Costa Rica

  • Duration: 12 days
  • Departs: 02/17/2024
  • Price: $3400

Introduction We invite you to join us on a trip to Costa Rica, one of the most stable, democratic, and developed countries in Central America.  Situated between Panama and Nicaragua, it has not had an Army since 1948. Following the sights of Costa Rica, we will head further south to the country of Panama.  We will […]

Introduction

We invite you to join us on a trip to Costa Rica, one of the most stable, democratic, and developed countries in Central America.  Situated between Panama and Nicaragua, it has not had an Army since 1948. Following the sights of Costa Rica, we will head further south to the country of Panama.  We will visit Bocas del Toro a very short time and then continue on to Panama City to do a partial transit of the Panama Canal.

Its agriculture includes the raising of coffee, pineapple, macadamia nuts, bananas, sugar cane, palm oil, spices, rice, chocolate, orchids, and active dairy and beef industries.  The natural wonders abound in this ”zoo without cages”.  We will see many of the 800 species of birds and 124 types of hummingbirds.  We see sloths, coati, deer, parrots, toucans, macaws, iguanas, caymans, crocodiles, lizards, frogs, and monkeys.

We will walk through the rain forest, travel pass  volcanos, listen to the wildlife as we pass through the landscape of fruit trees, tropical plants, and coastal plains.  The last portion of the trip will be near the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. You may especially look forward to seeing the blue morpho butterflies.

 

 

Day 1- We will arrive at the secondary airport of Costa Rica in Liberia.  Frank will meet us at the airport and escort us to our first night’s lodging.

Day 2- We will start our day with a stop at a rain forest.  You will be able to choose between walking the hanging bridges, visiting a sloth sanctuary, a butterfly sanctuary, doing a zip line experience, or sitting to watch the numerous hummingbirds in this location.  We will continue to wind around Arenal Lake, which sits beneath the majestic Arenal Volcano to our next destination. It is an 85 square kilometers man- made lake 30-60 meters deep.  It is the largest lake in Costa Rica, which provides essential hydroelectric power to 2/3 the country.  Two fish species, the machaca and the rainbow bass, make this lake a popular fishing destination.  Over 100 mammals use the lake as their water supply.  The earthen dam was built from 1972 to 1976 to create the lake.  In 1979 the hydroelectric plant was completed leaving two abandoned cities at the bottom of the lake, which were moved to the east side during the dam construction.

Day 3- Today will be full of interesting visits.  We will visit a macaw farm and a pineapple farm.  The macaw farm will surprise you with over 100 macaws flying in from the jungle as they anticipate fresh food. Don’t be surprised if they choose to land on your shoulder or head to view where to go for their next bite.  Our next stop will be at a pineapple plantation.  It is a family owned farm and tours ae given by our good friend, Michael. No tour to a produce farm is complete without a tasting of the bounty. He will offer you some of the best pineapple that you have ever tasted, so eat up!  After these stops we will return to Fortuna for our second night.

Day 4-Today we will visit a small family banana farm and a place known as Frog Heaven. The banana farm was an adjustment to the Covid situation, when the family was unable to sell their products as they had.  They then changed their focus to attempt to remain a viable income source for the family.

 Day 5- Today we will pass through Braulio Carrillo National Park, one of the biggest and most diverse national parks in Costa Rica.  It covers 110,000 acres of dense vegetation, home to over 6000 different types of plant life, over 500 species of birds and 150 different species of mammals.  The highest peak in the park is 9534 feet.  The park was named after the third president of Costa Rica, who was active in the conservation movement and helped develop the country into a coffee production powerhouse.

Time permitting (depending on traffic), we will make a stop at LaPaz Waterfalls Gardens Nature Park which is a privately owned ecological attraction.  The Park contains 70 acres, 40 acres of cloud and rain forests and 30 acres of pastureland.  The park contains five waterfalls, but also is an animal sanctuary that provides homes to wildlife that is unable to live in the wild for various reasons.  We will continue on to our lodging for the night. 

Day 6- From here we will head to Tortuguero National Park, consisting of 46,815 acres.  The park is named after its most important inhabitants- sea turtles.  Although this park can only be reached by boat or plane, it is the third most visited park in Costa Rica. It is known as Costa Rica’s Amazon Jungle, since its waterways are the only modes of transportation.  It receives 165-200 inches of rain annually making it the wettest area of Costa Rica.  We should reach the boat to transfer us to our hotel at about 10:00.  Since we will be staying directly in the town this trip rather than down the river, you will be able to browse the coast or shops for the remainder of the day.

Day 7- We will now head south to Puerto Viejo de Talamanica to enjoy white sand beaches and beautiful blue waters.  We will have time in the afternoon to walk along the beach, go swimming, or even go snorkeling if you wish.  You can walk for miles on the beach and there is hardly anyone else in sight.  This town has a very Jamaican atmosphere from the early settlers in this area.  They often have a flea market of handicrafts near to our hotel. 

