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Costa Rica

If a country was a cup of coffee

Imagine scents, and tastes: banana, coffee, cacao. Recite a quote: “fulfilling, and never boring”. Jack Ewing said this back in 1972, at a time when Costa Rica was about to undergo a staggering ecological renaissance. The country, today, is a paradise, where wildlife outnumbers people by a colossal margin. Seven days will feel like a lifetime – and in the best possible sense of the phrase.

From: $5,000 per person

BEST TIME TO GO

NOV–APR

FLIGHT TIME

West Coast – 6HR
Central – 4HR
East Coast – 5HR 30M

One Week to Wander, Black Tomato

The Trip Japan, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

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Amazing that this eye-poppingly exotic country is only 5.5 hours from New York, swapping an ‘urban jungle’ for a literal cloud forest in the time it takes to read the paper. This trip is a proper headfirst immersion: from the city of San José to the heart of the jungle. You’ll not only feel like an explorer. You’ll be one.

One Week to Wander, Black Tomato

Days 1-2

Wake up, smell the coffee

Stay

Xandari Resort & Spa – in its name – reveals little about its design or location: with 24 sublime villas draped across a landscape of plantations and terraces, and all within a brief 20-minute drive of San José, Costa Rica’s colonial-come-Belle-Epoque capital. The spa? Magnificent. The restaurant? Out of this world.

See

Gold, jade, tobacco, coffee. San José is – in many ways – defined by the produce gathered and grown in its hinterland. Chief among these is chocolate, where the cacao bean plays a – sometimes mythological, often culinary – role in country’s culture. To get the lowdown, you’ll take part in a hands-on tour and workshop in one of the city’s oldest and best ateliers.

Costa Rica, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

Days 2-4

Ride the Pacuare River

Stay

Eco-friendly, sustainable, and all but unreachable – except by raft or cable car. Pacuare Lodge is a heady, exhilarating ‘hotel’ folded into the heart of the jungle, providing an idyllic hub from which to explore the wilderness beyond.

See

The jungle is dense. The river that runs through it is a highway and – sometimes – a racecourse. We’ll take you along its meandering path and into the thrilling arms of its class III rapids.

Costa Rica, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

Days 4-6

Wild ways in volcano country

Stay

Imagine that a safari-style camp had been picked up from the Maasai Mara and dropped into the rainforests of Costa Rica. That’s Nayara Tented Camp in a nutshell. Infinity pools, sloth trails, bird walks, and a host of expert naturalist guides at your disposal. Go wild.

See

Beyond the camp lies the juggernaut volcano of Arenal – a big brute beast that reshaped much of the landscape after an historic 1968 eruption. We’ll take you on a geological trek along the ‘Colada 68’, a trail that rises and falls along frozen lava flows and reveals eye-popping views at every turn. It’s also a nature walk, so look out for toucans, opossums, sloths, flycatchers, and more. Your guides will be the Rodriquez family, who’ve lived on this land for generations.

Costa Rica, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

Days 6-7

From sulphur to surf

Stay

Now, the beach. Nantipa is a luxury hotel right on the shore of the glittering Pacific, and it’ll be your base for proper barefoot luxury and world class surfing. Relaxed, bohemian, and oh-so cool.

See

Santa Teresa is a surf town. So, when in Rome – surf. We’ll set you up with a certified instructor to suit your level and abilities, with all this magnificent shoreline at your disposal. Suit up.

Costa Rica, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

Costa Rica, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

Your added extra

A private dinner beneath the stars, hosted on the banks of the wild Pacuare river. Fire pit, candlelight, and the ‘organic orchestra’ of nature itself.

Get in touch

Costa Rica, One Week to Wander, Black Tomato, Luxury Travel

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