Costa Rica Traverse, World Expeditions, 2007

8/14/2019 Costa Rica Traverse, World Expeditions, 2007

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Central America Trip Notes

COSTA RICA TRAVERSE

Moderate Grade18 Day trip

7day trek, 2 days cycling, 4 days rafting,3 nights hotels, 1 night cave, 13 nights camping/lodge

Welcome to World Expeditions

Thank you for enquiring about our Costa Rica Traverse. At World Expeditions we arepassionate about off the beaten track travel as it provides our travellers with the thrill of

coming face to face with untouched cultures as well as wilderness regions of great naturalbeauty. We are also committed to making sure that our range of unique itineraries are wellresearched, affordable & manicured for the enjoyment of our small groups philosophies thathave been at our since 1975 when we began operating adventure holidays. Each of our

adventures is accompanied by an expert guide and a local crew people who are dedicatedto providing you with the very best travel experience, who have incredible local knowledgeand who share our vision of authentic exchange and real exploration with a responsible

tourism approach. Whether you like your adventures to include trekking, touring, cycling,mountaineering, kayaking or cruising, World Expeditions can make it happen for you. Wehope you will join us for a life changing experience!

The adventure in briefAn innovative traverse of the highlands of Costa Rica, by bike, on foot and in rafts from the

Pacific coast to the Caribbean Sea. An adventure high on the wish list of active naturalists aswell as seasoned hikers keen to take on the challenge of crossing Costa Rica under their ownsteam. It is no wonder this trip was awarded the best trip of the year in the Central America

category by leading US adventure magazine -

We cycle through the farmlands and foothills before setting out on our fully supported, week

long trek. We follow remote trails across the Cordillera de Talamanca, home to the highestpeak in Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripo (3819 metres). The trails are not always easy - withseveral river crossing - as we encounter indigenous settlements deep in the rainforest,

glimpse rare wildlife and a variety of warblers and birds of prey that will satisfy the mostardent birder. Setting our sights on the Pacuare River, one of the world's classic whitewaterexperiences, we undertake an exhilarating rafting trip - expect Class III-IV rapids - through a

series of spectacular canyons, punctuated with serene interludes in the pristine rainforest aswe ease our way to the Caribbean coast.

Itinerary at a glanceDAY 1 Arrive San JoseDAY 2 Transfer to Dominical

DAY 3 Commence cycling on paved roads with night in the huge Tinamaste caveDAY 4/11 Complete cycling, commence week long trek gradually ascending remote

trails through Indian settlements and cloud forest to Cero Chirripo (3819

metres), the countries highest mountainDAY 12/16 Rafting on the upper reaches of the Pacuare River including a rest day,

before floating to the tidal mouth of the Caribbean Sea

DAY 17 Transfer to San Jose

DAY 18 In San Jose, trip concludes


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COST INCLUSIONS

The tour price includes:q Experienced Guides

q Porters on trekking section

q Private transportationq Accommodation (on twin sharing basis)

q 16 breakfasts, 16 lunches, 15 dinnersq Group camping equipmentq Rafting gear and instruction

q Mountain Bikes and helmetsq Support vehicle on bike section

The tour price does not include:q Meals not indicatedq Items of a personal nature such as phone calls, laundry, etc

q Sleeping bag & sleep matq Tipsq Airport and departure taxesq Visaq Travel Insurance

ITINERARY IN DETAIL

DAY 1 Arrive in San JoseIf you are travelling on the group flight you will be me on arrival at San Jose's internationalairport and taken to your hotel. Depending on arrival time you should have some time to

explore the sights of San Jose. We will provide an information pack with full details of the trip,including maps and suggestions for cafes, bars and restaurants in the San Jose area.

DAY 2 San Jose - DomincalWe transfer from San Jose to the quiet coastal village of Domincal which will take

approximately 4 hours. As we head south the scenery becomes steadily more dramatic.Particularly beautiful is the valley of the Rio General where the highway suddenly turns westtowards the coast. Upon arrival we have a chance to relax either at the pool or on the beach

before your guide gives you a briefing on the trip in the evening. Dominical is a village(pueblo) of approximately 500 people and it has various tiny cozy restaurants, sodas andsmall souvenir shops. Later in the night one or two of these restaurants might change into a

small-scale discotheque where local people from the wide area like to demonstrate theirbeloved merengue and salsa dancing.

DAY 3 Domincal - Tinamaste Cave

Today we head inland from the Pacific coast on our first day crossing Costa Rica. The daystarts with cycling uphill on paved roads to the first ridge which will take approximately 2-3

hours. Here we leave our bikes and set off hiking across the mountain range amid cloud andrain forest, pasture lands and river valleys. We are heading for Tinamaste Cave which is setwithin this majestic mountain range, where we will spend the night. On the mountain there

are 10 spectacular waterfalls including Costa Rica's tallest at 600ft. Surrounding the cave arewaterfalls with diving and swimming areas. The cave is very large and open set behind two90ft waterfalls with kitchen and sleeping facilities.

DAY 4 Tinamaste Cave - Chirripo RiverA mixture of walking and biking today as we leave the cave trekking up and over the ridgeleaving the Pacific coast behind and heading to the Caribbean side of the country. The last

section is a short bike ride to our hotel. We will be staying in a tranquil 12-acre oasis locatedon the Chirripo River, between the villages of San Gerardo and Canaan. It is situated in a


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natural setting surrounded by green hills and small farms which is the perfect ending to whatwill be a tough day, but good training for the days to come.

DAY 5 Canaan - Rio Blanco CabinPorters join us for the next 7 days and will carry the bulk of the food and camping gear. You

will be carrying a small pack with sleeping bag and pad and your personal gear. The hike to

the top of Chirripo is a commercial hike on marked trails and so we have chosen a much lessused route which will prove much more challenging. The highest crossing is 3,400 metres.

For the first 7-8 km the hike is on the road to the town of Herradura from where we take a littleused trail entering the Chirripo mountain range from the west side. The remainder of the dayis uphill until we reach our campsite.

DAY 6-11 Rio Blanco - Pacuare AribaDay 6 is likely to be the toughest day of the trip with the trek as we reach the summit of the

hike at Paso de Los Indios, where we will camp overnight. Throughout the coming days, weare trekking in Costa Rica's main mountain park at 50,150 hectares. The mountains are partof the Cordillera de Talamanca and most are protected. There are three peaks of over 3,800

metres including Cero Chirripo itself which, at 3,819 metres is the highest mountain in thecountry, and in most of Central America. We will pass through several Indian reservations

whose people use the route to cross the Continental Divide to pick coffee on the Pacific side(complete with their families and dogs), risking their lives negotiating major river crossingsalong the way, which they do without the use of ropes (our crossings will be rope assisted).From San Gerardo at 1,350 metres the elevation gain is about 2km to the highest point of our

trek. The climb goes through constantly changing scenery, vegetation, wildlife and evergreenforests with heavy epiphytic growths in the trees and thick fern and with bamboounderstoreys. These highland forests are home to such birds as the flame-throated warbler

and buffy tufted-cheek to name but two. Blue and green frogs and lime-colored caterpil larsthickly covered with stinging hairs make their way across the trail and Biard's tapir lurks in thethick vegetation - though you are much more likely to see squirrels than tapirs.

DAY 12 Pacuare RiverWith the main trekking section finished we continue our journey across Costa Rica by water.

The start of our rafting days sees us on the upper section of the Pacuare River. The Pacuareis the most scenic rafting river in Costa Rica and one the world's classic whitewaterexperiences. The upper section of the Pacuare River is not often commercially run. Some of

the rapids may need to be portaged where there are big rocks that block all views of the rapid.The last 300 metres before the take out are very technical rapids filled with boulders.Tomorrow morning your main luggage will be stored until you take out in Siquirres so you

need to pack a small overnight bag with essentials for the next two nights (3 days).

