This incredible vacation lets you sample the scenic beauty of Guatemala and Costa Rica. Your trip begins in Guatemala City with a transfer to Antigua, Guatemala’s capital from 1543 until a devastating earthquake in 1776. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Antigua is one of the Americas’ oldest and most beautiful cities. Known for its 16th-century Spanish Colonial architecture, your Antigua sightseeing tour includes the Catedral de San José, Palace of the Capitanes Generales, and ruins of churches and monasteries. Also, take a tour of a jade factory. Travel to the highland town of Chichicastenango to visit a colorful, open-air Indian market and Church of Santo Tomás. Then continue to Lake Atitlán, where you enjoy a cruise across the 900-foot-deep lake. Visit the Indian village of Santiago Atitlán, where you can meet the Tzutuhil people, one of Guatemala’s indigenous tribes. The Guatemala portion of your vacation ends in Guatemala City with a tour and dinner. Then, fly to San José, the capital of Costa Rica, for a city tour. Visit the National Theater, designed as the opera house at the beginning of the 19th century, and the National Museum. Tour a banana plantation before reaching Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica’s national park dedicated to protecting endangered turtles. During your stay, cruise through the Tortuguero Canals, view amazing flora and fauna in a remote section of the park, and enjoy a guided walk through the rainforest. Your guide will help you spot freshwater turtles, herons, toucans, monkeys, and more. Next, transfer by boat to Sarapiqui and tour the Corsicana Pineapple Farm. Travel through Tilajari Rainforest Reserve en route to Tilajari Resort, your home for two nights. Here, experience the Butterfly Garden, relax in the pools of the Ecotermales Hot Springs, view Arenal Volcano, or walk in the nearby tropical rainforest in search of 300- to 400-year-old trees, poisonous frogs, monkeys, birds, and possibly small animals native to the reserve. Then on to Poas Volcano National Park to see the magnificent La Paz Waterfall and Poas Volcano, where you have up-close views of the enormous crater with its deep, green lake. Learn about coffee production at the Doka Coffee Plantation before returning to San José for an overnight. Then continue on to the coastal town of Quepos, gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park. Here you explore dense mangrove swamps with the opportunity to view a variety of wildlife. It is not uncommon to see iguanas and white-faces monkeys on the beach. For the more active, there are jungle hikes suited for all levels, and local activities include canopy tours, diving, sea kayaking, and mountain biking. Enjoy two full days at leisure, then conclude your memorable Costa Rica and Guatemala vacation back in San José.
Similar Vacations that may interest you: