Costa Rica Selfdrive Holiday

Drive between three contrasting destinations gaining first-hand insights into Costa Rica's amazing biodiversity. Self-driving your own vehicle, you'll be free to travel in your own time, pausing to admire views and stopping to visit local villages and sites of interest. This is a personal journey of discovery.

Your first days are spent within sight of the superbly symmetrical cone of Arenal Volcano. The peak is often shrouded in cloud, adding an air of mystery, and although there have been no eruptions since 2010, the volcano is still active, a reminder of the power of nature. While here you have the chance to ascend to an observation deck at an elevation of 1250 metres for some fabulous photos, before a pulse-quickening descent via a series of zip-lines, leaving you exhilarated and elated. That's hard to follow, but your next destination certainly measures up. Monteverde Cloudforest is an other-worldly place of mists, mosses, ferns, tall trees, orchids and waterfalls. It's a landscape that might have come straight out of myth or fable. You have a guided walk through this atmospheric cloud forest, observing the many birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects that have made this their home. Finally, you head to the coast. Tamarindo is on the western edge of the Nicoya Peninsula facing the Pacific Ocean. Here your time is your own, so you can take advantage of the many activities or opt for some relaxed beach time, as you wish. Round off the holiday with a drink at the bar as you watch the sun sink below the ocean, and maybe make yourself a promise to return to Costa Rica one day!