It’s hard to imagine a first-time visitor to Northern California not putting San Francisco, Yosemite, and the Wine Country on their wish list. But, as you know, locals often studiously avoid the too-popular sites in those iconic places suggested by guidebooks. For example, we love San Francisco, but it’s been quite a while since we’ve ventured down to Fisherman’s Wharf, and we urge visiting friends to ferry over to Angel Island for its fantastic views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge rather than being crammed aboard a boat to Alcatraz.

Well, the same goes for deservedly iconic and much-visited Costa Rica. Our 20 years of going there have taught us that if you want to visit classic destinations like Monteverde, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio, you’re well advised to stay off the beaten path, as we do in Classic Costa Rica. Even better is exploring that rarer path with our expert naturalist guides.

Day 1: arrive in San José; drive to the Cloudforest at Villa Blanca • Day 2: walk along misty cloud forest trails for bird watching; drive to Arenal Volcano, with a stop at the hanging bridges for a walking rainforest tour • Day 3: mountain biking and waterfall rappelling; Hidalgo family hotsprings • Day 4: to Arenal to Rafiki Safari Lodge via scenic charter flight • Day 5: class III & IV rafting on the tropical Savegre River • Day 6: private tour with a naturalist of Manuel Antonio National Park for and beachside picnic; sea kayaking at Biesanz Beach • Day 7: scenic flight back to San Jose in time for international flights home

Optional Extension:
Day 7-9: optional activities at Lapa Rios, a rustic luxury lodge in the untouched Osa Pennisula. Activities include: rainforest walks, night hikes, medicinal plant and farm tours, massage, yoga, dolphin sightings, surf lessons, horseback riding, mangrove and kayak tours.

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