Special Promotion for Rainforest Alliance Week 2011

In order to promote Rainforest Alliance week Hands Up Holidays offered you a special promotional rate on the following trip to Costa Rica.

Who are Rainforest Alliance?
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.

They believe that the best way to keep forests standing is by ensuring that it is profitable for businesses and communities to do so. That means helping farmers, forest managers and tourism businesses realize greater economic benefits by ensuring ecosystems within and around their operations are protected, and that their workers are well-trained and enjoy safe conditions, proper sanitation, health care and housing. More>

Your special offer

Unfortunately the 20% discount is no longer available, but if you are still interested in our Rainforest Alliance verified trip, it is still available for US$5,330 per person.

Your outline itinerary

Day 1    Arrive San Jose, transfer to Finca Rosa Blanca
Day 2   Coffee tour, transfer to Arenal - Arenal Observatory Lodge
Day 3   Arenal volcano and zip line
Day 4   Wildlife conservation volunteering (optional hot springs)
Day 5   Wildlife conservation volunteering
Day 6   Wildlife conservation volunteering
Day 7   Transfer to Manuel Antonio - Arenas del Mar
Day 8   Relaxation
Day 9   Explore Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 10 Transfer back to San Jose - Grano de Oro
Day 11  Fly home

Inclusions:
• Accommodation (price based on 2 people sharing)
• All in country private transfers
• Coffee plantation tour
• Sky Tram and Trek
• Park entry fee and 2.5 hour tour for Manuel Antonio NP - includes fruit buffet and drinks on a beach
• US$255 donation to volunteer project.
• Hotel breakfasts throughout
• All Taxes

Not Included:
• Personal amenities (laundry services and international calls etc.)
• Optional trips
• Alcoholic beverages throughout guests visit.
• Driver and guide gratuities.
• Meals and snacks not specified in the itinerary.
• Juan Santamaria and Daniel Oduber International Airport Exit Fee ($ 26 per person).
• International and Domestic Flights.
• Travel and Medical Insurance.

Your "Taste" of Volunteering Project

Assist at a rescue center for injured, orphaned or illegally traded animals. Help provide these animals with a better existence and at the same time discover the importance of preserving the natural biodiversity of this stunning country for future generations.

The project was set up by a Veterinarian and his son who are passionate about animals and the environment. In the future they hope to acquire more land to serve as a transition space for animals they are trying to reintroduce to the wild.

• Play a role in preserving the biodiversity of Costa Rica's wildlife by helping construct and repair shelters for animals illegally kept as pets
• Assist with preparing seedlings for reforestation and enjoy the company of 'Ticos' (people from Costa Rica) as you work alongside them
• Learn how to recycle organic materials into paper products which are then used sold to support a local women's cooperative

Everyone including younger children can enjoy getting close to the animals (including sloths, kinkajous, raccoons, owls, peccaries, monkeys (spider, squirrel and howler monkeys), macaws and parrots and even help feed them.

Coffee Plantation tour

Learn how coffee was discovered, traded and consumed, then stroll the lanes of Finca Rosa Blanca organic sustainable coffee plantation. Experience the entire process of organic cultivation and harvest, including participating in the picking of coffee during the harvest season (Oct. to Jan.) Learn how the experts discern and rate gourmet coffee by participating in a "coffee cupping" (catación) session with the Barista and Coffee Tour Guide. Finish up with a walk to the coffee bar where you will learn to make a cappuccino, café latte and espresso. Sit out on the spacious deck and enjoy the views of the volcanoes above and coffee fields below while sipping your cappuccino, enjoying fresh pastries and learning more about the benefits to the environment and the community of an organic sustainable coffee farm. This tour plus the cupping session and the coffee break and pastries session will be about 2 hours.

Your Rainforest Alliance certified accommodation

Finca Rosa Blanca

Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation & Inn crowns the Central Highlands of Costa Rica, offering a luxury sustainable hotel and exciting destination where the adventurous and curious traveler can experience the history and cultivation of coffee in Costa Rica and the museums, music, arts and culture of the local communities.

Aside from being pampered in our world famous luxury boutique hotel, you can discover the misty cloud forests of the volcanoes surrounding the organic coffee plantation, enjoy wild rivers, waterfalls and canopy tours in the towering trees and search for the local wildlife including the rare quetzal, tapirs and peccaries.

Partake of their famous coffee tour and hike through lush verdant coffee plantations with a knowledgeable guide and learn about the intricacies of growing and roasting organic coffee while becoming an expert in "cupping" some of the world's best beans.

The Finca Rosa Blanca Hotel seeks to demonstrate that sustainability can be incorporated into an upscale luxury boutique hotel setting by combining elements of environmental conservation, education, training, luxury, community development and innovative building techniques.

 

Arenal Observatory Lodge

Treat yourself to a unique adventure at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. This volcano hotel - perched high on a ridge only 1.7 miles from Arenal Volcano (Volcán Arenal), Costa Rica's most spectacular active volcano - offers the area's most stunning views of the volcano and Arenal Lake. With easy access to the Arenal Observatory Lodge, only a twenty minutes' drive from the small town of La Fortuna, Costa Rica, volcano and nature lovers alike can feast their eyes on the majesty of Arenal Volcano in its lush tropical setting.

Arenal Observatory Lodge is located within Arenal National Park and borders the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in an area that is characterized by dense primary rain forests broken only by unpolluted streams and rivers. Because they value the importance of this environment, they promote the efficient use of resources and develop practices which have little impact on the natural surroundings.

 

Arenas Del Mar

Arenas Del Mar was designed to combine deluxe accommodation with the highest level of certified sustainability.

Arenas Del Mar is a beach and nature resort located adjacent to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. "Unique and spectacular beach and nature experiences combined with highest levels of comfort and sustainability in a local Costa Rican setting" define the concept of Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort.

This Manuel Antonio resort caters to guests that are looking for more than just another high end resort experience. Arenas Del Mar Hotel offers luxurious experience in harmony with Costa Rica's nature in a spectacular beach and rainforest setting. Guest rooms, apartments and suites offer spectacular ocean views, upscale dining in two hotel restaurants with a focus on fresh local products and personalized service.

 

Grano De Oro

Situated on a shady street just off Paseo Colon, San Jose’s main thoroughfare, Hotel Grano de Oro is a true oasis, a sanctuary in the heart of the city. Converted from a Tropical Victorian mansion, the 40-room hotel maintains the warmth and comfort of a private home.

Hallways lined with period photographs and original art meander through the building and present lush tropical flower arrangements and luxurious plants at every turn. Spanish tile fountains grace intimate atriums, ensuring that one is never far from the soothing melody of falling water.

The Grano De Oro has taken on the sustainability challenge with glee and is involved in numerous social and environmental measures, to reduce its impact. From local sourcing right through to supporting local artists by displaying their art in the hotel.

 

 

* Terms & Conditions:

• For discount to apply, itinerary must be booked in full.
• Hotels are subject to availability at time of booking and may need to be substituted with a hotel of the same class during busy times.
• Trip requires a minimum of 2 passengers travelling together.