Your Itinerary
Arrive in San José, where leafy parks, grand public buildings, and locals lingering over coffee offer a brief moment to pause before the journey ahead. After settling in, meet your English-speaking tour leader and fellow travellers at a welcome briefing covering the days to come. The rest of the evening is yours, whether you'd like to rest after your flight or take a short walk nearby to find your bearings.
Special Information
Airport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal may offer the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed.
Day 2 - San José [Bus] Sarapiquí
After breakfast, we travel north into the lush Sarapiquí region, where the landscape thickens into deep green rainforest. The air grows heavier, filled with the calls of birds and the rustle of unseen wildlife. Upon arrival at your lodge, the sounds of the Río Sarapiquí become a constant backdrop.
Inspiring Highlights
Sarapiquí rainforest
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours
Wake to the layered sounds of the rainforest, from distant howler monkeys to birds greeting the morning light. After breakfast, join a naturalist guide for a rainforest walk, learning how towering trees, delicate orchids, and medicinal plants coexist in this complex ecosystem. Your guide brings the forest to life, pointing out camouflaged insects and explaining the subtle relationships that sustain this environment. The afternoon is at leisure, perfect for slowing down and absorbing the surroundings. You might choose to wander self-guided trails or simply sit and watch the forest shift as clouds roll through.
Inspiring Highlights
Guided Sarapiquí rainforest walk
Day 4 - Sarapiquí [Bus] La Fortuna
Following breakfast, we travel toward La Fortuna, stopping en route at a community-run coffee cooperative. Here, we trace the journey from bean to cup, inhaling the rich aroma of roasting coffee while learning how sustainable practices support local livelihoods. Lunch is shared at the farm, before continuing onward. The perfectly conical silhouette of Arenal Volcano gradually comes into view, rising above the surrounding plains and setting a dramatic scene for the days ahead.
Inspiring Highlights
Coffee cooperative visit
Arenal region landscapes
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours
Breakfast begins the day before a guided walk through Arenal Volcano National Park. Your naturalist guide interprets lava flows now softened by vegetation, explaining how nature continually reclaims the land. The forest here feels alive with birdsong and the crunch of leaves underfoot.
The afternoon is free, offering time to explore La Fortuna town at an easy pace or relax nearby. You may wish to visit a nearby animal sanctuary, where there is the possibility of seeing sloths and other rescued wildlife. This can be arranged locally with your guide at an approximate cost of USD55 and does not need to be pre-booked.
As evening approaches, we gather for a visit to local hot springs, where warm mineral waters ease tired muscles.
Inspiring Highlights
Arenal Volcano National Park
Evening hot springs
Day 6 - La Fortuna [Ship] Monteverde
After breakfast, the journey to Monteverde becomes an experience in itself. Travel across Lago Arenal by boat, where shifting winds ripple the water and forested hills frame the crossing. On the far shore, we continue by road into the cloud forest highlands. Mist drifts through the trees as temperatures cool noticeably. The afternoon is free to settle in and absorb the atmosphere of Monteverde.
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours
This morning, join your naturalist guide for a walk through the Santa Elena Cloud Forest, where moisture clings to moss covered branches and the cool, fresh air carries the sounds of birdlife. Learn about epiphytes and the delicate ecosystem shaped by constant mist, while spotting wildlife along the trails. Later, enjoy time at leisure to relax or continue exploring with a peaceful walk across the hanging bridges, taking in sweeping forest views and observing the canopy from above.
Inspiring Highlights
Santa Elena Cloud Forest
Day 8 - Monteverde [Bus] Granada
After breakfast, we cross north into Nicaragua, watching landscapes shift from misty highlands to warmer lowlands. Arriving in Granada, the city's colonial character is immediately apparent in its colorful facades and broad streets. An orientation walk introduces you to plazas, churches, and daily life unfolding at an unhurried pace. Evening is at your leisure, perfect for soaking up the atmosphere as the sun lowers and the city glows in softer light.
Inspiring Highlights
Granada orientation walk
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours
Enjoy a full day at leisure in Granada. The city invites slow exploration, whether wandering local markets filled with produce and conversation or visiting small museums that reflect Nicaragua's layered history. You might choose to spend time near Lake Nicaragua, watching boats drift across the water, or simply relax in shaded squares. This freedom allows you to engage with Granada on your own terms, discovering details that resonate personally, from street music to the rhythm of everyday life.
Day 10 - Granada [Bus] León
We depart Granada after breakfast and travel north to León. Arriving around midday, lunch is enjoyed at a local spot before setting out to explore. León feels intellectual and lively, shaped by student life and revolutionary history. The afternoon is yours to explore León at your own pace. You may wish to wander its broad streets, discover colourful murals and admire the historic buildings that reflect the city's cultural importance. As evening approaches, the atmosphere softens, offering time to relax and reflect on the day.
