NEW YEAR´S EVE IN COSTA RICA

December 26 2024 to January 05 2025

OVERVIEW

At PA-CYCLING we can´t stop searching for new exotic destinations for you. This time we present you an incredible itinerary in the ecotourism mecca: Costa Rica. In our 10 days trip we will be riding from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea passing through jungles, cloud forest, volcanoes, waterfalls; all this from our bicycle at the same time that we discover all the exuberant flora and fauna of this country of only 51,000 km2 but which contains 6% of all the biodiversity on the planet.

Our adventure starts pedaling from the mountains of the southwest of Costa Rica´s Central Valley to the Pacific Coast. It will be an excellent way to start our tour, with a nice mix of rural landscapes, jungle and a great beachfront ending.

In the second stage we continue on the Pacific Coast, visiting the “Peñon de Guacalillo” with its famous cliff. After the mandatory stop at the “Crocodiles Bridge” we take our transportation to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, where we will have our first day off. You can use this day doing of the many activities that this beautiful destination have to offer: canopy, handging bridges walks, night walks, among others.
Back on the bike, our third day will be the longest and hardest route of the itinerary; but also one of the most spectacular, we descend from the Monteverde mountains to the shore of Lake Arenal which we will be riding alongside for a few kilometers until we finish our tour at the slopes of the Arenal Volcano. Here we will celebrate the news year eve in a special dinner!

After the celebration we have our second day off in La Fortuna de San Carlos, another destination with lots of activities to choose from.

And with the recharged energies we face the last two bike tours. The first of them descending from the Central Volcanic Cordillera of Costa Rica to the Caribbean plains with its extensive jungles and varied cultivation areas. A

Our bicycle tours will end with a mainly flat coastal route, where we finally reach the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and we can cool off on the spectacular Manzanillo beach, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in this country.

One last night of celebration and half a day more on the beach before taking our transport back to San José, where we will take the respective flights to our places of origin.

Cancellation policy

Refund and cancellation

Where, for whatever reason, one person is obliged to withdraw, the person must give written notice to Project Adventure Cycling.

Refund will be calculated with this penalty:

– Within 45 days from date of departure the penalty fare is 10% of the total cost of the trip.
– Within 30 days from departure the penalty fare is 30% of the total cost of the trip.
– Within 21 days from departure the penalty fare is 50% of the total cost of the trip.
– Within 14 days from departure the penalty fare is 75 % of the total cost of the trip.
– After this date no refund will be given.

There will be no refunds for those who do not show up at the start of the trip or withdraw during the course of the tour.
There will be no refunds for those who are unable to start or complete the tour due to a lack or inaccuracy of personal travel documents (i.e Visa or Passport).

The traveller understands that some destinations pose more of a risk than other destinations due to weather conditions, socio-political situations and the geography of the region. The traveller acknowledges that factors such as, but not limited to, weather conditions, landslides, floods, flight cancellations or delays, strikes, labour issues, power failures, restrictive governmental laws or regulations, riots, insurrection, war or other (hereinafter called “Force Majeure Event”) are not the fault of Project Adventure Cycling and may hinder, delay or even prevent the Traveller’s ability to make or complete the trip. The traveller acknowledges that the Project Adventure Cycling shall not be liable to the traveller for any delay or cancellation of the trip due to a Force Majeure Event. The traveler is neither entitled to a refund nor any other payment for damages from the Project Adventure Cycling in the event that the trip is cancelled or delayed due to a Force Majeure Event. Please note that we are never responsible for any airfare ticket expenses.

COVID 19

In the event that you are unable to fly due to COVID 19 restrictions because of a declared state of emergency, PA Cycling, SL, guarantees:

RETURN OF QUOTE* (Except for expenses incurred up to the time of cancellation of the trip)

QUOTA FREEZE UNTIL NEXT DEPARTURE*.

FEE FREEZE UNTIL THE DEPARTURE OF ANY OTHER TRIP ORGANISED BY PA-CYCLING, SL*.

* The above conditions ARE NOT VALID in the case of a positive individual.

Included + Not Included

THE PRICE INCLUDE

Two PA-Cyclism guides riding with the group.
Welcome dinner.
6 bicycle routes according to itinerary.
9 nights accommodation in double rooms in the above mentioned hotels or similar.
Transfers to and from the airport.
Assembly of the bicycles and packing at the end of the itinerary.
All internal transfers in luxury minibus with AC.
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners. (some breakfasts and lunches could be taken on the road or during transfers for logistical and itinerary reasons).
Support vehicle/Broom.
Mechanic on the course.
Assistance stations with moisturizer, water, snacks, fruits, soft drinks, etc.
Luggage transfer.
Rafting on the Sarapiqui River.
Entrance to the Monteverde Reserve.
Visit to Tenorio National Park and Rio Celeste (free day in La Fortuna).
Complimentary beers at the end of the bike ride.
Group travel insurance.

THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

Flight ticket and overbaggage.
Extra services and activities.
Extra cost in case of logistic changes.
Everything not present in “The price include”

Dates
December 26 2024 to January 05 2025
Duration
10 days
Stages
6
Length
350 km
Elevation
2.350 m
Difficulty
Medium
Price
3600 €

THE TRACK

THE STAGES

Day 01 – Arrival in Costa Rica

Arrival in Costa Rica. Our staff will be waiting for you at the Juan Santamaría Airport to make the transfer to our hotel. In the evening we will have a welcome dinner and explanation of the itinerary for the following days.

