Costa Rica Caribbean Family Adventures Puerto Viejo and Selva Bananito Lodge

Welcome reception at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose where you are warmly greeted and transferred to your hotel.  Spacious rooms offer two double beds, television, and balcony, and other amenities include a swimming pool,  and restaurant.

San José Lodging. Category: ***** 

Depart with your guide through the highland cloud forests of the Central American isthmus to the slopes of the lowland Caribbean coast. In route you visit the Veraguas Reserve for a rainforest walk. After 3 ½ hours you transfer to a 4 wheel drive vehicle traveling another 40 minutes over rugged roads deep into the protected tropical rainforests of La Amistad International Park. This protected area of wildlife habitat and Indian territories constitute the largest nature reserve in Central America spanning 2.2 million acres of uninterrupted Costa Rica Green Adventuress across the Talamanca mountain range of southern Costa Rica and Northern Panama.

Selva Bananito Lodge.  Meals: B-L-D

Grab your water sandals and hiking boots for a full day hike into the rainforest. There are over 60 river crossings, jumping in the plentiful river pools along the way and passing by a 600 year-old mahogany tree as you learn more about rainforest ecology. After rappelling down an 80-foot waterfall (optional) enjoy a well-deserved hearty picnic lunch. This is a real, adrenaline-packed Costa Rica eco tour for true adventure seekers and requires very good physical condition. Other fun and interesting optional activities are available for those who prefer a milder outing.

Selva Bananito Lodge.  Meals: B-L-D

After a short hike, experience the canopy of the primary rainforest gliding on a zip line hanging 100-feet above the forest floor! This afternoon you take part in Selva Bananito’s ongoing reforestation project. The Stein family has planted hundreds of tropical hardwoods on a part of their land originally cut down by banana plantations in the 1800’s. By creating forested corridors you help provide better habitat for wildlife. Your saplings will one day become part of the tropical rainforest contributing to the conservation of endemic and endangered species while supporting the work of the Fundacion Cuencas de Limón, a nonprofit foundation that has become a regional leader in watershed protection and environmental educational programs. This afternoon, you settle in at Selva Bananito Jungle Lodge where cozy eco-style cabins are built on stilts in traditional Caribbean style. In the afternoon you saddle up for a 2-3 hour horseback ride among local farms, through rivers, and over hills with beautiful vistas. After a candlelight dinner (there is no electricity at the lodge, water gets heated by solar panels) relax in your hammock to enjoy the sounds of the jungle and take in the light show of fireflies.

Selva Bananito Lodge.  Meals: B-L-D

You head south for an adventure on the reefs off Cahuita National Park (1-1.5 hour drive). En route stop for snorkeling at the Cahuita National Park, part of a 10,000 acre protected reserve with miles of coral reef along the coast. On the underwater coral gardens watch for parrot fish, angel fish, snappers, groupers, grunts, blue tangs, jack fish, and other species swimming amongst the sea fans, brain coral, boulder coral, fire coral, and elk horn corals.

Lunch is served at a local restaurant. With one of Puerto Viejo’s matriarch cooks, you learn to cook Caribbean-style and then enjoy a delicious lunch including patacones (fried plantains), coconut rice, fish or chicken, with Caribbean style-sauce, and fresh fruit shakes. The English language spoken here is called “Patois” in which many a phrase begins with, “Let me tell you what’s been happening”.

Puerto Viejo Lodging. Category: **** Meals: B-L

Spend today in Yorkín, a small town located in the Talamanca Bribri indigenous territory, only accessible by a 1-1/2 hour motorized dug-out canoe on the spectacular Rio Yorkin. There is plenty of wildlife to view along the way so keep your binoculars handy. This is also one of the best places to see organic cacao and banana plantations, learn about medicinal plants, and interact with indigenous people of the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. Through personal interaction with the Bribri Indians they share their culture, local customs, typical food, mythology, and history. Sit for a typical Bribri style lunch at the Casa de las Mujeres, part of an association of indigenous women dedicated to developing new sources of income to preserve their culture such as farming, organic cacao production, and ecotourism. Your visit helps send their children to school. Save room for dessert because the women share their secrets of chocolate making! After a fun-filled day of eating and learning, you board your canoe and head back to your hotel.

Puerto Viejo Lodging. Category: **** Meals: B-L

Enjoy a relaxed morning in the rainforest and some beach time before heading back to San Jose, Our private driver will take you to have a nice exploration walking on this area with a great dinner in one of the best restaurants in San Jose.

San Jose Lodging. Category: **** Meals: B-D

Transfer to the San Jose International airport for your international departure or extend your trip to explore more of Costa Rica’s natural wonders.