Highlights: Hotel with swimming pool and nature trails, welcome dinner

We meet today outside of Alajuela, a suburb of San José and birthplace of Costa Rican hero Juan Santamaria. Relax at the hotel pool or walk in the tropical gardens before introductions with our tour leaders and the group at 5:00 pm. Then enjoy a special dinner together in the veranda restaurant of our hotel. No riding today.

Hotel Features: Our peaceful hotel is nestled in over 10 acres of lush natural tropical gardens with exotic tropical fruits, flowers, birds and butterflies. Surrounded by coffee and sugar cane plantations.

Facilities: Swimming pool, walking trails, restaurant and bar, only 15 minutes from international airport

Highlights: Ride through coffee plantations, ornamental plant farms, and the rainforest

After our shuttle to Naranjo this morning, we will ride past sugar cane fields and coffee plantations as we climb out of the Central Valley and across the Continental Divide. Whether you choose to cycle to the top of the divide or shuttle in the van, you'll enjoy spectacular vistas. We will arrive mid-afternoon at our hotel, tucked away from the road in a beautiful valley on the edge of a private rainforest reserve. Ample walking trails and a beautiful pool give us plenty of options for exploring and relaxing this afternoon. We have a special dinner planned tonight. Distance: 53 km (33 miles)

Hotel Features: An environmental and animal friendly hotel, located in a hidden valley in front of a protected cloud forest with walking trails and a Canopy Tour.

Facilities: Vegetarian restaurant, swimming pool and Jacuzzi, live music, conference room, a camping area and a pet hotel

Highlights: Guided walk through a nature reserve, hot springs

Learn about Costa Rica's natural history this morning on a guided walk through a local nature reserve. Then it's back to the bikes to enjoy a scenic ride toward Arenal Volcano, the most spectacular of Costa Rica's active volcanoes. Our destination is La Fortuna, nestled in the eastern foothills of Arenal. This evening, we'll visit the local hot springs where you can enjoy a relaxing soak and a classic Costa Rican dinner. After dinner we'll shuttle closer to the Arenal Volcano to get a night-time view of the mountain, and if we are lucky we'll see "fire rocks" cascading down its side. Dinner together. Distance: 40 km (25 miles)

Hotel Features: Family run hotel in the center of the town. Very close to banks, restaurants, post office and pharmacy.

Facilities: 15 air conditioned rooms, swimming pool and internet point.

Highlights: Scenic ride, tropical farms and gardens

There's no need to pack this morning. Our loop ride out of La Fortuna takes us into the countryside past small rural villages, beautiful rivers, and rich agricultural land with yucca and papaya plantations. Dinner is on your own tonight but we'll help with suggestions. Distance: 52 km (32 miles)

Hotel Features: Family run hotel in the center of the town. Very close to banks, restaurants, post office and pharmacy.

Facilities: 15 air conditioned rooms, swimming pool and internet point.

Highlights: Bike around Arenal Volcano and scenic Lake Arenal

Arenal Volcano dominates our ride this morning - and what a sight! You may even see and hear it erupt as you ride around its base, from a safe distance of course. As you approach Lake Arenal, keep your eyes and ears open for the distinct sounds of howler monkeys and the comic antics of coatimundi, as well as other wildlife that call the lake home. At our hotel this afternoon, you will enjoy views back to the lake with the volcano in the distance. Dinner together. Distance: 55 km (34 miles).

Hotel Features: Lake view property, windsurfing equipment rental and lessons.

Facilities: Bar and restaurant, swimming pool and Jacuzzi.

Highlights: Fertile plains of western Costa Rica, hotel swimming pool

Ready for a change of pace? You will get your chance today as we pedal for the Pacific plains, Costa Rica's version of the Wild West. Birds, monkeys, and sabaneros ("cowboys") on horseback are some of the things you are likely to see. This is the Guanacaste province, one of the few areas in the world where you can still find primary tropical dry forest. We'll enjoy a Guanacasteco-style grill tonight for dinner. Distance: 40 km (25 miles).

Hotel Features:Colonial style accommodation in the middle of the Costa Rican Dry Forest.

Facilities: Traditional Costa Rican restaurant, swimming pool, walking trails full of wildlife

Highlights: Boat tour on the Bebedero and Tempisque rivers, Traditional Dance show with marimba music.

Early this morning we'll bike 15 very flat kilometers (9 miles) to Bebedero where we'll board the boat that will take us across to the Nicoya Peninsula. River banks are prime feeding areas for a wide variety of animals, so this is a great opportunity to see monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles and other wildlife. After getting off the boat we'll pick up our bikes and ride to our hotel located just outside the old town of Nicoya. Take a dip in the pool before going to our special dinner featuring the traditional dances of the Guanacaste region. Total distance: 51 km (31 miles)

Features: A modern hotel outside the colonial city of Nicoya. Facilities: New rooms with air conditioning, cable TV and two double beds. Swimming pool, bar and restaurant.

Highlights: Beach hotel with swimming pool, seafood dinner together

The beach awaits today, and what a beach it is -- nestled in a quiet cove along the Pacific Ocean. We'll bike the rolling hills from Nicoya to Samara. If you arrive at our hotel early, you can choose to enjoy the beach or the pool for the afternoon. Or you can just relax with a cool drink and enjoy the ocean breeze. We'll celebrate the end of our journey this evening with a final dinner of local fresh seafood. Distance: 37 km (23 miles)

Features: Deluxe hotel with ocean views of Playa Carrillo one the most beautiful and unspoiled beaches on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Facilities: Charming, typical palm thatched roof tops and hardwood decks around the pool, restaurant and bar. Ample air conditioned rooms with ocean view

Highlights: Tour ends with a complimentary shuttle back to San José