Discover the country that encapsulates ‘pura vida’ (the simple life) on this 9-day exploration of Costa Rica tailored to the dance enthusiasts among us. This laidback paradise, where even the sloths are taking things slow, offers so much to see and do and is a perfect setting for all nature lovers.  The trip begins and ends in Liberia, Costa Rica (please see itinerary section for full details)

• Jump right in with an inner tube float down one of the countries most beautiful jungle rivers. If you're lucky, spot sloths, hummingbirds, iguanas, monkeys, toucans, coatimundis, quetzals and racoons.  
• Enjoy a guided tour of the incredible Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, home to more than 100 species of mammals and over 400 species of birds. Learn about the biodiversity of the region and look out for quetzal birds and howler monkeys.
• Head to La Fortuna, shadowed by the immense Arenal Volcano and enjoy free time to chase waterfalls and soak away your worries in the natural thermal hot springs. 
• Visit an organic family-owned farm producing some of the best coffee in the world. 
• Get some finger-licking hands-on experience making chocolate in a local family owned boutique. 
• Enjoy plenty of free time to choose your own adventure 
• By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Eden Reforestation Projects. Donations help them provide local employment opportunities and tackle climate change one tree at a time as they restore forests across 10 different countries.

Accompanied the entire time by a local guide who will offer insider knowledge of the places and people we’ll meet, and in the company of such a wonderful group of like-minded dance-loving travelers, what better way to truly experience and celebrate Costa Rica — it's culture, it's nature, and it's splendor?

Price:  $2,895 per person for double accommodation  $3,995 for private accommodation (*see below)

• A $600 downpayment is required to hold your spot
• A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights on your trip and is subject to availability.
• In order to keep balanced lead & follow numbers, and due to the fact that we typically have more follows register early, any single leads & lead-follow pairs will be able to get in right away.  Single follows will be automatically put on the waiting list until we can match you with a lead.  For this reason, we HIGHLY encourage single follows to recruit a lead with whom you can register!  (Follows:  to hold your place on the wait-list, a deposit is required. The deposit is fully refundable if we can't get you in. We will do our best to clear the waitlist as soon as we can). 
• Spaces are limited to 11 leads and 11 follows (all attempts will be made to maintain lead/follow balance throughout the trip)  

Pricing Includes:

• 8 nights Hotel Accommodation (in 3 different locations with spaces to dance!)
• Complimentary Arrival & Departure Airport Transfer (provided on group basis)
• 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
• Private air-conditioned vehicle transportation
• Private guide provided throughout

Activities Included:

• River Celeste — River Tubing Adventure
• La Fortuna — Ecotermales Hot Springs
• La Fortuna —Informal Spanish Lesson 
• Arenal — Guided Rainforest/Jungle Hike
• Monteverde — Guided Cloud Forest Biological Preserve Tour
• Monteverde – Suspension bridges tour
• Monteverde — Coffee Farm Tour & Tasting
• Monteverde — Hands on Chocolate-Making Experience
• Departure Transfer Included 
• Dance Classes (most days)
• Evening social and dance parties

Not included: 

• Airfare
• Travel Insurance 
• Tips for leaders, guide and driver 
• Alcohol/specialty drinks not included with meals
• Any extra meals/drinks not included in the itinerary
• Any extra sundries/purchases 
• Any extra amenities/excursions beyond those already provided 

The focus of our classes will be on Latin dance (Salsa, Rumba, Cha Cha, Bachata, etc) with a healthy sprinkle of other dance styles upon request (blues, swing, foxtrot, waltz, etc). Daily classes will include a mix of morning and/or afternoon sessions, with a strong emphasis on both partnering & connection, as well as introducing fun new step patterns and stylings.  

Other group activities will include afternoon & evening dances, plenty of socializing, and many other fun "non-dancing" activities.  So many options, so little time!

CLASS LEVEL:  Our classes are exciting, informative, relatively fast-paced, and as such are tailored much more toward the intermediate and above level social dancer.  Unless we are introducing a brand new dance, we do not gear any of our classes towards beginning dancers. Participants should have a solid, broad-based dance background.

If you have any questions about your level of dance, please let us know.

PASSPORT:  You’ll need a valid passport to travel internationally and most countries require your passport to have a minimum of 6 months validity, so remember to check the expiry date. 

We need your passport information to get everything ready for your trip so it’s important that the information on your booking matches your passport exactly. Please take care to provide the correct details. We recommend carrying a copy of the photo page of your passport while traveling and leaving a copy at home with family or friends. 

VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:  Many countries require a visa and obtaining the correct visa for your trip and any countries you may transit through is your responsibility. We recommend you check your visa requirements as soon as you have booked your trip. This will ensure you have time to prepare your documents and for your visa application to be processed. You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our page here: http://www.intrepidtravel.com/visa-entry-requirements 

Proof of COVID Vaccination is NOT currently required for this trip.

No other special vaccinations are required for this trip either.

Hepatitis A & B vaccinations are recommended (not required) for travel to any Caribbean countries.

