EcoVentures Travel
Safaris and nature tours for discriminating individuals

DESCRIPTION

Canyoning
Canyoning is specifically practiced in the natural geographic setting of canyons. This activity involves rappelling and descending cliffs and waterfalls within the canyon. The equipment for this activity - ropes, harnesses and carabiners - are the same tools that are used in rock-climbing.

Our Canyoning site is located in Calle Chirraca, a small, modest, yet lush place near the town of Turrialba.   Our course guarantees you a memorable, safe, and thrilling day of Canyoning as we rappel down waterfalls, zip-line through the treetops, and enjoy the unique, natural beauty of this country.

We begin the Canyoning tour with an introduction of our guides and the equipment to help familiarize you with the different  uses of the equipment. We start the tour at the first waterfall where a guide will give a speech on safety. The guide will explain the course and the equipment making sure you know the necessary mechanisms and procedures for canyoning, ensuring you a safe and fun experience. After this, you are off...rappelling down four waterfalls, zip lining down four canopy cables, descending down two tall trees and walking across a 132 foot hanging bridge - all giving you an unforgettable adrenaline rush!  It is important to bring extra clothes and shoes to change into at the end of the trip.

Duration:  3 to 4 hours.
Minimum age:  8 years old.
Includes:  Transportation  from hotels inside Turrialba town, safety equipment and bilingual guide.

(*) For pick up at  Guayabo Lodge & Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $ 10.00 (rack and net rates) per person.

Meals:  Lunch

(*) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Pacuare River Rafting class III-IV  
The Pacuare River is ranked as one of the top five rivers in the world to white water raft. What earns the Pacuare River this acclaim is its eighteen miles of class III and class IV rapids and some of the most breathtaking scenery in all of Costa Rica.

You will enjoy the thrill of the rapids, as well as the natural beauty that surrounds the river such as cascading waterfalls and a variety of tropical flora and fauna. We begin the tour near the little town of Tres Equis located one hour east of Turrialba. Before entering the river, our guides give an important safety talk, familiarizing rafters with the necessary commands and safety instructions that you will need on the river. After practicing all of the commands and drills you will start rafting the river. Shortly after entering, the excitement kicks up a notch as you enter the first rapid, "Iniciación". You will quickly understand why some of the rapids have been labeled their specific names such as Huacas, Dos Montañas, El Indio and Cimarrones.

As well as enjoying the thrill of the rapids, we also stop along to way to hike up waterfalls located in hidden canyons and to better enjoy some of the wildlife that we see along the way.

Halfway through the tour we stop at our camp which is located on a hillside in a bend of the river so you have a tremendous view of the Pacuare and the surrounding mountains. The guides prepare a delicious meal for you while you rest and enjoy the scenic views and the various flora and fauna of this region. After lunch, you continue your adventure down the river, braving more rapids and taking in the awesome surroundings. The tour stops when you reach a bridge in the town of Siquirres.  Extra clothes and towel will be needed at the end of the tour.

Duration:  Full day
Minimum age:  Over 12 years old.
Meals:  L
Includes:  Transportation  from hotels inside Turrialba town, bilingual guide, special equipment and safety kayaker.

(*) For pick up at  Guayabo Lodge & Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $ 10.00 (rack and net rates) per person.

Meals:  Lunch

(*) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Pejibaye River rafting tour
The Pejibaye River is located thirty minutes from Turrialba.  This river is a class II-III rapids and the sixt kilometer  section that we raft is a tranquil and scenic day on the river.

The trip takes approximately 3  hours and is a suitable tour to enjoy will all of the family.  Before entrering the river, our guides give an important safety talk, familiarizing rafters with the necessary commands  and safety instructions  After practicing some commands and drills, you will start rafting  the river.  Rafters will enjoy the surrounding landscapes of the river including  coffee and sugar cane plantations, as well as the pristine refreshing river.  No previous experience is required.

Minimum age:  5 years old.
Duration:  Half day
Includes:  Transportation  from hotels inside Turrialba town, specialized equipment and bilingual tour guide.
Meals:  Snack

(*) For transportation from Guayabo Lodge & Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $15.00 (rack and net rates) per person.
(**) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

CATIE Mountain Bike  Adventure
The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) is one of the world’s premier centers dedicated to research and graduate education in agriculture and the management, conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources

On July 1, 1973, CATIE was created through an agreement between Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Sciences (IICA) and the Costa Rican Government. Since the centers creation, in alliance with local, national and international organizations, CATIE has become a center for academic excellence, technical cooperation and research. The center has dedicated its efforts to improve the standard of living of rural families in the American tropics, while embracing holistic vision of human activity and its environment.

