8 Day Arenal, Monteverde & Samara Beach

Local Weather

Source: National Weather Services of Costa Rica

Source: National Weather Services of Costa Rica

Source: National Weather Services of Costa Rica

Attractions

Sky Adventures

Sky Walk

Submerge yourself in the cloud forest on a mile and half loop across five suspension bridges leading you into the forest canopy's levels. The largest outdoor natural collection of orchid species found on the planet thrives in the trees of Monteverde's cloud forest beside bromeliads, moss, lichens and hundreds of species of birds, insects, lizards, snakes and mammals. The longest of the bridges, expands nearly a thousand feet across the canopy – nearly 300 feet high. Tickets are $33 for adults, $36 students, $21 children. Tours depart at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. for the night tour.

Sky Tram

The Sky Tram rises more than 2,500 feet through the trees and fog of the Monteverde cloud forest. Tours last about ten to fifteen minutes and finish near the top of the continental divide. At the top, guests have the opportunity to enjoy the scenic vistas (if it's not too cloudy) before riding back down in the Sky Tram or on the Sky Trek. Tours depart at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.; Tickets are $42 for adults, $29 students and children.

Sky Trek

Fly at speeds up to 45 mph across cables on Sky Trek's specially-designed pulley system. You lean back in their harnesses and grab on to the handles in one of the safest and fastest zip-line designs anywhere in the country. Sky trek has 10 cables crisscrossing above and through the cloud forest.

The longest of the cables stretches nearly a half-mile long sending guests from the cloud forest to a free-standing platform high above the valley beside the visitor's center. Photographers wait at the bottom of the final cable, called "paparrazi", to snap your picture as you complete the course.

Tours depart at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.; tickets are $66 for adults, $53 students, $42 children and include both the zip line tour and the Sky Tram.

Selvatura

Canopy Tour

Guests plunge into the canopies of the wet, vibrantly green cloud forest surrounding the 13 cables, 18 platforms and 25-foot Tarzan swing that make up Selvatura's two-hour zip line tour. The tour begins in the middle of the forest with guests zipping through the canopy and landing on platforms built around massive tree trunks hundreds of feet in the air. As the tour progresses, the lines get longer and higher until guests are soaring out over valleys above the rainforest canopy. Tickets are $45 for adults, $40 students, $30 children.

Hanging Bridges

Explore the different layers of the rainforest on Selvatura's treetop loop; a trail meandering 1.5 miles through the cloud forest over eight different suspension bridges ranging from 150 to more than 500 feet long; some reaching heights of 180 feet above the forest floor. Standing on the bridges, guests have the opportunity to look inside the canopies of some cloud forest's tallest trees – a unique habitat for thousands of species plants and home to monkeys, coatis, snakes and frogs. Selvatura's trail is also one of the best places in Monteverde to spot three-wattled bellbirds and the resplendent quetzal: a brilliant turquoise bird with a red breast and a mohawk. Tickets for self-guided tours are $30 for adults, $25 students, $20 children.

Butterfly Garden

Enter one of Costa Rica's largest butterfly exhibit The greenhouse covers more than 8,100 square feet and houses anywhere from 12 to 15 different species of butterflies at one time including blue morphos (Costa Rica's celebrity butterfly), owl, zebra, halloween, monarch, Mexican blue butterflies and more. Visit the spawning posts where butterflies regularly emerge from their cocoons and take flight into the exhibit or check out the second-story in the center of the greenhouse and get a bird's eye perspective of the butterflies fluttering around the exhibit. Tickets are $ 15 per person.

Hummingbird Garden

The hummingbird garden is a relaxing place to gather your bearings after a trek through the hanging bridges or a ride on the zip-lines. More than 14 different species can be spotted hovering around the feeders, perching in the trees and darting past unwary guests. Tickets are $5 per person.

Insect Exhibit

Selvatura claims to have the third largest private insect collection in the world. Belonging to famed Entomologist Dr. Richard Whitten, the collection includes thousands of species of butterflies, moths and beetles. Richard, who has been working on his collection since he was 5 years old, preserves his insects in glass cases, many of them artistically designed by Richard's wife Margaret. Tickets are $15 per person.

Serpentarium

Fourteen different species of snakes lurk inside Selvatura's reptile and amphibian exhibit. Fer-de-Lance, pit vipers and boa constrictors slither over branches and nestle up close to the glass as guests walk among the glass enclosures. The exhibit also features three species of lizards and seven different species of frogs including Costa Rica's fabled poison dart frogs. Tickets are $15 per person.

