15 May 2024
Day 1: Nice tour with friendly and informative guide Edgar. We stopped at a metal church followed by another stop at a craft store. I think the morning could be better spent getting to the destination, with a comfort break half-way through en route, because neither church nor craft store were particularly interesting. Great lunch in a nice restaurant in La Fortuna (the best meal of the entire trip). Hot springs in the afternoon were nice, buffet dinner at the springs was not good. Overnight stay was at Montana del Fuego. Great staff, nice place, but no WiFi in the room.
Day 2: This day is mainly about getting to Monteverde, and overall the programme is a bit dull, and could be planned better. Breakfast at Montana del Fuego was fine (the only meal included this day). Transfer by bus, then boat, then bus to Monteverde. Ride across the lake is short, but nice, with views of the volcano. Bus transfer dropped me at Country Lodge, the second hotel. Also a nice place to stay. The afternoon was left open. A night walk through a forest was included, but it was nothing special. Also, you should eat before the walk because otherwise you might miss dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Breakfast at Country Lodge was fine. The activities are Treetopia - guided walk through the forest and ziplining - are excellent. Great guide and great team that accompany you on the ziplining. Lunch was included at Treetop, but the food is not good. After Treetopia, there's a transfer back to the hotel to collect things before the long journey back to Monteverde. It would be nice to space this long journey about.
Overall, I think the itinerary needs a re-think and the trip is overpriced.