Journey to the Sacred Land

“Journey to the Sacred Land” Peak Kamuk

Euforia Expeditions offers to those who are seeking new challenges and want to explore new frontiers an expedition full of wonders and new exotic discoveries. Peak Kamuk is Costa Rica's second highest peak, standing strong in one of Latin America's most dense and submerged jungles, also sacred land for several indigenous groups that for hundreds of years have been part of these ancient forests. 

The Parque Internacional La Amistad is Costa Rica's largest nature reserve and covers approximately 12% of the country's total territory. La Amistad means 'friendship' and the park has been declared a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage site due to the diversity of its flora and fauna. Most of La Amistad has never explored. 

Expeditioners will make way through dense vegetation crossing rivers and canyons, peaks and valleys, in an exclusive expedition to one of the world's most beautiful forests.

“Journey to the Sacred Land” Peak Kamuk Itinerary:

Day 1 - Welcome - Technical Lectures and Gear check-up
Euforia Expeditions' representatives will meet the group at the airport and introduce them to their first look around Costa Rica. You will be taken to the hotel where you can drop off your things and get ready for a ride downtown where you will enjoy some sightseeing with a local guide. Before heading towards the Southern Area we will check all equipment at night and make sure all that we will need for the expedition is in place.

Expeditioners will meet our staff and expedition director who will give technical information about the expedition. He will give out the maps for the areas the expedition will take place in as well as coordinates for plotting the route that will be taken to the top of Peak Kamuk. We will review safety instructions for the expedition and all the technical information for the expeditioners to be ready for the climb. We will check all the gear that will be taken to the expedition to make sure expeditioners do not take unnecessary gear and all equipment is evenly distributed amongst the expeditioners.

Day 2 – Trip to The Southern Lands
We will head towards San Isidro del General passing the city of Cartago, what used to be Costa Rica's main city during the Spanish colonization. We will be crossing the Cerro de la Muerte "Death's Peak" where you will get a first view of the Cordillera de Talamanca, which is the southernmost mountain range, where our expedition will take place.

San Isidro, located in El General Valley, will be another town we will drive through before reaching our final destination: the town of Tres Colinas (Three Hills). We will be spending the night at a small family-owned lodge in Tres Colinas, built for biologists and students who access the Amistad National Park for investigations throughout the year. Safety instructions as well as short lectures on basic land navigation and survival skills will be reviewed to make sure we all know the basic safety procedures for the expedition.

Day 3 – First Climb
Early rise! The day starts at 5:00am. The group will have breakfast and saddle up their backpacks to start the way up towards Kamuk. There will be several rest stops throughout the day; the trek is mostly uphill to Camp 1. We will walk close to 13 kilometres our first day (between 6-9 hours), considered by some to be the toughest on the body.

"...your back perhaps hasn't hauled such a load in some time, a first day of all uphill to camp 1 might make you hesitate whether or not you trained enough for the expedition, the rest is a piece of cake!" said Andrés Vargas, expedition director for Euforia Expeditions. Campsite will be set well before dusk and those with enough strength will be able to explore the surrounding areas.

We'll share past experiences around the fire while preparing a delicious moonlit dinner and review the logistics for next day before we seek shelter from the cold in our tents.

Day 4 – First Glimpse of Kamuk
Today we will reach Camp 2 on a wonderful day with the first impressive glimpses of Peak Kamuk off in the distance. We start the day climbing towards the top of Nai, at close to 3,250mts (10,663 ft), the view takes your breath away with the amazing Osa Peninsula and Pacific coast to the West and Kamuk and Chirripo (highest peak in Costa Rica) to the north.

After taking in all the grandness of the scenery we start descending towards Camp 2, where fresh running water streams near the campsite and beautiful foliage gives a warm welcoming for a great night's rest.

Day 5 – The Top of The Talamanca
Today we leave behind all heavy gear and travel light to reach the summit, although travelling light does not mean the section of trekking will be light, as a matter of fact it's one of the toughest days. We will be trekking close to 10 hours. The effort truly pays off...

Throughout most of the trek we will be on the top of a range that leads us to the base of the summit. During the trek we will be able to see at the distance, on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the East, Panama to the south and to the north the only mountain above us (only 490 ft higher), Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's highest peak.

The time at the summit is magical and most definitively a spiritual experience. We trek back down to Camp 2 to rest for our final day out of the mountains.

For those interested in making this a 5 day expedition there is a camp 3 located 0:45min away from the summit where we can camp. Just add an extra day to your entire package.

Day 6 – Return to Base Camp
We will pack the camp site and say goodbye to Peak Kamuk, starting to descend towards Tres Colinas. Trekking from camp 2 all the way to base camp might seem like an impossible thing to do but it's amazing to see the strength that comes out of your legs when you know you're heading towards fresh showers, warm comfortable beds, clean clothes and home cooked meals at Tres Colinas, this added to the fact that it's all downhill!!! We will spend the night at Tres Colinas and rest from the before we head back north to San José.

Day 7 – Back San Jose
We will drive back to San Jose early in the morning, the afternoon is free to do whatever the group feels like doing. Expeditioners can visit coffee shops in town, walk around the city, get to know more about our people, some sightseeing. At night we will gather for dinner and a night out before heading back home.

Day 8 – Country Departure
Early breakfast before heading towards the airport for departure.

Kamuk 5 days - there is the possibility of extending the expedition an extra night, this allows us to camp closer to the summit, at camp 3 (not mentioned in the itinerary). Camp 3 is located 0:45 away from the summit and you would be able to view the sunset and sunrise from this location.

Also: Kayak Expedition - ask for information on the kayak expedition following the climb to Kamuk. 3 extra days of amazing clear waters and tropical jungle in one of the world's most impressive forests.

In short

Recommendations to bring:

• Ask for the recommendations and requirements documents before the expedition. These recommendations may make the physical preparation and logistics for you trip.

Payment Policies:
All packages may be reserved by depositing at least 50% of the posted price and the remaining 50% may be paid up to 30 days before your trip.

Cancellation Policies:
If for any reason you would have to cancel your trip you should notify Euforia Expeditions at least 30 days before your trip, Euforia Expeditions will give back your payment, minus $200.00 for administrative charges.

If the notification is made less than 30 days before your trip, Euforia Expeditions will deposit 50% of what has been deposited minus $200.00 for administrative charges.

Euforia Expeditions will not refund charges nor incur in additional costs in the following cases:

• When for any reason a flight is postponed or cancelled by the airline or any other authorized entity.
• When for any reason the client does not arrive on the date and time set for the beginning of the expedition.