Your trailblazing adventures in Patagonia in January/February 2024 and your wonderful feedback to ourselves and to your networks of friends motivated us to search for and design another tour full of sensational scenery, exciting and challenging routes, and wonderful places to relax and enjoy. There are stunning new places to see, new cultures and gastronomy to experience, hillwalking for the true adventurer, and a window into life far off the well-trod tourist path.
Costa Rica is a fabulous country. One of the few worldwide that does not have an army. Instead of investing in an army, they channel it into healthcare & education. It is more firmly focussed on eco & environmental policy & related economic matters than most developed countries. The economy is strong on agriculture, tourism, IT/electronics. It is a very stable democracy with a significant % of middle-income earners, which is most unusual in Sth America!! The population size is 5.2million, similar to ours. Two oceans border the country, the Atlantic on the East coast & the Pacific on its West. The landmass connects two great continents, North America & South America. 280km from West to East. The climate is tropical with two seasons, Dec to Apr is dry & May to Nov is the wet season. Mar & Apr tend to be the hottest months & Dec Jan the coldest. Across the country the climate differs, particularly on its coasts which are influenced by the currents, temperatures & winds generated by the two oceans. This coast-to-coast route takes you across multiple rivers & rambles through ranch lands, rainforests, cloud forests, sugarcane plantations & indigenous Indian, native peoples settlements. www.tourismincostarica.org/reserva-indigena-kekoldi-indian-reservation This trek was an initiative of Mar a Mar (Sea to Sea)—the nonprofit partnership formed in 2016 to develop, promote & help sustain it & the economic activity it would stimulate along its way. It benefits local families, nonprofits & a network of micro-entrepreneurs, such as Ecomiel honey producers, Finca El Casquillo organic farm, La Cabaña sustainable coffee micro-mill, provide most of the trail’s lodging, food, tours & other hiker amenities. The 266km route was launched in 2018. It showcases largely untrodden parts of the country, like the coffee-growing region of Tarrazú & the Indigenous territory of Nairi Awari. The route spans four provinces & half a dozen or more microclimates; borders protected areas & meanders through remote villages, Native lands & more than 20 towns that receive little benefit from conventional tourism. You can eat with the locals sleep in family-run lodges, campsites, or boutique hotels set on farms with hot springs.
We think that late Feb/early Mar probably would offer the most agreeable temperatures & conditions for your Costa Rica adventure - El Camino de Costa Rica. This route is one of the world’s iconic trekking adventures. It crosses the territory of the country from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific. www.caminodecostarica.org Although the overall walking distance of the trek is 266km over 16 days, we have reduced it to take breaks along the way. We arranged transport between the rest points so that you can rest the feet. Our local guides have facilitated us with the alternative routing. It is now more likely to be an overall distance of c.195 kms. The changes will give you all more time to immerse yourselves in the country & to enjoy each of the locations we visit in more depth. Your baggage will be transported daily as you walk. So you just carry just what you would normally carry for a day’s hillwalking, not the 12-15kgs you carried in Patagonia.
Día 1
Pick up & transport from the airport, 100km drive to Hotel Pacuare near the Atlantic Ocean.
Dinner & accommodation in Hotel Pacuare.
Día 2
Breakfast. We begin with a boat ride along a canal which takes us to the Atlantic Ocean. A ceremonial dip there to anoint us for the trek to the Pacific. Along the canal route, there is an abundance of wildlife to enjoy. After returning to the dock Muelle Goshen, we start the first leg to the Sahara along stoned paths/roads, which are open with little shade. Fruit stop along the way & meal in Yolanda’s house—16 km. +95m. Time 6hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Hotel Pacuare.
Día 3
Breakfast. Bus to the start point. Trek into Indigenous land, along dirt roads & through the countryside. Some shade. Ascend to Las Brisas & Nama Ju. +719m/-187m. Time 8hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Camping in Indigenous community settlement. All gear provided. Local people cook for us.
Día 4
Breakfast. Mid-mountain trek across Nairi Awari territory. Dense forest, native dwellings. It can be damn in this area. River crossings are muddy at times. +991m/-935m. Max altitude 846m. Time 8 hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Reserve area. Shared rooms.
Día 5
Breakfast. Stunning views along the route. Turrialba volcano, East Central Valley. Country roads, finally reaching Pacayitas & Rita’s family homestead, transport for the final bit. +888m/-947m. Max altitude 1211m. Time 6hrs.
Dinner & accommodation in Homestead accommodation. Shared rooms.
Día 6
Breakfast. Bus transfer to start at La Suiza. Trekking through sugar cane county, some of the way on asphalt roads, little shade. On the way, views of the volcano & along the Pejibaye River. +458m/-357m. Time 7 hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Camping Rio de Valle. All gear provided.
Día 7
Breakfast. The Talamanca Range has great views, country trails, and some mud. At the Tapanti National Park, we have a bus to take us to eat at Mariana's Place. Bus to the hotel. +1165m/-610m. Max altitude 1611m. Time 8 hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Hotel. Single accommodation is available.
Día 8
Breakfast. Visit to archeoligal site Guayabo. Later, a wonderful option to enjoy a spa in Hacienda Orosi & the hot springs.
Dinner & accommodation in Hotel. Single accommodation is available.
Día 9
Breakfast. Change of theme, now trek through coffee country, Orosi Valley, Rio Macho hydro project area. Transport to Cabaña en Navarro. +1165m/-610m. Time 8 hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Navarro cabins in woodland. Bunk beds.
Día 10
Breakfast. Now we are in the Tapanti mountains, with extraordinary flora & fauna, magical, varied underfoot conditions, and may also be cloudy. At the endpoint, we are bussed higher up the mountain to Cerro Alto Cabanas. It can be chilly up there, so pack for it. +653m/-379m. Time 8hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Cabins/houses. Single rooms available.
Día 11
Breakfast. Trek is in the region of Los Santos, plantation country. Coffee tasting, too. There is little shade, some tarred road walking, then dirt road. +320m/-977m. Time 6 hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Hotel Los Santos. Shared rooms.
Día 12
Breakfast. We trek to a haven among the coffee plantations, Finca Lirios, dirt roads along the route with limited shade. +556m/-735m. Time 8 hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Finca Lirios, shared rooms. A few singles are available.
Día 13
Breakfast. Now, the excitement builds as we begin to see the Pacific Ocean. Its vastness is obvious & excellent. Dirt roads. Descending. +364m/-1067m. Time 6hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Naranjillo camping. All gear provided.
Día 14
Breakfast. The Pacific is in our sights as we descend further, with beautiful views of the ocean & countryside. The climate here is different, the Pacific’s influence. Dirt roads, tracks. +389m./-945m. Time 6hrs.
Dinner & accommodation in Camping. Glamping option also in Tipi, where single rooms are available.
Día 15
Breakfast. This is the final push to the Pacific. See the beaches below, hear the sound of the ocean, taste the salty air. Nearly there!! Along the way, we shortened the walk by bussing a section. But the final piece will be a trek to the Pacific shore & immerse in the most fabulous ocean in the world & feel its healing after a stupendous trek from Ocean to Ocean. +136m./-365m. Time 7hrs
Dinner & accommodation in Hotel Karahe, Manuel Antonio beach. Singles available.
Día 16
Breakfast. Airport transfer to San Jose airport & arriving home morning of Mon 10th March.