THE REAL COSTA RICA

After touching down in San José, you’ll be met at the airport (SJO) and whisked, via a private transfer, to your swanky downtown hotel. The rest of the afternoon is yours to spend however you like: relax in your room, or freshen up and head out to explore the city. Come evening, return to your hotel where a welcome dinner awaits – along with a chance to meet, and get to know, the other folks on this trip.

Today it’s off to La Fortuna, a small town at the base of the Arenal volcano. Before you get there, make a pit stop for lunch at the Doka coffee collective. After lunch, you’ll check into your hotel where you’re free to relax and spend most of the afternoon exploring the lush landscaped grounds, or slip into one of the pools and gawk at the volcanic views. The relaxation ramps up later on, too, with a visit to the thermal hot springs of Ecotermales Fortuna – where you’ll also tuck into a top-notch buffet dinner.

You’ll want to pack your swimmers for today’s activities. Deep in the lush rainforest of Arenal Volcano National Park, the Fortuna waterfall is a 70m-high torrent that plunges into a jade-coloured pool, surrounded by mossy boulders. To get there, however, you’ll need to descend the 520 steps cut into the mountainside – saving enough energy to hike back up afterwards! After a rest and a well-earned lunch, you’ll set off on a gentler walk – to spot sloths moving lazily through the trees.

After breakfast, you’ll hop on a taxi boat across Lake Arenal, where transport awaits to whisk you off on a scenic mountain drive to Monteverde and your hotel, on the edge of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Once there, the afternoon is yours – spend it relaxing or strolling through 22 acres (9ha) of grounds. Come nightfall, you’ll head out once more into the chirruping cloud forest to spot native wildlife – from howler monkeys to pumas.

After a lazy, laid-back morning, it’s time to don your apron for an authentic Costa Rican cooking class with Doña Mireya Salazar. You’ll learn how to prepare traditional Costa Rican breakfast, lunch and snacks (or a dessert, if you’ve got a sweet tooth), before tucking into the fruits of your labours. You’ll have the rest of the day to spend chilling out at the hotel.

Today we’ll be making our way down from the Cloud Forest to the North Pacific coast via the zig-zagging Tenorio River – with its feisty rapids. You’ll need to hold on tight as you hurtle downstream in a dinghy, steered by an expert guide. Once you’ve sufficiently dried off, it’s on to this trip’s final destination: the laid-back surf town of Tamarindo. Spend the rest of the day splashing in the refreshing Pacific waves.

You’ll wake to the sound of waves crashing on the Pacific shoreline. Start the day with a bike ride through the jungle or an optional morning yoga class. Then you can ramp things up in the afternoon with a guided surf lesson, if you like. It'll be fun to spend the day outdoors, even if you just feel like lounging on the beach. The day ends with a farewell dinner – an opportunity to toast new friends and an unforgettable adventure.

It’s time to wave goodbye to Costa Rica today – after checking out of your hotel, you’ll be whisked via private transfer to Liberia International Airport (LIR) to catch your flight back home.