Natural Wonders of Costa Rica with the Panama Canal

Day 1 London – San Jose
We begin with the Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service ® to Heathrow Airport and your scheduled American Airlines flights to Miami or Dallas and your connecting flight to San Jose. On arrival our coach will transfer you to the Radisson Hotel where we stay for two nights.

Day 2 San Jose
Following breakfast, which is included throughout your holiday, we take a tour of this cosmopolitan capital city. Travelling through both business and residential areas of the city we experience the beautiful diversity of Costa Rican architecture, which include many European influences. During the tour we visit the Bellavista fortress, now home to the fascinating National Museum, which showcases many artefacts from Costa Rica’s history and culture. Later we take a brief tour of the exquisite National Theatre, modelled after the Paris Opera House.

Day 3 San Jose – Tortuguero
We begin our journey this morning by driving through the stunning Braulio Carrillo National Park with its dramatic landscape of cloud-enshrouded primary tropical rainforest and volcanic mountains. Later we make a stop at a banana plantation before travelling by boat along the sinuous waterways of the Tortuguero Canals, where we are captivated by the abundance of exotic flora and fauna. Our hotel for the next two nights is the Laguna Lodge on a full board basis.

Day 4 Tortuguero National Park
After breakfast, we explore the breathtaking paradise of the Tortuguero Canals. With its unique system of natural and man-made waterways this is a haven for a wide variety of birds, monkeys, sloths and toucans along with a dazzling array of orchids. After lunch the rest of the day is free for exploration or relaxation.

Day 5 Tortuguero – Arenal
This morning we leave our lodge by boat, before continuing by coach through the plains of the San Carlos region, the heart of Costa Rica, thriving with agricultural and livestock smallholdings, to Arenal and its famous volcano. We stay for two nights at the Arenal Paraiso Hotel or Volcano Lodge from which you can enjoy stunning views of the volcano.

Day 6 Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
View local communities as we travel to the village of Los Chiles on our full day included tour with lunch included. Here our boat takes us on a floating safari through tropical rainforest and pastures. The Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge is considered to be one of the richest in biological diversity in Costa Rica, attracting a great variety of resident and migratory birds plus three different species of monkey and much more.

Day 7 Arenal – Monteverde
We leave Arenal this morning and later arrive in Monteverde located along the continental divide at 5,000 feet above sea level. Our base for the next two nights is the Heliconia Hotel.

Day 8 Monteverde Cloud Forest
Today we experience the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens, and the Cloud Forest private reserve to witness the wide array of flora and fauna. This is one of the few places you may be able to catch a glimpse of the colouful Quetzal, whose feathers were more important than gold to the ancient empires of Central America.

Day 9 Monteverde – San Jose
Leaving the magnificent Cloud Forest behind, we travel back to San Jose via the picturesque town of Sarchi, famous for its elaborately painted oxcarts. We stay overnight at the Radisson Hotel.

Day 10 San Jose – Panama City
We travel to the airport this morning for our flight to Panama and Panama City. On arrival we check in at the Hotel Toscana or the Four Points by Sheraton, where we stay for three nights. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Day 11 Panama City
This morning we take a tour of this fascinating city, first established in 1519. Our first stop is at the UNESCO World Heritage listed Panama Viejo Historic Monument Complex, where the remains of the oldest European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the Americas are preserved. Later we continue to a small, bustling marketplace, before travelling on to the Historic District, with some delightful colonial architecture. Here we take a walking tour to view the Palace of the President, The Cathedral and San Jose Church. Our final stop on the tour is at the Causeway, which provides wonderful views of both the Panama City skyline and the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal.

Day 12 Panama Canal
It was the Spanish who first explored the idea of a canal in 1534, but at that time the task seemed impossible and it was over 300 years later before the efforts of the French commenced, brimming with confidence from the previous completion of the Suez Canal. Unfortunately a combination of mismanagement and tropical disease forced the company into financial ruin, with the project far from completion and the deaths of thousands of men. This task was taken up by the American Government in 1904 and over the course of ten years the canal was finally completed and stands today as both an engineering and economic marvel, and offers travellers a unique and highly sought-after experience during a cruise through the huge system of locks.
Our day begins as we board our small but comfortable vessel for our partial navigation along the Panama Canal. Massive ocean-going vessels will share the journey with us today and you will have the opportunity to view them up close as we progress through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel lock systems, which hold back the vast Gatun Lake and as we pass through the Gaillard Cut, one of the most spectacular parts of the entire length of the canal. The Canal is surrounded by lush tropical rainforest and you will be able to see the native wildlife as the cruise passes by. Upon reaching Gatun Lake our vehicle takes us back to Panama City by road. Lunch is included on this truly memorable day.

Day 13 Panama City – In Flight
Today we transfer to Panama City Airport for our American Airlines flights to Miami or Dallas and connecting flight to London.

Day 14 London
Arrival at London Heathrow Airport where our staff will greet you and transfer you to Titan transport for your journey home to your own front door.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This tour includes areas of rough terrain and clients are advised that a significant amount of walking is involved.

Titan Travel have a reputation for innovative and enthralling escorted holiday itineraries, and through the guidance of their founding principles, “quality, service and value” which have remained unchanged since the 1970′s, their expertise and experience are second to none.

Titan Travel strive to ensure that aspect of their holidays whispers quality, before you fly, you get to appreciate a comfortable, chauffeur-driven transfer from your front door to the airport with our peerless VIP Home Departure Service, check-in assistance and complimentary porterage. All international flights are with world-renowned scheduled airlines and cruises with acclaimed operators. Touring holidays are expertly designed by the product team to present a comprehensive, imaginative introduction to the destination of choice yet still offer plenty of time for relaxation. The services of a tour manager or cruise manager are included throughout. When you return to the UK, you are met in the arrivals hall of the airport and shown to your VIP Home Departure Service vehicle, waiting to return you to your front door.

Our Opinion
“Titan Travel’s guiding principles of customer service, quality of product and value for money are undoubtedly a contributing factor to them being voted, on many occasions, the UK’s best tour operator.”