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COSTA RICA
MOUNTAIN TO OCEAN
PHOTOGRAPHY ADVENTURE ESCAPE
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| TRIP DETAILS
Embark on this 10 day photo journey to discover two of Costa Rica's most enchanting destinations, the serene setting of the Talamanca Mountain range and the lush rainforest of the Osa Peninsula. Surround yourself with lush mountain views followed by verdant tropcial forest teeming with abundant wildlife. Enjoy delicious foods from exotic fruits to traditional Costa Rican fare. Push your limits on our daily hikes and activities that will introduce you to the beauty of Costa Rica.
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| REACHING THE CLOUDS IN COSTA RICA
Your journey begins in the heart of the Talamanca Mountains, home to the famous Chirripo Mountain, the second highest peak in all of Central America. You will be staying at Rio Chirripo lodge, a stunning property surrounded by flowing rivers and green mountain tops. Enjoy views of rolling hills and lush colourful gardens as you explore the beauty of your surroundings.
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| DAY 1 - Arrival in San José. First night in a charming little hotel close to the airport. You can meet up for your first group dinner tonight. Arrive early and you can explore more of Costa Rica's capital city with your camera in hand. Visit many markets, museums, coffee plantations and more.
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Included meals: None
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| DAY 2 - Early morning private transport to Rio Chirripó lodge (Scenic 3-hour drive through beautiful mountains and scenery). Delicious lunch served upon arrival. Unpack and explore the grounds.You'll be surrounded by mountains and lush gardens in and around the property, a perfect spot to start capturing the beauty of Costa Rica.
Want to move this afternoon? Join us to the Secret Gardens where you can photography a wide variety of plants and flowers. We'll follow a short guided tour of this incredible botanical collection.
For those interested, we offer you a complimentary sunset yoga class in our beautiful and fully equipped yoga room. We'll then enjoy a delicious family style dinner together in the main dinning room overlooking the mountains. Rio Chirripo offers organic ingredients mostly from their own garden or from local farms. Try their locally made cheeses and breads, as well as greens of all kinds. Food at Rio Chirripo is very much part of the adventure.
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Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included tours: Visit of the Secret Garndens + Sunset Yoga for those interested.
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| DAY 3 - Want to hike a little today? Join a guided hike of the Cloudbridge Reserve. This natural Reserve is home to many species of birds including the resplendent Quetzal. We will be hiking a loop with a fairly steep incline offering us amazing views of the reserve and waterfalls. Don't want to hike so much? You can enjoy the many gardens and spectacular view points over the river as well a beautiful and impressive waterfall. There are plenty things to photograph in the reserve including the many birds and local wildlife. We'll enjoy a lovely lunch by the river and head back to the lodge mid afternoon.
You then have the rest of the afternoon to rest, swim, or continue exploring and photographing the grounds. After already taking so many shots, you might be interested in a deep tissue massage with our in-house massage therapist. This evening, we'll enjoy a delicious dinner followed by a nice fire under the moon and stars.
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Approx. hike time: 3 to 4 hours loop (up and down hill hiking required) or you can explore the grounds at your leisure.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included tours: 10am Cloudbridge Hike
Optional tours: Spa treatments available at the lodge.
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| DAY 4 -
Today we offer you the choice of two activities. The first option will be to join us on a delicious chocolate tasting tour! This tour is included in your package and is offered near-by in the neighbourhood. Put on some good walking shoes and head to the local village where you can indulge in some organic chocolate tasting! You'll then return to the lodge for lunch followed by a relaxing afternoon by the pool, hot tub or river. You can of course continue exploring the grounds or neighbourhood with your camera in hand.
Alternatively, if we hear that there are lots of Resplendent Quetzal sightings in the area, we will invite you on an optional tour to visit a few spots to hopefully capture this exquisite bird on camera. Although the northern Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala we’ve been told by birders that they are easier to see and there is a much larger population in Costa Rica because the forests are better protected here.
Resplendent Quetzals are startling emerald jewels of the cloud forest. They shimmer from one shade to another, blending almost magically with the wet green background of their constantly misty high altitude homes. Their color seems ephemeral for a reason; quetzals are not green at all. It’s hard to believe, but quetzals are actually brown.