Day 02 – STAGE 01 – 75 km – 1.500 m – Puriscal – Playa Hermosa

After breakfast we make a one hour transfer to the picturesque city of Puriscal, nestled in the middle of the mountains in the southwest of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. From here we start our first bike tour along a rural road that will take us to the Pacific coast, specifically to Playa Hermosa, in the Central Pacific. On the tour we will enjoy rural landscape, mountains, jungle, river crossing and finally a few kilometers by the sea until we reach our beach Front hotel.

Day 03 – STAGE 02 – 60 km – 1.320 m – Tarcoles – Monteverde

We start our second bike tour from our hotel, first riding on asphalt, but when we reach Jaco Town we take a steep gravel climb in the middle of the jungle with ramps of up to 20%. The reward for this ascent will be the panoramic view that we will have of the Pacific coast. After enjoying the view we begin the descent to the town of Bijagual and the Tárcoles area, also with spectacular views of the Pacific.

We reach the asphalt and cross the Tárcoles river, where we can appreciate the many crocodiles that live on its banks. We will have one last ascent to finish our tour in the Pozón de Orotina area, where we enjoy a typical Costa Rican lunch before taking our transportation to the Monteverde area.

Day 04 – STAGE 03 – Monteverde – Monteverde

The first activity of the day is to visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The characteristic cloud forest of the area is famous in the world, what we call clouds is actually mist produced by high humidity at a height of 1,600 meters above sea level. The humidity which comes from the Caribbean Sea towards the Pacific Ocean, is trapped around the branches of the tallest trees, harboring a prosperous ecosystem below.
In fact, while the entire country of Costa Rica represents 0.03% of the land mass on the planet, the Monteverde Cloud Forest houses 2.5% of the total world’s biodiversity.

We will have about 3 hours to walk through this impressive forest and learn its secrets.

Once we finish our visit we will enjoy some snacks before continue with our bike tour. We will make a descent towards the San Luis valley with spectacular views of the Gulf of Nicoya. This is a more agricultural area than Monteverde but it always maintains the same natural essence. Leaving San Luis behind we must take the ascent back to reach our hotel in Monteverde, where we will arrive in time for lunch. It is a short but explosive route due to the mountainous area.

Day 05 – STAGE 04 – Monteverde – La Fortuna de San Carlos

Today we have the hardest route of our itinerary. We leave Monteverde behind riding up and down in a gravel road that gives us impressive landscapes of the mountains, while we cross small rural towns whose inhabitants subsist on agricultural activities: dairy cattle and some crops such as coffee, sugar cane or the tomato.

At a certain point, the path abruptly pulls down and leaves us on the shore of Lake Arenal. This artificially formed lake in the 1970s is the largest in Costa Rica, and its waters, in addition to being used for recreation and landscaping, are also a source of hydroelectric power in various projects.

The next section will be flatter, always pedaling along the lake shore and with a change in the climate and vegetation: we leave the high altitude cloud forest behind to now pedal through the rain tropical forest. As the kilometers pass, the majestic Arenal volcano is discovered before us, which with its 1600 meters above sea level and its perfect cone is one of the best-known images of Costa Rica. Our tour ends precisely in the town that is located on the slopes of this volcano: La Fortuna de San Carlos.

Highly recommended towards the end of the day to visit any of the famous thermal water spas in the area, whose waters are born directly from the hot veins of Arenal.

Day 06 – La Fortuna

Today we have a free day of the bicycle. We are going to visit the nearby Tenorio National Park and the “Rio Celeste” river; one of the “must see” at Costa Rica.

Day 07 – STAGE 05 – 50 km – 500 m – La Fortuna – Hacienda Pozo Azul

We start our tour directly from our hotel. Today we will combine asphalt sections with gravel.

The Northern Zone of Costa Rica is one of the most agricultural in our country and for this reason we will have various crops along the way: cassava, orange, pineapple, among others.We finish our tour at Hacienda Pozo Azul, in the Virgen de Sarapiqui area. Here we will be having lunch and leaving the bike behind to take the boats and navigate the waters of the Sarapiqui River, with its class II-III rafting.

Day 08 – STAGE 06 – 75 km – 500 m – Limón – Manzanillo Beach

Our last bike tour begins on the outskirts of the city of Limón, where we arrived after a transfer of about 2 hours.

This last route will be mostly on tarmac, but the presence of the Caribbean Sea next to it in almost all the route will give us the necessary motivation for our last kilometers.

Our final stop will be Manzanillo Beach, totally in the South Caribbean, where we will enjoy a traditional rice and beans and we can celebrate the end of our itinerary while we take a bath in the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

Day 09

In the morning you will have some free time to enjoy of the sea and the town of Puerto Viejo. In the afternoon we will have the transfer back to San José.

Day 10

The time has come to say goodbye to Costa Rica. Our staff will be transferring to Juan Santamaría Airport to take the flights back to home. ¡Pura Vida Amigos!

YOUR GUIDE

Julian Bueno Risco

Travel Logistic Coordinator & Guide

Julian Bueno is a geographer, photographer, traveler, digital-map-maker, bike lover and route & event designer. In this way, and as an active and passionate person, Julian has collaborated and published several spanish mountain bike guide books and he is an active member of the Spanish Mountain Bike School (EEMTB). He likes to share his passions and to discover new routes and friends, spending also time steering many people through different cycling destinations. Overall, he feels movement as part of his life and he used to participate in marathon, roller skates challenges and general long distance events. You can chat with him about life, GPS secrets and innovative cycling gadgets. Now, he is part of the Projecting Adventure Cyclism.

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