Costa Rica

Costa Rica Jungle Expedition

From:

£2,950

Duration:

11 days

Date:

7 – 17 February 2025

Max People:

10

Min Age:

18+

The Highlights of our Costa Rica Adventure

Join our Costa Rica adventure and have the time of your life.

Witness lush primary rainforest

Stay in an indigenous village and learn from an indigenous guide

Master wilderness survival skills

Solo survival phase

Trip Summary

Looking for an exciting adventure that takes you not only off the tourist trail, but also off the jungle trails? Our Costa Rica Jungle Adventure offers a unique opportunity to engage with the Bribri indigenous community, learn essential wilderness skills and discover the truth behind the jungle’s mysterious reputation.

Across rivers and through forested valleys, your knowledgeable Bribri guide will lead you through his rainforest home, sharing his contagious passion for the environment. Immerse yourself in the raw beauty of the jungle, shedding the distractions of modern life and embracing the authentic connections that comes from sitting around a fire and camping under the stars.

We will teach you vital outdoor skills that will not only boost your confidence in the wilderness, but also enhance your appreciation of the environment. This understanding will highlight the importance of preserving wild spaces and the profound link they offer to our primal roots.

No adventure in Costa Rica would be complete without a lesson in the cultural significance of chocolate, a cornerstone of the Bribri way of life, and so where better to learn the art of
chocolate making than in Yorkin village, the heart of their community.

End your adventure in the luxury of a sustainable boutique hotel situated on the picturesque Caribbean coast where you’ll appreciate comfort like never before.

So, what story will you be telling this year? Make it one of transformation, discovery, and connection to the world around us. Join us on our Costa Rica Jungle Adventure for an unforgettable experience.

Day 1

Arrival: After a short transfer from San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport, enjoy a meet and greet with your team and expedition leader at the hotel in Alajuela.

Day 2

Travel to Indigenous Village: Cross the mountains on a private shuttle, enjoying a traditional Costa Rican lunch along the way. Your journey will take you to the Caribbean coast where you will meet your local guide and board motorised dugout canoes that will take you upriver to Yorkin, a Bribri indigenous community. Enjoy walking around the village and learn about their culture. You will enjoy Bribri hospitality and some of their traditional cuisine, staying the night in a wooden cabin.

Day 3

Yorkin Village & Chocolate Making: After a hearty local breakfast you will learn the traditional way of making chocolate and have the chance to taste it in all its forms: from raw fruit and roasted bean, to hot chocolate.

In the afternoon you will begin preparation for the jungle phase with a session on sorting and packing your kit and a safety briefing for the following day. Relax with a leisurely swim in the river and a final chance to explore the village.

Day 4

Jungle Trek and Camp Set Up: Following breakfast at the village you will hike to the first jungle camp. Carrying everything needed for the next few days you will wade through rivers and trek through stunning jungle for about 6 hours. Upon reaching camp you will set up your hammock and have dinner around the campfire. Cocooned by your hammock you will be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the rainforest.

Day 5

Jungle Skills: Nothing sets you up for the day like coffee and porridge prepared over a campfire. You will spend the day learning some essential skills in knife & machete handling and fire-lighting. You will learn to navigate first by compass and then using natural methods as the indigenous population do. Enjoy some time to swim in the river, drink fresh cacao around the fire and perhaps join your guide on a night walk spotting wildlife.

Day 6

Sensory Awareness and Plant Walk: Begin the day with an activity designed to enhance your appreciation of your surroundings and then you will learn some of the native plants and their uses from your guide. There will be the option to go for an afternoon hike in search of waterfalls and a swimming spot further upstream, or perhaps you would rather stay at camp with a book or simply immerse yourself in the wonder of the rainforest.

Day 7

Trek to a New Camp: You will pack down the camp and hike for most of the day to a second jungle camp. Whilst trekking you will delve deeper into the fascinating ecology of the rainforest, always keeping your eyes open for wildlife.

Day 8

Trek to a New Camp: Your journey continues over ridges and ravines to your final camp. Enjoy the large open river with butterflies fluttering along its course and explore the nearby waterfall.

Day 9

Team Challenge & Relaxation: In the morning you will take part in a series of fun challenges to test your newly honed jungle skills as a team. The afternoon will be spent enjoying a beautiful area of jungle and having the time to simply focus on appreciating all that surrounds you.

