From Rainforest to Panama Canal
Tours to Costa Rica
with optional 2 days extension to Panama
Did you know that Costa Ricans call themselves “ticos” and “ticas”? That the country has 5 active volcanoes? And that Panama City is the only capital city that has a rain forest within the city limits? Let’s discover these unforgettable countries together!
Highlights of Tours to Costa Rica
- Tours of the coffee and cocoa plantations
- Magical walks on suspended bridges through the cloud forest
- Animal paradise with sloths make their way through forest canopies and monkeys swinging through trees, colorful birds
- Pristine nature: live volcanoes, cascading waterfalls, and clean beaches
- Extension: Tour of historic parts of San Jose and Panama City, and Panama canal cruise
Dates & Cost
DATES
DAYS
January 3rd – 11th, 2022
With 2 days extension to Panama
9 days
$2395 / 2795
Now $2095 / 2395
Costa Rica & Panama Itinerary
Day 1
San Jose
“Costa Rica and Panama are more than a vacation destination; it is an interactive sensory experience .”
Afternoon Arrivals in San Jose
Evening Historic tour of San Jose: National Theatre, Main Square and ruins of XIV century church (part of the UNESCO list)
Welcome group dinner
Meals included: dinner
Day 2
Tirimbina Reserve
Morning Tour of the coffee plantation – we learn about cultivating and processing Costa Rican gold and discover what makes their coffee so good during the coffee tasting through Tirimbina Reserve
Afternoon We walk through the longest suspension bridge to a cacao plantation. The sahe of the cacao fruit resembles an American football ball. And what does its beans tastes like? You can find out for yourself, as well as learning about the process of fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding beans, and brewing a wonderful chocolate drink
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3
La Fortuna
Morning Hike the low-impact 3-mile trail at Arenal National Park to Costa Rica’s most active volcano
by La Fortuna Waterfall. The waterfall is located just outside the main town, with a deep pool that is perfect for swimming. We reach it by easy hiking and then refresh in its waters
Afternoon Time to relax in Baldi Hot Springs: The thermal pools are all-natural and filled with minerals, and there are plenty of them to enjoy
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 4
Drive to Monteverde
Morning Drive to Monteverde
Afternoon One of the most amazing things in Monteverde is walking along some of the hanging bridges in the forest. There are various hanging bridges throughout Monteverde but we choose the most famous one: Sky Bridge
Evening Nigh walk through the jungle
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5
Monteverde
Morning Monteverde Cloud Forest is the most popular, so we start very early to avoid the crowds. This amazing forest with rich flora is situated in high elevation reaching the clouds. It makes the forest moist and prone to rain and is a unique ecosystem for certain animals
Afternoon Free time – our staff can help you choose different activities in the area such as: zip lining through the Rain Forest with one of the longest zip lines (over 1 km); visit the butterfly and humming day gardens
Evening Departure to San Antonio Park
Meals included: breakfast
Day 6
Manuel Antonio Park
Morning Manuel Antonio Park is a real animal paradise. We arrive as soon as the park opens to see as many animals as possible. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing sloths, bats, monkeys, and colorful birds in their natural habitat
Afternoon Relaxing afternoon at Playa Manuel Antonio
Evening We enjoy dinner in a lively but less touristy town of Quepos
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7
San Jose – Departures
Morning Departures to US
Or 2 day extension to Panama City
Afternoon Historic tour of Casco Viejo – the old town
Evening Free evening and dinner on your own
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 8
Panama City
Morning Panama canal tour. We board the boat to learn the history of the world’s most famous canal
Afternoon Free time
Evening Goodbye group dinner
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9
Panama City
Departures
Meals included: breakfast
Tour Operator
Sylvia +1 617-301-1237
Emergency Telephone Numbers
Costa Rica – Country Code +506 | Police 506 | American Embassy: (+506) 2519 2000 Address: Vía 104, C. 98, San José, Costa Rica
Panama – Country Code +507 | Police 106 | American Embassy: (+507) 317-5000 Address: edificio 783, Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas, Panamá
Panataxi: 7-55-5555
Accommodation
Air condition
Towels and soap
Hair Dryer
Safe
Example from past accommodations
Inclusions
What’s included?
- Flights between countries
- All activities listed on itinerary
- Accommodation
- Most meals
- Guides
- Tickets to all scheduled sites
- Ground transportation
- 24h bilingual tour director support
- Pre-departure Q&A
What’s not included
- Airfare
- Some meals
- Optional airport pick up and drop off - 45 USD (both ways) per person
- Alcohol
- Additional health & evacuation insurance
Essential Travel Information
for tours to Costa Rica and Panama
visa requirements, health, currency and more
▹ Visa requirements for tours to Costa Rica and Panama
There are no special visa requirements for U.S. citizens entering Panama and Costa Rica for less than 90 days. Please make sure your passport is valid for at least another 6 months and has empty pages.
▹ Health, Vaccinations
✔︎ All travelers need to be in good physical health in order to participate fully on this trip. When selecting your trip please make sure you have read through the itinerary carefully and assess your ability to manage and enjoy our style of travel. Please note that if in the opinion of our group leader or local guide any traveller is unable to complete the itinerary without undue risk to themselves and/or the rest of the group, we reserve the right to exclude them from all or part of a trip without refund. You should be able to walk at least 2-3 miles a day and be able to climb at least two sets of stairs.
✔︎ You should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information or for any necessary vaccinations before departure.
✔︎ There are no major health risks associated with traveling to Costa Rica and Panama.
✔︎ At least 30 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
✔︎ If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour and any possible delays ( we recommend additional 1-2 weeks of supply).
