Feb 17 Day 01 (Saturday)

Following your arrival at San José International airport, you will be met by a staff member of Bi Costa Rica, after which we have a short transfer (15 min) on to our first lodging, pristine Rosa de las Américas, located in La Garita, an upscale suburb of the Central Valley; many wealthy Costa Rican families have weekend homes here to enjoy the wonderful climate. Rosa America features lovely tropical gardens, spacious rooms and a sparkling pool ready for a quick dip. Once you have had a chance to freshen-up and relax, we will meet in the lounge for a welcome drink at 5:30 pm. This will give us a chance to get to know one another, discuss Costa Rica’s climate, customs and attractions and of course have our tour introduction and briefing. The briefing will focus on our route, safety and health issues, meals, lodgings, staff members and optional entertainment and diversions. Following the briefing we will enjoy dinner together at one of Costa Rica’s best typical restaurants, Delicias del Maiz, located a short walk away from the hotel, and famed for delicious renditions of our typical cuisine: try the Alforja Tica for a great introduction. After dinner, back to the lodge for a good night’s rest to prepare for our first day of biking.

 Note: Bi. Costa Rica has on staff an excellent bike mechanic who will assist with bike assembly for those who have brought their own bikes. He also will perform adjustments and modifications for those hiring bikes from Bi.Costa Rica.
 

Feb 18   Day 2 (Sunday)

After a delicious breakfast (7AM) we will transfer by coach to the famous Volcan Poas National Park where we will begin our biking across Costa Rica. Before biking, we will enjoy a visit to the volcano crater to observe its lake and steaming fumaroles, take a short hike through the cloud forest to Laguna Botos and finally stop in at the visitor center for some background info on Costa Rica’s volcanic history. Leaving the volcano, we now begin our biking with a wonderful downhill ride trough the verdant terrain on Poas: watch for sections of cloud forest alternating with strawberry farms and dairy pastures.

Take some time for a photo-op for some spectacular views of the central valley, home to two-thirds of Costa Rica’s 4 million inhabitants. As we approach the lower slopes, we will stop at Jaulares for lunch, a popular spot for Costa Rican’s enjoying the attractions of their own country.

Following lunch, we continue on through rolling terrain, basically trending downhill, as we work our way to the west. Here we are passing through lush coffee plantations, we will make a quick stop to observe the plants and discuss the coffee harvest process. We also ride through a number of small, typical Costa Rican Villages such as Fraijanes, Santa Gertrudis and Grecia, a larger town with a famous church and central park. Great ice cream parlor here too, try a tropical fruit flavor!.

Departing Grecia by bike we continue on to Sarchi, Costa Rica’s famous artisan town. Here you have an opportunity to do some souvenir shopping and observe the craftsmen performing the intricate paintwork on the famous oxcarts. We depart Sarchi by coach, heading to remote Tierras Enamoradas, our nights lodging. The hotel is located in its own private rain forest reserve with well groomed trails, large pool and Jacuzzi, beautiful rooms and excellent restaurant, where we will have dinner.

 Note: For those wishing to take it easy the first day, conclude biking at Grecia. 26 miles.
 

 Feb 19  Day 3 (Monday)  

After our 7 AM breakfast, a real adventure: a chance to experience Costa Rica’s best and most exciting Canopy tour!. You will use a sophisticated harness system to negotiate a series of platforms located in the jungle canopy via a steel cable system: very safe and secure and lots of fun. The guides are well trained and very professional.
Those who wish can continue the trip to the adventure cables, one of which is more than 750 meters long. Watch for birds during the trip: Valle Escondido is a famous site for bird watchers, with toucans often sighted. After the canopy tour, we begin biking through lush terrain, crossing several crystal-clear tropical streams: watch for the incredible neon blue Morpho butterfly! We often spot howler monkeys on this stretch too. Our destination is the delightful town of La Fortuna, located at the base of famous Arenal volcano, our most active and impressive volcano since its violent eruption in 1968. We lodge at the San Bosco in the center of town, beautiful grounds, nice rooms, 2 pools, 2 Jacuzzis and 2 viewing decks to observe the volcano looming over La Fortuna. Having taken lunch en route in Chachagua, we will  have  to relax at the hotel upon our arrival.

