Aventure Race 2010

Costa Rica is a country located in Central America that has unlimited tourist potential and is ranked as one of the most visited international destinations. It is a democratic and peaceful country, and it has not had an army since the year 1949. In general, the climate in Costa Rica is very pleasant not only during the dry season but also during the rainy season, which runs from May to November. During the rainy season rain can be expected in the afternoons, on the other hand the mornings are usually sunny. Costa Rica has a tropical climate with an average temperature of 22 degrees C (72 degrees F) that increases considerably on the coastal areas.

Costa Rica extends majestically from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and its distance is barely 200 miles. If you travel throughout the provinces of Costa Rica, it’s easy to notice that in no other place you shall find fields with so many variations in their landscape and climate as here. That’s why it is one of most highly valued tourist destinations in this planet as it includes all of the necessary components to satisfy the taste of thousands of travelers visiting each year.
Costa Rica’s territorial division includes 7 provinces been San José the capital city. Together they offer an attractive tourist destination, of almost limitless possibilities, that include extensive rainforests, volcanoes, rivers traveling through the mountains, beaches and natural resources safeguarded by an important organization of national parks and forest reserves.

Costa Rica aims to be fully carbon neutral before 2017. In 2004, 46.7% of Costa Rica's primary energy came from renewable sources, while 94% of its electricity was generated from hydroelectric power, wind farms and geothermal energy in 2006. A 3.5% tax on gasoline in the country is used for payments to compensate landowners for growing trees and protecting forests and its government is making further plans for reducing emissions from transport, farming and industry. For the Adventure Race, all participants will compensate their carbon emissions footprint by supporting local projects of reforestation through a minimum donation included in the final price.

Daily Itinerary

Day 01, Aug 20: Welcome to Costa Rica
San Jose airport’s meet and greet. Shuttle to your hotel downtown

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: none

Day 02, Aug 21: Start point
Transfer by land to the start point – area 1. Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: breakfast

Day 03, Aug 22: Area 1
Full day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities or taking optional activities at an additional cost.

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: breakfast

Day 04, Aug 23: Area 2
Transfer by land to area 2. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities or taking optional activities at an additional cost.

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: breakfast

Day 05, Aug 24: Area 3
Transfer land/boat/land to area 3. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities or taking optional activities at an additional cost

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: breakfast

Day 06, Aug 25: Area 4 close to finish line
Transfer by land to area 4. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities or taking optional activities at an additional cost

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: breakfast

Day 07-09, Aug 26-28: Finish line
Full days at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities or taking optional activities at an additional cost

Overnight at the hotel of your selection
Meals included: breakfast

Due to the nature of this competition and the route to follow by teams, all proper details who can affect the race are kept internally on purpose to guarantee equal opportunity to everyone…While this itinerary presents the trip as planned, actual details may vary due to weather, special events, unforeseen circumstances, or new and better options that become available. We always strive to optimize the tour and your experience.

Prices for Basic Program

Prices starting from:

Inclusions

Prices include:

Price does not include:

Important notes:

Suggestions for Lodging

San Jose
1. Hotel Option 1: Conveniently located 20 minutes from the international airport and 5 minutes from downtown San Jose in a quiet, residential neighborhood. With the 11 acre Sabana Park just a few blocks away, along with a variety of shops, restaurants and business, this makes it the ideal “down-to-earth” base camp during your stay in the city. Each room faces directly into the gardens and gives you the privacy and space with the personalized service of a small hotel. All rooms have cable TV, telephone with direct outside line, and ceiling fans. Rate includes internet regular and wireless access
.
2. Hotel Option 2: Strategically located in front of La Sabana Park, the heart of the city of San José, you will find this hotel ready to offer you a comfortable and friendly environment where guests can enjoy themselves of the peacefulness and security of the area. The hotel is located just 1.2 miles from downtown San Jose and it offers air conditioned standard rooms that are decorated in the minimalist and contemporary style, making them ideal for resting. All of our rooms are Internet accessible and the hotel is wired for free, wireless Internet.