DAY 13 Pacuare River

Your luggage will be transported on the support vehicle to the put in, from where the mainluggage will be taken to storage until the take out at Siquirres. Your overnight bags willaccompany you on the river in an Oar Boat which is transporting all the food for the coming

days on the river. From the Los Cristianos camp we will be hiking on back roads and through

farms to the put-in. It is a reasonably long day hiking before we reach the river. The PacuareRiver plunges down the Caribbean slope through a series of spectacular canyons clothed in

virgin rainforest. The savage beauty of the surroundings is humbling as we negotiate Class IIIand IV rapids, meandering through pristine rainforest spotted with waterfalls. Overnight is atour camp on the banks of the river. Spacious tents on fixed platforms board the edge of the

river and nestle in the surrounding forest. The camp is fully functional with its own supply ofpure spring water, shower and sanitary facilities. The name of the camp, El Nido del Tigre,comes from the giant patches of ginger plants that carpet the main floor of the main area of

the camp. When the ginger reaches a certain height it falls over creating flattened areas inthe shape of a tiger's paw - hence its name, which translates to "the nest of the tiger". Fromthe center of the nest, trails radiate throughout the forest and along the river. There is an open

area for those who like the odd game of ball or Frisbee. If this is too much after a day on theriver, seek out one of our quiet reading areas, set yourself down with a refreshing drink and

just 'be' for a while.


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DAY 14 Pacuare RiverThis a well earned rest for a day although you can make it as active as you like. Your guides

will be with you and so make the most of this free day at the camp by spending it enjoying ElNido del Tigre and the surrounding area. Hiking through the rainforest to a waterfall, floatingdown a rapid with just a life jacket, or relaxing in a hammock around the camp, are all

possible activities.


Today the Pacuare takes us through virgin rainforest, cascading waterfalls and river carvedcanyons. We maneuver through the exhilarating Class III and IV rapids and point out theintricacies of the rainforest at the rivers edge. The Class IV rapids are exciting and separated

by calm stretches which enable you to stare at the near vertical green walls toweringhundreds of metres above the river, which make this a magnificent and unique river trip.Along the way we take time out to do some hiking to spectacular waterfalls and have lunch on

the shore. Taking out near the town of Siquirres we hike to a nearby hotel and rest for thenight before an early start in the morning. Your main luggage is delivered to the hotel so youhave a chance to re-pack for the last section of the trip.


THE SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS... For the final leg of the crossing we continuewhitewater rafting down the Pacuare and ease into the Caribbean lowlands where bananaplantations gradually swallow the receding rainforest. The river slows to a tranquil pace as weare rafting the last mile of the river, completing the mosaic of the landscapes we have passed.

At the end of the adventure, we reach the mouth of the Pacuare as it meets the CaribbeanSea. It is then just a short paddle further for our campsite for the night and our last night inthe wilderness.

DAY 17 Pacuare River - San Jose Today we journey back to San Jose by motorboat to the mainland where we will meet our

transportation and main luggage. The transfer back to San Jose is about 4 hours.

DAY 18 Trip Concludes San Jose

You will picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your return flight.

Note: this itinerary is a guide and may be influenced by weather conditions, group fitness and

other factors outside our control.

CONVERSION FORMULAS

These trip notes are prepared in our World Expeditions head office, based in Sydney,Australia. For the benefit of our US customers, we have provided some usefulconversion formulas below:

To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit multiply by 1.8 and add 32

To convert meters to feet multiply by 3.28To convert kilometers into miles multiply by 0.62To convert kilograms to pounds multiply by 2.21To convert liters to US gallons multiply by 0.26THE COUNTRY & ITS PEOPLEThe population of Costa Rica is around 3.8 million, and over 300,00 live in San Jose. The

small fertile valley of Meseta Central (Central Valley) holds around two-thirds of thepopulation who reside in the cities of San Jose, Alajuela and Heredia and the surroundingsmall towns and settlements. The official language is Spanish and more than 76% are

Catholic. Unlike the nations to its north and south, the Costa Rican civilization did not developuntil after colonisation in 1562. Prior to that its indigenous population were hunters and

gatherers, with few fixed settlements. Agricultural development was slow, however by the late18th century exports of wheat and tobacco allowed conditions in the colony to improve. Whilst