After our break, a real treat: we shuttle to beautiful Eco-Termales, soothing and relaxing thermal springs located in the midst of the rain forest. The resort has an excellent restaurant where we will enjoy a nice dinner, after which you can relax those tired muscles while being serenated by the night -time sounds of the jungle. If the climate permits we can watch red-hot lava and flaming rocks stream down the volcano, an impresive sight.

Feb 20 Day 4 ( Tuesday)

Today you get a break: no early breakfast! Since there is a lot to see and do in the La Fortuna/ Arenal area today is free to explore on your own. Many people opt to hike or horseback ride to the spectacular Fortuna waterfall, located about 5 miles from town in a valley between Arenal volcano and extinct Cerro Chato. Beautiful scenery throughout but quite steep on the way up, and a steep trail down to the base of the falls, where you can swim in the river at a nearby pool.
Some other options are a trip to the Maleku Indigenous Reserve, spelunking at the limestone Venado caverns, various tours up to the volcano, a coach / boat trip to fabulous water-bird filled Caño Negro Reserve near the Nicaraguan border and many other possibilities. Also available is souvenir shopping in Fortuna, many shops in town.
For those who wish to get in some biking, there is an excellent loop in the rolling terrain to the East of town, riding through lush agricultural  zones, small towns, beautiful scenery. For this option, one of the guides will come along as well.
Dinner tonight in La Fortuna at a great seafood / steak restaurant close to the hotel, after which we can watch the volcano from the comfort of the San Bosco’s viewing decks and pools.

Feb 21 Day 5 (Wednesday)

After our now customary 7 AM breakfasts: we transfer by bus to the dam which for spectacular Lake Arenal, Costa Rica’s largest impoundment. Here we begin an outstanding day of biking through rain forest, dairy farms, coffee plantations and small towns, all the while with impressive Arenal volcano as a back-drop. The initial stage past the dam is great for birds and animals: watch for toucans and 3 of our 4 monkey species: howler, white-faced capuchins and spider monkeys all inhabit this region. Also often seen are coatis, a tropical relative of the raccoon.
Lunch today in a nice restaurant with pretty view over the lake, as we will be  near the town of Nuevo Arenal, which replaced the original town of Arenal when it was covered by the lake. Following our meal we continue on through hilly country en route to wonderful Mystica Lodge at the northwest end of the lake, with the volcano still visible in the distance.
Mystica is Italian owned and features outstanding meals, with pizzas from the wood-fired oven being speciality, along with home-made pastas too! Rooms are pristine and spacious and offer beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding countryside. Take a short walk down to the nearby stream: howler monkeys and toucans will probably greet you!

Feb 22 Day 6 ( Thursday)

Having spent the first few days of our adventure on the East slope of the Continental Divide, we now head towards the Pacific, with a dramatic change in terrain, climate and eco-systems. Following breakfast at Mystica, we bike to the ridge top near the town of Tilarán, with several chances to view the dry, hot plains of Guanacaste province off in the distance. As we descend from Tilarán we begin to see the typical ecology of the zone, the Dry Tropical Forest with its deciduous trees interspersed with large cattle ranches and rural towns. Keep an eye peeled for large iguanas and the resident population of howler monkeys. Note how the temperature climbs as we descend to Cañas, a bustling agricultural center where we finish they day’s biking. Then a quick 10 minute shuttle to our lunch stop, an excellent restaurant on the banks of the Río Corocibí.

