Arrival to San Jose International Airport, airport meet-and-greet, then transfer to afternoon activity or hotel. (options depend on flight arrival times) Option 1: San Jose Cultural Tour: Our journey will take us around Costa Rica’s capital city where we begin with a visit the National Theater Lobby, also known as “The jewel of San José”, a masterpiece in art and architecture built by Costa Ricans and completed in 1897.  Then we will visit the Central Market, place full of the Costa Rican cultural heritage and traditions, where you will be able to browse and buy some local art crafts. Option 2: Coffee Plantation & Culture: Embark on an extraordinary coffee adventure located in Costa Rica’s highland cloud forests. Delve into the world of coffee, from organic farming and sustainability to processing and worldwide distribution. Surrounded by the lush beauty of Costa Rica’s highland cloud forests this tour is perfect from novice to coffee enthusiast and nature lover. Time permitting, we have the option of exploring local trails with our naturalists for an intro hike to Costa Rica’s rainforests and birdwatching excursion.

Morning Poas Volcano National Park: Poás volcano is a powerful symbol of the geothermal forces that formed Costa Rica. When the mist and cloud’s part you’ll see the sulfuric, bubbling, green rain fed lake at the bottom, surrounded by smoke and steam rising from fumaroles. Water from the lake is constantly seeping through cracks in the hot rock, evaporating and building pockets of steam. Afternoon La Paz Waterfall Garden Nature Park and Wildlife Sanctuary: La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park is the most popular nature tour in the San Jose Area featuring five famous waterfalls and the largest animal sanctuary in Costa Rica.  Shabbat with the Jewish community of San Jose: Includes Maariv services at the local Synagogue followed by dinner.

Options Adventure Tour Options: Waterfall Rappelling: This half day canyoning tour will take you deep inside natural riverside canyons to experience a series of waterfall rappels, rock climbing and hiking through primary tropical rainforest. Keep your eyes open for a chance to see toucans, sloths, monkeys and other exotic wildlife. After canyoning enjoy a delicious fresh typical Costa Rican lunch.  Sky Trek Zip Line & Tram Tour: In the morning experience the biggest, longest and best canopy tour in Costa Rica: Sky Trek & Sky Tram! After being fitted with your zip gear, you will take a gondola ride with your guide through the tops of the rainforest searching out its wildlife before ending at the mountain top observation deck to begin your zip line adventure. From the observation deck, return to ground level by zipping along nearly two miles (three kilometers) of cables across canyons and between treetops. Experience the rain forest below you including incredible panoramic view of the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal from a whole new perspective. Arenal National Park Hike: Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal contains a great wealth of geologic and biological complexity and presents us with the closest views of the volcano and its current eruption activity. Naturalists will guide us along trails passing through young secondary forest and old lava fields from previous large eruptions. Traverses the rainforest and large lava flows from the 1992 eruption. Once on the top of the lava flow you will have beautiful views of the Arenal Lake. Learn and observe with your guides all the factors that makes the Arenal an active volcano. Nature Tour Options:  Sloth Rainforest Experience & Rainforest Walk: The Sloth Sanctuary & Rescue Center for over 20 years has been caring for wild animals and the opportunity of releasing them back to nature. On this educational and volunteer experience you have the opportunity to learn, interact, and help in this ecological mission. Hanging Bridges: The Arenal Hanging Bridges are a complex of trails and bridges through the rainforest. This private nature reserve of almost 250 hectares of tropical rain forest houses an immense diversity of animal and plant species. There are 16 bridges in total. Ten of them are regular or static bridges and vary in length from 8 to 22 meters. Six are hanging or suspension bridges and range in length from 48 to 98 meters long. Our naturalist will guide you through the reserve’s rich biodiversity exploring its unique fauna and flora, exotic animals, colorful birds and tropical plant species. The trail makes a loop with a total length of 3100 meters within the mountainous area.  Culture Tour – La Casona del Rio: Visitors will be welcomed by children from a local rural school beautifully dressed in folkloric clothing performing traditional Costa Rica dance and music. After the presentation, we load into our tractor pulled wagon to begin a journey through the area’s local plantations. We arrive at La Casona, the country home of former president of Costa Rica Rafael Iglesias, considered one of the most charming and authentic cultural sites in Costa Rica. Here you will learn about the history of Costa Rica and the plantations organic farming of pineapple, papaya, yucca and medical gardens. Enjoy homemade rum recipes that are famous from this farming community including a visit to the sugar cane mill learning about the processing of sugar cane. Finally, we will enjoy delicious homemade coffee cooked the old fashion way on wood stoves all while listening to musicians play live traditional Costa Rican songs.  Volcano Hot Spring Water Park & Spa: Experience the magical natural hot springs of the Arenal Volcano. These thermal waters are naturally heated by the Arenal Volcano and its underground rivers. The water reaches the thermal pools taking advantage of the force of gravity without the need for pumping or drilling. The minerals naturally found in the water, such as calcium, magnesium, sodium bicarbonate, and chloride contribute to a complete relaxation of mind and body. Experience the right amount of thrill and relaxation as you enjoy extraordinary volcano views, numerous warm and cold pools, and even jungle hot spring water slides, all within the rainforest’s natural scenery.

Rainforest Reserve Expedition: Over 600 hectares of tropical rainforest make up our Rainforest Center and Wildlife Refuge. Located in the heart of the rainforest next to the Sarapiqui River; it has over 10 miles of trail systems where we will be able to experience a variety of wildlife (especially birds which it is famous for), flora and fauna unique to Costa Rica’s Central Rainforest.  Sustainable Agriculture: Rainforest Chocolate Program - Plantation, harvesting and cooking. Everything about Butterflies: Hands on discovery & research of butterflies in our Biological Reserve including capture & release. Optional add-on Evening: Rainforest Science Lab: All About Bats: Learn classification, diversity, adaptations, reproduction, threats and more. Includes capture, identification, and release.

Whitewater Rafting Adventure: Experience an adrenaline filled half-day river rafting adventure down the Sarapiqui River. Experience whitewater magic as you discover the excitement of thrilling rapids coursing through rugged canyons and verdant tropical rainforests on one of the most exotic and scenic rivers in the world. This adrenaline-pumping excursion takes you through class-II-IV rapids, past spectacular landscapes, under tumbling cascades as you adventure down beautiful river canyons exploring through stunning rainforest full of wildlife. Rainforest Zip Line Adventure: Enjoy 9 zip lines immersed in the rainforest of Sarapiquí. Here we experience the natural wonders and wildlife of the rainforest tree-top ecosystem. The adventure ends with a 900 ft cable crossing the beautiful Sarapiquí River canyon. Optional low intensity tour options available for substitution including wildlife and cultural tours.

Jungle Crocodile Safari: Experience the authentic thrill of the Jungle Crocodile Safari as we journey by riverboat along the majestic Tarcoles River. Here, we will have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the incredible biodiversity that this unique ecosystem provides. Experience incredible wildlife viewing as we journey through three diverse ecosystems: river, mangrove, and estuary. Private Beach Resort (day pass): Spend the day at a private pacific beach resort. Frolic in the waves of this beautiful white sand beach. Day includes use of private resorts amenities and facilities.

Morning: Optional Shacharit services at the local synagogue followed by Kiddush lunch with the Jewish community. Afternoon education program: Lecture program with Dr. Aaron Arguedas – Jews of Costa Rica and Central America and Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean.

San Jose departure