✔︎ If you tend to get motion sickness please travel with appropriate medication. If you have a sensitive stomach consider bringing imodium as well.
Health Insurance: international health insurance, evacuation or cancelation insurance are not included. We recommend purchasing those before the trip. See the insurance box on the sidebar of this page.
▹ Electricity
Costa Rica and Panama operate on 110 volts and use the same plug as in the U.S. (Type A, with two flat pins)
▹ Connectivity, Internet
✔︎ The internet is available in all hotels although speed may vary.
✔︎ Please consult your phone plan provider for phone call and text messages, international charges and plans.
▹ Time zones
✔︎ Costa Rica is 1 hour behind Eastern Time (ET). 12pm in New York is 11am the same day in Costa Rica from November through March and 10am the same day from April through October.
✔︎ Panama is the same as Eastern Time (ET). 12pm in New York is 12pm the same day in Panama from November through March and 11am the same day from April through October.
▹ Currency, cash, credit cards
✔︎ The currency in Costa Rica is Costa Rican colón and in Panama is U.S. dollar.
✔︎ Better rates of exchange are usually available overseas.
✔︎ ATMs are available in all major towns and cities and credit cards are generally available in tourist shops and restaurants. Visa and MasterCard are better than American Express, Diners. Smaller venues accept cash only.
▹ Transportation and arrival information
✔︎ If you add airport pick up our driver will meet you at the airport with a sign that says: Colibri Travel & Tours. If you do not see your driver immediately stay right by exit from the secure area for another 15 min. If you still can’t find each other please give us a call. Driver’s name and phone number will be provided within 24 hours before your departure.
✔︎ If you choose to arrange for your own transportation we will meet you at the hotel or casa. In this case please make sure that you have the address and phone number.
▹ Baggage allowance
✔︎ Our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one carry-on bag per person due to storage limitations on motor coaches and other transfers, which may include train connections or flights. Additional baggage can be a subject of extra fees. Contact your airline for baggage size and weight restrictions for your flights.
✔︎ We recommend that you make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, and documents and a set of clothes, pijamas and cosmetics (travel size) in your carry-on bag in case of baggage delays. ber of your first hotel printed out.
▹ Tipping
✔︎ It’s customary to offer your guide and driver a gratuity in local currency. Please keep current exchange rates in mind.
✔︎ We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10 per day per person and giving the tips to tour leaders to distribute between drivers, guides etc.
✔︎ Tips can only be paid in cash.
▹ Itinerary
Our itineraries are updated regularly throughout the year based on customer feedback and to reflect the current situation in each destination. The information included in this Essential Trip Information may therefore differ from when you first booked your trip. It is important that you review this information prior to travel so that you have the latest updates. Due to weather, local conditions, transport schedules, public holidays, or other factors, further changes may be necessary to your itinerary once in-country. The order and timing of included activities in each location may also vary seasonally to ensure our travelers have the best experience. Your tour leader will keep you up to date with any such changes once on tour.
We LOVE to talk about travel. If you have any questions please give us a call: 617 301 1237 or email us: info@colibritraveltours.com.
We are always happy to talk to our travelers and answer the questions!
Blog
Register now!
Steps to enroll:
- Fill up the registration form on-line here.
Or download the registration form below, fill it out and send to info@colibritraveltours.com or mail to Colibri Travel & Tours, 341 Pearl St, Cambridge, MA 02139.
2. Send us a copy of your passport and deposit check via password protected email or regular mail.
3. Pack your bags and enjoy!
Small group:
8 - 20 ppl
Physical rating:
Moderate
Do you need a travel insurance?
Reviews
A group of 6 of us (3 couples, 55-73 years old) joined tours to Costa Rica in a small group with Colibri Travel & Tours...great choice! Colibri went above and beyond to make sure we saw all the animals we wanted to see and had a choice of skipping any activity we weren’t comfortable with, for example, zip-lining. We went on several amazing hikes, the cocoa tasting was incredible, we loved seeing all the birds and animals. Having a little taste of Panama was an extra bonus. Hotels were comfy and beautiful, with lots of nature around and great food. Great tour!
After doing some research online into tours to Costa Rica and Panama companies, we decided to give Colibri Travel & Tours a chance. On arrival, we were welcomed with fantastic guide, Roberto. We felt like we just met our new, best friend. He cracked his first joke and did not stop for the rest of the trip. We met 8 people from the group and went to explore San Jose (which sadly is not a very interesting town). We dined in a great restaurant and had lots of laughs (again Roberto was simply hilarious). Our next day's excursion was to a coffee plantation to start the day and then boarded a coach, fully air-conditioned and safety belted and set off for our day of adventure in the jungle. The rest was just one amazing experience after another. The cocoa tour and tasting, volcanos, animals, bird watching relaxing in hot springs, beach day, meals, and finally two days in Panama. I have never been on such a well put together and enjoyable tour! A special shout out must go to Roberto. His passion and expertise and sense of humor were second to none! Thank you
We chose the Colibri tours to Costa Rica and Panama because I always wanted to see the Panama canal, and it combined both countries. The tour itself was excellent. I love that they do it in small groups so it is easy to move around. As travel to Costa Rica, it was a great experience, lots of nature, good food although I was surprised how “Americanized” the country was. Lots of American stores and about 80 % of the tourists were from the States. It felt like an extension of the US. Panama had a better nationality mix and the Panama canal history was really interesting although the Panama canal is a bit less impressive than I imagined. I loved our hotels, guides and will travel with Colibri Travel & Tours again. The tour leader was also talking about Cuba so that is next on our list.
