In our recent travel trends piece, our industry experts spoke of the likelihood that travellers will be looking for meaningful holiday experiences in 2022.
We pitched the notion that our tailor-made travel team will be primely placed to cater to your customers.
With a broad range of exclusive and innovative experiences to choose from, we can curate the kind of customised itineraries that will enable travellers to realise their travel dreams – their GOATs (Greatest of All Trips).
We also highlighted the prominence of Costa Rica as a trending destination. It’s not difficult to see why – beautiful beach destinations, thousands of acres of wild, protected national parks, and a warm and welcoming local culture.
These all make for an inviting destination. It completely makes sense, then, that we are seeing ever-increasing interest and inquiries to visit the Central American tropical paradise.
That’s why we thought we’d take the opportunity to put a spotlight on our tailor-made capabilities in Costa Rica, sharing a little about the experiences we offer there.
We feel that Pura Vida, or pure life, the phrase that perfectly encapsulates the Tico mindset, is also emblematic of the experiences available in Costa Rica, where the vibrancy of life and the natural world are celebrated to the fullest.
Let’s take a look at some experiences that showcase the highlights of Costa Rica. Remember, at Discova, we can mix and match our products to create the perfect itinerary for your customers, whether they be nature-lovers, cultural enthusiasts, or adrenaline-junkies.
One of the fascinating elements of Costa Rican topography is the abundance of volcanic activity. Thanks to the shifting of tectonic plates running down the middle of the country, visitors to several different regions will find they have a volcano on their doorstep to explore.
There’s Poas volcano in the Central Valley, with its iconic sulfuric lake. Then there’s Rincon De la Vieja that sits within a national park in the Guanacaste region – its effects on the natural landscape are unmistakable as the park is dotted with natural hot springs, waterfalls, and bubbling mud pools.
All in all, there are over 60 of the bubbling cauldrons across the country. By far the most popular and most visited is Arenal volcano.
The volcano’s lush green colour and conical shape are as iconic to Costa Rica as Fuji is to Japan. And, with a rainforest teeming with wildlife and plenty of waterfalls, lakes, and rivers to explore, the area has become somewhat of a base for adventure and ecotourism.
With our Discover Arenal Treasures experience, we allow travellers to mine this treasure trove of activity and adventure on a jam-packed day of exploration.
Beginning with a leisurely boat ride across Lake Arenal, admiring the impressive sleeping giant in the distance, our guide will explain the geological consequences of the volcano’s active period. Until recently, it was the country’s most active volcano, with an average of 41 (minor) eruptions per day!
Primed with this geological knowledge, it’s time to observe these features first-hand. With the expertise of the bilingual naturalist guide, explore the area and witness old lava flows, noticing how the delicate changes in altitude create entirely different ecosystems.
Visitors will gain a different perspective from the vantage point of the Arenal hanging bridges.
These walkways zigzag their way through the forest canopy, offering travellers a birds-eye view of the different canopy layers. Famous for its wildlife, keep a lookout for monkeys, sloths, tree frogs, and more in the pristine rainforest.
After a day celebrating the natural biodiversity, it’s time to relax and rejuvenate those aching feet with another one of nature’s generous gifts.
Wherever there’s a volcano, there is the therapeutic soothing serenity of a natural hot spring. While away the rest of the afternoon in a warm bath surrounded by the sights and sounds of the jungle.
While this experience focuses on the natural beauty of the area, we have other activities that offer even more adventure – from ziplining adventures to strenuous hikes to La Fortuna waterfall. Just ask our teams about the choices within Arenal.
Experiential travel’ can be a catch-all term that means different things to different travellers. While it can mean immersing into local life, it can also mean spending time in the natural environment or doing a series of adrenaline activities, or a combination of these.
One element of experiential travel that more and more travellers value is the notion that they can learn something from their trip. Moreover, they can learn something uniquely connected to their destination. This is something that is certainly true of our Discova-operated tour of the Diria coffee plantation.
The significance of coffee to Costa Rican culture should not be underestimated. Deliciously aromatic coffee beans have long been a key export for the country.
