Costa Rica, 8-DAY Lodge-to-lodge Golfo Dulce
Costa Rica, 8-DAY Lodge-to-lodge Golfo Dulce
November 15th to 22nd, 2025
Partnered with Costa Rica Sea Kayaking
This Custom 8-Day Lodge-to-Lodge Golfo Dulce Sea Kayaking Trip is a private departure date exclusively reserved for James Manke’s invitees.
The trip combines instructional sessions with James with circumnavigating the northern region of Costa Rica’s tropical fjord, the Golfo Dulce.
This custom 8-Day Lodge-to-Lodge Sea Kayaking Adventure is all-inclusive and takes care of you from when you arrive in Costa Rica to when you depart. Join one of our trips and enjoy one of the world’s best sea kayaking and wildlife-watching destinations. Start & End Location: San Jose International Airport (SJO).
Your Accomodations During Your Visit
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Country Inn & Suites
This comfortable 4-star boutique hotel is conveniently located only a few minutes away from San Jose International Airport and is an ideal location to unwind from your travels. Relax and recharge by the hotel swimming pool or in your room with air conditioning, in-room coffeemaker & Wi-Fi. The hotel features a restaurant and bar, and just short walk from the hotel is a shopping plaza that offers a wide variety of cuisines from Japanese to Mexican to Italian to juices to bar food. There is also a mini-mart grocery store where you can buy drinks, groceries, and ready-to-eat foods. Grab a taxi and explore to purchase souvenirs from the stores at Plaza Real Cariari, or head into downtown to enjoy parks, museums, and entertainment venues.
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El Chontal Ecolodge
El Chontal’s cabins are literally carved out from the surrounding mangrove forest, using fallen trees and sustainable wood species. Their rustic and unique architecture is rich in design and ingenuity and favors ventilation. The cabins are spotlessly clean and well kept. Beds are firm and comfortable, bathrooms impeccable. At night, a cool breeze and rich jungle sounds from the surrounding forest enter the room. In addition the cabins, and gardens, the centrally located spacious communal pavilion serves as a meeting place as well as a yoga platform, relaxing area with hammocks and chairs, and presentation area.
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Lapamar Ecolodge
Located in the tiny community of Playa Blanca, this beachfront property is family-owned and offers spacious, basic wooden cabins with a private bathroom, and porch. Meals are served only steps away from your cabin in the cozy, quiet rancho. The property is surrounded by several species of fruit trees, attracting all sorts of exotic birds like the Yellow-throated Toucan. The beach right in front of the property is ideal for swimming, and spotting Scarlet Macaws as they feed off the Beach Almond trees scattered along the entire beach. This is Macaw territory!
Sea Kayak Costa Rica
What Your Trip Will Look Like...
DAY 1. A SEA KAYAKING COSTA RICA REP WILL MEET YOU AT SJO AIRPORT
Today has been designated as your arrival day! You may arrive at any
time on this day. A Sea Kayaking Costa Rica representative will meet you
at San Jose International Airport (S.J.O.) and take you to a
conveniently located hotel only a 10-minute from the airport. Here,
you'll have the chance to relax and unwind from your international
travels.
Accommodation: Overnight stay at Country Inn & Suites Hotel in San Jose.
No meals included today
DAY 2. SEA KAYAKING ORIENTATION AND PADDLE
The day begins with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast, including
fresh fruit, rice and beans, and excellent local coffee. Your
guide-driver will meet you this morning and sweep you away on a
beautiful drive from the Central Valley highlands down to the Osa
Peninsula, along the Pacific coastline and the country's best and newest
road. We will drive by villages, rainforests, stunning coastlines, and
traditional plantations. After a morning of travel, we will reach El
Chontal Ecolodge, located right on the banks of the Golfo Dulce. After
settling into your wooden jungle cabin, we will serve a delicious lunch.
Following lunch and a brief rest, we'll meet for the kayak orientation
& gear fitting, followed by our first paddle of the trip, exploring
the nearby mangrove forest and coast. Dinner is served after sunset in
the lodge's family's house.
Accommodation: Overnight stay at El Chontal Ecolodge in Rincon de Osa.
Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 3. EXPLORING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GULF & AFTERNOON INSTRUCTION
It is yet another beautiful morning on the Golfo Dulce, with its many
tropical birds and sunrise over the water just a few steps from your
cabin. Today, you will explore the Esquinas River on the other side of
the Gulf. Our motorboat will take us up the river and drop us off. Then,
with the help of the gentle currents, you'll float/paddle out again to
the river mouth, from where we ride the motorboat back to the lodge.
After this full day, we will enjoy well-deserved cold drinks on the boat
ride.
This afternoon we be allocated to instruction, covering the
differences between Greenland paddles, primary strokes with your
Greenland paddle, and primarily, unlocking the power of your Greenland
paddle.
Dinner is prepared with fresh local ingredients and is served right after sunset.
