Sarah’s 40th Birthday Adventure

Your Dream Adventure / Phillipp Torres / Unsplash

8 Days | March 21-28 or April 12-19

The hotels listed here are only a sample of options because I can’t guarantee their availability. The flights to South America from Houston get in around 11pm on day one and depart around 1am on the final day, so you might be able to justify adding an extra day.

Peru

Peruvian Amazon (Alternative Trekking Option in the Works)

Flight: 6.5hr from Houston to Lima, 2hr from Lima to Puerto Maldonado (Amazon)

Weather: Amazon 70-88; Cusco 42-68; April is the best month.

You would be hiking around three miles per day through the rainforest, seeing hundreds of macaws, and taking river boat rides.

Boat rides in Tambopata Reserve

I think Peru could be a great option, but after our discussion, I think the rainforests would be more to your liking than the Inca trail because Machu Picchu can be touristy. The Tambopata Research Center is my favorite property in the southern Amazon region because the south is less crowded, and this is the only place to stay inside the Tambopata Reserve. There are multiple 3-hour walks through the rainforest as well as boat rides. You will see lots of macaws, monkeys, and capybaras. Spend the last day dining out in Lima, one of the best food scenes in South America. You can read a little more about the research center in the first part of my Ultimate Peru itinerary.

Draft Itinerary

  • Apr 12: Fly out of Houston in the afternoon and arrive in Lima at 11pm.
  • Apr 13: Spend the day dining out and exploring the Lima.
  • Apr 14: Fly to Puerto Maldonado and catch a boat into the Amazon and Tambopata Research Center. Night walk.
  • Apr 15: Tambopata Research Center – Bird and Tree Walks
  • Apr 16: Tambopata Research Center – Monkey and Highlands Walk
  • Apr 17: Tambopata Research Center – Creek hike and Sunset Boat Cruise
  • Apr 18: Fly to Lima from Puerto Maldonado.
    • If you add one more day, you could end in Cusco and explore the Andes.
  • Apr 19: Fly out of Lima at 1am for 7am arrival in Houston.

Map of Tambopata Research Center


Ecuador

Cotopaxi National Park and Avenue of the Volcanoes

Flight: 5.5hr from Houston to Quito; No domestic flights needed.

Weather: Quito 42-65; April is better than March, though there will still be tropical afternoon showers.

Cotopaxi National Park is a gorgeous highland area that can look similar to Scotland with llamas… It’s central feature is the massive Cotopaxi volcano.

Cotopaxi Volcano / Copyright

Ecuador is the best option if you want to do some Andean trekking because there are fewer crowds than in Peru. You would need to start your trip in Quito for a day or two to acclimate for hiking (9,000′). The colonial city is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is great for walking around on your first day. Cotopaxi National Park is a gorgeous highland area that can look similar to Scotland with llamas that is a little over 1.5 hours from Quito. Its central feature is the massive Cotopaxi volcano. You can only climb to the snow line right now because the volcano has been more active recently. One cool thing about this area is you can trek from and between cozy mountain lodges like Chiclabamba. You could spend the last night somewhere fancy, like Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge to splurge.

Draft Itinerary

  • Apr 12: Fly out of Houston in the afternoon and arrive in Quito at 11pm.
  • Apr 13: Stretch your legs walking in Colonial Quito.
  • Apr 14: Morning visit to indigenous markets and rural hike in Quilotoa Region
  • Apr 15: 7hr hike up Pasochoa Volcano.
  • Apr 16: 5hr hike in Cotopaxi National Park.
  • Apr 17: Hike 4hr to Cotopaxi snow line. Finish hike with a downhill mountain bike ride. Transfer to Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge.
  • Apr 18: Horseback riding or massage at lodge before the drive back to the airport.
  • Apr 19: Fly out of Quito at 1am for 5am arrival in Houston.

Map of Cotopaxi


Chile

Chilean Patagonia

Flight: 9.5hr from Houston to Santiago, 1hr45min from Santiago to Puerto Montt, 1hr from Puerto Montt to Chaiten near Pumalin National Park

Weather: Pumalin 54-61; March is the best month.