In the cloud forests of Costa Rica the quetzal breeding season (and best viewing) is mid February into June or July when the wild avocado trees and other fruit from trees in the laurel family (Lauraceae) are producing. The parents chop a hole in a partially decomposed standing tree where the female lays one or two blue eggs and they both share duties incubating them.
We would love for you to experience viewing these birds in full flight. If appropriate, we will organize a day trip!
If time permits, this later this afternoon we offer you a surpirse spa treatment by the river! We'll introduce you to locally grown products that will leave your skin feeling soft and new. We finish the day with a lovely dinner and maybe a soak in the hot tub under the night sky. Tomorrow we head to the Osa!
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Approx. walk time to activity: Chocolate tour 20 minutes (walk down and then uphill required)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included tours: 10am Chocolate tasting + River Spa treatment if time permits
Optional tours: Quetzal viewing tour (Price will depend on the number of people joining)
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| INTO THE WILDS OF THE OSA PENINSULA
The pristine rainforests and rugged natural beauty of the Osa Peninsula make this region among the most beautiful areas in Costa Rica. Declared "the most biologically intense place on earth" by National Geographic Magazine, the Osa Peninsula has become the premier eco-tourism destination in the country. The Osa Peninsula is a secluded nature wonderland, playing home to many of the country’s rare and endangered animal and bird species, including squirrel monkeys, jaguars, and other forest cats. With a large chunk of the Peninsula forming the Corcovado National Park, this area has the single largest expanse of a lowland tropical rainforest in Central America and is one of the tallest rainforests in the world. The area hosts more than 375 bird species, a fourth of Costa Rica's tree species and more than 5000 vascular plant species, many of which are found nowhere else on earth.
It is here, in the most lush and verdant part of the country that your exciting photography escape will continue. Encounter all four species of monkeys, tropical birds like toucans and macaws and be surrounded by the largest concentration of wildcats in all of the country! Come and fully immerse yourself in this wild and pristine setting full of animals and beautiful scenery to photograph.
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| DAY 5 - After a hearty breakfast, we depart for the Osa Peninsula by private shuttle. Once again, the Osa is known to be "the most biologically intense place on Earth" by National Geographic Magazine. Enjoy the many vistas as we descend south towards the coastline. Quick stop in the small town of Puerto Jimenez to grab a bite to eat (optional) and to purchase snacks and anything else you'll need for your next few days by the ocean. Puerto Jimenez is the last little town you'll see before heading down the road towards Corcovado National Park. Arrive in the beach town of Matapalo at Ojo Del Mar ecolodge mid afternoon. Time to unpack and explore your surroundings before our group get-together to discuss the next few days. We finish the day with a delicious dinner. Ojo Del Mar is also known for its creative vegetarian cuisine. The food is served buffet style so those that want fish or meat will have that too!
Tonight just before or after dinner, we invite you to explore the grounds with us on a night hike. Bring your headlamp or flashlight and join us as we move around slowly and quietly to spot and photograph (no flash) the nocturnal animals that live amongst us. Nothing to be scared about in fact, this might help ease your worries that something might eat you! Totally safe.
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Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included tours: Welcome orientation + Night hike
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| DAY 6 - Start your morning with a hearty breakfast. Once finished, get into your hiking shoes and we'll take a trek through the neighbourhood to discover and photograph all of the indigenous fruits, flowers, and of course local wildlife! Today we head to “Matapalo” where many of the monkeys can easily be found hanging around, sleeping and playing. We will be showing you around the neighbourhood pointing out all of the local hot spots where you can spot wildlife in the early morning and late afternoons when the animals are feeding.
Next we head to one of the three beaches in Matapalo for a much deserved rest. Bring a snack and photograph the beauty of this stunning view. After the morning hike we’ll head back to the lodge for a delicious lunch and relaxation time.
After lunch, enjoy free time at the beach or lounge around the property and enjoy the pool or ocean. In the late afternoon, those of you who wish to continue exploring can hike in the area to spot more wildlife. The animals are always more active early am or late in the afternoon! Want a massage? Our in-house massage therapist will be happy to offer you a few choices.
At around 4:30pm meet us on our beatufiful yoga platform for a complimentary sunset practice. Enjoy a restorative and gentle session to realign mind, body and soul.
In the evening, we have a wonderful and delicious dinner waiting for you after happy hour! Perhaps you’ll be interested in checking out what the chef is making? Enter the open-air kitchen to learn about Costa Rican fare and other local dishes!