3. Hotel Option 3: The only hotel in Costa Rica declared as a Historical - Architectural landmark by the Costa Rican Government. Located in the heart of the city between National Monuments, squares, museums and pedestrian streets; this hotel is just steps away from rich cultural and entertainment landmarks. It is vivid during the day but quiet during the night thanks to the fact that no streets with vehicles surround the hotel. This Historical Landmark offers a romantic setting full of nostalgia. An open-air Patio Restaurant 24/7, Art Gallery, all-day Piano Bar, Gourmet Restaurant, and the best location in town to visit shops, theatres, restaurants; and in general to feel the rhythm of very active, full of life Latin American city, San José.

4. Hotel Option 4: Immerse yourself in the Costa Rican culture at a hotel that is reminiscent of the colonial – hacienda style of traditional San Jose. Archways, tile floors and wireless internet combine to meet the needs of every modern traveler. The spacious rooms feature the Sweet Dreams by Doubletree Sleep Experience with custom designed plush top mattress, inviting jumbo down pillows, high thread count linens and contemporary bed spreads. Enjoy mountain vistas or tropical pool views. 24 hrs room service is available, a free shape pool and a wide variety of dining choices for the guest’s convenience.

 

Start Point / Area 1
1. Hotel Option 1: Located just 2 hours from San Jose, it provides easy access to the wonders of the rainforest. For over 30 years, they have been a haven for nature enthusiasts from around the world. The abundant biodiversity, comfortable rainforest lodge, and exciting activities are ideal for adventure seekers, bird and wildlife watchers, students, and families. Come explore 500 acres of vibrant tropical nature in the heart of the jungle. As one of Costa Rica's legendary eco lodges, they are committed to a sustainable future - not only for the lodge, but for the people and wildlife that call this area home. They proudly carry and support Costa Rica's Certification for Sustainable Tourism and actively work with conservation partners to promote conservation and environmental education throughout the local community.

2. Hotel Option 2: Nestled amidst lush tropical gardens of heliconias, gingers, palms and huge flowering trees, this small family-run lodge is attractive, comfortable and committed to conservation and environmental education. Located on the banks of a river it caters primarily to nature lovers and birders. The rooms are located in a half-dozen buildings dispersed around the lush grounds and connected by covered walkways. Accommodations at the inn are meticulously maintained. Solid concrete walls separate rooms and the private baths are stocked with fresh towels and hot water. Each cabin has a small private porch with rocking chairs and view of the gardens. Cool tiled floors, ceiling fans and optional air conditioning, provide comfort in the warmest weather

3. Hotel Option 3: This place replicates a 15th century Pre-Columbian village built right off the local river and adjoining a rainforest reserve. The lodge features an archeological park with authentic tombs and relics, and a museum of contemporary indigenous arts and crafts, as well as a botanical garden with medicinal herbs. There are eight rooms in each of the enormous thatch roof palenques, which dominate the property’s landscape. Each is interconnected with concrete paths and river rock details, leading through the garden and to the reception area. Rooms are large with Guatemalan décor, two beds and a shared terrace with green views.

4. Hotel Option 4: Set amid a private rainforest reserve where two rivers converge, this resort specializes in wellness activities, offering spa and yoga facilities, medicinal plant garden, home-style vegetarian and Costa Rican fare, and active tours available on its 1,200-acre property. Large rooms feature rustic touches including leather cabinet handles and heavy unfinished wood furniture. Each room has a patio with leather and wood rocking chairs and lovely forest and mountain views. Activities include a tractor ride or horseback to a gently cascading waterfall that forms natural Jacuzzi pools in the river. Others may prefer to pamper themselves at the spa or join ongoing yoga classes. The hotel frequently hosts holistic retreat groups.

 

Area 2
1. Hotel Option 1: This resort features a variety of services and facilities for the enjoyment and comfort of our guests: swimming pool, basketball field and laundry service; 24 rooms equipped with mini-bar, satellite TV, phone-in-room & A/C, with a captivating view to the volcano and beautiful gardens bordered by a creek of smooth streams. There are also 4 villas fully equipped with most kitchen appliances.

