Costa Rica
Costa Rica at a Slower Pace: Natural Wonders by Water & Land
Program No. 17988RJ
Enjoy the natural history, biodiversity and friendly attitude of Costa Rica at a leisurely pace that allows you to learn the true meaning of “pura vida.”
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11 days
10 nights
29 meals
10B 9L 10D
8
Transfer to Central Pacific Coast, Tárcoles River Field Trip
Central Pacific Coast
9
Playa Agujas Outrigger Activities, Butterfly Garden
Central Pacific Coast
At a Glance
Enjoy the natural history, biodiversity and friendly attitude of Costa Rica at a leisurely pace that allows you to learn the true meaning of “pura vida.” Discover the rainforest, Arenal Volcano and the Pacific coastline. Interact with Costa Ricans from campesinos (farmers) to small business owners and American expatriates. Experience Costa Rica by water on boat excursions exploring the Sarapiquí and Tárcoles rivers and an ocean canoe ride. This program has been specially designed to minimize walking and travel time and maximize opportunities to connect with your surroundings.
Activity Level
Easy Going
Walking up to a few blocks unassisted and climbing stairs. Activities take place near the hotels. Program not recommended for participants with walkers/rollators or wheelchairs due to limited storage space on the bus and lack of handicap accessible locations.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Observe the Arenal Volcano from two prime vantage points and learn how scientists monitor its activity.
- Encounter the mighty crocodile and other creatures of the mangroves on a Tárcoles River boat excursion.
- Enjoy several opportunities for informal conversations with Costa Rican people.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Pedro Bosques
Pedro Bosques is a veteran Road Scholar instructor and group leader, with approximately 20 years of experience in hosting lifelong learners in Costa Rica. Although born in Puntarenas, on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, Pedro grew up in San José. His interest in conservation blossomed when he began working at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve as a field assistant. During this time he colaborated with researchers and biologists in projects including the study of the behavior and migration of the Three-wattled Bellbird and reforestation of the biological corridor in the Monteverde region. Pedro is a certified naturalist leader who enjoys sharing his knowledge with travelers from around the world. He looks forward to hosting you in this program and enhancing your journey in his beautiful country.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Pedro Bosques
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Pedro Bosques is a veteran Road Scholar instructor and group leader, with approximately 20 years of experience in hosting lifelong learners in Costa Rica. Although born in Puntarenas, on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, Pedro grew up in San José. His interest in conservation blossomed when he began working at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve as a field assistant. During this time he colaborated with researchers and biologists in projects including the study of the behavior and migration of the Three-wattled Bellbird and reforestation of the biological corridor in the Monteverde region. Pedro is a certified naturalist leader who enjoys sharing his knowledge with travelers from around the world. He looks forward to hosting you in this program and enhancing your journey in his beautiful country.
Alex Ramirez
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Raised since age 5 in Chilamate, Costa Rica, Alex Ramirez developed a passion for nature working at a local rainforest lodge and nature reserve, showing a special interest in the gardens, butterflies, birds and frogs. Fluent in English, Alex has conducted important research at INBIO, Costa Rica's Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation Research.
Lizeth Alfaro
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Lizeth Alfaro is a Costa Rican naturalist expedition leader, flower therapist, and bee keeper. She earned her qualifications in sustainable tourism and became a national guide by the time she turned 18. Growing up among the rich biodiversity of the northern Caribbean lowlands gave her an early appreciation for nature and awareness of local conservation efforts. In her free time, Lizeth enjoys bee keeping, painting, and herbology.
Deynor Alfaro
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Deynor Alfaro is a licensed Costa Rican naturalist group leader. His love of nature and the outdoors took root while growing up on a cattle farm in Puntarenas province. When time came to consider college and career choices, he set his sights on becoming a naturalist. Deynor went on to earn a degree in ecotourism from the Universidad Técnica Nacional in Puntarenas city. Some of his favorite pastimes include hiking, birding, horseback riding, and playing soccer with friends.
Yendry Barrantes
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Yendry Barrantes is a Costa Rican naturalist and certified expedition leader. Her parents taught her early on to love and respect nature, and many of her fondest childhood memories involve playing outdoors at her grandparents’ farm. In addition to leading educational groups in Costa Rica, she has also worked with student groups doing community service and environmental projects in Cuba. In her free time, she likes to recharge her batteries exploring natural areas. Yendry is also a self-taught artist and a certified yoga instructor.
Joselyn Molina
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Joselyn “Josie” Molina grew up around Monteverde town and its eponymous cloud forest reserve. Living in such a unique environment helped fuel her curiosity about plants and wildlife, and furthered her desire for exploration. Joselyn has a degree in ecotourism and began working as a naturalist and certified expedition leader in 2013. She likes to go birding and herping in her free time, as well as hanging out with her family and her dogs.