Day 10

Return to Civilisation: Time to pack up and bid farewell to your wilderness paradise. A hike along the river will take you back to the indigenous community where you will have lunch. The dugout canoes will be ready to transport you back down river where you will be met by minibuses to whisk you off to the welcoming comforts of a luxury boutique beachfront hotel for showers, sunset drinks and dinner at a beach club restaurant.

Day 11

Travel Home: After breakfast by the beach, you will board the private shuttle that will return you to Alajuela for your flight home. Alternatively, you may choose to extend your stay and enjoy some time for reflection and relaxation at the beach or further travel in Costa Rica.

SHELTER

Hammock and tarp setup and care
Shelter building
Palm thatching
Machete and knife safety, sharpening and skills

Fire

Fire theory
Friction fire skills (bow drill and hand drill)

Water

Transpiration bags
Solar still
Evaporation techniques
Boiling water in bottles over fire

FOOD

Fishing with hand line
Coconut opening & cream extraction
Tree climbing
Hawaiian sling (hand spear)
Primitive cooking and fish preparation
Trap building
Wild edible identification

OTHER

Psychology discussion and case studies
Astro-navigation

1 night in a hotel in Alajuela near to San Jose Juan Santamaria international airport. Shared twin rooms with private bathrooms
2 nights in Yorkin indigenous village. Bunk or single bed with mosquito net x4 per cabin with private bathroom. Solar energy, some cabins may be without electricity
1 night in Le Cameleon luxury boutique beachfront hotel.
Shared twin deluxe double rooms. Includes outdoor pool and jacuzzi and use of Noa Beach Club restaurant and bar
Hammock and tarp for jungle camping x6 nights
All transport from the point of meeting to the return shuttle to Alajuela
2 British Expedition Leaders (English speaking)
Indigenous guide (English, Spanish, French, German speaking)
Chocolate making experience
Transfers as described in itinerary
All meals from welcome dinner to breakfast on the day of departure
Drinking water will be available free of charge in Puerto Viejo. Once at Yorkin and in jungle camps it will be necessary to purify tap/river water to drink. We will not be providing water in single use plastic bottles. You are required to bring your own purification method and refillable bottles

International flights
Visas
Vaccinations
Personal travel insurance
Personal expenses

Food

Jungle meals may be a combination of simple campfire food and dehydrated meals which are nutritious and lightweight.
At Yorkin village you will enjoy wonderful home cooked cuisine which is a combination of locally grown vegetables and foraged plants.
At the celebratory dinner you can expect more typical western style meals with a hint of Costa Rican and Caribbean flair.
We are able to cater for many dietary requirements, just let us know in advance.

Accommodation

In Alajuela you will be in a comfortable hotel, in a twin shared room with a private bathroom.
In Yorkin you can expect twin or quad shared rooms in cabins with shared bathrooms.
Whilst in the jungle you will be wild camping underneath a tarp in a hammock with an integrated mosquito net (provided).
After your jungle adventure you can enjoy the luxury of a boutique beach hotel, where you will be in a twin shared room with a private bathroom.

Level of challenge

Expect to work as part of the team, performing camp chores like collecting firewood and carrying all your kit into the jungle. Trekking in hot and humid conditions over uneven terrain with a bag weighing between 15-20 kg means you will need a reasonable fitness level before you embark on your journey. You need stamina, some good all-round fitness and most importantly a positive attitude to challenges.

Skills and lessons

Throughout the expedition, you will learn essential wilderness skills like machete and knife use, shelter building, plant identification, and fire craft. You’ll also gain knowledge about rainforest ecology and any wildlife we are lucky enough to see. Our skilled local guide has an extraordinary skill for spotting wildlife, revealing the jungle’s secrets day and night.

Transort

Transport between Alajuela and the Caribbean coast will be in a private minibus.
The journey into the village is by motorised dugout canoe and will give you your first views of the rainforest.

The nature of this trip is adventurous and potentially inaccessible to those with limited mobility. You should have a good level of fitness and will be expected to
carry expedition packs weighing up to 1/4 of your body weight whilst walking up to six hours in tropical heat and humidity over jungle terrain.

This trip is for responsible adults over the age of 18.

