Dry season The Gravel Expedition · Dry Season
The Nicoya Peninsula in its dry season: barely any rain, offshore wind in the mornings, straw-coloured hills, and every river crossing a dry bed or a shallow ford.
- 23 – 31 January 2027 Now booking
02 The Gravel Expedition
Ride the edge
of a peninsula.
Nine days. Six riders. Coast to coast across the Nicoya Peninsula over three bases — Santa Teresa, Nosara and Tamarindo — on the gravel that connects its wildest beaches.
It begins with a crossing. The expedition gathers the night before in San José — welcome dinner, bikes fit and tuned. After breakfast you cross the Gulf of Nicoya to Paquera and ride: low and rolling past Tambor and Bahía Ballena, through Cóbano, and over a last set of hills to the Pacific surf at Santa Teresa, your first base.
From Santa Teresa, a climbing day — out of Lepanto and hard up a forested ridge in the green interior of the peninsula, then down its spine and back to the coast. Then the long one: a hundred kilometres up the wildest stretch of Nicoya, past Coyote, San Miguel, the turtle beach at Camaronal and the little art town of Punta Islita, to Nosara in the Blue Zone.From Santa Teresa, a climbing day — out of Lepanto and hard up a forested ridge in the green interior of the peninsula, then down its spine and back to the coast. Then the long one: 62 miles up the wildest stretch of Nicoya, past Coyote, San Miguel, the turtle beach at Camaronal and the little art town of Punta Islita, to Nosara in the Blue Zone.
Nosara holds the queen stage — north to the Ostional refuge, then a hard turn inland and up to a high point around 950 m, all of the trip's climbing in one loop. The last riding day runs up the Guanacaste surf coast — San Juanillo, Playa Negra, Avellanas — to Tamarindo and the final base.Nosara holds the queen stage — north to the Ostional refuge, then a hard turn inland and up to a high point around 3,100 ft, all of the trip's climbing in one loop. The last riding day runs up the Guanacaste surf coast — San Juanillo, Playa Negra, Avellanas — to Tamarindo and the final base.
You finish on the Pacific, with people you started as strangers and end as the only ones who understand what just happened.
Two editions.
The dry season or the rainy season — same route, same lodges, same price. Choose the sky you want. What the seasons mean →
Dry season 
Rainy season The Gravel Expedition · Rainy Season
The Nicoya Peninsula green: sunny mornings, an afternoon shower, evening light — and the wild coast taken inland around its river mouths.
- 3 – 11 July 2027 Now booking
8 moments that stay.
The kind of details no itinerary line-item captures, but every athlete remembers the morning after the flight home.
Two days from Santa Teresa.
An easy crossing from the Paquera ferry to open the trip, then a climbing day up a forested ridge out of Lepanto — both finishing on the surf coast.
The wild middle coast.
A hundred kilometres up the least-developed shore of Nicoya — Coyote, San Miguel, river-mouth crossings, no resort strip, no traffic.62 miles up the least-developed shore of Nicoya — Coyote, San Miguel, river-mouth crossings, no resort strip, no traffic.
The Nosara queen stage.
Seventy kilometres and 2,600 metres of climbing in one loop — the turtle coast at the bottom, a high point around 950 m in the middle.43 miles and 8,500 feet of climbing in one loop — the turtle coast at the bottom, a high point around 3,100 ft in the middle.
The Ostional refuge.
The route skirts one of the planet's most important sea-turtle nesting beaches — the coast made famous by the arribada.
Punta Islita art town.
A tiny village on the wild coast known for its open-air contemporary-art museum, sculptures set right into the streets.
The surf coast.
The fast final ride up the Guanacaste beaches — San Juanillo, Marbella, Playa Negra, Avellanas — into Tamarindo.
Three bases.
Hotel Fermata in Santa Teresa, Sendero in Nosara, Hotel Capitán Suizo in Tamarindo — boutique stays chosen for character, not star count.
Farewell in the capital.
Back to San José after the last ride. An afternoon to wander, an evening to mark the trip. Speeches optional but inevitable.
9 days, told slowly.
The route in outline. Each edition tells it day by day — with its dates, and what that season adds to every stage.
The cartograph
Every day, on one map.
Each route is drawn from our own field reconnaissance. Select a day to read its profile, or follow the line of the journey end to end.
Days 06
Distance 356km221mi
Gain +7,821m+25,659ft
The days
— Drawn from our own field reconnaissance. © Stadia Maps · © Stamen Design · © OpenStreetMap
- 01 San José Arrive and assemble. Rest day
- 02 Paquera → Santa Teresa Across to the Pacific. 46.5 km28.9 mi
- 03 Lepanto → Santa Teresa Into the green interior. 55.8 km34.7 mi
- 04 Santa Teresa → Nosara The wild coast. 101.1 km62.8 mi
- 05 Nosara Loop · Queen Stage Seventy kilometres, 43 miles, straight up. 69.3 km43.1 mi
- 06 Nosara → Tamarindo Up the surf coast. 59.2 km36.8 mi
- 07 Tamarindo → Brasilito To the shell beach. 23.8 km14.8 mi
- 08 Return + farewell Back to the capital. Rest day
- 09 Departure Until the next one. Private to SJO
Read it day by day: Dry-season edition →Rainy-season edition →
The lodges that hold each night.
Chosen for the way the morning light falls across the bedroom — not for their star count.
Hampton Inn by Hilton
Your comfortable base for the first and last nights — quiet, well-located, minutes from the airport for the crossing to the peninsula and the return.
Hotel Fermata
Two nights on the wild end of the peninsula. A beachfront boutique in the heart of Santa Teresa, right on the surf, with a kitchen that takes dinner seriously.
