Cloud Forest & Volcano Tours in Costa Rica

Step into the heart of the mountain cloud forest, part of a unique and precious biosphere that comprises a mere 2% of the world’s remaining woodlands. Beginning right on the edge of the hotel property, the tour takes you into the 2,000-acre Los Angeles Cloud Forest Private Biological Reserve, led by your Greentique Certified Guide. You’ll move within this secret world of lush, colorful tropical life along well-designed, user-friendly trails, each showcasing the incredibly diverse tropical flora and fauna of this stunning, private mountain cloud forest reserve. You’ll see first hand the layers of dense, diverse plant life clinging to every tree trunk and branch as they reach to the heights of the canopy.

Exploring the mountain cloud forest at night is one of life’s most amazing adventures. At night, it transforms like no other habitat in the world. Night is when the cloud forest breathes. It is layered with the fragrances of nocturnal plants and flowers, and filled with the music of nature’s most spectacular symphony, a cacophony of a million life forms filling the cool evening air. This is a primal world rarely seen by visitors to other parts of Costa Rica with night time photography opportunities and up close contact with some of the most colorful and fascinating creatures to be found anywhere in the world. This Greentique night tour of the mountain cloud forest is truly an exceptional Costa Rica experience.

One of the Costa Rica classics in the Central Highlands, Hanging Bridges is an amazing trek through a tropical forest over an elaborate trail designed with six hanging bridges spanning a combined total of 1,800 meters. Accompanied by a local guide, you’ll learn about the symbiotic relationships within the canopy ecosystem, and the complexity of the different strata that make up the forest. You’ll be in great company with the forest’s diverse residents, including birds and mammals, a myriad of clinging epiphyte plants, palms, and much more.

If birding is your passion, or you’d just like the idea of setting off in the cool early morning air, you’ll relish this quest to spot your share of the more than 256 local species, including endemic birds such as the Orange-bellied Trogon, Coppery-headed Emerald, and dozens of others. With approximately 906 recorded bird species in Costa Rica, the country boasts one-tenth of the species of the world’s total bird population. You’ll spot a good lot of them, led by Greentique Certified Guides, all of them regional bird specialists.

One of Villa Blanca’s most popular seasonal regional tours, the scenic drive to the Azahar Peak, near La Paz de San Ramón, is a beautiful morning sojourn through the Central Highlands. At the summit, you’ll enter a private, family-operated farm where Quetzals nest. This seasonal tour operates mid-February through May.

Birdwatchers rave about the Carara National Park area — as the convergence point of two distinctive bio-zones, its bird population diversity is significant. Each zone hosts a stunning variety of birds, including one of the largest remaining wild populations of Scarlet Macaws in Costa Rica. Your Greentique Certified Guide will lead you through the national park, a transitional rainforest between the dry North Pacific Coast and the wet South Pacific Coast. Besides the impressive array of bird species, you’ll also be spotting White-throated Capuchin, Spider and Howler monkeys, sloths, and dozens of other plant and animal species.
(This tour also originates from Sí Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge in Manuel Antonio.)

Travel in comfort along a scenic route through the Canton of San Ramón and on to the Pan-American Highway. Your Greentique Certified Guide will take you to the summit of Poás Volcano, in one of Costa Rica’s legendary National Parks. Learn about the evolution, history, regional flora and fauna, and historic eruptions of Poás volcano. From there, you’ll continue your trip to Freddo Aventura Rural, a cultural attraction featuring hands-on activities, such as cow milking, and offering tastings of fresh strawberries and artisan cheeses. You’ll enjoy an authentic Costa Rican lunch, then continue on to Sarchí, home to some of Costa Rica’s most storied artisans and the brilliantly painted iconic Costa Rican oxcarts. You’ll tour the famous Eloy Alfaro oxcart factory and enjoy epic souvenir shopping.

The most popular volcano in Costa Rica, Arenal is just 70 km. from Villa Blanca along a beautiful scenic drive through rolling hills and picturesque green pasturelands. You enjoy a nature walk to Arenal Volcano National Park, then relax in the private Ecotermales Hot Springs, a soothing and therapeutic experience, and feast on an authentic campesino-style lunch.

Travel along a scenic route with your Greentique Certified Guide through San Ramón, the “City of Poets” and birthplace of three Costa Rican presidents, and the Canton of Alajuela. Then, traveling south on the Pan-American Highway to the Canton of Naranjo, you’ll get an overview of local agriculture and visit the Espíritu Santo Coffee Plantation. You’ll be walked through a step-by-step explanation of the full coffee production process, from harvest to the roasting of a cup of Costa Rica’s finest blend of plantation coffee. Then it’s on to Sarchí, Costa Rica’s must-see destination for crafts by traditional artisans, where you’ll shop an extensive selection Costa Rican crafts, including the world famous hand-painted oxcarts.