7-day customizable nature vacation
Follow Tortuguero’s jungle waterways, search for sloths around Arenal, and unwind in soothing hot springs on a seven-day Costa Rica nature vacation. Leatherback and Lava brings together two wonderfully different rainforest settings: the Caribbean canals and private trails of Mawamba Lodge, then the volcano backdrop and canopy bridges of Arenal. With guided wildlife outings, six nights of lodging and the included journeys between them, this is a week rich in discovery, with time to relax and enjoy where you are. Best of all, it’s easy to make it yours.
Explore the starting route, stays, and experiences, then share the ideas that fit your vacation with a Pacific Trade Winds specialist.
*Starting price varies with travel dates, party size, availability, and the choices you make.
Make this trip mineThe sample route
Follow Tortuguero’s jungle waterways, search for sloths around Arenal, and unwind in soothing hot springs on a seven-day Costa Rica nature vacation. Leatherback and Lava brings together two wonderfully different rainforest settings: the Caribbean canals and private trails of Mawamba Lodge, then the volcano backdrop and canopy bridges of Arenal. With guided wildlife outings, six nights of lodging and the included journeys between them, this is a week rich in discovery, with time to relax and enjoy where you are. Best of all, it’s easy to make it yours.
Your first night is at Hotel Presidente in downtown San Jose, before continuing to Tortuguero. Settle into the city and enjoy nearby restaurants and cultural sights if arrival time allows.
Two nights at Mawamba Lodge, with a village visit, morning guided trail walk and afternoon canal safari.
Three nights at Los Lagos Hotel Resort and Spa, with sloth spotting, hanging bridges and the hotel’s hot springs.
Stays along the route
Keep the starting stays or compare the available alternatives. Your planner will confirm the final room basis, availability, inclusions, and price.
San JoseIncluded
One night at Hotel Presidente in downtown San Jose. This city hotel offers a central base near museums, theaters, restaurants and markets, with a rooftop terrace and on-site dining. Your planner confirms your room and breakfast arrangements.
Mawamba LodgeIncluded
Only accessible by boat yet ideally located between the Tortuguero Canals and Caribbean Sea, the Mawamba Lodge provides the unusual experience of being completed surrounded by Nature. Often seen on the grounds are iguanas, hummingbirds, and sloths. The clean, rustic rooms provide little more than a bed and a bathroom, plus hammocks and rocking chairs on the porch. The main lodge features a refreshing swimming pool, nice dining area, and onsite nature trails with butterfly gardens.
ArenalIncluded
Three nights at Los Lagos Hotel Resort and Spa near Arenal Volcano, with volcanic hot springs pools, swimming pools, a waterslide, tropical gardens, a restaurant and spa. Breakfast is included; additional activities and spa treatments cost extra.
Experiences along the way
These are the starting experiences included in the sample itinerary. Compare available ideas for each tour in Customize.
Available from TortugueroDay 2: Transfer to Tortuguero and Visit to Tortuguero Village
Starting experienceThe small village of Tortuguero, isolated on a sandbar between the river canals and the Caribbean Sea, can only be reached by boat or air. This tour will introduce you to the way of life of the residents who live in this very remote region and will take you to the village’s museum so you can learn about the town’s interesting history. You’ll also stop by the beach, known for its visiting sea turtles giving Tortuguero its name.
Available from TortugueroDay 3: Guided Hike and Tortuguero Riverboat Tour
Starting experienceIn the afternoon, you’ll go by riverboat safari along the Tortuguero Canals in search of native jungle animal sightings.
Available from La FortunaDay 5: Sloth Tour
Starting experienceAs the name implies, the Sloth Tour is all about sloths, Costa Rica’s most beloved animal! On this tour, your guide will drive to several locations that these elusive animals are known to inhabit. Once your guide has located a sloth, he’ll set up a spotting scope so you can observe the animals in their habitat. After a while, you’ll go to a private reserve for a snack. At the reserve, you’ll have 15 – 20 minutes to walk around on your own if you like.
Available from La FortunaDay 6: Arenal Hanging Bridges
Starting experienceThe Arenal Hanging Bridges offers a unique way to experience the rainforest. You’ll be led by a naturalist guide as you go for a leisurely hike through groomed terrestrial trails and also across suspension bridges cutting through the jungle treetops. With a little luck from Mother Nature, you may see such animals as agoutis, peccaries, pizotes, monkeys, toucans, poison dart frogs, and rare tropical birds!
Available from TortugueroDay 3: Guided Hike and Tortuguero Riverboat Tour
Starting experienceIn the morning, you’ll be led on a hike through Mawamba Lodge’s private trails to visit 2 butterfly gardens, see river turtles, a frog garden, and the lodge’s bio-digester.