During the bike ride, a guide will explain the great diversity of the forest and fruit plantations such as: coffee, cacao, sugar cane, citrus, plantains, bananas, macadamia, pineapple, mangostan, mango, avocados and many other exotic species from tropical countries. Bike riders will see the fruits in the plantations when it is the specific time of the year for the fruit.  Thanks to the diversity in flowers and fruits, the plantation is also an ideal site for the observation of birds, mammals and some reptiles. 

Bike riders will finish the tour with a visit to the Tropical Botanical Garden, which has a collection of some of the most important tropical plants in the world. In the garden, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the colors, smells, textures and forms of the plants and their products.

Riders will be provided with top-quality mountain bikes in excellent condition and safety helmets which you will be required to wear. Extra clothes may be needed at the end of the tour.

All level bike riders and children older than eight years old can enjoy this trip

Duration:  Full day
Minimum age:  8 years old.
Meals:  Hydrating beverage
Includes:  Transportation  from hotels inside Turrialba town, specialized equipment and bilingual tour guide.

(*) For pick up at  Guayabo Lodge & Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $ 15.00 (rack and net rates) per person.

Meals:  Lunch

(*) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Tropical Plantation walking  tour/CATIE
During the plantation tour, a guide will help familiarize you with the extensive plantations of CATIE, and the significant contributions CATIE has made towards the research and education of tropical agriculture. A guide will give you an informative tour through some of CATIE’s fifty gardens, where you can appreciate a variety of tropical plants from distinct parts of the world. The plantations of major relevance are: café, cacao, pejibayes, tropical fruit and forest species. As you trek through the plantations and gardens you may notice a variety of wildlife that lives within, such as toucans, oropendulum birds, butterflies and lizards. A guide will take you on a stroll through CATIE’s special botanical garden where you will find the century old Kapok tree, towering stalks of bamboo, dripping orchids and bromeliads from the trees and many other colorful and fruiting plants.
This tour is good of individuals of all ages.

Duration:  Half day
Includes:  Transportation  from hotels inside Turrialba town and bilingual tour guide.

(*) For pick up at  Guayabo Lodge & Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $ 20.00 (rack and net rates) per person.

Meals:  Lunch

(*) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Duckies (Inflatable Kayaks)
The Pejibaye River is a beautiful class II and III rapid river located about thirty minutes from Turrialba. We will go down six kilometers of the river in the small inflatable kayaks which are perfect for navigating and exploring the class II and III rapids in the river.

Each ducky fits one to two people so you will go down the river with a guide in the ducky with you to help you better navigate and enjoy the river and ensure a safe and fun-filled adventure.

It is a perfect tour to enjoy with all of the family. The adventure begins about 45 minutes outside of Turrialba where your guide will first give you a safety talk to orient you to the equipment and teach you the commands you will need to use on the river. After practicing all the commands and drills, you will begin your kayaking experience! You will help the river guide maneuver the ducky by paddling and following his/her instructions. As you are paddling down the river you will enjoy the surrounding landscapes of the river which include rolling coffee and sugar cane plantations, a variety of wildlife, and the cool, refreshing water of the Pejibaye River.  No previous experience is necessary.

Extra clothes and towel will be needed at the end of the tour.

Minimum age:  8 years old
Duration:  Half day
Includes:  Transportation from hotels inside Turrialba town, bilingual guide, special equipment and safety kayaker.
Meals:  Snack

(*) For transportation from Guayabo Lodge & Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 10.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $ 15.00 (rack and net rates) per person.
(**) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Turrialba Volcano hiking adventure
Costa Rica host 109 volcanoes, five of  them are active ones. It is located opposite Irazú volcano, both being separated by a broad saddle. 

Turrialba Volcano can be count as one of them and it  is located in the Central Highlands of Costa Rica and sits at  3340 mts above the sea level,  along the Southeast end of the Central Volcanic Corridor.   It  is  called the same name after the charming Valley of Turrialba.  It is a symbol of force and pride  for the local inhabitants.  The Turrialba Volcano adventure  begins  at  the volcano’s base, which is mostly covered in dense vegetation  except  for the craters section.  The  travelers are guided through  cloud forests towards the paramo.   From the summit on a clear day, the picturesque view  includes  a glimpse of the Atlantic Coast.

