Real Affordable Costa Rica (2012)

San Jose • Sarapiqui • Arenal • Guanacaste • Pacific Coast
  • 13 days
  • from only:
  • $1595
  • $123 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 13 days
  • from only:
  • $2095
  • $162 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
RAP Map T26
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Costa Rica
NEW-Private Departures
Is This Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Guatemala: Antigua & Tikal
Tortuguero National Park: Ultimate Rain Forest Experience
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
Grand Circle Foundation
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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CT

Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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CT

Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta

6hrs

Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles

8hrs

Denver, New York (JFK), San Francisco

9hrs

Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, DC (Dulles)

7hrs

Miami

3hrs

Minneapolis

11hrs

Portland, OR

17hrs

Phoenix, San Diego

14hrs

Seattle

12hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to San Jose, Costa Rica. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: Tortuguero National Park: Ultimate Rain Forest Experience

3 nights from only $645

 

Join OAT in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica’s “Amazon”—so-called for its lush jungle canopy and the fascinating abundance of wildlife that call this protected haven home. A naturalist’s nirvana, this 47,000-acre expanse stretching along the Caribbean coast can only be explored by boat along a network of navigable waterways.

Single Supplement: FREE

Please note: This extension is only available on select departures. Ask your Adventure Specialist for details.

It's Included

  • Accommodations for 2 nights in Tortuguero National Park and 1 night in San José
  • 9 meals—4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 dinners
  • 3 small group activities
  • Services of a local boatman in Tortuguero and expert OAT Trip Leader
  • Transfer from Tortuguero to San José
  • All transfers
Day 1
Transfer to Tortuguero/Visit Tortuguero town

Literally “region of turtles,” remote Tortuguero is home to 111 species of reptiles, 60 species of mammals, 309 species of birds, and 57 species of amphibians—including the endangered Green Turtle, for which it is the western hemisphere's most important nesting site. If you arrive during nesting season, which runs between mid-June and October, you might observe legions of sea turtles descending upon the beaches to lay their eggs and bury them in the sand. If you're lucky, you might even be able to watch as the eggs hatch and the baby turtles dig their way to the surface to make their way to the sea.

This morning, we’ll transfer to the Caño Blanco dock and board a boat for our cruise to Tortuguero. En route, we'll stop to discover Tortuguero town, where we’ll enjoy the Caribbean flavor of this unique village, which has no roads, no sidewalks, and no cars. We'll arrive at our lodge in the early afternoon, and enjoy a brief orientation walk followed by lunch at our lodge. Afterward, you'll have time for independent exploration before our included dinner at our lodge tonight.
Day 2
Tortuguero/Explore canals by boat/Nature walk

Both natural and man-made canals are the primary means of transportation in Tortuguero. This morning, we’ll cruise along this restricted network in search of such local denizens as crocodiles, iguanas, and the rare manatee.

We’ll return to the lodge for lunch, then we can choose between a walk along the lodge’s trail to observe the region’s diverse flora and fauna—perhaps glimpsing the sloths, monkeys, Green Macaws, and toucans that call this protected area home—or another boat or canoe ride along a different series of Tortuguero's canals. Following our afternoon nature-viewing activities, we’ll regroup to have dinner together at our lodge.
Day 3
Tortuguero/Boat ride to Caño Blanco/Overland to San José

Following breakfast this morning, we enjoy a leisurely canal boat ride to Caño Blanco. There, we begin our overland transfer to San José, stopping en route for lunch in a local restaurant. We arrive in Costa Rica's capital this afternoon, and have the evening at leisure. Dinner is on your own tonight.

Day 4
San José/Return to U.S.

After breakfast at our hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight home.