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During 8 active days, you’ll hike, bike and raft through the rainforests of Costa Rica. Walk the hanging bridge of Monteverde, enjoy a swim under the waterfalls, witness the majestic simering volcanoes and see the true meaning of Pura Vida! Let your professional guide take you to the most picturesque locations of Central America and encounter various endemic flora and fauna species!
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Once you land in San Jose, your guide will meet you at the airport and drive you to your overnight accommodation in San Jose. Relax and prepare for the next week of adventure!
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The adventure begins! Some of Costa Rica’s most spectacular scenery is along the foothills of the Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes, to the upper gateway to the raging Pacuare River. After lunch at the riverbank, get into rafts and paddle through pristine rainforest and canyons dotted with deafening waterfalls. By afternoon, you’ll arrive at your comfortable riverside camp, El Nido del Tigre. Wander off and explore this lush environment, looking out for toucans, boas and sloths, or relax in a hammock to the sounds of the nearby river.
Rafting: 10km/6mi
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner -
The Pacuare River will carry you through river-carved canyons and cascading waterfalls. Maneuver through the rapids and in gentler sections, enjoy the rainforest at the river’s edge. Along the way, hike to the waterfalls, jump in to swim in the calmer parts of the river and have lunch on the shore. Afterward, drive to the small town of La Fortuna, with Arenal Volcano right in front of you. There are plenty of great and interesting food options in Fortuna. In the evening, relax with your group in the camp and enjoy the sounds of the wilderness.
Rafting: 25km/16mi
Meals: Breakfast, lunch -
In the morning, spend 2 hours walking the Arenal hanging bridges with wonderful panoramic views of the Arenal volcano and lake Arenal, then continue to the breathtaking Rio Fortuna waterfall. The falls drops 120ft/ 35m into a large natural swimming pool. The hike down to the falls is steep but takes you through spectacular flora and fauna. Spend the afternoon on your own: explore the town of La Fortuna, relax in your hotel, or talk with your guide about optional tours. In the evening, go to one of Arenal Volcano’s famous hot springs and have dinner by the waterside.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
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Monteverde is perhaps the world’s most famous cloud forest. These high altitude rainforests exist only in tropical areas at 4,500 feet/ 1,400 meters to 6,000 feet/ 1,800 meters of altitude. The island-like occurrence of cloud forests makes species evolution almost as singular as Australia, the Galapagos, and other aquatic island territories. The cooler atmosphere caused by the altitude creates forests of misty mountains with thriving bromeliads and epiphytes that grow from trees hundreds of feet tall, covered in vines, orchids, and other species of symbiotic plants and animals.
Go horseback riding between the Arenal Volcano and Monteverde and enjoy the best views of the volcano and lush mountains. Your luggage will either accompany you by packhorse or be transported by boat (depending on the weather). If you are looking for a little adventure and a chance to sustainably get around in Costa Rica, this is the way to go. It takes about 4 hours to get to Monteverde by horse. Alternatively, take a 30-minute boat ride across picturesque Lake Arenal to the town of Río Chiquito on the south side of the Lake, then by car or taxi to your hotel in Monteverde.
Meals: Breakfast
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Spend the day on one of the pre-booked optional adventures or explore the area on your own. Go for a hike through Monteverde or Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, visit the galleries and coffee houses of Santa Elena, take a Don Juan Coffee Tour or zipline through the forest.
Meals: Breakfast
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Enjoy your last hours in the Cloud Forest and have lunch before your journey back to San Jose. The evening is free to enjoy the nightlife and restaurants of San Jose.
Meals: Breakfast
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Your guide will pick you up after breakfast and take you to the airport. Say goodbye to your group and guides, take a few last photos and head back home!
Meals: Breakfast
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Zipline
3 hours from $69
Feel the adrenaline of zipping through a tropical forest on a series of 14 suspension platforms high above the forest floor! Spend about 45 minutes zipping on a pulley along with the cables, moving from platform to platform using nothing but gravity.Ocean kayaking and snorkeling
4 hours for $69, lunch or dinner included
Paddle past islands and inlets where you see numerous marine aviary species and their nesting grounds. You’ll stop at a hidden bay to rest and enjoy a snack. Take advantage of the break to snorkel on Bisanz beach. You are likely to spot parrotfish, starfish, angelfish and if you are lucky, a sea turtle or two!Islas Damas mangrove kayaking
4 hours for $69, lunch or dinner included
Kayak on protected inland waterways, the perfect place to explore coastal mangroves in search of wildlife such as caimans, crocodiles, boas, white-faced monkeys, and much more.Educational tour of Manuel Antonio National Park
2 1/2 hours for $59
Get the most out of your visit to Manuel Antonio National Park with an experienced naturalist guide. Learn about the history, flora, fauna, bugs, and wildlife. The tour includes snacks and refreshments.Catamaran and snorkeling adventure
4 hours for $83, lunch or dinner included
The Ocean King catamaran is brand new and it has all the amenities. On board, you have snacks, alcoholic beverages, and unlimited soft and natural drinks. Enjoy the dolphin watching and snorkeling as well.
