2-day hike in rural Costa Rica

On day one you get up early, have breakfast at your hotel and come to our Base Camp in Turrialba by 6:45am with your hiking gear (including your favorite snacks for the day); you’ll leave your car in our parking lot and we’ll drive to the trail head. If you don't have a car, we can also pick you up at your hotel by 7:00am.

The Santubal community will prepare you a box lunch to take with you. The hike goes through terrain suitable for all types of hikers; you’ll hike through rural farms and forests with breathtaking views such as the majestic Pacuare River. Plus, your knowledgeable guide will make the walk much more interesting. Around 11:00 a.m. you'll get to the town of San Joaquín where we’ll have a lunch break to regain some energy.

The second part of the hike takes you the community of Mollejones, cutting through the forest and crossing the river with the hanging bridges used by the locals to transport agricultural goods and cattle. Once you get there, you’ll be greeted by the friendly people of Mollejones and you’ll be able to take a shower, change clothes and get some rest. Before dinner, the community will put on a cultural exchange presentation with traditional dancing and games, giving you yet another opportunity to learn about the Costa Rican identity.

As a team, we'll break camp and pack up but before leaving you’ll be served an energy-boosting breakfast prepared by the community women. Then we’ll start the hike to Tres Equis which will take approximately 5 hours.

The trail follows along the banks of the Pacuare River, with sections through farms and small patches of forest, and with some luck you’ll be able to see some wildlife. As you walk along the Pacuare River, your knowledgeable guide will have plenty of information to share about the sections along the river used for rafting, the river’s main rapids and the preservation of the bobo fish that inhabit the Pacuare River.

Along the banks of the Pacuare River there are also indigenous Cabecar settlements where the people live in rustic, thatched-roof homes and are self-sufficient, consuming what they produce. Your guide will share plenty of historical and cultural information on this matter during the hike.

When we reach the end point of the trail, a delicious lunch will be waiting for you as a reward for the 2-day journey. We’ll then drive you to Turrialba, where you can pick up your car from Explornatura’s parking lot and continue your journey or stay at a hotel in the area.