Travel

You will sense it the minute you arrive in Costa Rica: a feeling of physical and mental well-being. Costa Rica is synonymous with contentment and relaxation. Few nations in the world combine such a friendly population with such beautiful natural surroundings. The purpose of this 10-day tour is to immerse you in Costa Rica's natural beauty while offering ample opportunities for healthy activities and excellent vegan cuisine.
 

Great efforts have been by tour organizers to assure participants not only quality vegan meals on this tour, but delicious meals, prepared under hygienic conditions. Our Costa Rican hosts have worked closely with Club VEG representatives in meeting all the club's dietary requirements. Everyone involved with the tour is excited about preparing meals you will truly enjoy.
 

Sawtelle Travel Service has organized the trip. In creating the itinerary, Sawtelle has drawn on experience gained during more than 15 nature trips to Costa Rica by its agents. Sawtelle's objective in choosing destinations for this trip has been to find comfortable lodges in beautiful, biologically diverse locations. Diverse locales will insure you the opportunity of viewing hundreds of different birds and animals. Sawtelle also will handle air travel arrangements for the tour. Rick Marsi and Ann Silvernail of Sawtelle will be the agents in charge. Rick is a veteran naturalist and Costa Rica traveler. Ann's 30 years of experience have made her an expert in obtaining convenient, economical flights for her clients.
 

From the coolness of the cloud forest to warm sand on an uncrowded beach, the locations on this tour promise incomparable scenery and immediate stress reduction. Take this tour and you will agree that Costa Rica offers the treasures of life.

Itinerary: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10
Trip Details: Cost, Payment, Lodging, Tour Escort, Transportation, Air Travel, Trip Insurance,  To Learn More

The Tour

Day 1 - February 14, 2004
Bosque de Paz Cloud Forest Lodge. Located just 90 minutes from San Jose, Bosque de Paz (Peaceful Forest) is situated in one of Costa Rica's most ecologically significant areas. This 1,200-acre reserve forms a natural corridor between two national parks: Poas Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco. Accommodations in Bosque de Paz are clean, comfortable and quiet. The dining room is beautiful, featuring skillfully carved wooden furniture and a lovely view of cloud forest slopes out the window. Dinner and lodging at Bosque de Paz.
 

Day 2 - February 15, 2004
A full day to enjoy nature at Bosque de Paz. More than 286 different kinds of birds have been observed on trails at the reserve. With a skilled naturalist as our guide, we will see brilliantly colored toucans, trogons and tanagers. We'll also have an excellent opportunity to see troops of howler monkeys and lounging three-toed sloths. At 5,000 feet above sea level, Bosque de Paz is always cool and refreshing. Eleven well-maintained trails meander for miles through forests rich with orchids, ferns and bromeliads. In a large clearing outside the tastefully appointed lodge, hummingbird feeders often attract as many as 6 different kinds of hummingbirds at once. An orchid collection and butterfly garden enhance the reserve's bio-diverse appeal. Two optional guided walks are scheduled during the day, as well as a fascinating night tour. Meals and lodging at Bosque de Paz.

Day 3 - February 16, 2004
Today we will experience the fun and excitement of rafting on one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful rivers: the Sarapiquí. Rapids on this river are Level II – exciting but safe. A friendly, bi-lingual guide will accompany each raft. He will be skilled at rafting, river safety and interpreting the natural surroundings. We will enjoy a wonderful streamside snack of fresh fruit and can take several opportunities to swim in clear, cool river pools during the tour. We’ll be on the river for several hours. A hot, tasty meal will be provided at tour’s end.

We’ll return to Bosque de Paz by late afternoon.
Other excursion options on this day include visits to either Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge or the Arenal Volcano.
Dinner and night at Bosque de Paz.

 

Day 4 - February 17, 2004
After breakfast at Bosque de Paz, we transfer to the airport for our 45-minute flight south to Drake Bay Wilderness Resort on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. Facing the Pacific Ocean, backed by untouched tropical forest, Drake Bay offers a number of wonderful outdoor activities. After lunch at the hotel, we will experience one of them: a walk through the Rio Claro reserve. The Rio Claro is a cool, clear river (a large stream, really) which flows through dense forest before opening into a lovely lagoon within sight of the ocean. Flowing gently through the lagoon, the river then spills across the sand and empties into the Pacific. On this walk, we'll have a chance to swim in the lagoon, or in the Pacific - fresh or salt water within 100 yards of each other. The beaches around Drake Bay are as scenic and unspoiled as any you will find anywhere. Dinner and night at Drake Bay Wilderness Resort.

