Costa Rica Coast to Coast Ride

Begin your adventure in La Garita de Alajuela, around a 15-minute drive from San José airport. We start cycling tomorrow, so enjoy the rest of the day to relax and prepare for the exciting adventures ahead. Want more time in San José or La Garita de Alajuela? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Stay: Hotel La Rosa de América (or similar).

After breakfast, say hi to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group to get to know each other, learn more about the adventures ahead and to collect and adjust our bikes. Our cycling then starts right from the hotel, riding towards the town of Atenas, where we meet our bus and transfer (one hour) to Guacalillo.

Here, we embark on a beautiful boat tour through mangrove forests to the Rio Tárcoles, hoping to see crocodiles, waterbirds and even scarlet macaws as we go. Enjoy lunch followed by a transfer (around one hour) to our beach hotel at Playa Bejuco. If tide and sand conditions permit, we can fit in more cycling and arrive at the hotel riding on the immense tropical beach (extra 6. 2mi/10km for beach ride option). Terrain: 95% paved/5% gravel Stay: Hotel Playa Bejuco (or similar) (B/L).

Start with a transfer (approximately one hour) to Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the great wildlife-watching destinations in Costa Rica. Join an expert guide for a two-hour nature walk, who can teach us all about the local flora and fauna and help us spot the iguanas and white-faced capuchin monkeys that live here.

Leaving the park, we transfer (approximately 40 minutes) to Rio Savegre. From here, our route follows a main street to the vibrant beach town of Dominical and the calmer surf beach of Dominicalito. Reaching La Parcela Restaurant in Punta Dominical, we have lunch before heading to our next hotel, where the evening is free to enjoy the pool and jungle setting at our hotel. Terrain: 95% paved/5% gravel Stay: Villas Rio Mar (or similar) (B).

Leave the hotel by bike, riding to the town of Uvita, where we hike to the jungle-wrapped Uvita Waterfall for a refreshing swim. After, we continue cycling towards the beautiful Marino Ballena National Park, where we leave our bikes for a walk in the sand; if tides allow, we enjoy the view of the Whale Tale Tombolo, a natural rocky and sandy geological formation that can only be accessed during the six hours of low tide. Terrain: 90% paved/10% gravel Stay: Villas Rio Mar (or similar) (B).

This morning, we take a 30-minute bus transfer to the village of Piñuelas. From here, we enjoy a scenic ride along the south coastal highway, granting beautiful views of the Sierpe Mangrove every now and then.

Upon arrival at Palmar Sur, we enjoy a short visit to the Park of the Stone Spheres, where we explore the mystery behind these impressive stone globes created by pre-Colombian Indigenous people. We lunch in the town of Chacarita, then transfer (1hr 30min) to Las Cruces Biological Station, a leading tropical biology research hub, where we stay tonight. Terrain: 100% paved Stay: OTS Las Cruces (or similar) (B).

Cycle to the southern town of San Vito this morning, enjoying rural Costa Rica as we go. On this circular route, we visit Sabalito town, where we stop at the coffee mill of the local coffee cooperative Coope Sabalito, before riding the ascent back to Las Cruces. After lunch at the biological station, we join an expert guide for a nature walk. Terrain: 90% paved/10% gravel Stay: OTS Las Cruces (or similar) (B/L/D).

Start today with a 10-minute transfer to San Vito, where we enjoy a nice downhill ride near the biological corridor between Costa Rica and Panama: La Amistad National Park. It is also an area of indigenous territories, where the Ngöbe Buglé people can sometimes be seen in traditional dress. At Paso Real, where the Río General meets the huge Río Térraba, we finish today's route with our box lunch, before we transfer (about two hours) to our mountain hotel in San Gerardo de Rivas. Terrain: 85% paved/15% gravel Stay: El Pelicano Mountain Lodge (or similar) (B/L).

We have two cycling stages today! First, we cycle along the Río Chirripo from our hotel down to the Pan-American Highway, enjoying beautiful views of Cerro Chirripó, the highest mountain in Costa Rica. We load up the bikes at San Isidro and cross the Cerro de la Muerte to Orosi by bus. At 11,617ft (3,541m) above sea level, this is the highest point on the PanAm Highway in Central America. Here, we get back on our bikes and cross coffee plantations to the village of Orosi, which is one of the oldest communities in the country. From here, we continue to the Cachi reservoir, near our accommodation. Terrain: 100% paved Stay: Hotel Quelitales (or similar) (B).

Leave the hotel for one of the most beautiful cycling routes on this trip, past numerous coffee plantations. With any luck, we will see farmers using their traditional oxcarts to haul their crop to nearby processing facilities. Along the way, we stop at coffee trees to learn more about coffee and its role in Costa Rican history. Continuing through the valley, we ride around a hydroelectric dam before starting a section that involves some climbs. We then arrive at the little town of Tucurrique, where we have time for lunch. After, we cycle through sugarcane plantations to La Amistad, before a short transfer to our hotel. Our mountain lodge has excellent views, including over the coffee-growing region in the Orosi Valley and the Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes. Terrain: 75% paved/25% gravel Stay: Guayabo Lodge (or similar) (B).

Start the day early with a transfer (1hr 30min) to Guápiles, where we enjoy a delicious breakfast. Back on the bus, we pass numerous banana plantations and learn about the packaging and export process. After, we board a boat that takes us through the impressive canals of Tortuguero towards our jungle lodge. Enjoy a delicious lunch, then visit Tortuguero village and walk along the Caribbean beach. Between July and September, you may join an optional beach excursion after dinner to watch the sea turtles lay their eggs. An unforgettable experience! Stay: Pachira Lodge (or similar) (B/L/D).

Today we maximise our explorations of Tortuguero National Park with two boat trips. Thanks to the expertly trained eyes of our guide and boatmen, we spot animals such as monkeys, lizards, caimans, turtles, bats and many bird species. One of the boat tours takes place before breakfast, when the animals are waking. We also explore the surrounding area on the lodge's walking trails. Meals are served at the lodge.

The rest of the day is free for you to stroll through the gardens and relax by the pool. Stay: Pachira Lodge (or similar) (B/L/D).

After breakfast, we start our return journey by boat to Caño Blanco/La Pavona; from there, we take the bus to Guápiles, where lunch is served. Our driver then picks us up for a short transfer to Pital, where we start cycling around the lowlands, discovering pineapple, yucca and pepper plantations. Our ride ends at Centro Familiar Cuyito, where you can enjoy views from the Río San Carlos. From here, we transfer (1hr 30min) to the town of La Fortuna, at the foot of Arenal volcano.

This evening, you have the option of soaking in one of the local hot springs – an excellent way to relax and unwind! Terrain: 100% paved Stay: Hotel San Bosco (or similar) (B/L).

Following a short transfer, our final cycling stage starts with a pleasant ride through the dense rainforest surrounding Lake Arenal, starting from El Castillo, with several spots to observe Arenal volcano. Arriving at the conservation area of Arenal 1968, we take the opportunity to hike through hardened lava. After, we get back on our bikes and continue riding to Nuevo Arenal. Our end point is a German bakery, where we enjoy lunch, before transferring (about 2hr 30min) to the Central Valley. Terrain: 100% paved Stay: Hotel La Rosa de América (or similar) (B).

You've marvelled at the tropical scenery of Costa Rica by bike, cruised the wildlife-rich canals of Tortuguero, and hiked across hardened lava in the shadow of a volcano, but now it's time to begin your return journey home. Alternatively, if you'd like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our large range of extension options (B).