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. 

Its agriculture includes the raising of coffee, macadamia nuts, bananas, sugar cane, pineapple, 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, walk near a volcano, peer into a crater, listen to the wildlife as we pass through the landscape of fruit trees, tropical plants, and coastal plains.  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 the Tenorio National Park to take in some wonderful scenery and get a little walk in to take in the fresh air.  The Tenorio Volcano National Park was created in 1995 to protect the active Tenorio Volcano, making it one of Costa Rica’s youngest national parks, and one of the most beautiful national parks in Central America. One of the most popular stops along the hike is the Rio Celeste waterfall. You’ll also walk along streams, by a gorgeous lagoon and under the canopy of a tropical forest. Rio Celeste is one of the most beautiful locations in Guanacaste. Its amazing blue color is thanks to a combination of sulfur and calcium carbonate, which makes it look like a work of art.

We will leave the park and make a stop enroute at a local family farm for a meal. The family will give us a short tour and information about the horses used in the area, followed by the meal from produce raised on this farm. 

We then continue to wind around Arenal Lake, which sits beneath the majestic Arenal Volcano. 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.  There is a sloth area near the hotel, which you may wish to visit during an evening walk.

Day 3- Today will be full of interesting visits.  We will visit a frog farm, a macaw farm, and a pineapple farm.  At the frog farm we will get an up- close view of poison dart frog, the red-eyed frog, the blue jean frog and the green frog among many others.  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.  Lastly, we will stop at a fully operational pineapple farm to learn about that product. No tour to a produce farm is complete without a tasting of the bounty.  We will stay a second night at this location.  This evening you may choose to visit the hot springs on the hotel complex to relax before going to bed.

 Day 4- 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.

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.  This evening you will be able to take a night walk with a guide through the jungle. We will make our way to Alajuela for our overnight.

Day 5- From here we will head to Guayabo National Monument.  Guayabo National Monument is an archeological marvel that was discovered when the area was being cleared for coffee plantations in 1866. At its peak, around 10.000 people used to live in this ancient city. It is believed that the first settlers came to these parts around 1000 BC and had created a bustling city by 800 AD. As to why they disappeared, it is still not known. The only remains of this once great city are circular mounds, cobblestoned pavements and evidence of highly refined aqueducts. These are only a few pieces of the puzzle, but they seem to point to a civilization that had reached some level of sophistication as city builders So, what made 10.000 people just disappear even before the Spanish settlers first came to shore? The short answer is, no one knows. There are a handful of theories including the plague or even volcanic activity. Today all that remains is an archaeological site that both intrigues and inspires. 

We will continue back to Alajuela for the evening with a stop in Cartago.  This city was the former capitol of Costa Rica.  It has an interesting church that we will explore also.

 Day 6- This morning we will walk to the top of a volcano.  The view will be great if the weather cooperates.  Volcan Poas is about 45 minutes up the hill from our lodging.  An easy 20 minute stroll past tropical plants, trees, birds, and insects takes us to the edge of the volcano, which is only visible 30% of the time.  We then continue on to Sarchi, a nearby village.  This quaint town is known throughout Costa Rica for its beautiful souvenirs and intricate arts and crafts.  Sarchi is most widely recognized for its colorful decorative ox carts made here for over 100 years.
Our next stop will be Monteverde, our lodging for the duration of our trip.         

 Day 7- Monteverde was primarily settled by Quakers who moved here in the 1950s.  This morning we will have a leisurely breakfast at a great bakery.   Across the street is an opportunity to purchase some handicrafts to take home. We will stop in town to dine at the local “watering hole”.  We will then go into the Cloud Forest for a relaxing hike in the cloud forest.  Later this afternoon we will drive to a coffee farm to learn all about raising coffee and sugar cane.   This is a family- owned coffee plantation.  The tour guides are family members who own the farm and will be able to answer any question you may present them with during the talk.  We also will get to learn about one of mankind’s favorite foods:chocolate.  This plant is native in Central America and was one of the most important products for the Mayan and Aztec cultures. You will head to a former cacao growing area to watch the entire process of making chocolate: harvest, fermenting, drying, and preparing into the chocolate we know.  Of course, no chocolate tour would be complete without a tasting. 

You will get to ride in an ox cart at the end of the tour followed by the opportunity to make some candy from their sugar cane (make it good as you will be bringing it home).

Day 8- This morning we will head to Selvatura.  You will have options for the morning like walking a trail across hanging bridges through the Cloud Forest, sometimes at the top of the canopy and sometimes at the bottom looking up.  Other options are the butterfly house, insect house, herpetarium, or hummingbird garden.  You also might wish to try zip-lining.  Since our group may choose different options to enjoy, we will all meet at the designated time at the café at the location for lunch.

After lunch we will take the opportunity to visit an orchid garden.  The Orchid Garden exhibits a collection of over 425 different species of orchids, including the world’s smallest orchid.  The guided tour will show you the three parts of the garden: the miniature orchids, large flower orchids, and the hybrid orchids.   Our last stop this afternoon will be at the local creamery for a taste of delicious ice cream.

 Day 9- Today we will take our memories back home with us to share with our families and friends.

The cost of the tour is $ 2950 per person, based on double occupancy.  Supplement for a single traveler is $400.  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
• 8 nights at personally selected hotels
• 24 Meals, including 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 8 dinners
• 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
• Coffee/Sugar Cane Tour
• Banana Farm Tour
• Macaw Experience
• Poas Volcano National Park
• La Paz Waterfall Park
• Orchid Garden
• Night Walk in Rainforest
• Hummingbird Garden
• Guayabo National Monument
• Chocolate Tour
• Tenorio National Park
• Selvatura Park
• All activities provided, excluding the admission for ziplining
•  

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, 2022 and Final payment will be due on
Feb 1, 2023.

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, 2022, will
receive payment refund less non-refundable portion of
deposit of $500.  From Dec 1 to Feb 1, 2023, 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  
* 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 460^th Ave
                                    Perham, MN 56573

           

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

Please reserve a space on the _________________________tour for ________person (s).

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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.