2. Hotel Option 2: Thanks to its spectacular location, and since every room is built to make the most of the landscape, guest will have a unique view of the volcano at all times. During the day, you’ll actually see the stones rolling down the sides while most nights present vividly colorful eruptions, well worth photographing. Superior Rooms with deluxe finishes and a nice terrace facing the volcano. As for Internet use, 40% of the rooms offer wireless access.

3. Hotel Option 3: This property has 26 colonial style deluxe cabins offering unobstructed views of the volcano and all the amenities you would expect from a fine resort: vaulted ceilings, large sliding bay windows, air-conditioning and a spacious bathroom with garden shower, private covered porch with traditional leather rocking chairs and coffee table. The property has private horse stables and hiking and horseback riding trails and is conveniently located near area attractions.

4. Hotel Option 4: A beautiful hotel to relax and enjoy the marvelous view of the volcano. Surrounded by gardens, pastures and animals, the rooms have been designed so that each one offers you a panoramic view of the volcano. Visitors can take advantage of the spacious gardens for walking and meditation as well as the opportunities to see the daily operations of a typical Costa Rican farm. This hotel is created to enjoy the combination of a high quality service and an exuberant nature beauty. Everything start with rooms combining a modern and rustic architecture, with plenty space for your comfort, where you can enjoy the view of the volcano from your own bed, also a big bathroom with an little garden just to remember the natural beauties surrounding and the balcony where you can delight with the panoramic view and the gardens that are around the rooms, while you rest in a rocking chair

Area 3
1. Hotel Option 1: This is a rustic mountain retreat located at 5,000 feet on the continental divide. In a quiet location, surrounded by 70 acres of private property with primary and secondary forest and 5 km of private trails, the hotel offers great bird watching, and views of cloud forest. Come and enjoy a quiet and comforting time in our bungalow-style bedrooms. All rooms offer private bath, amenities, hot water and a patio where you can appreciate the tranquil beauty of our surrounding gardens and forest.

2. Hotel Option 2: Nestled against a cloud forest backdrop, with huge trees gracing a wide expanse of lawns and gardens, this hotel provides a quiet retreat. Meticulous attention to detail in décor, amenities and guest comfort are trademarks of its hospitality. The hotel is owned by a Costa Rican-North American family who loves to share their enthusiasm about the area with guests. The cottages are set up a hillside, away from the restaurant and reception to ensure privacy. All suites have hardwood floors and wood paneling, and large picture windows. The grounds and gardens provide a safe environment for children's play and are full of birds. On site nature trails provide further birding opportunities. The hotel also owns a private cloud forest reserve only a few minutes by car from the hotel. Famous in the area for its romantic atmosphere and creative cooking, hotel's restaurant features original, healthy recipes that blend international and Costa Rican cuisine.

3. Hotel Option 3: This lodge is set on an exquisite 35-acre property with stately trees overlooking a densely forested valley just 1 kilometer from a famous reserve. The historic hotel has huge rooms with tropical wood floors and paneling, excellent dining, and large picture windows in rooms and commons areas, designed for bird watching from anywhere on the charming property. The family-run hotel is an area landmark known for its hospitality, superb food and large, comfortable rooms, picture windows and private terraces or balconies.

Finish Line/Area 4
1. Hotel Option 1: The hotel is at a walking distance from the beach, some 150 meters from which you can enjoy an exceptional landscape. The design of the hotel recreates the architecture of end of the XIX Century Costa Rican high society: when coffee plantation houses were built in the era of the expansion of coffee commerce. They had a central patio and internal corridors facing the rooms. You can enjoy a typical Costa Rican breakfast, restaurant and bar service, as well as a large and refreshing swimming pool, always counting on the dedicated attention of its owners.