Minimum age:  12  years old
Duration:  Half day
Includes:  Transportation  from hotels inside Turrialba town, Guayabo Lodge and Rancho Naturalista, entrance fee  &  tour guide.
Meals:  L

(*)  For transportation from Guayabo Lodge and  Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00 per person.
(**) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Guayabo Archeological Site Tour
Ancient stone carvings of alligator and jaguar gods, ingeniously engineered Pre-Columbian aqueducts where water still flows, and paved roads receding into a lush rainforest - all of these things hint to Costa Rica's mysterious past civilizations.

Costa Rica may not be famous for its archaeological history like Guatemala's Tikal or the Incan ruins of Peru, but veiled in the shadow of the Turrialba Volcano - like a mythical "lost city" from a storybook - lies a mysterious ancient city that was home to over 10,000 people who seemed to have mysteriously vanished just before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.

This region, known as Guayabo National Monument, is Costa Rica's most important archaeological site and its only named National Monument.

The excavations at Guayabo have revealed a network of cobblestone causeways and streets, open and closed aqueducts, cisterns, stairways, mounds, petroglyphs, monoliths, tombs, and sculptures that belong to a pre-Columbian city, which was inhabited between 1000 B.C. and 1400 A.D.

For your tour a guide will walk you through the entire park while explaining the findings of the excavations and the history of the people that once lived there.  This tour is good for individuals of  all ages.

Duration:  Half day
Meals:  Lunch
Includes:  Transportation entrance fee and bilingual guide.

(*)  For transportation from Guayabo Lodge and  Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00  (rack and net rates) per person.  From  Volcan Turrialba Lodge you need to add  $ 25.00 (rack and net rates) per person.
(**) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Tropical horseback ride
For this trip, riders are driven to the small town of Atirro, located fifteen minutes from Turrialba. We provide friendly, trained horses that come from high-level stables. Riders will meet in the corral at the stables. A guide will give a description of what riders will do and see during the tour and give a safety talk on the rules and procedures for this horseback riding trip, such as no running with the horses. A guide and a horse expert will accompany the riders for the trip. The horse expert will measure the stirrups and select a horse for each rider.

During the two hour horseback riding trip, riders will pass sugar cane and coffee plantations and a secondary forest. In the forest, the guide will explain the development of secondary forests and the pioneer plants that are being cut down. Riders may see a variety of birds such as, oropendula, black guan, and other animals such as sloth and monkeys. Additionally, the riding tour will take riders to areas with amazing views of the surrounding natural beauty. Riders will stop to take a break and enjoy a scenic lookout, where the whole Turrialba Valley and surrounding mountains can be seen. Riders will climb and descend small hills making a loop through the land. Snacks and refreshments are provided for riders at the end of the trip.

Duration:  Half day
Minimum age:  8 years old.
Includes:  Transportation, bilingual tour guide, horse, and equipment (saddle and helmet)

(*)For transportation from Guayabo Lodge and  Rancho Naturalista you must add $ 5.00 per person.
(**) For private tours a minimum of 4  passengers are required.

Volcanic  Veins hiking tour
Natural formations, huge holes in the pasture, made by the underground connectivity of both Turrialba and Irazu Volcanoes the 2 highest and biggest Volcanoes in Costa Rica, This volcanoes have their individual activities but they interconnect and absorb some parts of the soil as they have their volcanic eruptions. This tour is carried out in our property, across green fields and paths in the cloudy tropical forest.
This tour is directed by a local guide from the area, who's a great expert of the beauties and secrets of the zone. Besides the typical flora of these elevations, fauna and several bird species can be observed such as: Martillas, Squirrels, Hoggish Porcupine, Armadillos, Coyotes, Manigordos, Water's Otter, Quetzales, Hummingbirds, Toucans, Gavilánes Tijerrilla, Coliroja and Bell Bird among others.

This is a hiking tour, we suggest groups no larger than 12 persons and the time estimated for the tour is 2 to 3 hours, it is recommended for all ages.

Includes:  Local guide.

(*) This tour leaves out of Volcán Turrialba Lodge with a minimum of  two passengers. Transportation from nearby hotels is not included.

Mountain bike to El Mirador (lookout point)
We will use the Lodge’s own Mt Bikes, which we have ready to go at any moment, with all necessary gear. After a small brief from our tour guide, we will head towards a small country road, which connects both Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes. All types of terrain can be found, flats, ups, and downs, riding along the magnificent RAIN FOREST.  After a ride of about 12 Km we arrive to EL MIRADOR, an impressive view point, which will allow us to look at one of the best sceneries of this small country call Costa Rica.