After lunch another adventure: a 2 hour bird and animal filled raft trip on the relaxing Río Corobicí, the outlet of Lake Arenal. This is Class 1 / Class 2, so it is very easy: take your cameras and binoculars as the wildlife is abundant. Many birds, lots of monkeys and iguanas, bats, turtles, even offers are seen. In the lower stretch, watch for crocodiles: recently spotted one more than 2 meters long!

Following the rafting, we transfer ( approx 1.5 hours) out to the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. Our destination is luxurious Guanamar, an excellent resort located above beautiful palm – shaded Played Carrillo, one of our finest beaches. Sunsets are superb here, have your cameras ready! Dinner will be taken on the open air deck overlooking Bahía Carrillo, a real treat.

 Note: If water level is adequate, we will raft the more remote Rio Tenorio, also located nearby. Since it is more remote, there are even more birds and animals than on the Rio Corobici. Watch specially for the very shy, nocturnal boat-billed heron.
 

Feb 23 Day 7 (Friday)

Having arrived at the Pacific, a reward: a free day!. Breakfast can be taken at your leisure, after which you can choose from a number of activities. For those who wish to try sport-fishing, Carrillo is famous for sailfish, marlin , tuna and many other Pacific species.
Excellent boats and captains are available. Also available are sea-kayak trips, with a trip to an off-shore island for snorkel diving. For those who simply wish to relax, Guanamar has a nice pool and Carrillo beach is just down the hill. Finally, if you want more biking, a challenging 25 mile ride to the historic town of Nicoya can be arranged.
For hammerheads, out and back is possible but you face a couple of tough hill and high temperatures too! Lunch is on your own today, but we again rejoin for dinner at the hotel ( 7PM )

Feb 24 Day 8 (Saturday)

This morning you have until 10 AM to relax at the beach or pool, following which we begin our trip back to the Central Valley ( approx 4 to 5 hours). We will stop for lunch en route, and then stop again at a large shopping center in San Ramon at  the west edge of the Central Valley. There is an excellent supermarket for those wishing to purchase coffee, a very popular choice, as well as  typical Tico salsas, some quite spicy!
Also available is an excellent souvenirs shop for last minute gift shopping. Just before our arrival at La Garita, we will  stop at wonderful Zoo Ave ( Bird Zoo ), a wildlife rescue facility which assists the Natural Resources Ministry in an effort to rehabilitate wild animals which had beed removed from their natural habitat for use as pets. Also on site are representative examples of some rare and endangered species.Our hotel tonight is again the very nice Rosa de las Americas, where we started our trip. Final dinner together at a lively Spanish Tapas restaurant with live music and Flamenco dancers, then a farewell drink at a nearby cantina..

Following a full breakfast at the hotel, you can relax prior to your transfer to the airport for your flight home, hopefully not to tired from your adventure in Costa Rica but rather exhilarated and excited by the experience.

Your tour includes:

This tour is all-inclusive, including all lodging, all meals (except 2 lunches), all entry fees, all scheduled tours, all transfers, bi-lingual guides, support vehicle with safe water, sport drinks, fresh fruit and snacks, luggage transfer.

A limited number of bikes are available for hire. This tour is suitable for both mountain and hybrid bikes, either of which will be available at $115 each. If you wish to hire a bike, please notify us with type of bike preferred, height info with inseam, type of pedal, Shimano SPD toe-clip, standard flat pedals are available.

All bikes are equipped with 2 water bottle cages.

We can provide helmets, which are mandatory. Your probably will be more comfortable with your own. Gloves are suggested.

2007 departure of this schedule for February 17 - February 25.

This itinerary is suitable for intermediate level and above cyclist.

2007 PRICE $1,880.00 PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY $340.00 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
$115.00 BIKE HIRE.

Note:This tour is offered in conjunction with Bicycle Ride Across Georgia.
Contact Jerry Colley at BRAG: bragHQ@aol.com or call Jerry at 770 289-2271  www.brag.org.
Or contact Bi. Costa Rica direct and we will make all arrangements for you.