You should be prepared for rain at any time of year, and this is what makes the jungle so green and rich in plant and animal life! However, it does not rain as much as you might think. In the driest months of February and March it is usual to experience 8 to 15 days with some rain. The wettest months on the Caribbean coast are September and October. Even during these months, rainfall doesn’t persist all day, every day. Trust us, witnessing the rivers flowing, the vibrant greenery of the jungle, and enjoying the cooler temperatures makes a bit of rain entirely worthwhile.

The temperatures in Costa Rica range from 23°C up to highs of 32°C. Humidity on the Caribbean coast is around 80-90% most of the year.

We advise a reasonable fitness level before you embark on your journey. You need stamina, some good all-round fitness and most importantly a positive attitude to challenges.

If you are generally not very active, we recommend you undertake some training before attending our expeditions. If you are not used to walking with a bag on it would be a good idea to include that in your preparation.

You do not need to be able to run a marathon or be an olympic weight lifter but the fitter you are the easier you will cope and be able to enjoy the experience.

On the expedition, you will need to be able to carry all your kit and food on four hikes of around 5-6 hours. These hikes are in jungle terrain which will include steep and uneven ground, high heat and humidity and the chance of rain and mud. At times you will be crossing or walking in rivers. Maintaining a slow and steady pace will help you to adjust to this new environment.

As a guide, your bag on the treks into camp is likely to weigh around 15 – 20 kg, but we work as a team to ensure no one is overloaded and that everyone is carrying a share that is reasonable for their size and strength.

Whilst at camp you should be prepared to use a machete, carry firewood, take short exploratory hikes (without your kit) and help cook food over an open fire.

If you have a team and would like a bespoke expedition we are able to cater for your individual preferences and abilities. We can plan a route and itinerary that suits your interests and desired level of challenge. Contact us to discuss your own bespoke adventure.

Whilst in the jungle you will be sleeping in a hammock under a tarp. For those of you who have never slept in a hammock before, you are in for a real treat! Being cradled in a hammock off the ground is incredibly comfortable and fully immerses you into the sights and sounds of the rainforest. Each night you will be lulled into a deep, restful sleep by the jungle symphony and awaken to the sounds of the howler monkeys.

You will be able to wash yourself and your clothes in the river each day. The toilet system is a trench dug into the ground, which is a simple and hygienic wilderness method.

Costa Rica is renowned for its exceptional plant and animal life. Despite covering only 0.03% of the Earth’s surface it is estimated that Costa Rica harbours approximately 5% of the world’s biodiversity. This remarkable concentration of species makes it one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet.

Costa Rica is a birdwatcher’s paradise, home to over 900 species of birds, including toucans, macaws and hummingbirds. It is also home to a rich variety of mammals, including sloths, monkeys (such as howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and capuchins), jaguars, pumas, tapirs, and anteaters.

You may encounter colourful frogs like the poison dart frogs, reptiles such as iguanas and snakes and a staggering variety of insects and arachnids, including butterflies, beetles, ants, and spiders.

You will trek alongside a local guide, unparalleled in their expertise in wildlife spotting and botanical knowledge. Your guide will assist you in identifying various creatures and educate you on how to interact with them safely.

Hunting is illegal in Costa Rica. The country has strict regulations in place to protect its rich biodiversity. Costa Rica places a strong emphasis on conservation and sustainable use of its natural resources. We fully support this perspective and recognise the privilege we have to go into these wild spaces. You may have the opportunity to do a small amount of fishing with our local guide, but this will only be with his permission.

People love us

“The trip itself was one of the best hikes of my life. There were so many special moments and places like swimming through a huge gorge or living together with the Bribri tribe, crossing deep and fast jungle rivers and eating wild tropical fruits served on a banana leaf. They brought us to very wild and remote places and shared their knowledge about about this sensitive environment and their experiences in every possible moment. I‘ve learned so many things from them and I‘m really grateful for this experience!”

captivating coastal road on gran canaria with

Dominik Knausenberger

“I had an incredible experience during my multi-day rainforest trek in Costa Rica. It was truly one of the most beautiful adventures of my life. Overall, highly recommend for nature enthusiasts seeking a memorable and rewarding experience!”

stunning view of rocky cliffs and winding

Oliver Hitz

“What an absolutely amazing experience! Truly special to experience the jungle so closely. A challenge for sure, but one I’d love to repeat. Waking up in a hammock surrounded by lush green forest – absolutely stunning!“