Costa Rica · Gardens, cloud forest & rainforest · 2028 future departure
Costa Rica Garden Tour 2028
A garden and nature journey through Costa Rica — orchid collections at Lankester, the Wilson Botanical Garden, private gardens, cloud forest and rainforest lodges, and the Arenal Volcano.
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The gardens and nature of Costa Rica
Costa Rica holds an astonishing share of the world’s plant and animal species within a small country. Orchids, bromeliads, heliconias and palms grow in gardens and forests that rise from the Pacific coast to cloud forest high in the mountains, and the gardens here are inseparable from the nature around them.
This future GardenTours.com departure brings together the country’s great plant collections — the orchids of the Lankester Botanical Garden, the Wilson Botanical Garden and the Else Kienzler Botanical Garden — with private gardens in the Central Valley and gardens around the lodges where we stay.
Between the gardens, the journey travels through the cloud forest of San Gerardo de Dota, home of the resplendent quetzal, to the Pacific coast and the rainforest, and to the Arenal Volcano, where hanging bridges lead through the forest canopy.
Dates, prices and the full itinerary will be sent to the priority list first, before the departure is announced more widely.
The gardens we expect to visit
Lankester Botanical Garden
A celebrated orchid collection and research garden, with a remarkable range of tropical plants.
Wilson Botanical Garden
A garden of great plant diversity in the south of the country, with palms, heliconias and rare orchids.
Cloud forest at San Gerardo de Dota
Mountain forest of oaks, bromeliads and mosses, and one of the best places to see the resplendent quetzal.
Rainforest lodges
Gardens and forest trails around our lodges, with hummingbirds, monkeys and tropical planting close at hand.
Arenal Volcano
Views of the volcano and the hanging bridges through the rainforest canopy.
Private gardens of the Central Valley
Personal gardens near Alajuela, showing what Costa Rican gardeners grow in this fertile region.
The provisional shape of the tour
- Arrival near San José and the gardens of our first hotel
- Lankester Botanical Garden, continuing to the cloud forest of San Gerardo de Dota
- Cloud forest walks and birdwatching for the quetzal
- The Wilson Botanical Garden, continuing to the Pacific coast
- The Tárcoles river and a rainforest lodge
- A day at the rainforest lodge, its gardens and trails
- The Else Kienzler Botanical Garden and the Arenal Volcano
- The Arenal hanging bridges
- The Central Valley: hotel gardens and waterfalls
- Private gardens in Alajuela
- Departure from San José
A garden-focused specialist
- Small groups of 15–20 guests, led with garden-focused commentary throughout
- An itinerary built on GardenTours.com’s earlier Costa Rica tour
- Botanical gardens and private gardens combined with cloud forest and rainforest
- Lodges chosen for their gardens and setting
- Priority access to dates, pricing and the full itinerary before public release
A sense of the gardens
Garden guides for this destination
What a tour of this kind would normally include
The full list of inclusions will be published with the confirmed itinerary. A GardenTours.com departure of this kind would normally include hotel and lodge accommodation, private transport, garden admissions, selected meals, guided nature visits and tour leadership.
Included
- Hotel and lodge accommodation, or similar
- Breakfast daily
- Selected lunches and dinners
- Private transportation during the tour
- Garden entrance fees and guided visits listed in the final itinerary
- Services of a tour leader / local guide
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed as included
- Drinks with meals unless specified
- Personal expenses
- Tips and gratuities
Is this tour right for you?
- Suitable for travellers interested in tropical gardens, orchids and the plants and wildlife of the rainforest.
- Rated Moderate: forest trails can be uneven and wet, and some days include early starts and longer drives.
Register your interest for this future tour
Join the priority list and be among the first to receive dates, pricing and the full itinerary.
Register your interest