Suggested Reading List
(22 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Costa Rica at a Slower Pace: Natural Wonders by Water & Land
Program Number: 17988
The Longest Line on the Map: The United States, the Pan-American Highway, and the Quest to Link the Americas
A fascinating historical account of the multi-country project responsible for the Panamerican Highway, (19,000 miles) from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
“Rutkow is a graceful writer with a penchant for well-placed classical allusions… The narrative finds its highest velocity near the end, with a fascinating section on a North Carolina schoolteacher’s efforts to bushwhack his way through the Darien Gap, and Richard Nixon’s stated desire to drive the finished road himself in time for the 1976 bicentennial.” —New York Times Book Review
“Everybody loves a shaggy dog story. A good one should be long and implausible but still on the edge of possibility. The chronicle at the heart of Eric Rutkow’s The Longest Line on the Map seems to qualify. The story involves the decades-long attempt to construct thousands of miles of railway—and, later, highway—to ‘link the Americas.’” —The Wall Street Journal
Monkeys Are Made Of Chocolate: Exotic And Unseen Costa Rica
When Jack Ewing moved his family to Costa Rica in 1970 and purchased a hacienda, he saw himself becoming a cattle rancher. He could never have anticipated that one day he would devote himself to reforesting the very land he had worked so hard to clear for farming. Hacienda Barú is now a popular nature wildlife refuge and a success story for proponents of biological corridors. Ewing's storytelling talents lend themselves well to this collection of essays on nature, biodiversity and cultural traditions in rural Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Butterflies & Moths
A handy, laminated fold-up card with color illustrations of Costa Rica’s more visible species of butterflies and moths. Includes the distinguishing markings or behaviors of each species.
Costa Rican Wildlife
Put it in your pocket! This handy, fold-up card includes color illustrations of dozens of typical birds, mammals and reptiles.
Costa Rica Reader: History, Culture, Politics
A lively, literate sourcebook on the politics, economy and society of Costa Rica
Nature of the Rainforest, Costa Rica and Beyond
Our favorite biologist-writer returns to the Neotropics in this beautifully illustrated, oversized overview of the rainforest. With chapters on Monteverde and Guanacaste, plants, frogs and snakes, birds, monkeys and jaguars, the sloth, peculiar insects and biodioversity; A marvelous, anecdotal introduction to ecology, evolution and conservation.
The Birds of Costa Rica
Built for the field, this great guide includes multiple illustrations for 820 species of birds.
Volcanoes, Crucibles of Change
A complete primer for the volcano lover, this heavily illustrated book covers types of volcanoes and eruptions, worldwide distribution and the physics of their formation.
Costa Rica, A Traveler's Literary Companion
A wonderful introduction to the character of the people, culture and land, this anthology brings together 26 stories by Costa Rican writers.
Costa Rican Spanish
A pocket guide to understanding idioms, slang and Spanish as it is spoken by the Ticos.
A Brief History of Central America
A good overview of the region’s economic, political and social history through the 1980s by a professor at the University of Costa Rica. Well-written, informative and concise.
Costa Rica, A Journey Through Nature
Dividing the book by ecosystem and geographic area, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Hepworth's color photographs showcase the diversity of Costa Rica's wildlife and habitats.
Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide
Compact enough to slip into your daypack, this field guide to the mammals of Central and South American features 29 color plates of more than 200 species.
The Wildlife of Costa Rica, A Field Guide
This guide includes 450 of the most common, interesting and charismatic mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods that you are likely to encounter. Each has exquisite full-color illustrations.
Tropical Nature
A lively, lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its 17 marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants and animals of the Central and South American rainforest
The Ticos
This insightful, fact-filled portrait of the Costa Rican people accessibly explores their culture, history and society.
Culture Smart! Costa Rica
A guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
National Geographic Costa Rica
This stylish, informative and up-to-date travel resource features 200 photographs, many maps and good information on the country's history, nature and culture.
Wild Costa Rica
This beautiful, informative survey of the habitats, wildlife and protected areas of Costa Rica features 200 color photographs and chapters on natural history and conservation.
Costa Rica Adventure Map
A double-sided map at a scale of 1:500,000.
The Green Republic: A Conservation History of Costa Rica
For the serious reader, this book offers a vivid synopsis of the founding and expansion of Costa Rica’s National Park system, including portraits of the local heroes and institutions that fought for conservation.
The Monkey's Bridge, Mysteries of Evolution in Central America
Opening this absorbing account of the history and biogeography of the Central American isthmus with the tale of Columbus, Wallace weaves his own travels in the region with a crisp overview of exploration, nature and evolution. Natural history buffs and ecologically minded travelers will appreciate this valuable resource.