Apple Vacations

MONTEVERDE AREA The Monteverde area in Costa Rica is world-famous for its cloud forest. There are two reserves, the original Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Santa Elena Rainforest. The cloud forest reserve is home to many rare species of plants and animals. Tourist activities include bird-watching (observe over 450 bird species), wildlife and nature-watching, hiking, canopy tours, trips to suspension bridges and visits to frog gardens and the Monteverde Butterfly Garden. Other excursions in the area include visits to El Trapiche, a small old-fashioned sugar processing operation, the Santa Elena Rainforest Reserve, the Reserva Sendero Tranquilo, the Monteverde Conservation League's Bajo del Tigre Trail. ARENAL AREA Located in the Northern Plains, the Arenal area is home to the Arenal Volcano, considered to be one of the world's most active volcanoes since 1969. With its curative hot mineral springs and manicured gardens, is the main attraction of the area, rising 1,633 meters above sea level. Other great attractions in this area include the Hanging Bridges in the Rainforest and the Tabacón Hot Springs. The area is also home to the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, a wetland area rich in biological diversity. The Cordilleras (ranges) of Tilarán and Guanacaste offset the beauty of the plains. Of the 850 bird species identified in Costa Rica, 600 are permanent residents of this region. GUANACASTE THE CENTRAL VALLEY The main entryway to the country, the Central Valley offers a variety of tourist, natural and cultural attractions, including the capital city of San José, featuring Costa Rica's best museums and the architectural jewel of Costa Rica, the National Theater. The national parks located in the Valley –Poás, Braulio Carrillo, Irazú and Turrialba–protect the region's main volcanoes. All have road infrastructure so that visitors can enjoy the birds, natural landscapes, craters and forests. As a tourism zone, the Central Valley features two extraordinarily beautiful areas that in and of themselves are true tourist destinations: Turrialba and Valle de los Santos. The rural towns, for their part, are highly picturesque, and offer a glimpse of old Costa Rica, with their houses of bahareque, large coffee plantations, sugar mills and dairies. See page 9 for a map of routes for these tours from San José. SAN JOSÉ HANGING BRIDGES IN THE RAINFOREST ESCORTED TOURS Your hotel accommodations have been arranged through Swiss Travel Costa Rica. You will find that the accommodations are conveniently located, and offer incredible views of the surrounding nature. All are comfortable and clean with private bathrooms. Many are charming family-run properties, allowing you to expe rience a true taste of daily life in Costa Rica. Hotels in the Monteverde Rainforest and Celeste River areas tend to be a bit more rustic. It can get cool in some areas, especially at night, so not all hotels are air-conditioned. Depending on the nature of your tour, be sure to bring along some or all of the following: comfortable walking shoes/hiking boots, a hat, sunscreen, swimsuit and towel, bug spray, rain gear, and of course, your camera and binoculars! LAKE BOTOS IN POÁS NATIONAL PARK Important note: The 3 and 4-night escorted tours are designed to be combined with additional nights at a selected beach hotel in Guanacaste. Customers not wishing to add additional nights must purchase separate transfers back to the airport. See page 9 for a map of routes for these tours from Guanacaste. 25

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