In fact, many of today’s coffee plantations date back to the early 1800s, when the Costa Rica government offered free land to farmers who would cultivate the crop – hoping to meet the growing European gluttony for the bitter beverage.
Today, Costa Rican coffee is among the finest in the world. And, as tourism has become a major source of income for the Costa Rican economy, its history of coffee cultivation has been incorporated into its tourism activities.
Our tour takes travellers to the heart of coffee country in Hojancha, Liberia. Here, at Diria coffee plantation, visitors will learn about the whole coffee-making process – from planting and harvesting the beans to the finely-tuned final steps towards tasting that energising cup.
Our expert guide will be on hand to explain all of the intricacies each step of the way as well as share a little information about the history of coffee in Costa Rica.
Meant to be an interactive experience, curious coffee aficionados are encouraged to ask questions and make the most of this fantastic opportunity to see the whole process laid out before them.
Naturally, it would a tremendous shame to visit the site where the magic happens without getting to taste the invigorating finished product.
Armed with a newfound appreciation for the long and delicate journey of the coffee bean, finish up with a tasting session and a free bag of Diria coffee to take home.
Staying in Liberia, let’s focus on a product offering that caters to your more active customers by spotlighting an experience featuring tubing, horseback riding, and ziplining.
Travellers on this tour will enjoy yet another stunning Costa Rican location famous for its wildlife, waterfalls, and the wow-factor of a volcano – Rincon de la Vieja National Park.
The park boasts incredibly diverse lush tropical rainforest that is home to several different ecosystems depending on the shifting altitude and climate.
As a result, there is also abundant native wildlife to be spotted here, including monkeys, sloths, tapirs, pumas, and many rare bird species, not to mention the vast plethora of plant life that also call this place home.
On this trip, travellers will get unique perspectives of the fascinating landscape as they swish through the canopy, whizz down the rapids, and explore in a more sedate fashion on horseback.
The ziplining experience is a thrilling ride through the canopy. Besides the shot of adrenaline that often accompanies darting through the air at speed, the zipline actually affords excellent views as the rider descends through the varying layers of canopy, gaining an appreciation for the sheer scale of the rainforest’s ecosystems.
Similarly, while tubing down the Rio Negro offers frivolous fun all on its own, zooming down the waterway offers the chance to witness impressive canyons carved by the river.
While visitors can gather speed at parts, in other sections the river is serene and tranquil. This for observation of the flora and fauna along the riverbank.
However, the best opportunities for budding biologists are from the back of the horse as travellers traverse well-travelled paths through the forest.
As these majestic creatures amble along, take the time to admire the biodiversity on display. Our guide on hand with their expert eye for spotting the park’s inhabitants for travellers.
The ‘Guachipelin’ in the Guachipelin Tour comes from the Hacienda Guachipelin, where travellers are treated to a fantastic lunch to split up their day of adventure.
Here, enjoy a feast of typical Tico treats slap back in the middle of the rainforest – a fantastic setting for a well-earned meal.
Finish up the day by reinvigorating those aching bones in the volcanic-heated waters of the Rio Negro. Opt for a mud bath or simply stay immersed in the thermal waters.
The beauty of a good old-fashioned pick and mix sweet shop is that customers get to choose from a broad range of sugary, tasty treats to create their own personalised bag of preferred goodness.
In essence, with our tailor-made services, we hope to provide a similar dilemma for our partners and, by extension, your customers.
Browse our options of traveller’s treats to handpick the perfect combination for those ‘just right’ itineraries.
With these three experiences in Costa Rica, we have a generous helping of natural exploration, a dash of adrenaline-inducing adventure, and a sprinkle of learning for good measure.
See an example of what one of our handcrafted Costa Rican itineraries can look like below.
Interested?
Curious to learn more about our tailor-made services in Costa Rica? Talk to us today!
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and stay at the forefront of new product offerings, Discova behind-the-scenes, destination news, travel trends and thought leadership articles from our on-the-ground experts.
