Uncharted Costa Rica 4x4 Self-Drive Adventure
Challenging 4×4 trails lead to the 150-foot Eco Chontales waterfall, then a search for sloths, tapir and giant anteaters on guided trail hikes at Drake Bay – twelve nights across Costa Rica’s least-visited terrain.
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Uncharted Costa Rica 4×4 Self-Drive Adventure
Tell us your trip details and we'll put together a complimentary Stradora Expedition Pack for the journey.
12 nights through Costa Rica
Twelve nights across Costa Rica, self-driven behind a guide vehicle, on an itinerary the operator sells exclusively.
The appeal is where it goes. Costa Rica is a well-travelled country and this route deliberately avoids the standard circuit, using riverbeds, beaches and plantation tracks to reach places a hire car would not get to.
San Jose opens it with a welcome dinner, then the Poas volcano, the Laguna Hule crater lake and remote dirt tracks to Boca Tapada near the Nicaraguan border, where great green macaws nest. Maquenque Eco Lodge follows with a river excursion, then Arenal and a guided night walk in the rainforest. Off-road sections between Lake Arenal and Tilaran come next, with a birdwatching morning, then Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula with a free day. More off-roading follows along the peninsula, then a ferry to Puntarenas, the crocodiles at Tarcoles and Rafiki Safari Lodge. Challenging trails reach the Eco Chontales waterfall, and three nights at Drake Bay close the trip on the edge of Corcovado, which holds a remarkable share of the world’s species in a small area.
The guides and their lead vehicle, the expedition vehicle and fuel, the park and waterfall entries, three named excursions, the ferry fees, twelve nights’ accommodation, almost all the meals and non-alcoholic drinks are included; flights, insurance, two days’ meals and the optional activities are not. No wildlife sighting can be promised, at Drake Bay or anywhere else. The dry season from December to April is the window, when the tracks are passable and the river crossings are manageable. Thirteen days of this is as far from the standard Costa Rican itinerary as the country allows.
Uncharted Costa Rica 4x4 Self-Drive Adventure (2 of 4)
Uncharted Costa Rica 4x4 Self-Drive Adventure (3 of 4)
Uncharted Costa Rica 4x4 Self-Drive Adventure (4 of 4)
Images selected by Stradora to represent the journey.
What's included
- English-speaking guides in a lead vehicle throughout
- expedition vehicle hire and fuel
- Poas Volcano National Park and Eco Chontales waterfall entry
- the Maquenque river excursion
- Arenal Observatory birdwatching tour
- ferry fees
- 12 nights accommodation (hotels
- rainforest lodges
- beach lodges)
- meals from dinner on night 1 to breakfast on the departure day (except days 5 and 13)
- non-alcoholic drinks.
Not included
- International flights
- lunch and dinner on days 5 and 13
- mandatory travel insurance
- optional activities in Samara and Drake Bay
- alcoholic drinks
- personal items
- gratuities.
Ready to drive it?
12 days, from £7,650pp