Travel insurance is required for all of our trips and will help protect both your investment and our vendors should you need to cancel. There are many companies that offer travel insurance options. You can sign up with one such policy during the payment checkout portion of this registration.  If you are a AAA member, you may want to check with them.  I have also found that Faye insurance is very easy to purchase online (www.withFaye.com).  This WeTravel site also has a travel insurance policy you may purchase at checkout.

Once you have purchased your travel insurance, please let us know the company name and policy number you have with them.

If you don't have a policy already and don’t want to use the one offered at check-out here, feel free to CLICK HERE to purchase insurance through our affiliate company, World Nomads*.

*PLEASE NOTE:  We do not represent World Nomads.  As an affiliate, we receive a small commission when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link.  This is information only and not a requirement to buy travel insurance through this company.

• Generally speaking, we recommend you pack as lightly as possible and make sure that you are able to carry and lift your own luggage and walk with it for short distances or up or down a flight of stairs. Our travellers usually find the smaller their luggage is, the more they enjoy the trip not having to worry about carrying heavy bags! Aim to keep your main luggage under 15kg.
• Many travellers carry their luggage in a compact smaller suitcase or backpack with wheels. We recommend your bag has carry straps or handles so it is easy to lift and carry for the times you are unable to wheel it (ie. on rough surfaces or up steps).
• You'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water, camera, swimming suit, waterproof pouch/bag for phone, hiking shoes and jacket etc. when you’re exploring during the day.
• Here is Intrepid's packing list for this trip: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list

WATER BOTTLE

• Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. Although it can be difficult to avoid bottled water when travelling, please use the water dispensers which are provided on some of our vehicles and at some of our accommodation. Your group leader or local representative will advise whether tap water is safe to drink in your destination and if it is you can simply refill with tap water. When unable to avoid bottled water it is better to buy the largest available and distribute into your smaller bottle for the day. If you are walking or trekking as part of your trip you will need to carry at least 2L of water with you.

Please refer to our Worldwide Dance Adventure TRAVEL TIPS page for valuable suggestions on such things as how & what to pack, how & when to book flights, power cord adapters, international phone coverage, what to include in your traveler's first aid kit, etc.

Group Leader

• All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative.
• Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. Intrepid aims to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location, your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.

• Should you cancel less than 14 days of booking and greater than 180 days before the trip, you get a 100% refund of total cost minus a $150 admin fee.
• Should you cancel after 14 days of booking and up to 180 days before the trip you will get a 50% refund of total cost minus the $150 admin fee.
• Once we are within 180 days of the trip starting there are no refunds.
• Note:  should you find someone to fill your spot, we can transfer your balance to them minus the $150 fee. Should you become sick or have other health or family-related issues, it’s highly likely the required travel insurance would kick in and reimburse you so be sure and check with your provider. 
• It is the responsibility of the trip attendee to reach out in the event of a cancellation and make their payments on time. We reserve the right to hold payments according to the cancellation policy above to pay our vendors to make this trip happen. 
• By making a deposit you agree to above terms of service and cancellation policy.

Liability:

We exercise care in the selection of reputable travel service providers but we are not ourselves a provider of travel services and have no control over, or liability for, the services provided by third parties.  

In no event do we accept any liability in contract, tort or otherwise, for any injury, damage, loss, delay, additional expense or inconvenience caused directly or indirectly by the acts, omissions or default, whether negligent or otherwise, of third party providers over whom we have no direct control, force majeure or any other event which is beyond our control or which is not preventable by reasonable diligence on our part. We also do not accept any liability in contract, tort or otherwise, for consequential loss (meaning indirect loss, loss of revenue, loss of reputation, loss of profits, loss of actual or anticipated savings, lost opportunities, including opportunities to enter into arrangements with third parties or loss or damage in connection with claims against you by third parties) howsoever caused in connection with your booking.

Risks of Travel and Release: 

We assume no responsibility for and shall not be liable for the acts or omissions on the part of any other party not under our control or any acts of God, unsafe conditions, terrorism, health hazards including pandemics, illness, weather hazards, or the suitability for a disabled person of any portion of any trip. We have no special knowledge of dangers during travel or at destinations. For information related to such dangers, we recommend going to the State Department travel website at travel.state.gov, click on "Find International travel Information" then click on "Country Information", and fill in the name of the destination country. 

For medical and health information, we recommend going to the Centers for Disease Control website at cdc.gov/travel, then click on "Destinations" and scroll to the name of the destination country. It is your personal decision to travel, and you are doing so with full knowledge of current travel recommendations and travel restrictions with regards to the risks of COVID-19. YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY ASSUME ALL OF THESE RISKS AND DANGERS, AND YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY AGREE TO FOREVER RELEASE, DISCHARGE AND HOLD US, AND OUR AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, ASSOCIATES, AFFILIATED COMPANIES, GUIDES, GROUP LEADERS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS HARMLESS AGAINST ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, ACTIONS, CAUSES OF ACTIONS, SUITS, CLAIMS, AND DEMANDS OF ANY AND EVERY KIND AND NATURE WHATSOEVER WHICH YOU NOW HAVE OR WHICH MAY HEREAFTER ARISE OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE RISKS AND Dangers.

If you have any questions, please contact us at danceadventures@comcast.net