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57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Iceland, please refer to the Official Information about Covid-19 in Iceland.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
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What you get in this adventure:
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- A local certified guide from Amarok Adventures
- A professional & licensed driver from Amarok Adventures & 1 private 4×4 vehicle for the group for getting into the Highlands and returning from Thórsmörk
- Accommodation in mountain huts in multiple rooms
- Accommodation in quadruple rooms in hostel in Reykjavík with breakfast
- Every meal during the hiking days
- Vehicle fuel
- All the cooking equipment
- Transfers from/to the airport
- Agency support 24/7
What’s not included:
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- International flights
- Dinner in Reykjavík
- Showers in the mountain huts
- Lockers in Reykjavík to leave remaining luggage not needed during the trip
- Sleeping bag & personal mountain equipment
- Trip insurance
- Everything not specified under “what’s included”
Accommodation: You will stay in rooms of four without distinction of gender and with shared bathrooms. During the days in the Highlands, you will stay in a mountain hut that has multiple rooms shared between all the guests without distinction of gender. There’s a kitchen inside the same building, and showers & toilets outside of the main building.
*Important: the price of the showers is not included in the price.
The accommodation in Reykjavík has quadruple rooms with bunk beds and without pillows. The possibility of having double or single rooms in any accommodation is impossible, since they do not have them.
Many accommodations in Iceland do not have blinds, so due to the polar day, we recommend using a mask.Meals: The diet of the trip is conceived as a full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner) every day that you are in the Highlands. The only meals not included are the dinner on day 1 & any food after breakfast on day 12. The lunch at noon will be picnic style to take full advantage of the daily trekking route, and will have to be carried by travelers in their backpacks during the route.
Breakfast and dinner will be held in the mountain hut itself and will be elaborate meals. Every day, the guides will prepare dinner and the travelers will participate in the cleaning. The guides will be in charge of coordinating the different group tasks among all the travelers.
In case of special dietary needs, please contact us and we can make arrangements. -
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This tour is for experienced hikers. You need to be able to hike for full days, carrying a full daypack. Each day you will hike between five and seven hours, between 7-23 km (4-14 miles) per day for a total of 130 km (81 miles) over 12 days. The volcanic terrain can be challenging and the weather unforgiving. That said, if you are looking for adventure and up to the task of multiple days of full-day trekking, you’ll be rewarded immensely.
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After booking, your guide will let you know all the necessary equipment to bring. Prior to the start of the route, the guide together with each traveler will review the material to ensure that everything necessary is available. Here’s a general list of the equipment you need to bring:
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- Personal hiking gear
- Sleeping bag for the sailboat
- Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended)
- Wind and waterproof pants (Gore-Tex recommended)
- Hiking pants
- Down jacket or vest
- Synthetic or wool base layers (top and bottom), underwear and socks
- Spare clothes for layering and 8 days of hiking and sailing
- Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
- Lightweight hiking or trekking boots
- Sunhat
- Hiking poles — optional (but recommended)
- Headlamp
- Pocket knife
- Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
- Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 40L bag)
- Sunglasses
- Camera — optional (but recommended)
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All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent all personal hiking gear from Iceland Camping Equipment in Reykjavik. Gear should be picked up prior to the first day of your hiking tour. It is not necessary for the traveler to bring any kind of extra technical material. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
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Hiring a local guide means getting a chance to see trails as equally alluring as tourist fave, the Laugavegur Trail, but much less known to the public — you’ll be getting half the hype and twice the experience of Iceland’s beauty. Iceland has notoriously fickle weather and the hidden trails on this adventure are remote, but your guide will know just what to do if the weather takes a turn or something unexpected happens.
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You will be joining a group that usually consists of 5-13 people. Pricing is per person.
A 10% deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. 30% of the full amount needs to be paid 3 months before the trip. The balance of payment is due one month prior to the departure date.
If you are an individual traveler, you can join the group. The guide will be adding travelers until the minimum group size to confirm the trip can be guaranteed. There are no supplements to individual travelers, as they will share a room.
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Once you book, either by paying in full or by a deposit, you’ll be connected to our guide, Alberto. You’ll be able to talk with him about the details of this trip.
Your 10% deposit will be fully refundable by end of 2021. All deposits are refundable at a later date if the trip is not yet confirmed.
The trip date will be confirmed when the minimum group size (5) is reached. The group can be confirmed as early as 1.1.2022 if the minimum number of travelers is reached. If the group minimum size is not reached, the guide can cancel the trip the latest 2 months before the trip departure. Please note the trips for 2022 are expected to reach the minimum number of people soon, and the likelihood of trip not happening is very low. The groups for 2021 were sold out as soon as Iceland borders were opened for travelers, and the trips for 2022 are already receiving first bookings.
If the trip group minimum size is reached, you will need to pay 30% of the full price (an additional $624 to the 10% deposit) for the confirmation of your spot on the confirmed trip. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, and you paid the 30% deposit, the cancellation policy stated below applies, and deposits are no longer refundable.
The remaining 70% of the amount is paid the latest 1 month before the trip.
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- Everybody over the age of 16 is welcome on this hiking adventure.
- Minors may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis. If you plan to hike and sail with anyone under the age of 16, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
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Iceland is home to infamously unpredictable weather, so you need to be prepared with the right gear. The same white cloud shielding you from sunbeams can easily turn into a stormcloud within minutes. Rest assured, your guide will know the correct course of action if the weather throws a curveball. Plus, you’ll get the chance to warm up in one of the area’s cozy mountain huts.
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We highly recommended that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.
As we’ve recently seen, travel plans can be abruptly halted, so it’s a good idea to purchase travel insurance that covers cancelled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans. For peace of mind, we suggest you consider both options of insurance.
If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
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The meeting location is Keflavik, a 45-minute drive from Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. After you land in Keflavík International Airport (KEF), you’ll be transferred to your accommodation in Reykjavík, from where you’ll begin your 12-day adventure.
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