2. Hotel Option 2: This hotel appeals to travelers looking for a luxury boutique hotel, who appreciate extra amenities. They offer 12 Superior rooms with either 1 King bed (plus double sofa bed) or 2 Queen Beds with quality upgrades like granite counters, private spacious bathrooms, and air conditioning. The quiet location close to the beach offers relaxation and privacy, plus easy access to exciting activities. For beach lovers, this twelve room boutique hotel is uniquely situated on a one-acre private lot, approximately 1-minute’s stroll to the ocean. The property backs to lush trees, home to howler monkeys and beautiful birds. They also have a restaurant & bar, as well as complimentary internet.

3. Hotel Option 3: If we are looking for something more intimate and private, this boutique hotel counts on 8 rooms fully equipped to relax and have a great time. In fact, the only reason to leave your room would be the desire to enjoy the natural beauties, the pools, the bar and restaurant and of course, stroll along the beach. They created the “Super trailer” which follows guests to the beach, so one can have the comfort of a shower, toilet, and lockers, while enjoying the sea, or walking on the beach.

Optional Activities

Start Point / Area 1
1. White-water rafting: This river offers a fun filled whitewater rafting experience through the lowland rainforest where exotic birds, such as the Sun bittern, Keel billed toucan and the endangered Great Green Macaw are still spotted. This is a class II-III river with calm pools following each of its whitewater rapids. Rapids have been given playful names like “Washing Machine” and “Roller Coaster,” but not to worry; it is suitable for almost all ages. On the river’s edge on a private farm producing ornamental plants, the rafting outfitters offer a mouthwatering lunch with plenty of fresh fruit.

2. Chocolate tour: In this three-hour activity you will discover the marvels of one of the favorite foods of humankind - chocolate. A plant originating in Mesoamerica with an extraordinarily rich history, cacao, or chocolate, was one of the most important products of the Maya and Aztec, as well as other Central American cultures. The tour includes a guided hike across a suspension bridge to a CERTIFIED cacao plantation, as well as to a forested section where you will observe forest species of cacao and how the product originally developed there. During the hike, the natural and cultural history of the cacao tree is explained. Onsite, you will learn about the process by which cacao is processed into chocolate (harvesting, fermentation, drying, grinding).Also you may taste different types of chocolate, made from organic chocolate grown by a group of rural women dedicated to the production of organic chocolate.

3. Pineapple tour: The organic pineapple tour offers a peek into pineapple cultivation, harvesting, packing and shipping, with plenty of opportunity to sample the fresh fruit and pineapple confections from the Collin Street Bakery. Founded in 1991, the plantation features state of the art equipment and facilities, with a beautiful outdoor restaurant and tourist center. Learn how pineapples came to be the "Fruit of Kings," and how the growing techniques evolved over time. The tour visits 3,000 acres of pineapple fields in specially designed trailers, and then back to the facility to see the processing and packing process that guarantees only the finest pineapple leaves its shipping dock.

4. Hiking at a famous biological station: This is a 3750 acre rainforest reserve and research station where travelers can glimpse how scientific research is carried out while enjoying a half day of wildlife viewing from easily negotiable trails. The facility is owned by a consortium of international universities together with the University of Costa Rica, and has produced thousands of studies on tropical ecology since its inception in the late 1960s. The property encompasses a variety of ecosystems characteristic of the wet lowland tropical zone. It forms part of a much larger protected area, which includes a national park. Within this place, visitors can experience virgin forest, secondary forest at different stages of growth, lowland rivers, swamps and cultivated areas around the research grounds. It’s one of the few tropical forests with wheelchair access.

5. Ziplining at the forest canopy: During this trip you will enjoy incredible passages through fields of ornamental plants, an exciting tropical rainforest of 114 hectares, as well as the magnificent local river, which you will cross two times during the trip. As with any of our tours, you will be accompanied by experienced guides, using specialized equipment of the highest quality, which can only be found here.