Sendero Hotel & Villas
Two nights in the Blue Zone. Rooms and villas tucked into a jungle preserve, a short path from the break at Playa Guiones.
Hotel Capitán Suizo
The final two nights, beachfront at the quiet south end of Tamarindo Bay — a boutique among tropical gardens, the ocean a few steps from the door.
What is included.
And what is not.
Included in your fare
- All accommodations (8 nights: San José, Santa Teresa, Nosara, Tamarindo)
- All in-country transportation, including the Gulf of Nicoya ferry crossing, support van and bike transport
- Two professional guides and one dedicated photographer-videographer
- Daily breakfast and select lunches and dinners (per itinerary)
- Airport assembly and trip-long handling of your own bike, plus tune-ups throughout
- Bike setup help on Day 1 — saddle height, bar reach, tire pressure for terrain
- Snacks, hydration, vehicle leap-frog and on-route aid stations on every riding day
- Full safety support: Wilderness First Responder–led
Available on request
- E-bike upgrade (any day or the full trip — current-year Trek or Specialized gravel/e-gravel)
- Gravel bike rental as a fallback for guests who can't bring their own (current-year carbon gravel)
- Bike-fit consultation with a specialist
- Surf lesson or restorative yoga at the coastal bases
- Massage, spa session, or sunset sail in Tamarindo
- Extended stay before or after the expedition
Not included
- International flights to / from Costa Rica
- Travel insurance (required, available through us)
- Lunches and dinners not marked in the itinerary
- Personal riding kit (shorts, jersey, gloves, glasses, helmet recommendations on request)
- Tips for guides and lodge staff
- Alcoholic beverages (except welcome & farewell dinners)
Hold your place
The expedition is six to eight athletes wide.
A 30% deposit reserves your place. Final balance due 60 days before departure. We reply to every enquiry personally within 24 hours.
Per person · single occupancy
USD 15,050
Single is your own private room. Double is one room for two who book together — partner, friend, training companion. We never pair you with a stranger. All taxes included; pricing locked at booking. Reserves the 23 – 31 January 2027 departure, dry season. Other dates are on the edition pages — two editions.
In summary
9 days. 6 – 8 places. One country.
- Next departure: 23 – 31 January 2027 (dry season)
- Two editions a year — dry season and rainy season
- ~356 km total across 9 days~221 mi total across 9 days
- Boutique & eco lodges every night
- Founder-led, photographer-supported
- Wilderness First Responder–led on every trail
Booking is handled through our trusted partner WeTravel. Your information stays private; we never share contact details with third parties.
Quietly answered.
The questions we hear most often, with honest answers.
Do I bring my own bike?
Yes — this trip is designed for riders to bring their own gravel bike, properly fit and dialled. We handle airport collection, assembly, transport throughout the trip, and tune-ups during. If bringing your own is genuinely not possible, rental is available on request as a fallback (current-year carbon gravel), but it isn't the default.
Why gravel, not mountain bikes?
Because the route is gravel. The corridor across Nicoya is dirt and ranch road, gravel ridgelines and river-mouth crossings — a drop-bar gravel bike on 42–47 mm tubeless tires is the right tool for almost all of it. E-gravel upgrades are available for anyone who wants more headroom on the Nosara queen stage.
How technical is the riding?
Mostly gravel and dirt road, with a handful of river-mouth crossings on the long middle-coast day and one big sustained climb on the Nosara loop. Riders comfortable with intermediate gravel will be at home here. Nothing is highly technical — the challenge is distance and climbing, not trail skill — and we can route around the trickier sections for anyone who prefers.
What level of fitness do I need?
Comfortable with 50–70 km on gravel with 1,000+ m of elevation gain in a single day. Cumulative load matters more than peak: this is 356 km across the riding days, with one 100 km traverse and one big climbing loop, so consistent moderate-effort capacity matters. The e-bike option is available for anyone who wants more headroom.Comfortable with 31–43 mi on gravel with 3,300+ ft of elevation gain in a single day. Cumulative load matters more than peak: this is 221 mi across the riding days, with one 62 mi traverse and one big climbing loop, so consistent moderate-effort capacity matters. The e-bike option is available for anyone who wants more headroom.
How small are the groups, really?
Six to eight riders, never more. Two professional guides and one dedicated photographer accompany every expedition — the photographer is part of the trip, not an add-on. The support van carries spares, hydration, and one optional e-bike at the ready.
What's the weather like on the ride?
Two seasons, two rides: late January is the dry season — firm, fast gravel, heat and offshore wind; early July is the rainy season — cooler, greener, afternoon showers and an inland line around the big river mouths.
What does 'single' or 'double' occupancy actually mean here?
Single is a private room — your own room for the entire trip, sold to solo travellers. Double is one room shared between two guests who already know each other: a partner, a friend, a training companion. We never pair solo travellers with strangers to fill a double; if you book single, you have a private room, full stop. The double rate is simply the per-person price when two guests book together.
What is the cancellation policy?
Deposits are refundable up to 90 days before departure. Final balance is due 60 days before. Cancellations within 60 days are subject to a portion of the trip cost; comprehensive travel insurance covers this in nearly all cases and is required for participation.
What is the difference between the dry-season and rainy-season editions?
The dry season, December to April: December still drying, then clear days, hard sun and falling rivers, with the country in high season. The rainy season, May to November: mornings mostly dry, rain most afternoons, full rivers, the coast at its greenest and the country at its quietest. Same route, same lodges, same price; each edition has its own page, dates and booking.
Prefer this journey privately — your group, your dates, your pace? Explore bespoke Costa Rica itineraries, designed from a blank page.
6 – 8 places. 9 days. Two editions.
The next expedition departs 23 – 31 January 2027, in the dry season. 6 – 8 athletes. Founder-led, photographer-supported.