In front of us: Mountain Range of   Talamanca with Costa Rica’s highest peak “Cerro Chirripó”, very easy to identified. To the west, the city of Cartago and San José, down below, just down of our view point , the valleys of Guarco,  Orosi, and Turrialba, with the electric dams, sugar cane and coffee plantations, and to the east :The Caribbean cost line, from the far north, to the very far south. And to right of our backs, the two giants that serve us a view point, Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes. This simply is a breath taking view of Costa Rica.

Down hill terrain is ahead of us in our way back to the Lodge, that’s why, most of our guests end the tour with a big smile. This country road that we are riding is small portion of the world famous Mt. Bike race, “La Ruta de los Conquistadores”.   

Includes:  Local guide and mountain bike

(*) This tour leaves out of Volcán Turrialba Lodge with a minimum of  two passengers.  Transportation from nearby hotels is not included.

“La Muralla” Private Reserve hiking tour
This is an extension of “Las Pilas” tour that instead of looking at the park from above, we will descend all the way down to the limits with our property and  the Braulio Carrillo National Park , this is only for people in very good physical condition, because we are going to descend for a single track trail , all the way down to 1500 meters above sea level , until we reach an altitude of 1300 m. , and then at the end of the journey, we will return.

Once we are down at La Muralla, or the Big Wall, there is no one else around, so the entire forest is there for us to enjoy without any interference. The transition between the rain and cloud forest can be appreciated because of the difference in vegetation, animal life, and climate. Down at La Muralla, it is warmer and more humid that at the Lodge. We will provide you with a Lunchbox, which can be taken at the spot we have prepared for you. During lunch time, Cappuccino Monkeys might show up to the pick nick table, so you have to watch for them, please do not feed them.

Several trails can be taken with our local guide, but we highly recommend one, EL PALMITAL,   this trail is named after a plant called PALMITO, or Heart of Palm. The original, mountain gray heart of palm, is a delicatessen, well known in very unique restaurants, but illegal to buy in Costa Rica, because this plant takes to recover more than 25 years.  We do have some giant PALMITOS here for you to observe, and other plants, mammals and birds, we are sure you will love. 

This is a one day tour, we call it our jewel, because water springs and cascades are all over the place, and we like to keep it as it is, suitable only for people who appreciate to be in close contact with Mother Nature …..  It is a heavy hike!!!!

Includes:  Local guide tree planting.
Duration:  Full day
Meals:  Box lunch

(*) This tour leaves out of Volcán Turrialba Lodge with a minimum of  two passengers. Transportation from nearby hotels is not included.

Hike tour to the ponds ("Las Pilas")
Is a hiking tour, for any one in good physical condition, it takes up to 3 hours, we will take the path that will lead us towards Las Pilas (the ponds), getting deep into the Rain Forest, where lots of different mammals and birds of these part of the world can be observed, after about 1 hour hike, we will be at the view point where spectacular views of BRAULIO CARRILLO NATIONAL PARK can be observed. We can also observe the 4 magnificent and highest volcanoes of Costa Rica’s “Cordillera Volcanica Central”, Turrialba, Irazu, Barva, and Poás.

At this point, we will take another small trail, going down the canyon, until we reach LAS PILAS at the very bottom of the rocky canyon. Las Pilas is a small canyon cover with exotic vegetation and mountain  water cascades, small ponds are made, and they form many different shapes of the water, simply amazing……

Includes:  Local guide
Duration:  Half day tour 

(*) This tour leaves out of Volcán Turrialba Lodge with a minimum of  two passengers. Transportation from nearby hotels is not included.

Turrialba Volcano National Park
This giant recently started fumaroles activity after almost 150 years of a dormant period. From the summit at the view point, the activity can be easily appreciated, it is impressive and a unique experience, steam columns go as far as 500 meters up into sky; you can actually listen to the pressure fumaroles as they are producing steam under high pressure.

The journey takes approximately one hour each way, in a horse back, riding in to the forest typical of the Páramo (tiny vegetation).

You will ascend to the peak of the volcano, where you will have the opportunity to appreciate one of the best panoramic views in Costa Rica, at over 3.350 meters (over 10000 feet) above sea level., where in a clear day you can look at both oceans, making this one of the few places in the country where such a view can be appreciated
Duration: 2 hours 

Includes:  Local guide.

(*) This tour leaves out of Volcán Turrialba Lodge.  Park entrance fee NOT included. Transportation from nearby hotels NOT included.

What to Bring: protective lip palm and sun block.  Long pants, hiking shoes, warm clothing as well as gloves, coat, hat and others are also suggested.