This wildlife-focused itinerary takes you on a journey through some of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse and stunning regions, where you’ll have the chance to encounter an incredible array of animals, flora and fauna. You can either self-drive or take private transfers – the choice is yours.
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Itinerary
1 Night – San José
3 Nights – San Gerado de dota
4 Nights – Domincal/Uvita
2 Nights – Sierpe
3 Nights – Drake Bay / Corcovado
1 Night – San José
✈️ San José (1 Night) Your journey begins in San José, Costa Rica’s bustling capital. Although the city itself isn’t known for wildlife, it serves as the gateway to the country’s wonders. So take the opportunity to recover from your flight, explore the bustling streets, wander around the Central Market with its eclectic mix of stalls, and relax before heading to your next destination.
🚗 San José to San Gerardo de Dota (3 Nights): Heading south from San José, you’ll arrive in the serene San Gerardo de Dota, in the Talamanca Mountains. The area is famous for its cool climate, lush cloud forests, and incredible birdwatching opportunities. The elusive quetzal is the main attraction here, especially early in the morning when they are most active. Beyond quetzals, you can also spot toucans, parrots, and hummingbirds as you walk along the scenic trails. The region is part of the Los Quetzales National Park, a paradise for nature lovers with waterfalls, dense forests, and a variety of other wildlife including ocelots and monkeys.
🚗 San Gerardo de Dota to Dominical/Uvita (4 Nights): Continuing your journey to the southern Pacific coast, the town of Dominical and nearby Uvita offer a perfect blend of beach and rainforest. Dominical is known for its laid-back atmosphere and is surrounded by rich wildlife. Walk through the jungles and spot howler monkeys, capuchins, and sloths. Uvita, home to Ballena Marine National Park, is particularly famous for its seasonal whale watching. From December to April, humpback whales migrate to these waters, and during the right time of year, you can also see dolphins and other marine life. The park’s iconic whale’s tail formation (a natural formation of rocks and sand that separate the ocean at low tide) is a stunning sight. Plus, the surrounding beaches are perfect for relaxing and spotting wildlife such as white-faced monkeys and tropical birds. Heading through the jungle trails you’ll catch glimpses of scarlet macaws, toucans, and other fascinating bird species.
🚗 Dominical/Uvita to Sierpe (2 Nights): From Dominical, you’ll take a short drive to the village of Sierpe, located near the Terraba Sierpe Wetlands, one of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse regions. Sierpe is the gateway to the vast mangrove forest, which is best explored by boat or kayak. The mangroves are teeming with wildlife, including crocodiles, monkeys, and a wide variety of birds such as kingfishers, herons, and the rare roseate spoonbill. The surrounding wetlands are also a sanctuary for exotic species, where you might spot reptiles and amphibians.
✈️ Sierpe to Drake Bay/Corcovado (3 Nights): After Sierpe, you’ll take a short flight to the remote and tranquil Drake Bay, nestled on the Osa Peninsula. Known for its pristine beaches and surrounding lush rainforest, it offers the perfect base to explore Corcovado National Park, one of the world’s most biodiverse places. The dense jungles, mangroves, and wild beaches are home to rare and endangered species such as jaguars, tapirs, scarlet macaws, and the elusive puma. Monkeys and sloths are also frequent visitors, too. The park is best explored on guided tours, where you’ll immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of this natural habitat with the advantage of an expert guide. You can also take a boat trip to witness the rich marine life, including possible sightings of humpback whales, dolphins, and sea turtles.
✈️ Drake Bay/Corcovado to San José (1 Night) For the last night of your trip, you’ll return to San José and have a final chance to explore the city. The choice is yours as to whether you choose to discover some of the cultural highlights such as the Teatro Nacional, Gold Museum and Jade Museum, or head to the trendy Barrio Escalante to enjoy a meal and experience the city’s blossoming foodie scene.
✈️ San José to UK Time to bid farewell to Costa Rica’s incredible natural wonders and all the fascinating sights and species you’ll have encountered along the way.
Why choose eShores?
One to One Service
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
100% Tailor Made
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
Fully Protected
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
Competitive Pricing
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
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Alison
Fantastic trip to Singapore, Cambodia & Vietnam. All transfers, flights & boat trip went like clockwork. Thanks again to Nick and all at eShores for all your help & advice. Would highly recommend 🙂
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Dawn
eShores have been courteous, extremely helpful and great at communicating with us and securing the holiday we wanted at the price we asked for. We are very impressed and will recommend to friends.
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Sarah
Emma was really helpful in organising our trip to Italy. Have only given 4 stars as haven’t been on the holiday yet!
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Shirley
Excellent service. Nothing was too much trouble for Laura who dealt with the booking of our holiday. We were given numerous options for the places we wanted to visit for our budget. Laura was friendly and professional.
Posted 2 days ago -
Anonymous
I have asked questions and altered my intinery many times, talking to two consultants ( Rob and Hannah).whom both sorted with no fuss or issues. Both have been very professional and knowledgeable with good and polite service. Will use again no problems. Keep up the Excellent service
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Stephen
Very friendly service from Emily, a great selection of hotels chosen with a few alternatives. We chopped and changed the itinerary a few times but she delivered on each occasion. Will use eShores again
Posted 4 days ago -
RobertPatrick
Efficient, helpful and flexible. Rachel Summerfield tailored our multi centre Cape Verde trip to our interests effectively.
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Janice
Andy organised our holiday to South Africa and Mauritius Everything was organised to perfection timings taxis flights etc Mauritius beautiful
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StephenJohn
Kadie's excellent, finds the best deals and superrb knowledge of hotels for best value for money. Appreciate how quickly and efficiently she turns things around. Wouldn't think of booking anything without her.
Posted 2 weeks ago -
AttractaCaroline
Working with Hannah again from EShores has been a delight. She continues to have our best interests at heart and is very accommodating. We are looking forward to this years trip and everything has been made easy for us. Thank you.
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