An airport transfer from SJO to the first night hotel is included in the trip price. Your driver will be outside the airport waiting. Look for the Wild Women Expeditions sign.

Important: Your pickup time at SJO will be based on the flight arrival details that you provide in the Travel Details Form closer to trip departure.

Please ensure you clearly outline your flight itinerary as follows:

Carrier & Flight #
Depart from [Departure Airport Code] + date & time
Arrive at SJO + date & time

Group Rendezvous Point:

Date: Day 1
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Hotel lobby of the Gran Hotel Costa Rica

RECOMMENDED PRE-TRIP ACCOMMODATIONS

If you plan to arrive before the tour, we recommend staying at Gran Hotel Costa Rica , your hotel accommodation for the first night of the tour.

DEPARTURES FROM Liberia

A departure transfer to LIR will be arranged based on flight details submitted in your travel details form. If you are extending your stay in Costa Rica, you are responsible for arranging your personal transportation.

RECOMMENDED POST-TRIP ACCOMMODATIONS

If you plan to extend your stay, we recommend booking your stay at Bosque del Mar

TRANSPORTATION ARRANGEMENTS

You are responsible for booking your own flights or other transport arrangements to the trip start location. These arrangements and any other independent arrangements that you may make are not a part of the trip booked with Wild Women Expeditions and are entirely at your own risk. Wild Women Expeditions accepts no responsibility, directly or indirectly, for any loss, damage or injury to property or person in connection with such arrangements. Should you require assistance with your travel arrangements, please contact:

Megan and Zale | Now Boarding Travel, Travel Specialists

Email: wildwomen@nowboarding.travel

Note: Now Boarding Travel only provides services of 3-star quality or greater. For budget alternatives, please refer to the Lonely Planet guide for your destination.

Important: For international and remote destinations, there is always the risk of flight delays, baggage delays and flight schedule changes which may cause late arrivals, which may, in return, result in you missing the group tour departure. We encourage you to consider arriving one or two days early, which will help you overcome any jet lag from traveling!

PASSPORTS & VISAS

You are fully responsible for your own visa requirements, permits, and certificates for your trip. It is the sole prerogative of each country or region to determine who is allowed to enter. It is your responsibility to check with the country's Consulate and your country's travel website such as Canada’s for up-to-date information about traveling internationally.

Double check entry requirements

Please refer to this helpful resource from Sherpa. It has important information on visa and entry/exit requirements. Just follow the prompts, plug in your nationality and flight route! Remember to include any countries that you transit through on the way in case they have different requirements.

Passport:

It's mandatory for all passports be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your expected return to your home country. Before you leave, ask your transportation company about its requirements related to passport validity, which may be more stringent than the country's entry rules.

Every non-Costa Rican and Costa Rican visitor to requires a current passport, valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry and with a minimum of two blank pages. All visitors are given a 90-day entry upon arrival.

Important: A copy of your passport must be emailed to the Wild Women Expeditions office by 130-days pre-trip.

Visa:

Most visitors to Costa Rica don’t need a visa, including citizens from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, including Ireland.

Note: As fees and policies can change, we highly recommend that you contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date visa requirements, or see your travel agent.

TIPPING

While tipping isn't mandatory in Costa Rica, tips are very welcomed and has become a regular practice showing your appreciation for good service. Rounding up the bill and leaving spare change at restaurants and cafes is generally standard practice.

Your tour leader may help organize a ‘tipping kitty’ where she can help manage the tips and then one person in the group may volunteer to present a tip on behalf of the group. This total amount will differ depending on how many people are on the tour but it’s usually about 300 - 400 USD pp. The kitty will include gratuities for local guides, tea with local families, some restaurants, etc.

We recommend tipping your driver $5 USD per day, per guest, and your guide $10 USD per day per guest (or the equivalent in local currency).

ACCOMMODATION DETAILS

Rooming Arrangements:

Our trip prices are based on a twin share (minimum of two women per room/tent), so we’ll team you up with another solo wild woman to share with if you’re on your own, or of course, you can share with your travel partner.

Private Upgrade

Private upgrades may be available upon request (pending availability). To request for this upgrade, please contact support@wildwomenexpeditions.com.

Potable Water

Potable water is provided throughout the trip. Extra bottled water is carried with our lunch by mule for the daytime, and available at the lodges when we’re not riding.

If you would like to join Wild Women Expeditions in its commitment to reducing single-use plastic, you can travel prepared with your own water treatment system!

Lifestraw

GRAYL Canada | OnePress™ Global Protection

Travelers Against Plastic | Take the TAP pledge

Water-To-Go

Overnight Arrangements During Your Stay

Gran Hotel Costa Rica

Villa Florencia

La Quinta de Sarapiqui

Arenal Observatory

Bosque del Mar

QUICK FACTS ABOUT Costa Rica

Climate & Weather:

Costa Rica is very close to the equator, so we have tropical weather.

This means that there are two defined seasons, rainy and dry. The dry season (or verano) is typically from December to April. The rainy season (invierno) is typically from May to November. There is a mini-dry season (or veranillo) in the month of July.

During the rainy season we get dry, sunny mornings and afternoon showers. However, because it’s the tropics, there’s always a chance of rain regardless of the month. It's advisable to pack a light waterproof jacket or poncho, just in case!

