Fire, Cloud & Coast
Ten days across the whole of it — the volcano, the cloud forest, and a wild stretch of Pacific — at a pace that lets each one land.
The journey
This is the country, properly. Not a highlights reel taken at a run, but ten unhurried days through its three great worlds: the volcano's backcountry, the cloud forest in the mist above it, and a quiet coast to end on. Adventure, then wonder, then rest — each with room to breathe, each handled end to end, west across the country so you never double back. You arrive on one side and leave from the other, and everything in between is ours.
The ground you'll cross
Region to region, one unbroken line.
Each marker is a region you'll wake up in; the dotted line is the route that strings them together — every boat, flight and road transfer between handled for you.
- San José
- Arenal
- Monteverde
- Guanacaste
- Liberia
The journey, day by day
Ten days, handled.
- Day 01
Into volcano country
We meet you at the airport and head north into the Arenal valley. Settle in, the hot springs at dusk, a welcome dinner. The trip starts the moment you land.
- Day 02
Off the grid, then the chef's table
A hike to off-the-map waterfalls only locals know, with a local guide reading the forest the whole way. In the evening, the chef's table — a private gourmet dinner from a self-made local cook who built his life around making it.
- Day 03
Whitewater
A morning on the river — private rafting through the jungle. The afternoon is yours: back to the hot springs, slow. Then, after dark, a guided walk back into the forest, when it turns electric — a red-eyed frog, an eyelash viper, eyes flashing in the canopy.
- Day 04
Río Celeste, the local way
Out early to the impossible turquoise before the buses, then the swim only locals know — off the map, no one else in the water.
- Day 05
Up to the cloud forest
A last Arenal morning, then the drive to Monteverde — out of the lowlands and up into the hills, the air cooling as you climb. By afternoon you're in the cloud.
- Day 06
Into the mist
The cloud forest most people miss — the quieter reserve rather than the crowded one, with a guide who finds what you'd walk straight past, and a night walk when the forest wakes after dark. Moss, mist, and the chance of a quetzal.
- Day 07
High and slow
A morning in the canopy and the hanging bridges, an afternoon at a cloud-forest coffee finca — or nothing at all. The cool, green pause in the middle of the trip.
- Day 08
Down to the Pacific
The drive down out of the hills to the coast, the cloud burning off into open sky and warm air. By afternoon you're on a quiet stretch of Pacific the strip never found. First sunset over the water.
- Day 09
The wild coast
A secluded beach, the reef, a surf lesson or a long swim — or, in season, a night where the turtles come ashore. The slow, sun-warm end the whole trip's been building toward.
- Day 10
Out the other side
A last morning by the water, then the short drive to Liberia and home. The whole country behind you.
Yours to shape. Swap the Pacific for the Caribbean, add more days on the volcano, or trade a beach day for the cloud forest at dawn. Every journey is built around you.
What’s included
- Airport pickup and drop-off
- All transfers
- Nine nights' lodging across the three regions, in your chosen style
- The Arenal experiences and the chef's table above
- The Monteverde cloud-forest days
- The Pacific coast
- Private guide and transport throughout
- Hot springs
- Rafting
- All park and reserve fees
- Daily breakfast
Not included
- International flights
- Most lunches and dinners
- Gratuities
- Travel insurance
The essentials
What you can count on, before a word is exchanged.
Airport to airport
Ten days, nine nights. Arrive and depart from whichever airports suit you — San José, Liberia, or one of each. We meet you and return you to the airport, and every transfer between is ours to handle. The easy routing lands you in San José and flies you out of Liberia, so the loop runs west and never doubles back — but we build it around your flights either way.
Private
The journey is yours and your party's alone.
Where you stay
Entirely your choice across all three regions, from relaxed and characterful to the most exclusive addresses in the country. We build the journey around the comfort you want.
Pricing
Each journey is composed individually — priced on enquiry, never from a fixed list. Tell us who's travelling and how you like to stay, and we prepare a proposal made for you.
Season
Wonderful year-round; the drier months (December–April) bring the clearest cloud-forest views, and the turtle arribada follows its own calendar — tell us when you're hoping to travel and we'll time it.
Plan this journey
Tell us who’s travelling and how you like to stay. We build the rest.
Priced on enquiry — composed for your party, never from a fixed list. We reply personally, usually within a day.