Starting package
These are the stays, experiences and transportation included in the starting package.
Route at a glance
See how the sample route connects each destination. Reorder the destination stops to explore another sequence; your planner will confirm the transportation and timing it requires.
Arrival and departure stay in place while you explore a different order for the destination stops.
7-day Costa Rica itinerary
Follow the starting itinerary day by day, then use Customize to explore stays, experiences, transportation, and pace.
Current route: San Jose → Mawamba Lodge → Arenal
We’ll meet you at San Jose International Airport (SJO) and provide a private transfer to Hotel Presidente in downtown San Jose for your first night. Settle in and enjoy your first evening in the city.
Early in the morning, you’ll be picked up for your transfer to Tortuguero. Your driver will stop for breakfast along the way and continue until the road ends at a dock where you will then board a boat. After cruising through the jungle canals, you’ll arrive at your destination, Mawamba Lodge. Later in the day, you’ll visit the village of Tortuguero, including a stop by the museum and beach. You’ll also be required to pay the national park entrance fee in cash (15 US dollars per adult, 5 US dollars per child between the ages of 5 - 11, and free for children 4 years or less) which is not included.
In the morning, you’ll be led on a hike through Mawamba Lodge’s private trails to visit 2 butterfly gardens, see river turtles, a frog garden, and the lodge’s bio-digester. In the afternoon, you’ll go by riverboat safari along the Tortuguero Canals in search of native jungle animal sightings.
After breakfast, you’ll go by riverboat back to the mainland and then continue by land transfer to a restaurant for lunch. At the restaurant, you’ll meet your new driver who will provide transportation the rest of the way to Arenal Volcano. You’ll stay at the Los Lagos Hotel Resort and Spa located at the base of the volcano. Enjoy the hotel’s onsite hot springs!
Today’s Sloth Tour will take you to multiple sights to look for the elusive sloth. These guys really know how to hide! When found, your guide will set up a high powered spotting scope to help you see and take close up photos of these interesting animals. You’ll also stop at a private reserve for a snack. After the tour, we’d recommend visiting the nearby town of La Fortuna to check out the souvenir stands, ice cream and chocolate shops, and a variety of restaurants.
A naturalist guide will take you on a leisurely hike through the rainforest surrounding Arenal Volcano. You’ll walk along the forest floor and over suspension bridges up in the jungle canopy exploring various levels of wildlife habitat. Animals commonly spotted here include monkeys, sloths, toucans, poison dart frogs, peccaries and the basilisk lizard. After the tour you’ll have time to enjoy the hotel’s hot springs.
Today, we’ll provide a private transfer back to SJO Airport, scheduled according to your flight itinerary.
MAKE THIS COSTA RICA VACATION YOURS
Share your dates, party’s ages, wildlife interests and travel needs with a Pacific Trade Winds planner. Request the starting safari or tell us what you would like to change.
Optional trip explorer
Explore stays, activities, transportation and pace. Your selections reach your planner as requests for confirmation and repricing. You can send a request without changing anything.
Explore 1 of 3
In Tortuguero, waterways replace roads and the forest gathers along the banks. Mawamba Lodge sits between the canals and the Caribbean Sea, bringing you into the rhythm of this remote region. Arenal changes the scenery, with the volcano as a backdrop and rainforest to explore from the forest floor to the canopy.
Between nature outings, unwind in Los Lagos’s hot springs or explore La Fortuna’s souvenir shops, chocolate and ice-cream stops, and restaurants.
Make this vacation yours with Pacific Trade Winds:
Wildlife sightings vary and are not guaranteed. Sea-turtle nesting is seasonal; a nesting excursion is not included in this itinerary. Tortuguero National Park admission is paid separately in cash, as described in the itinerary. Hotel and meal inclusions apply when reserved as stated.
The displayed price is per person, based on double occupancy. Pacific Trade Winds uses a combination of contract and dynamic rates, which fluctuate with season and available rooms. Your exact price depends on your travel dates, room occupancy, transportation and any agreed itinerary adjustments. Listed rates include current taxes, hotels, tours and transfers as described unless otherwise indicated. Green-season pricing and offers apply only to select travel dates, with restrictions. Prices may change and exclude international airfare, travel insurance and services not expressly mentioned.
A San Jose arrival night precedes the road-and-boat journey to Tortuguero, where Mawamba’s lodge trails and canal outing introduce a lowland Caribbean habitat. The route then crosses inland to Los Lagos in Arenal for sloth spotting and a guided Místico hanging-bridges walk. These forest experiences use different perspectives: canals, lodge paths and the canopy. The starting itinerary includes those listed wildlife outings; a sea-turtle nesting visit is not automatically included merely because the package is called Leatherback and Lava Safari.
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