Area 2
1. Hiking on hanging bridges: These hanging bridges has 3.1 kilometers of hiking trails through spectacular lowland rainforest, and features eight fixed bridges ranging in length between 8 and 22 meters, and six hanging bridges between 48 and 98 meters long. All the bridges are made of galvanized steel and high-strength aluminum for utmost safety. The entire project was designed to blend with the natural environment, leaving the forest virtually intact, and offering a bird-s eye view of a great diversity of plant and animal life.

2. Horseback riding to a waterfall: Horseback riding to this waterfall offers one-and-a-half hours of riding trails though farmland and rainforest to a resting point where guests continue on foot for five hundred meters to the mesmerizing 70-meter high waterfall. At the base of the waterfall there is a natural pool where guests can swim for about one hour. The tour includes a local guide, horses and equipment.

3. Relaxing at the hot springs: This hot springs is a private retreat for those looking for a relaxing respite in natural springs heated by the volcano. Family owned and operated, the springs are surrounded by tropical foliage and set near an authentic ranch house complete with Costa Rican curiosities, such as a coffee grinder and farming equipment. The five pools are landscaped with large, smooth river rock taken from the area and are large enough to offer plenty of room to spread out and find a private corner to relax among peaceful environs. The hot springs are open to the public with previous reservations and offer wheelchair access.

Area 3
1. Hiking at a biological reserve: This cloud forest reserve offers well developed and easily negotiable trails that access some of the most beautiful primary cloud forests in the world. Often shrouded in cloud blown in from the Atlantic Ocean, the forests are laden with epiphytic growth such as mosses, lichens, ferns, bromeliads, orchids-even small trees! Famous for its populations of Resplendent Quetzal, this area has almost become synonymous with this legendary bird. Other cloud forest denizens include the Black-faced Solitaire, Golden-browed Chlorophonia and Black Guan. Visitation to the reserve is limited to under 150 persons at one time (distributed on various trails) allowing for a very private connection with the forest.

2. The Frog Pond: This exhibition of 20 species of amphibians is separated by species in large terrariums. The walk through the exhibit is offered with bilingual guides who provide an explanation about the natural history of each unique species. The tour takes about 45 minutes.

3. The Bat Jungle: You will learn about the diversity of bats, the abundance of bats, where bats roost, what bats eat (including such things as fruit, nectar, insects, frogs, fish, birds, lizards, and mice), bat wings compared with bird wings, echolocation, the fantastic faces of bats, vampire bats, and baby bats. They have more than 40 live bats of 7 species in a huge flight space (about 52 square meters) that is designed to look like a tropical cloud forest at night. You can watch the bats visit the bat feeders for fruit and nectar all from inside of a Bat Habitat from behind a glass enclosed viewing area. Within the Bat Habitat you will hear the ultrasonic echolocation calls and social calls made by the bats flying within the Bat Jungle, picked up with a special microphone, transformed in a special "Bat Detector", and broadcast through loudspeakers in the bat visitor viewing area.

4. The Serpentarium: Enjoy a one hour guided tour of this local serpentarium, home to 40 species of snakes, as well as terrestrial reptiles, small lizards, iguanas, frogs, amphibians and some turtles. The ample, modern learning center is located 300 meters from the town, will teach guests to love these often misunderstood animals that keep ecosystems in balance.

Renting a Car in Costa Rica

Driving in Costa Rica can be a challenge to the newcomer. Until travelers get used to the roads and local driving habits, it is best to avoid driving at night, especially outside the city, never leave anything of value in a parked car (even if it’s in the trunk and the car is locked), and always drive defensively. Hazards include pedestrians, animals on the road, huge potholes, pavement that suddenly ends, unlit vehicles, sudden fog in mountain areas, torrential rains, and reckless drivers.

To explore Costa Rica in the most adventurous way and with the most freedom, an excellent alternative is to rent a car. Among the models to choose from are the 4x4 vehicles and the majority of these cars are manual transmission (stick shift). Some models you will be able to obtain cars with automatic transmission.

Conditions: -----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ask for quotes or build your own program. Please contact Rodolfo Alvarez here!