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours
Following breakfast, join your guide for a morning city tour, culminating in a visit to León Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside, the space is restrained, but the true reward comes from the climb to the rooftop. Walking barefoot across the white expanse, you take in sweeping views of the city, distant volcanoes, and the surrounding plains. The afternoon is free, allowing time to rest or revisit favourite corners of León at your own pace.
Inspiring Highlights
León City Tour
Day 12 - León [Bus] [Ship] [Bus] Suchitoto
Today is a long but rewarding travel day. After breakfast, we journey toward El Salvador, including a boat crossing across the Gulf of Fonseca. The open water provides a sense of passage between countries, with changing light and sea air marking the transition. Arriving in Suchitoto, an orientation walk introduces this beautifully preserved colonial town. Cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings create a calm, reflective atmosphere, perfect for the quieter days ahead.
Inspiring Highlights
Suchitoto orientation walk
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 10 hours
After breakfast, we spend the morning at an indigo workshop led by a local women's cooperative. Learn how this deep blue dye shaped the region's history and economy, and watch traditional techniques still in use today. The experience connects craft, culture, and community in a meaningful way. Later, enjoy free time to explore the town at your own pace. You might wander the central plaza, browse small artisan shops, step inside a local church, or settle into a café to watch daily life unfold, all within easy walking distance of the town centre.
Inspiring Highlights
Indigo workshop
Day 14 - Suchitoto [Bus] Copán
Following breakfast, we travel into Honduras, crossing the border en route to Copán. The journey unfolds through rural landscapes before reaching this small town known for its Maya heritage. An orientation walk introduces the compact centre, where stone streets and low buildings feel closely tied to the surrounding countryside. Evening is at your leisure, with time to rest before tomorrow's exploration.
Inspiring Highlights
Copán orientation walk
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours
After breakfast, visit the renowned Maya ruins of Copán, where your tour leader brings the site's history into focus. Carved stelae, intricate hieroglyphic stairways and expansive ceremonial plazas reveal a sophisticated civilisation closely linked to astronomy and ritual. The surrounding forest enhances the atmosphere, with macaws often seen flying overhead. The afternoon is free. You may choose to relax in town or enjoy a visit to nearby hot springs, letting warm water and quiet surroundings contrast with the morning's discoveries.
Inspiring Highlights
Copán Maya ruins
Day 16 - Copán [Bus] Antigua
After breakfast, we cross into Guatemala and continue to Antigua. The city sits beneath a trio of volcanoes, its colonial streets framed by mountains and softened by bougainvillea. An orientation walk introduces you to the layout, central plaza, and architectural highlights. Antigua feels both elegant and lived-in, balancing history with everyday life. Tonight is at your leisure, ideal for enjoying the cool evening air and gentle glow of streetlights.
Inspiring Highlights
Antigua orientation walk
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 9 hours
Begin the day with a visit to a local macadamia farm, where sustainable agriculture supports surrounding communities. Enjoy a macadamia pancake breakfast while learning how cultivation and conservation work hand in hand here. Returning to Antigua, the afternoon is free to explore further. You might wander through craft markets, admire baroque facades, or simply sit in the plaza observing daily rhythms.
This evening, enjoy an included cooking class where you will discover Guatemalan flavours through hands-on preparation, followed by a shared dinner featuring the dishes you have created together.
Inspiring Highlights
Macadamia farm visit
Antigua colonial streets
Guatemalan cooking class
Day 18 - Antigua [Bus] Panajachel
After breakfast, travel north toward Lake Atitlán, arriving in Panajachel by midday. Lunch is enjoyed locally before boarding a lancha for an afternoon boat tour of the lake. Surrounded by steep hills and volcanoes, the water reflects shifting light and color. Villages dot the shoreline, each with its own identity and traditions. The boat ride offers a serene introduction to one of Guatemala's most evocative landscapes.
Inspiring Highlights
Lake Atitlán boat tour
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours
Breakfast is followed by another lancha journey, this time to explore lakeside villages. Visit Santiago, San Marcos, and San Juan La Laguna, each revealing different aspects of indigenous culture and daily life. In San Juan La Laguna, enjoy lunch at a community cooperative, where traditional practices and cooperative values are central. The day feels intimate and grounded, offering genuine connection rather than spectacle.
Inspiring Highlights
Lake Atitlán villages
San Juan La Laguna cooperative
Today your journey comes to an end, carrying memories of rainforests, ruins, lakes, and communities that together revealed the depth and diversity of Central America.
Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience.
Special Information
Driving time today will be approximately 3.5 hours.
A group departure transfer is included as part of your package. You will be collected from your hotel at approx. 8am and transferred to Guatemala City Airport to meet your flight. Please ensure your departure flight leaves after 3pm.
If you choose to extend your stay (e.g., departing after the final tour date) and have booked your additional accommodation independently, this included service will be forfeited and no refund will be issued.
If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed.
