Please Find Below My First Proposal for Your Costa Rica Trip on May 2005

ITINERARY – MAY 2005 This will be our first time in the southern part of the country. Many scientists feel that the rainforests here are the most beautiful on Earth. Again, we will be using Horizontes, a Costa Rican tour company. Last year they were excellent!

Day 1- May 27

We will depart Boston and arrive that evening at the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside of San Jose, Costa Rica. We will be met by our bus driver and guide and transferred to our hotel. Dinner will be at the hotel. If we arrive late, food will be provided for us in our rooms. Overnight at Palma Real hotel.

Day 2 – May 28 After an early buffet breakfast we will depart for Irazu Volcano National Park. Dominating the skyline over Cartago, Costa Rica's former capital city, Irazú is Costa Rica's highest volcano at 3,432 meters (11260 feet) above sea level. It is approximately an hour's drive from San José. A paved road leads right to the top, to within a few hundred feet of the principal crater. Irazu is starkly and dramatically beautiful, with vegetation that is only just beginning to come back after the last violent period of activity from 1962-65.

Enjoy a Costa Rican lunch at a local Restaurant and then continue driving towards Cerro de la Muerte. San Gerardo de Dota is your final destination for this day. Dinner and overnight at Savegre Lodge. Tucked into a verdant corner of the Savegre River Valley, just beyond the mountain village of San Gerardo, Savegre Lodge offers simple wooden accommodations and the warm hospitality of a family that has been farming the area for three generations. Fondly nicknamed "Cabinas Chacon" after the Chacon family owners, Savegre is ideal for those who want to experience authentic Costa Rican country life, and for nature lovers wishing to see the cherished Resplendent Quetzal, as well as other highland bird species. www.savegre.co.cr http://www.savegre.co.cr/

Day 3 –May 29 Full day exploring the area. All meals and night at Savegre Lodge.

Day 4 - May 30 After a healthy breakfast we will head south to the Osa Peninsula. The southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica is the most biologically intense are of the country. On our way, we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant and if we are lucky enough, will have the chance to buy some souvenirs from the Rey Curre Indigenous Reserve inhabitants. Dinner and overnight at The Tropical Center. The Neotropica Foundation’s Tropical Center is located in Rincón de Osa. surrounded by the exuberant tropical forests of the Osa Peninsula. Accommodations here are dormitory style. www.costaricaconservation.com http://www.costaricaconservation.com/

Day 5 – May 31 During the morning, just after breakfast, we will visit the Catarata Trail. This walk starts from the Tropical Center. At the beginning, we will pass several cattle farms and local family homes. The trail starts through a beautiful primary forest, with immense trees and relaxing sounds of the rainforest. After ½ mile, we will enter a secondary forest. Finally we will get to a small waterfall in the middle of the forest. We will walk back to the Tropical Center for lunch.

During the afternoon, we will visit the library, where we can find material to use for our papers

Dinner and overnight at The Tropical Center.

Day 6 – June 1 After breakfast, we will head to the famous Corcovado National Park. A wagon pulled by a tractor will take us to a trail that will lead to “Los Patos” Station. This wagon trip will take about 1 hour (or 2 hours by horse). We will be crossing the Rincón River several times. The trail to Los Patos Station takes about 1 hour. Once at the Ranger Station, a light snack will be provided. There is a selection of trails to choose from, with different sceneries and levels of difficulty. This is a full day tour, and it depends on weather. If it has been raining a lot and the River is high, it may be cancelled! If this occurs, we will visit

Dinner and overnight back at The Tropical Center.

Day 7 – June 2 Today we will visit Köbö Farm. This tour starts at the house of Alex Retana, a young farmer who practices organic agriculture in his fields. We will visit his domestic orchard, planted with cilantro, cucumber, tomato, basil, celery and many other crops. Along the trails, we will get to the banana plantation, then medicinal plants, pineapple, cocoa and sugar cane. This farm also has a sugar mill, milk cows, pigs and worm culture. At the end of the visit, we will have the opportunity to walk along a beautiful forest that the owner is preserving and reforesting. A traditional lunch will be served at Köbö Farm. Dinner and overnight back at The Tropical Center.

Day 8- June 3 After breakfast, check-out and drive northwest to La Cusinga Lodge, located on the way to Dominical at Bahía Ballena. We will have lunch will be upon arrival at La Cusinga. This is a beautiful project with private access to the beach and nice trails to go hiking. http://www.lacusingalodge.com/ The lodging here will be dorm-style, on the Ocean View Standard, with bunk beds. Dinner and overnight at La Cusinga Lodge.

Day 9 - June 4 After breakfast we will hike along one of the trails of La Cusinga. In the Afternoon we will visit the beach.

Meals and overnight at La Cusinga Lodge.

Day 10 – June 5 Breakfast at La Cusinga Lodge. Today, we will head back to San Jose, making several stops along the way to have lunch and to observe several local habitats and culture. A special farewell dinner awaits us at Palma Real Hotel. Overnight at Palma Real.

Day 11 – June 6 Breakfast at Palma Real. Private transfer to the International Airport.

Note: Due to weather conditions and circumstances beyond our control, certain activities may be changed or substituted in the best interest of the group.