After dinner, if you still have enough energy, we can head again on a short night hike in and around the property to spot the night action! It’s a whole different perspective from day to night here on the Osa!
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Approx. hike time: 4 hours, mostly flat but uneven terrain.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included tours: Hike to Matapalo + Sunset yoga + Optional nigth hike
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| DAY 7 - Start your am early with a quick tea or coffee and head on an optional bird viewing tour at dawn. After you've seen all of these stunning tropical birds, we have over 350 species on the Osa, enjoy a delicious hearty breaksfast followed by our first waterfall hike! Keep in mind that today, you will get fully wet in our hike up the Carbonara River so you will want to leave your big camera behind. This hike is for anyone that likes a little adventure mixed with swimming and hiking!
Your afternoon is open to lounge around, enjoy the beach and ocean or simply lay around with a good book. You can also try one of our many optional tours from surfing, to waterfall rappelling, to tree climbing to even horseback ridding!
Enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening tonight. Tomorrow is a BIG day for those that want to push their limits on our hike to Corcovado National Park.
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Approx. hike time: 4 hours
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included tours: Hike to waterfall
Optional tours: Early AM bird tour (35US), Waterfall rappelling (99US) , Surfing (60US), Tree Climbing (65US), Horseback riding and more ($ varies).
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| DAY 8 - What’s your pleasure? You’re free to enjoy a day at the beach, take a nearby hike with Martine, your Rainforest Host or visit the famous Corcovado National Park. We highly recommend taking the opportunity to explore this amazing place full of animals! The park is located between the ocean and mountain, which has created a natural corridor that brings together abundant wildlife. You'll realize quickly why it's so popular to wildlife photographers from around the world. It’s home to wildcats like pumas and jaguars, as well as peccaries, tapirs and all four species of monkeys! This hike is led by a knowledgeable local guide. No matter what you choose to do this morning, you'll have the afternoon free at the lodge to do more of whatever you want!
Tonight, we’ll meet for another scrumptious dinner and maybe head to the local bar next door for some cocktails and dancing! This is our last night together on the Osa but we still have a few fun adventures on the menu!
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Approx. hike time: Corcovado hike 6 to 8 hours. If you choose to hike close to the lodge with your RR Escape host 4 hours.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch (packed for those in the park), Dinner
Included activities: Local hike with Martine, your RR Escape host
Optional activity: Guided tour of Corcovado National Park. More info will be sent to you in advance. You must be in good physical shape to do this 6 to 8 hour hike on flat but uneven terrain. (75US)
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| DAY 9 - Save the best for last! This may be our last day on the Osa, but it’s one of our favourites. We will kick off the day with an incredible optional boat trip to visit an animal refuge on the Golfo Dulce. The Golfo Dulce is one of the deepest tropical fjords in the world and is home to three species of dolphins, turtles and even whale-sharks! You’ll see wildlife like you’ve never seen before, and experience the authentic beauty of the Pacific. At the refuge, you can interact with monkeys and photograph some of the local wildlife up close. Also, you’ll be supporting a good cause as the refuge is there to release injured wildlife or to give a home to those that cannot be released. Don’t want to do the boat tour? You can stay on land and take advantage of this day to photograph the small town of Puerto Jimenez or head to one of our favourite restaurants outside of town for a relaxing morning on the beach. We’ll meet you here for lunch after the tour.
Later in the afternoon you can try out zip lining!! Don’t want to zip? Not a problem, enjoy a cold drink by the ocean, have lunch in a local restaurant or discover the small and quaint town of Puerto Jimenez. Later this afternoon, the group will meet up to catch a scenic domestic flight back to San José. Once in San José the group will head to the hotel and meet for one last dinner together.
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Included meals: Breakfast
Optional activities: Dolphin boat tour (75US - FREE if you book early!) , Wildlife refuge (25US donation to enter) , Zip lining tour (75US)
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| DAY 10 - Enjoy a complimentary yummy breakfast at the hotel and say your farewells! With us, it’s never goodbye, just "see you later!" Transfer to the International Airport or you can continue enjoying more of San José if you have time before your flight!
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Included meal: Breakfast
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| WHAT'S NEXT...
Contact us to book your spot in this unique photography adventure escape! Spaces are limited to only a few so you'll want to join NOW! Enjoy the dolphin boat tour ON US if you book early!
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