Epic Add-Ons

Epic Add-On's are travel experiences that go a little beyond the norm. They can be challenging, or they can be life changing, most of the time they are both. Here we have 7 Epic Add-On's listed that we can TRY to incorporate into your trip. We say "try" because in many of these cases space is limited, there can be limited permitting, or you may be coming out of season. With Epic Add-On's the traveler who is flexible in travel dates are the luckiest. Many times a trip might have to be built around the Epic Add-On to work, so flexibility is key.

The Arribada (meaning "Arrival" in English) is one of our Epic Add-On's that can be life changing for some. An Arribada is a mass nesting of sea turtles, in this case, the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. Arribada's only occur in a handful of places in the entire world. 2 of those places are found right here in Costa Rica. There have been Arribada's in the hundreds of thousands!  Imagine watching thousands of turtles coming to shore all at once to lay eggs, a prehistoric army traveling thousands of miles to make sure they lay their eggs on the same beaches they were born on, as they have done for millions of years. This is a spiritual experience unlike any other, something that very few people in this lifetime will ever get to see and something you will NEVER forget.

Ostional is the place here in Costa Rica for the Arribada Add-On. The area can be easily reached and incorporated into your trip from Samara, Nosara, and many other areas up and down the Gold Coast, Guanacaste. Talk to your travel planner about the possibility of adding in this Epic Add-On to your Costa Rica adventure!

Best Time to travel for an Arribada: Rainy months, May through November and around a New Moon. The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle wants dark skies, nothing to distract them from the task at hand.

Territorio de Zaguates (meaning "Land of the Strays") EPIC Dog Hike -  Imagine yourself hiking through the hills of Costa Rica leading a pack of hundreds of dogs! This is a dog lovers dream come true! Territorio de Zaguattes houses over 900 dogs on 378 acres of tropical mountain land in the central valley. This is a true NO-KILL shelter, in a country with few shelters they have stepped in and are going above and beyond. This is another Epic Add-On that can be life changing, figuratively and literally! We have had several clients APOPT from the shelter and added to their families back home. These are the endings we love the most.

Best Time to travel for the Epic Dog Hike: This can be hit or miss, they only do the hikes a couple times a month and take some months off. Sometimes the scheduled are announced last minute and can change. This is a FREE Epic Add On, there are no ticket costs to do the hike, only the cost to get there and back. This is one of those travel experiences where flexibility is crucial, typically the trip will need to be built around the hiking day to make it all work. Although this is a FREE activity and indeed EPIC, we encourage you to please donate to the shelter while you are there, they need all the help they can get.

Note: This is a strenuous hike and only those in good physical condition should participate.

Mount Chirripó is the highest mountain peak in Costa Rica with an elevation of 3,820 meters. It is located in Chirripó National Park and is noted for its ecological wealth. This is an Epic Add-On for those who want to challenge themselves. Our highlands are another world compared to lowland areas, you will find a pristine environment unrivaled through much of the country. The climb is tough, testing even hardened hikers. From Chirripó’s summit, sweeping 360-degree views tumble down over graceful valleys and shimmering lakes. On clear days you can see both the the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Don't let being on the equator fool you, daytime temperatures near Chirripó’s summit range between 4–18˚C (40˚–65˚F). Nighttime temperatures can drop below 0˚C (32˚F).

Best time to travel to climb Mount Chirripó: January through April. This is another epic add on where flexibility can come in handy. The permits needed and limited space make planning ahead a necessity if this is a "must do" activity on your list. The more time we have to plan this portion the better. Although experts hikers can summit in a day, we recommend 2-3 days to complete this trek.

Hot Air Balloons are always a special treat, doing it in Costa Rica over rain forests, coffee plantations, with volcanoes all around is something else all together! Magical would be a good word for it, EPIC would be another! We can help add this Epic Add-On into your trip. This activity is expensive so you need to know that before trying to incorporate into your Costa Rica itinerary.

Cruising near Arenal Volcano you will get a view of Costa Rica few get to see. Riding the thermal currents where normally only birds can venture your adventure will take you over some of the most breathtaking landscapes you can imagine. If you want to do something both adventurous and full of wonderment this is a great option. Let your travel planner know you want to get this birds eye view of Costa Rica and they will see how to best fit it into your adventure.

Best Time to Travel for Hot Air Ballooning: Dry season months are best, obvious reason is weather, you do not want to be in a balloon in the rain. Mid December through the month of April are best but this can also be done during the green season (weather permitting).

Cocos Island Epic Diving takes place in one of the most pristine diving environments on Earth. This is not for the faint of heart nor is it for any beginner divers. This is hard-core diving that is only available to experienced certified divers. The adventure starts out of Puntarenas where you will meet with the research vessel heading out to the island. You may share your trip with biologists, scientists, and other divers from around the world! You will be living aboard the research vessel for the entire 10 days of your diving adventure.

It takes a couple days of hard running to get to Cocos, once there you will partake in several guided dives daily, the undersea life in the area is beyond belief, you are seeing the oceans as they ought to be. Very few people get to dive here, it is both expensive and time consuming to reach the island chain. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! There are no words to describe a truly untouched marine environment.

Best Time to Travel for the Cocos Island Diving Adventure: Several different research vessels go out to the island every month of the year but space is still very limited. This is a trip where contacting us in advance is best, the more time we have the better to make sure we can secure you space on the research vessels.

Corcovado Trekking Epic Add-On takes you to the deepest darkest rain forests we have. The wildlife is legendary in the area and the landscape breathtaking. If you are hardcore nature lovers there is no better place in our country to go. The area has some of the last low laying rain forest in all of Central America. This is all protected land so you are venturing into a pristine environment. A hike in Corcovado will challenge you, it is hot, it is humid, it is strenuous and unforgiving. You should be in good physical condition for this add on.

Your goal is to reach the Sirena Ranger Station. Here you can overnight before heading out the following day to explore more of the rain forest. You can approach Corcovado from either the Drake Bay side or the Puerto Jimenez side of the Osa Peninsula. Drake Bay is a little easier and the area has a little more in the way of activities. There are other "lesser" hikes that can do added in to San Pedrillo ranger station and other trail systems to explore.

Best Time of Year for Corcovado: Dry season months are best for the entire Osa Peninsula. January through April are best but you can also visit the park in the months of May - August and starting in mid December. This is one of those Epic Add-On's where flexibility is key. You need permits to overnight in the park, we need to secure the right guides and make sure the space is available. Let your travel planner know that you want to include this in your Costa Rica trip plan.

Treetop Camping is taking the camping experience to a whole new level! This is an EPIC adventure for those who want to push themselves and break from the crowd doing something unique. Imagine yourself camping in the canopy 80 feet above the ground. This is one of those travel experiences that very few people in this life time or any lifetime can say they have ever done, "Treetop Camping in Costa Rica", only a handful will ever do it and you can be one of them!

You are seeing and experiencing the world as only other animals in the animal kingdom get to do, this is a privilege to share with them. This is camping in the most extreme sense of the word in one of the bio-diverse countries on Earth. Get ready for the adventure! Let your travel planner know that you want to include this Epic Add-On into your trip and they will plan accordingly.

Best Time of Year for Treetop Camping in Costa Rica: This is another travel experience that benefits from dry weather. Dry season months of January-April are best but this can also be done in Green Season months provided the weather is behaving. This tour experience takes place on the midway down our Pacific Coast and can be incorporated as an overnight into your trip. Advance notice is good to have as space is limited.