, harvesting and roasting of one of the world’s most popular hot beverages – coffee.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Villa Florencia, Turrialba

After breakfast, we head for Palmitour, a family-run business that makes a variety of products from palm hearts. We have a tour here, where we learn about the process of growing and processing the palm hearts. In the afternoon, we have a tour of a pineapple plantation to learn all there is to know about the growing and processing of pineapples which is a vital part of the Costa Rican economy. In fact, the country is the largest producer and exporter of pineapples in the world.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Villa Florencia, Turrialba

We depart on a full-day excursion to the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, located near the Nicaraguan border. This area of protected marshland is the epitome of ‘biodiversity’ – in the course of our two and a half hour boat trip, we see an astonishing variety of birds, monkeys, iguanas, sloths, alligators and turtles as well as a diverse range of flora. We travel back to the Arenal Area, where we visit some of the abundant hot springs to be found here, fed by the constant geo-thermal activity of the region.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Volcano Inn, Arenal

This morning, we leave the hotel and after a boat trip on Lake Arenal, Costa Rica’s largest body of fresh water which was enlarged to three times its original size when a hydro-electric dam was built here, we head south to Monteverde.

In the afternoon, we visit an orchid farm. Costa Rica has the richest orchid flora in Central America, with more than 1,400 identified species.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Volcano Inn, Arenal

Today we have a tour of the Monteverde Cloud Reserve, whose variable climate and large altitudinal gradient supports a complex and extensive ecosystem: over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants, including orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines and mosses. Animal species include the jaguar, ocelot and Baird’s tapir and birds such as the three-wattled bellbird, bare-necked umbrella bird, and the famously elusive resplendent quetzal – you never know with animals and birds but we might be lucky! Later, we visit a butterfly garden, where we can expect to see myriad different species in a garden that has been specially designed to attract these delicate, colourful creatures.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Los Pinos, Monteverde

This morning, we depart for Manual Antonio and on arrival, the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Los Pinos, Monteverde

We tour the Manuel Antonio National Park, which was established in 1972 to preserve one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse areas in the world. Although it is the country’s smallest national park, the stunning beauty and diversity of wildlife in its 683 hectares is unequalled, with its charming combination of rain forest, beaches and coral reefs. The forest is home for sloths, iguanas, the rare squirrel monkeys and millions of colourful little crabs.

Later, we visit Villa Vanilla, a family-run farm that was founded in 1987 by Henry Karcynski. Here we enjoy a tour of the farm, where we can see and interesting variety of spices such as vanilla, true Ceylon cinnamon, cacoa, black pepper and allspice to name a few. We see the harvest warehouse where the spices are dried and packaged as well as enjoy a walk through the farm.
This afternoon is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: La Foresta, Quepos

This morning, we have another visit to an orchid garden to see these delicate flowers that thrive in the tropical climate of Costa Rica. We later drive to the central valley to visit the private garden of doña Esther’s home in Ciudad Colón, in the suburbs to the West of San José. An avid gardener, she changes her garden yearly and she will join us showcasing these years highlights as well as sharing the story of her gardening journey with us.

We later depart our hotel in San Jose.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: La Foresta, Quepos