Accomodation: As Above
Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 4. PADDLE TO OUR NEXT LODGE, STOPPING ALONG THE WAY
After another glorious breakfast at our host's home this morning,
we'll pack up to circumnavigate the northwest portion of the Sweet Gulf,
the calmest and most beautiful of this body of water. We will put on
the water paddling out of Rincon Bay, following the coast south around
Punta Palmas, and reach the village of Playa Blanca. This 12 Km (7
miles) paddle will take us by the Mangroves Forest of the Rincon River.
Along our route, we will stop on deserted beaches for a rest, snack, or
swim. This water trail is perfect for observing sea turtles and avian
wildlife, mainly vast colonies of beach-dwelling scarlet macaws. At
Playa Blanca, we'll stay at Lapamar Ecolodge, a family-owned and
operated property offering spacious wooden cabins, each with a private
bathroom. Our host will serve our meals at the centrally located open
rancho, starting with a freshly prepared lunch. Depending on the tides,
we'll paddle out again in the afternoon, visiting the nearby mangrove of
Barrigones Creek. This is a prime location for spotting wildlife,
including coatis, monkeys, squirrels, and sloths. If the tide is not
right, we will walk in the nearby rainforest and village. Dinner is
prepared with fresh local ingredients and is served right after sunset.
Accommodation: Overnight stay at Lapamar Ecolodge in Playa Blanca
Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 5. INSTRUCTION DURING LAYOVER AT PLAYA BLANCA
This is a layover day at Playa Blanca and the day will be allocated to rolling instruction.
Learning to roll a kayak is one of the most rewarding experiences
as a kayaker. The ultimate goal is to have a consistent roll that
requires little effort and is done with ease! James Manke will guide you
through the physics of rolling a kayak. Learn a reliable lay back sweep
roll, likely one of the most common sea kayak rolls. The first hour
will be spent on-land discussing the physics of rolling followed by a
demo and a couple of hours in the water working in pairs. By pairing up
this allows each student to get a chance to also learn how to teach
which is a great way to retain information!
Accommodation: As Above
Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
6. SET OFF IN OUR KAYAKS TO REACH THE MOGOS ISLES
Early this morning, our host, Don Alvaro, will brew fresh coffee for
us and prepare a hearty breakfast to fuel our 15 km-long (9-mile)
stretch to the Mogos Isles. This journey is one of the prime
opportunities to spot dolphins and other marine life. This is also the
final and longest paddling stretch of the trip. On this journey, you
will paddle emerald-green waters along a rainforest-lined coast. On
route, you will stop on beautiful deserted beaches.
After a well-deserved break at the Isles, we'll continue crossing
the Golfo Dulce, surrounding Punta Rincón, and reaching the familiar El
Chontal Ecolodge. After today's amazing last and longest paddling
stretch, we'll wash up and enjoy the last homemade lunch at El Chontal.
After lunch, we will visit a local organic farm to learn about their
sustainable practices and crops. The visit, however, will focus on the
farm's organic cacao crop, and we will learn about the stages of the
traditional production of delicious high-percentage chocolate. The best
part of the tour is tasting the organic fruit and chocolate fondue!
Accommodation: Overnight stay at El Chontal Ecolodge in Rincon de Osa.
Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 7. TAKE A SCENIC FLIGHT BACK TO SAN JOSE
This morning, after breakfast, we will head for the airstrip in
Puerto Jimenez, where your pilot will fly back to the Central Valley on a
50-minute scenic flight along the Pacific Coast. Upon landing in San
Jose, a Sea Kayaking Costa Rica representative will meet you at the
airport and provide transportation to a nearby hotel. The rest of the
afternoon is designated for leisure, where you can relax, take advantage
of the hotel's amenities and nearby restaurants, or explore downtown
San Jose on your own.
Accommodation: Overnight stay at Country Inn & Suites Hotel in San Jose.
Meals included today: Breakfast
DAY 8. DEPARTURE DAY OR EXTEND YOUR STAY IN COSTA RICA
We have arranged for your transportation to the airport so that you
will be on time for your flight home. All good things must come to an
end. Over the past seven days, you've experienced some of the best
paddling adventures Costa Rica offers. You will take home great
memories, amazing photographs, likely some coffee, and a huge Tico
smile!
Meals included today: Breakfast
Sea Kayak Equiptment You'll be Using
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140s (single), Perception Expression 14.5 (single)& 15.0 (single), and Wilderness Systems Polaris 180 T (Double). PFDs are NRS Clearwater Mesh Back, NRS Zoya Mesh Back, and Stohlquist EBB Mesh Back. Spray Skirts are NRS Catalina, and now recently Inlander by Seal Skirts. Euro paddles are Werner Skagit FG 2 Piece Straight Shaft paddles.
Carbon Fibre Greenland Paddles will be available for use on this special event.
The PURA VIDA vibe all packed into one week of true adventure
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience Costa Rica like never before! Paddle through breathtaking coastal landscapes, explore hidden gems, and immerse yourself in the rich biodiversity that few travelers ever get to see. Join world-class kayaker James Manke and Sea Kayaking Costa Rica for an unforgettable adventure filled with exhilarating paddling, stunning scenery, fun kayak instruction and the perfect blend of exploration and relaxation. Secure your spot today and embark on the journey of a lifetime!