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Central America gained independence from the Spanish in September 1821, Costa Rica didnot find out until a month later! Following a brief civil war, Costa Rica joined the confederation

of Central American States, rather than the newly independent Mexico. Unlike other CentralAmerican nations, Costa Rica has largely enjoyed a stable political system based on ademocratic republic government. The economy depends on tourism, agriculture (coffee,

bananas, tobacco) and electronics exports. Costa Rica is just 240 kilometres (150 miles)

wide, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, and 400 kilometres (250 miles) long fromNicaragua to the Panama border. The country is divided by a series of mountains and

volcanoes, with the Pacific coastal plain being a lot narrower than the Caribbean side whereSan Jose is situated. With a national territory of around 51,000 square kilometres (19,700square miles), Costa Rica is slightly larger than Switzerland. Within its borders are more than

a dozen volcanoes, dry savannas, tropical dry and lush rain forests, cool cloud forests,several mountain ranges, countless streams and rivers and over 1,200 kilometres (755 miles)of coastline stretched along two oceans. There are four major mountain ranges; Guanacaste

and Tilaran in the north, and Central and Talamanca in the South. Within these mountainranges are a series of active, dormant and extinct volcanoes. The highest peak is Mt Chirripo(3797m). Nearly a quarter of Costa Ricas territory is within national parks, biological

reserves, wildlife refuges and other protected areas. The nations twelve distinct ecologicalzones are home to an vast array of flora and fauna which includes four percent of all known

species on Earth. 850 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies, 1,200 species of orchidsand 237 species of mammals, (including three-toed sloths, giant anteaters, coatimundis,peccaries and four species of monkeys) are found in Costa Rica.

TRIP GRADINGTo determine the grade of a particular adventure we consider a number of factors. Theseinclude the condition of the walking terrain, the altitude, the number of passes crossings and

the length of the trek.

The Costa Rica Traverse trip is graded moderate and some days will be on the high side of

this grading category. This is primarily due to the terrain and demanding nature of the trailwhich will test your resolve on some stages. The rafting is also a factor of this grading with upto class IV rapids.

In order to complete a moderate trip we advise that you undertake regular exercise swimming, cycling, jogging, three or four times a week for at least three months prior to your

departure.

DAILY ROUTINEThe sun sets at around 6pm every day and so our schedule is factored around this to ensurethat we are in camp well before dark. As a result the day starts very early as the light comesup at about 5-5.30 am and we always aim to get going as early as possible.

During the trekking section you will be required to carry a small pack (around 45-65 litreswould be appropriate) which will likely weigh between 10-12 kgs depending on your personalrequirements. A full list of clothing and equipment required for this trip will be provided to you

following confirmation of your booking.We are usually on the trail by 7:00 am and will stop for a picnic lunch during the days walk.Once we have reached camp and the tents and kitchen is set up, there is generally time to

explore the surrounding area or rest. Dinner is usually served around 7:00 pm. Trekkingevenings afford some of the best memories of your trip, whether it is sitting around talking,playing cards, chatting with the crew or visiting the local people, it is always a very special

time.

LEADER AND CREWOur local leaders are professional guides dedicated to providing the best experience possible.They have a high level of competence in wilderness and emergency medicine. We travel as a

self-contained expedition ensuring that we do not deplete limited local food resources andprovide valuable employment for the local people.


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CLIMATEThere are several distinct climatic zones in Costa Rica and as it is a tropical country there is

no winter or summer. Most regions experience a rainy season from May to November and adry season from December to April. In the rainy season, short afternoon showers arecommon, although not daily. In Corcovado, there is considerable rain from October to

November, which is why we do not have departures at that time. In the central valley the

temperature averages 22C (72F) while the coastal regions experience averages of 28 32C (82 89F). In the mountain regions it is considerably cooler.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONSIt has always been our motto that "we take only photographs and leave only footprints"; andwe therefore ask that all travellers thoughtfully dispose of wrappers and toilet paper byburying or burning or placing in the proper receptacle. It is also a good idea during the day to

carry a small plastic bag - in which to store any refuse, sweet wrappers, tissues etc., anddispose of it in the correct receptacle when available.A detailed guide to responsible travel is provided to all World Expeditions clients before travel.

Please ask your consultant if you have not received your copy.

Important Note:These trip notes represent the most current information available for this itinerary, and

supersede any information detailed in the current brochure, including but not limited to theitinerary and price.

IF YOU REQUIRE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTYOUR NEAREST WORLD EXPEDITIONS OFFICE

ENJOY THE ADVENTURE OF BEING ALIVE!

LM05/05, KB02/06Australian World Expeditions Pty Limited

Documents

Costa Rica Traverse, World Expeditions, 2007