Costa Rica Coast to Coast Ride

Day 1

Those on the group flight land into San Jose and will be transferred to our start hotel in La Garita de Alajuela, around 15 minutes away. Those on land only arrangements should make their own way to the start hotel this evening.Hotel Rosa America (or similar)

Day 2

We have a briefing this morning and spend some time adjusting our bikes before riding out through small rural communities followed by dry, tropical forest with very little traffic on the paved roads. This initial stage concludes outside Atenas, then we have a 20 minute transfer to a scenic lunch stop. In the afternoon we'll have a second cycling stage, passing mango orchards and cattle ranches. Following another short half hour transfer we arrive at our lodge for the night.Cerro Lodge (or similar)

Day 3

Following an early breakfast, we transfer 20 minutes to Rio Tarcoles for a private guided boat tour of the estuary. We hope to see crocodiles, water birds, shorebirds and Scarlet macaws. A 30 minute transfer brings us to a quiet backroad heading to Guacallillo where we return to our bikes and cycle to Cascajal. From here we will have a short transfer to our lunch stop. After lunch depending on the tide, we will get back on the bikes for a short ride on the beach to Playa Bejuco, our destination for tonight.Hotel Playa Bejuco (or similar)

Day 4

We start the morning with a 2 hour guided hike in Manuel Antonio National Park, an outstanding region for wildlife. The forest here meets the sea and iguanas and White-faced Capuchin monkeys can often be seen on the beach. A 20 minute transfer takes us to the coastal road outside Quepos where we begin to cycle south to Playa Dominicalito, where we will have a lunch at a scenic restaurant. This is a spectacular stretch of road, with dense forest and steep hills on the left and fantastic Pacific views on the right.Hotel Las Palmas de Cortez (or similar)

Day 5

Our ride today takes us from Ciudad Cortes on to Palmar Norte, where we cross the Rio Terraba,Costa Rica's longest river, then to Palmar Sur, where we will stop at the central park for a look at some of the famous spherical rocks, made by a little-known ancient indigenous culture. Afterwards we will board the coach for a transfer (approx 1.5 hours) to La Palma, stopping for lunch on route. We will resume our cycling, passing through Puerto Jimenez en route to our beach hotel, set on the beautiful Playa Platanares.Agua Dulce Lodge (or similar)

Day 6

We board a ferry this morning for a 30 minute journey across the Golfo Dulce to Golfito. Here, sometimes dolphins can be seen frolicking in the surrounding waters. Our cycle route heads to Rio Claro using a short but hilly biking stage. Following a 1 hour bus transfer across the steep mountains surrounding San Vito, we arrive at Las Cruces Biological Station. Las Cruces Biological Station is surrounded by the famous Wilson Botanical Gardens where we will enjoy a guided hike in the afternoon.OTS Las Cruces Lodge (or similar)

Day 7

Back on the saddle we enjoy a fantastic ride from the hilly region near San Vito downhill to Paso Real, far below at the Rio Terraba. En route we pass through an indigenous area where villagers can sometimes be seen in traditional dress. We will stop in Buenos Aires to have lunch before boarding the bus for our transfer (approx.2-3 hours) to San Gerardo de Rivas. We will pass the first of many pineapple plantations, which has now become Costa Rica'smost exported crop. As our hotel tonight is located in themountains it may be chillierthan you expect. El Pelicano Mountain Lodge (or similar)

Day 8

This morning we start with a shortdownhill stage before jumping on the bus for a transfer that will take us over the infamous Cerro de La Muerte. At 3,541 metres above sea level, this is the highest point of the PanAm Highway in all of Central America. On this stretch we will drive through rainforest, up into thecloud forestbefore we start our descent back down towards the Central Valley. From here we will get back on our bikes for another downhill stage into the Orosi Valley.Tapanti Media Lodge (or similar)

Day 9

After breakfast we start cycling from the hotelfor perhaps one of the most beautiful cycling stages ridingpast numerous coffeeplantations. With any luck, we will see some farmersusing their colourful traditional oxcarts to haul the coffee to nearby processingfacilities. Along the way we will stop to look at coffee trees and the tour leader will give an explanation on coffee and its part of the history of Costa Rica. As we continue ourride through the valley, we will ride around a hydroelectricdam before starting a section that involves some climbs. We will arrive at the little town of Tucurrique where will stop off for lunch. Afterwards we will cycle through lush scenery sugar cane plantations before a short transfer to our hotel for the night. Our mountain lodge this eveninghas excellent views of the surrounding region, including the coffee growing Orosi Valley and both the Irazu and Turrialba volcanoes.Hotel Turrialtico (or similar)

Day 10

After breakfast we will start cycling a hilly section with incredible views, followed by a fast downhill to thetown of Siquierres from where we will board the coach and take a transfer to the Caribbean coast, stopping for lunch on route. On arrival near the coast we will start a second biking stage through an isolated backroad and as we arrive at theRio Banano Junction, the traffic can get reallyheavy so we will board the coach again for a short transfer (approx. 15 minutes) to our hotel in Puerto Viejo,a typical Caribbean town with lively reggae music/culture and spicy cuisine.Hotel Escape Caribeno (or similar)

Day 11

This morning we will start by riding to Cahuita National Park for a guided hike. During this hike you can expect to see lots of wildlife includingtwo and three-toedSloths, Capuchin monkeys and also Iguanas. At the endof the hike we will transfer to Guapiles where we will stop for a quick lunch before getting on the bikes for today'scycling stage.Concluding our biking, we transfer out to tiny La Pavona, where we board a boat which will take us out to Tortuguero along thewildlife rich rivers and canals used for transit in this densely forested area.La Baula Lodge (or similar)

Day 12

An early morning boat trip enables us to discover the extraordinary flora and fauna of Tortuguero, passing serenely along the waterways. At this time of day wildlife is usually at its most active and with the help of our expert guide we are likely to encounter monkeys, caiman, iguanas, butterflies and many of the 300+ bird species recorded here.We retrace our route by boat to the dock at Pavon where we will start cycling through banana plantations, stopping for a brief explanation about the importance of these plantations to Costa Rica. Afterwards we have a transfer to just outside Guapiles for an early lunch provided by our Tortuguero lodge. After lunch we head towards La Fortuna and the imposing Arenal volcano. Following a massive explosion in 1968, Arenal was Costa Rica's most active volcano until recently when it entered a resting phase. En route we will take a break to observe the thriving pineapple operations in Costa Rica before continuing on to our hotel, set in the centre of town. This evening there is an included excursion to Eco-Termales hot springs, by far the best in the area.Hotel San Bosco (or similar)

Day 13

Following a short transfer, our final cycling stage starts with a ride through the dense rain forest surrounding beautiful Lake Arenal, with several spots to observe the volcano as we continue back toward La Fortuna. Departing Fortuna, we bike through tropical farmlands dedicated to exotic fruits and vegetables, then do a bit of climbing through forested hills up to the conclusion at Bajo Rodriguez. The last leg of our journey is completed by bus as we transfer back to La Garita de Alajuela, travelling for around two hours with tropical views on the way.Hotel Rosa America (or similar)

Day 14

Our trip ends in San Jose (La Garita) after breakfast this morning and those on group flights will be transferred to the international airport for the return journey.