Electricity And Plug Standards

Costa Rica uses the same 110V – 60 cycle system as the USA. European appliances will need adapters.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in Costa Rica are very similar to the electrical outlets found in the United States and Canada, and if your appliance has a North American plug, it's possible that you won't need any adapter at all. However, there are two potentially very important physical differences that may need to be addressed with an adapter: grounding and/or polarization. If your plug has one or both, and the socket doesn't, then the plug may not physically be able to fit into the socket without an adapter.

Anti-malaria meds advised for these regions?

Taxi's

If you are arriving early or extending your stay, taxis are red in color (except those serving the international airports, which are orange) and are usually metered. Make sure that when you enter the meter hasn’t been running prior to entering the taxi. You can also ask your hotel concierge how much a fare should be and negotiate with the driver to an agreed amount before setting off.

MONEY MATTERS

Wild Women Expeditions recommends that each participant should bring enough cash in local currency or available credit/debit funds to cover their meals during travel to and from their destination. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, meals not included in the trip package, shopping, etc., and we also suggest you have access to emergency funds.

Currency Exchange Offices & Banks:

Please check online for current exchange rates. Wild Women Expeditions likes XE Currency Converter

We highly suggest you read this article: Where to Exchange Currency Without Paying Huge Fees for more information about this for your trip.

Automated Teller Machine (ATM)

Banks and ATMs are available almost everywhere on the tour except in some rural locations. The tour leaders will advise when this is the case so our guests can withdraw or exchange in advance.

Credit Cards

Most major credit cards are accepted by most large shops, hotels and restaurants, although smaller vendors and market stalls often only accept cash. Visa and Mastercard is accepted, American Express cards are not so widely accepted.

Cash

Once you arrive in Costa Rica, you can exchange or withdraw the Costa Rican Colón (CRC) which is the local currency. It is recommended to do this immediately upon arrival at the airport using your credit card or cash (USD, CAD, EURO etc).

USD is accepted everywhere as well as Visa and Mastercard. Euros, Canadian currency and American Express cards are not so widely accepted.

Taxes

Costa Rica has tax of 13%

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE

TBA

GETTING FIT

Please be sure to provide complete, accurate, and up-to-date information about your health & fitness level and keep us updated if there are changes. Wild Women Expeditions trips travel to remote areas where limited or no sophisticated medical facilities exist.

A medical emergency situation is extremely unlikely; however, should it arise we need to be prepared with the necessary information to help you.

Important Note: If you choose not to disclose a condition, infirmity, injury, or ailment herein and are subsequently deemed to be unfit for expedition travel due in whole or in part to such condition, infirmity, injury or ailment, Wild Women Expeditions guides, and partners shall have the right to remove you from the trip with no refund or compensation payable. Any evacuation expenses incurred are payable by the evacuee via their medical travel insurance or personal expense. Generally, our expeditions are intended for travelers in reasonably good health for their safety, along with that of their fellow travelers.

Tips:

You don't have to be a professional athlete to enjoy your Wild Women expedition. Not by a long shot! You'll be surprised at what you can achieve with our experienced guides at your side and a little camaraderie.

That said, you’ll definitely enjoy yourself far more if you do some preparation so your body is conditioned and ready to enjoy and make the most of the outdoors.

Here are a few ideas to help you get ready:

Take every opportunity you can to be active.

You can improve your fitness a lot just by adopting some new habits; take the stairs at work, go for a walk at lunchtime, park your car away from work and walk. Aim for 30 minutes a day and keep a diary so you can look back on it and feel proud. These may sound trivial but they’re all building blocks!

Rev up your ticker!

Think ‘interval training’, which means doing short bursts of high-intensity work with recovery time in between. Depending on how fit you are this can mean strolling with bursts of power walking, or jogging with sprints. Either way, the aim is to get your heart rate up.

Hill Training.

The most spectacular views aren’t from the bottom of a valley – so the places we go on our trips aren’t flat. A little time training on hills and stairs is an investment that’ll pay off big-time when you’re on your trip. When it comes to hills there’s no hurry – get into a slow steady rhythm and you’ll be at the top before you know it.

Join a local walking or running group.

This is a great way to get fit and you’ll also see new places, meet great people… and make them all jealous when they find out what you’re about to go on your travels.

Warm up, cool down and stretch.

If you’re doing a workout then make sure you start and finish gently and stretch any tight muscles – this will help you avoid any aches, pains and pulled muscles. If you’re a member of a gym try some yoga, tai chi or pilates classes to build up your flexibility, stability and balance.

Hydration.

When you suddenly ask your body to walk or be active, it needs a bit more fuel than it needs when, say, sitting at a desk all day! The main thing your body needs is water, so stay hydrated and practice sipping water often. Getting a water bottle or hydration bladder is a great way to make sure you have it on hand at all times. Make a habit out of taking a bottle of water with you wherever you go.

Nutrition.

Eating little and often will keep your body well fuelled for outdoor exercise, especially food like nuts, dried fruit and bread. The odd bit of chocolate and a few boiled lollies are good for keeping your blood sugar levels up while you’re hiking as well!

Have fun!

The most important point of all! You are about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. You’re going to meet some amazing people, see some wonderful places and create memories that will stay with you for life. The more prepared you are to tackle the various challenges, the more fun you will have. Also, with all the endorphins you create from all this training, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear! It’s a great way to boost your happy vibes.

GENERAL FAQ'S

For general Wild Women Expeditions FAQs please click [HERE].