Costa Rica Coast to Coast

Arrive in La Garita de Alajuela, about a 15 minute drive from San José airport. We begin cycling tomorrow, so you have the rest of the day to relax and get ready for the adventures ahead. If you would like more time in San José or La Garita de Alajuela, your sales representative can arrange extra hotel nights.

After breakfast we meet the tour leader and fellow travellers, run through the days ahead and fit our bikes. We ride straight from the hotel towards Atenas, then meet the bus for a one hour transfer to Guacalillo. Here we join a tranquil boat trip through mangroves to the Río Tárcoles, watching for crocodiles, waterbirds and scarlet macaws. After lunch we transfer about one hour to our beach hotel at Playa Bejuco. If tide and sand conditions allow, you can add an optional beach ride to arrive at the hotel on two wheels – 6.2mi/10km. Terrain – 95% paved/5% gravel.

After a transfer of about one hour we explore Manuel Antonio National Park on a two hour guided nature walk, learning about local flora and fauna and looking for iguanas and white faced capuchin monkeys. We then transfer around 40 minutes to the Río Savegre and cycle along the main road to Dominical and the gentler surf at Dominicalito. We stop for lunch at La Parcela Restaurant in Punta Dominical, then continue to our hotel, where you can enjoy the pool and the jungle setting this evening. Terrain – 95% paved/5% gravel.

We leave by bike for Uvita and hike to the jungle wrapped Uvita Waterfall for a refreshing swim. We then continue to Marino Ballena National Park and swap pedals for a walk on the sand – if tides allow, we admire the Whale Tale tombolo, a rocky and sandy formation accessible only during the six hours of low tide. Terrain – 90% paved/10% gravel.

This morning we take a 30 minute bus transfer to Piñuelas, then enjoy a scenic ride along the south coastal highway with occasional views of the Sierpe Mangrove. On reaching Palmar Sur we make a short visit to the Park of the Stone Spheres to explore the mystery of these impressive stone globes created by pre Columbian Indigenous people. We have lunch in Chacarita, then transfer about 1 hour 30 minutes to Las Cruces Biological Station, a leading tropical biology research hub where we stay tonight. Terrain – 100% paved.

We cycle a circular route to the southern town of San Vito, taking in rural Costa Rica. In Sabalito we stop at the coffee mill of the Coope Sabalito cooperative, then ride the ascent back to Las Cruces. After lunch at the biological station we join a guided nature walk. Terrain – 90% paved/10% gravel.

We start with a 10 minute transfer to San Vito, then enjoy a flowing downhill ride near the biological corridor between Costa Rica and Panama at La Amistad National Park. This is also an area of Indigenous territories, where the Ngöbe Buglé people may be seen in traditional dress. At Paso Real, where the Río General meets the wide Río Térraba, we finish the ride and have our box lunch, then transfer about two hours to our mountain hotel in San Gerardo de Rivas. Terrain – 85% paved/15% gravel.

We have two cycling stages today. First we follow the Río Chirripó from our hotel down to the Pan American Highway, with fine views of Cerro Chirripó, the highest mountain in Costa Rica. We load the bikes at San Isidro and cross the Cerro de la Muerte by bus to Orosi – at 11,617ft (3,541m) this is the highest point on the Pan American Highway in Central America. Back on the bikes, we ride through coffee plantations to Orosi, one of the oldest communities in the country, and continue to the Cachi reservoir near our accommodation. Terrain – 100% paved.

We depart the hotel on one of the most beautiful cycling routes of the trip, through a patchwork of coffee plantations. With luck we will see farmers using traditional oxcarts to haul their crop to nearby processing facilities. We stop by coffee trees to learn more about coffee and its role in Costa Rican history, then continue through the valley, loop around a hydroelectric dam and take on a few climbs. We reach the little town of Tucurrique for lunch, then ride through sugarcane plantations to La Amistad before a short transfer to our hotel. Our mountain lodge enjoys excellent views over the coffee growing Orosi Valley and the Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes. Terrain – 75% paved/25% gravel.

We start early with a transfer of about 1 hour 30 minutes to Guápiles for breakfast. Back on the bus we pass extensive banana plantations and learn about the packaging and export process. We then board a boat through the atmospheric canals of Tortuguero to our jungle lodge. After lunch we visit Tortuguero village and stroll along the Caribbean beach. Between July and September you may join an optional evening excursion to watch sea turtles laying their eggs – an unforgettable experience.

Today we make the most of Tortuguero National Park with two boat trips, guided by expert eyes to help spot monkeys, lizards, caimans, turtles, bats and many bird species. One boat tour takes place before breakfast, when animals are waking. We also explore the lodge trails on foot, and meals are served at the lodge. The remainder of the day is free for you to wander the gardens and relax by the pool.

Today’s plan depends on where our boat can dock, so we follow one of two routes. Route one – after breakfast we travel by boat to Caño Blanco, then cycle to Siquirres before transferring to Guápiles for lunch and continuing by road for about two hours to La Fortuna at the foot of Arenal volcano. Total cycling distance 22mi/35km. Route two – after breakfast we travel by boat to La Pavona Dock, transfer to Guápiles for lunch, then continue for about 1 hour 30 minutes to Muelle and cycle to Zona Fluca before a final 15 minute transfer to our town centre hotel at the foot of Arenal. Total cycling distance 15mi/24km. This evening you can join an optional visit to local hot springs to relax and unwind. Terrain – 100% paved.

After a short transfer to Nuevo Arenal our final cycling stage follows the rainforest edged shores of Lake Arenal, with several fine viewpoints for the volcano, before we pause riding to visit the Arenal 1968 lava trails. After lunch we transfer about 2 hours 30 minutes to the Central Valley. Terrain – 100% paved.

You have cycled through tropical scenery, cruised the wildlife rich canals of Tortuguero and walked across hardened lava in the shadow of a volcano – now it is time to begin your journey home. If you would like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative about the range of extension options.