Day 8- We will now move on to Panama.  We will get a transport that will take us to the border where we will get out and go through customs.  Another driver will meet us on the other side to take us to Bocas del Toro.  The Isle Colon is known as a party, old hippy type town.  We will only be able to spend a few hours in this small town browsing the shops before having to head to the airport for a flight to Panama City.

Day 9- This will be a relaxing day as we do a partial transit through the Panama Canal.  Unfortunately, the complete transit through the canal is only available one day a month since Covid.  We will be traveling through two of the three locks on the canal and should be able to get a pretty good idea of the entire canal.

Day 10- This morning we will have a tour of the Changres Rainforest and then visit one of the Embera indigenous tribe villages.  This route includes about a 20 minute walk on an “untrail” through the rainforest, so wear shoes that can get wet or muddy today.  We start our journey via dugout canoe.

Day 11- Today we will spend most of the day exploring the city of Panama City.  This will include most of the famous sights in the area as well as a stop at the Mireflores Lock to view an IMAX presentation on the Panama Canal building.

Day 12- This is our return home day as we recount our memories of these two countries.

 

 

The cost of the tour is $ 3400 per person, based on double occupancy.  Supplement for a single traveler is $500.  Children staying in a room with a parent will be at a reduced rate.

 

More for Le$$ Value with everything below included:

  • Roundtrip transportation from MSP
  • 11 nights at personally selected hotels
  • 15 Meals, including 11 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners (more may be added depending on flight costs)
  • Personal tour leader to accompany you from start to finish

 

More for Le$$ Value all-inclusive tours and activities included:

  • Cloud Forest Experience
  • Pineapple Farm Tour
  • Frog Farm Tour
  • Banana Farm Tour
  • Macaw Experience
  • Tortuguero National Park
  • Selvatura Park
  • Transfer to Panama
  • Flight from Bocas Del Toro to Panama City
  • Embera Tribe Indigenous Experience
  • Panama City Canal and City Tour
  • Partial Transit of the Panama Canal
  • All activities provided, excluding the admission for ziplining

Be aware that an activity may change due to schedule changes that do not meet our schedule.

 

More for Le$$ Tours Terms and Conditions

To maintain our lower level of overhead, please read and agree to the following conditions for our tours.  Our goal is to provide you with more sights, better accommodations, and the best tour available at less cost to you.

 

Prices
Prices shown are per person, double occupancy, stated in US Dollars.  Single supplements are specified.

 

Deposits of $1000 per person are due upon reservation.  
Please send check to address on payment page or pay by credit card.  Payments made by credit card will be charged 2% convenience fee to cover half of our cost for that.

 

Additional payment of $1000 per person will be due
December 1, 2023 and Final payment will be due on
Feb 1, 2024.

 

Deposit and payments indicate that you have read and
consent to the provisions contained within this terms and conditions section.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation in writing prior to Dec 1, 2023, will
receive payment refund less non-refundable portion of
deposit of $500.  From Dec 1 to Feb 1, 2024, initial deposit will be withheld unless replacement is found.  After Feb 1, entire cost will be non-refundable.

Air fares will become an additional portion of non-refundable funds once they have been purchased.

If the minimum required number of participants is not met for any given tour, all money will be refunded to all registered participants.

 

Travel Insurance

We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance with cancellation coverage to protect yourself in case you need to cancel. 
We recommend Travel Guard Insurance, as they have competitive rates.  Since I am a registered insurance agent, I would be able to assist you with that purchase if desired.

The tour does not include:

*Alcoholic Beverages  and Specialty Drinks
* Luggage fees on flights
* Ziplining costs, if chosen to partake
*Personal expenditures, such as room service, tour manager, or driver gratuities.

Special Requests

Additional days may be added at registration time.  If there are special medical or dietary requests, please inform us of the specifics at the time of registration to allow us time to try to accommodate for these requests.

Smoking Policy

We operate with a no smoking policy on the tour bus and at the sites for the comfort of everyone on the tour.

 

Liability Issues

Neither we nor any other vendor or person connected with this tour shall be liable to the participant directly or indirectly for any accident, damage, delay, or injury caused to the participant, including, but not limited to, acts of war, malfunctions of equipment, strikes, theft, weather, quarantines, or change of itinerary.  If additional costs are incurred due to any unforeseen reason, such as hotels, meals, and transportation, these costs will be the participant’s responsibility.

 

Send payment to:        More for Le$$ Tours
                                    44147 460th Ave
                                    Perham, MN 56573

           

For more information call (507) 456-6611 or see
www.moreforlesstours.com         OR
diana@moreforlesstours.com

 

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Find enclosed $1000 deposit per person.  This deposit indicates
that I have read and agree with the terms and conditions as
stated in the brochure.