Chilean Patagonia is remote, wild, and beautiful which checks a lot of boxes for your trip. However, it would be stretching the travel time limit.

Pumalin Douglas Tompkins National Park
Pumalin Douglas Tompkins National Park

Chilean Patagonia is remote, wild, and beautiful, which checks a lot of boxes for your trip. However, it would be stretching the travel time limit. I would want to add a day or two if you choose this option. The weather is great in March, and there is spectacular hiking in Pumalin Douglas Tompkins National Park. It’s a relatively new park, so there are few tourists and less infrastructure compared to the others. Lodge Caleta Gonzalo is right next to the park, and you could book 2-3 cabins. If you have time and budget, it would be amazing to end on nearby Chiloe Island at a luxury hotel like Tierra Chiloe.

Draft Itinerary

  • Mar 21: Fly out of Houston in the afternoon for an overnight to Santiago.
  • Mar 22: Arrive in Santiago early in the morning. Catch a flight to Puerto Montt at the northern end of Chilean Patagonia. From there, take another to Chaiten and your hotel.
  • Mar 23: Hike Pumalin National Park.
  • Mar 24: Hike Pumalin National Park.
  • Mar 25: Hike Pumalin – 3mi Chaiten Volcano Trail
  • Mar 26: Sea kayak the fjords.
    • If you can spare one or two days, I would visit Chiloe Island and Tierra Chiloe.
  • Mar 27: Back to Santiago via Puerto Montt in the early morning to catch an 8pm flight to Houston.
  • Mar 28: Arrive in Houston at 7am.

Map of Pumalin National Park


Costa Rica

Cloud Forests, Hikes, and Zip Lines

Flight: 3.5hr from Houston to San Jose

Weather: Monteverde 64-82; March and April are good.

I think you would like Costa Rica away from the resorty areas and it’s an easy place to get to for a group.

El Silencio Lodge / Courtesy of El Silencio Lodge
El Silencio Lodge / Courtesy of El Silencio Lodge

I think you would like Costa Rica away from the resort areas around Tamarindo, and now that you can fly direct from Austin, it’s closer than West Texas! There are a couple of ways to do a trip here, depending if you want to rent a house. I would include time at Rio Perdido, an adventure resort outside of Libera with a hot springs river and lots of hiking/mountain biking trails. Beyond that, you have a couple of options:

Climb up Cerro Chirripo (12,536′), the highest mountain in the country. It’s one day up and one down, with a stay at a hostel 3/4 of the way up the slope. You summit the second morning before a hike down, and could end your trip in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve just north of San Jose. I really like El Silencio Lodge. It’s pretty luxurious ($750/nt), but it would be a relaxing finish to a big hike. There also are a lot of short hikes on the property. Alternatively, you could spend half of the trip at a rental house in Nosara, a hippy beach town, where you can cook, surf, golf cart around town, and hike.

Draft Itinerary A

  • Mar 21: Fly from Austin to Liberia and take car 1hr to Rio Perdido.
  • Mar 22: Rio Perdido – Mountain Biking
  • Mar 23: Rio Perdido – Zipline or Tubing and Picnic by the River
  • Mar 24: Drive back to the Liberia Airport for a 45-minute flight to San Jose. Then drive 4hrs to the base of Chirripo.
  • Mar 25: Start early to make it to the mountain refuge for the night.
  • Mar 26: Summit the mountain in the early morning and drive back to San Jose and El Silencio Lodge.
  • Mar 27: Day at El Silencio to relax and do shorter hikes through the cloud forest.
  • Mar 28: Fly back to Texas from nearby San Jose Airport.

Draft Itinerary B

  • Mar 21: Fly from Austin to Liberia and take car 3hr to Playa Guiones. Pick up ATV or golf cart rental.
  • Mar 22: Playa Guiones – Surfing
  • Mar 23: Playa Guiones – Jungle Hike
  • Mar 24: Playa Guiones – Canopy Tour
  • Mar 25: Drive 3hr to Rio Perdido.
  • Mar 26: Rio Perdido – Mountain Biking
  • Mar 27: Rio Perdido – Zipline or Tubing and Picnic by the River
  • Mar 28: Fly back to Texas from Liberia.

Costa Rica Map

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