Day 5 - February 18, 2004
Today will find us exploring another attraction near Wilderness Bay: Cano Island Biological Reserve. Lying 10 miles offshore from Drake Bay, this pristine, uninhabited 6,000-acre island features five coral reefs that are a snorkeler's or scuba diver's delight. A trail on the island climbs to high cliffs above the Pacific. The island also features a prehistoric cemetery and mysterious round stones sculpted by ancient people who once walked here. We'll spend the day, including lunch, at Cano Island before returning to Drake Bay Resort for dinner. Dinner and night at Drake Bay.

Day 6 - February 19, 2004

Following breakfast at Drake Bay, we'll set out by boat for nearby Corcovado National Park. Encompassing more than 100,000 acres of land and 5,000 acres of marine habitat, Corcovado represents one of Costa Rica's most remote and impressive natural treasures. Eight different ecosystems exist in the park: everything from mangroves to montane forests. Five hundred species of trees have been identified within park boundaries. Jaguars, harpy eagles, giant anteaters and other endangered species have found one of their last safe refuges here. Arriving at the park, we will enjoy a guided walk on its trails, followed by a picnic lunch. We'll conclude our visit with a tour of the Sirena Biological Station, where researchers from throughout the world conduct tropical studies. Dinner and night at Drake Bay.
 

Day 7 - February 20, 2004
Following breakfast, we will depart Drake Bay for our return flight to San Jose. Landing in the capital city, we will be met by our driver and transferred to Hotel Punta Leona on the Pacific Ocean. We’ll have lunch at Punta Leona.
Surrounding this beachfront hotel is one of the most important private nature preserves in Costa Rica's Pacific Zone. Consisting of 750 acres of primary and secondary forest, the preserve hosts more than 200 bird species, including the rare scarlet macaw. Also found there: capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, coatimundis and many butterflies
Dinner and night at Punta Leona.

Day 8 - February 21, 2004
Today we’ll be free to enjoy the many pleasures of Hotel Punta Leona. The hotel features three private white-sand beaches that offer excellent swimming and snorkeling in the warm Pacific Ocean. Well-marked trails on the hotel grounds present excellent opportunities for hiking and birdwatching. Every morning at Punta Leona, the resident naturalist leads a walk over portions of these trails. You may decide to join him.
In addition to the scarlet macaw, other birds frequently encountered at Punta Leona include colorful parrots, parakeet and motmots.
Dinner and night at Punta Leona

Day 9 - February 22, 2004
After breakfast and lunch at Punta Leona, we will begin our leisurely return to San Jose and the lovely Hotel Bougainvillea. We will arrive there in time to stroll the hotel’s huge botanical garden, complete with pools, fountains and lovely swimming pool area.
Dinner and evening at Hotel Bougainvillea
 

Day 10 - February 23, 2004
After breakfast, our trip ends with a short drive to the International Airport for our flight home.
 

Nature Tour of Costa Rica
 

Trip Details

Cost
Cost for this tour is $2,825 per person, double occupancy, from San Jose, Costa Rica. Single supplement is $600. Sawtelle Travel will be happy to work with any single in finding a compatible roommate for the trip. Tour cost covers all food, lodging, transportation, park admissions and guide services in Costa Rica. Not included: airfare to and from Costa Rica, airport departure tax, tips and commercial beverages
 

Payment
A $250 deposit per person is required to book space on the tour. Following receipt of your deposit, Sawtelle Travel Service will send you an information packet including a tour map, a list of travel tips and information on passports, what to wear, etc.
Final payment is due no later than Dec.15, 2002. Major credit cards are accepted.
 

Lodging
The lodges, restaurants and excursions on this itinerary are among Costa Rica's finest.

Transportation
Transportation will be on a modern, air-conditioned mini-bus with comfortable seats and big windows.

Air Travel
Sawtelle Travel Service has been providing clients with efficient, cost-effective air travel service for 55 years. We would be pleased to help you make air travel arrangements to Costa Rica.

Trip Insurance
As a certified American Express Travel Agency, our agency offers American Express "Basic Vacation" and "Comprehensive Vacation" insurance plans. We strongly recommend travel insurance and will happily send you brochures explaining these protection programs.

Tour Escort
Throughout the tour, participants will be accompanied by an expert Costa Rican guide, fluent in English, well-versed in Costa Rican natural history and familiar with all stops on the itinerary.
 

 To Learn More

Contact Rick Marsi or Ann Silvernail at Sawtelle Travel Service. Both have visited Costa Rica and can help you with questions about any aspect of your trip. Rick has escorted more than a dozen trips to Costa Rica. Ann is an air travel specialist with 25 years of experience. Phone: 607-729-6300 or 800-295-2222. Fax: 607-729-2904.
E-mail: nature@sawtelletravel.com
 

For additional information about vegan cuisine on the trip, contact Amie Hamlin at clubveg@aol.com

A Note About Vegan Cuisine
Vegan cuisine features plant products only. While non-vegans are welcome on this tour, they will be asked to maintain vegan dietary standards when eating meals with the group.