Tours

Whitewater rafting the Balsa River class II-III rapids

Taking advantage of the dam upriver, the rafting company plans trips for 11 a.m., at the same time the dam releases water. The higher water level swells the riverbanks and make swift rapids. The class II rapids are mostly wide-open channels with small waves and easy rapids while the class III rapids are narrower, with larger waves and boulders that require more technical navigating.

Note* Make sure to bring your swimsuit, a change of clothes, sunscreen and a pair of water shoes, old sneakers, or sandals with strips (no flip-flops). Water-proof cameras are okay, but a professional photographer also comes along to take your picture.

Teamwork on the river

Sitting in the raft, still on dry land, you'll learn the basics: paddling forward and backward learning to work together.  With your practice session over, it's time to dive into the small waves on a set of class II rapids. Following the commands of your guide paddle through the first set and try not to bump paddles with your partners.

The first section of the trip is nearly non-stop, clear one set of rapids only to meet the next challenge with enough time to clap your paddles over your heads and yell "Pura Vida" - Costa Rica's unofficial motto.

You'll find it's not long before everything falls into place. With each rapid, you get better, the teamwork gets tighter. By the end of the first section, you're expertly following commands and working together as a team.

The lower section of the river affords a little more free time than the first half. With more scenic views and class I flat water, the river becomes a leisurely ride through the countryside and jungle. Herons and egrets perch on rocks drying their wings and scouting for fish. Up high in sparsely-leafed cecropia trees, guides point out napping two-toed sloths.

Passing from the tall grasses of the brave cane (similar to sugar cane), a wall of green rainforest trees and plants appears growing along near vertical cliff face. Pass into a set of class II rapids, as giant waves swell up and crash over the front of the raft. The final test of teamwork comes in a rapid called the 'washing machine'. Paddling in opposite directions, you'll spin in circles, faster and faster as you roll over the rapids and come to a rest underneath a bridge after the two-hour trip.

While guides load-up the rafts, you'll have the chance to change into dry clothes and recount stories with your new friends. On your way back into Arenal, you'll stop by La Casona Rio Fortuna, the home of Costa Rican former president Rafael Iglesias, for a buffet-style lunch prepared over a wood stove including rice, beans, vegetables, plantains and a choice of meat like beef or chicken. While you eat, you can look over the day's pictures taken by a professional photographer.

Waterfall Rappelling in Lost Canyon

In fact, there's only one way to see Lost Canyon; rappelling down its waterfalls, wading through its streams and scrambling between its rocks and hiking between its walls.

Lost Canyon

Open for the last 8 years, Lost Canyon is about a half hour from the small town of La Fortuna. Tour guides drive in 4x4 trucks over dirt roads leading to the canyon's entrance. You'll stop by the tour company's restaurant (Lost Canyon Ops Center) to change and set down your things before starting your adventure.

Entering the gorge, you'll come across a small stream trickling through a valley leading to a 25-foot cascade. One at a time, guides teach you how to rappel. Leaning back and using the rock face as steps, you'll slowly release the brake and rappel down your first waterfall.

The Waterfalls

Between each rappel, you'll scramble over rocks, wade through streams and climb down small ledges. Sometimes, the water is shallow and crystal clear while at other times, you'll jump into deep pools finding themselves up to their necks in water.

The second waterfall drops 150 feet. Bracing yourself on a platform constructed over the top of the waterfall, you'll stand with both feet leaning over the edge listening to the roar of the falls below. On this fall, you'll get to try a movie-style jumping rappel; releasing the brake cable as you leap from the ledge bracing your legs with knees bent and feet forward to hit the canyon wall. Avoiding the tumultuous waters at the bottom, you'll let go of the rope and slide 50 feet on a small zip line to land safely in the sand on the far side of the falls.

After another hike through the stream, the gorge narrows.  You'll shimmy between the canyon's walls as the guides lay down in the pools above, making dams to block the water. At the bottom of the ledge, you'll sit together and holding onto the walls as the guides above stand up and release a torrent of rushing water; and for a moment you get to feel what it's like inside a waterfall.

Big Daddy

At 220 feet, the last of the waterfalls is worthy of its title. The gorge opens its great maw in a circular clearing surrounded by forest. Unlike the other falls, there's nowhere for you to put their feet for rappelling. Instead, canyoneers turn around and push off the platform free falling into the gorge.

As you plummet, the cable curves into a zip line. Flying over the falls, you'll land safely in a shallow sandy stream. With feet planted firmly on the ground and all four waterfalls conquered, you'll walk out of lost canyon and back to the restaurant where you'll have a chance to dry off and change your clothes before sitting down to an all-you-can-eat buffet casado-style lunch with a choice of meat, rice, beans and vegetables. While you eat, you'll have the opportunity to look at photos from your adventures through Lost Canyon.