Adventure Associate s of WA, Inc. PO Box 16304 Seattle WA 98116 206-932-8352 info@adventureassociates.net www.adventureassociates.net Bird & Beans: Unexplored Nicaragua Sustainable Environmentally Friendly Coffee Production and Bird Watching Date: March 3-11, 2012 Land Cost: $2135 Explore, Experience, and relax in Nicaragua on family-owned, Bird Friendly certified farms, cloud forest reserves, and unexplored islands. Spot over 30 species of birds, some in very large numbers, found in North America spring and summer and winter on Nicaraguan coffee farms and forests. Experience three different agriculture and forest ecosystems (tropical dry, cloud forests and an island on a fresh water lake) for bird watching, hiking, and learning about Bird Friendly coffee from seed to cup. Relax on Zapatera Island on Lake Nicaragua, the ancient ceremonial site of indigenous peoples, covered in forest with no motor vehicles and abundant birdlife. Continued
Nicaragua Itinerary: Time Activity Location Observations Saturday,March3rd Eveningarrival, 90minute transferfrom Airportto Diriamba ArrivaltoManagua Airport,transfertoMi BohioHotelforovernight GaiaEstate www.gaiaestate.com TROPICALDRYECOSYSTEMSEGMENT November5 8 GaiaEstateisa90acrefarmonthePacifichighlands ofnicaraguahostingover150speciesofbirds.allof itscoffee(42acres)isundershadegrowncoffee productionandiscertifiedorganicandsmbcbird Friendly.Anadditional30acresisprotectedin forest,and16acresisusedforavocado,cocoa, banana,dragonfruit.coffeehasbeengrownonthe farmforalmost100yearsunderaforestcanopy. Sunday,March4th(B,L,D) 6:00 8:00am GuidedBirdWatching GaiaEstate Firstlightandduskarethebesthourstoseebirdlife ontheestate. 8 9am Breakfastandoverviewof week GaiaEstate 9am 12pm CoffeeTour GaiaEstate www.gaiaestate.com CoffeeTourincludesHistoryofthefarm,historyof coffeeinthezoneandinthecountry.characteristics ofcoffeeinnicaragua,zones,andtypeofcoffee varietiesgrowninnicaragua.samplingofcoffeeor specialtycoffeedrink.guestswilldiscoverthe characteristicsofcoffee aroma,acidity,body, balance andhowtheproductionenvironment influencesintheseflavorcharacteristics(soil,shade, rain,harvest,wetmill,drymill,etc). GuestswilllearnaboutshadesystemsthatareBird Friendlyandarequirementforcertification,how organiccoffeeisproduced:organicfertilizer,organic pestmanagement,soilconservation.theguidewill showhoworganicandbirdfriendlyproductionis goodforthesoil,water,animalandplantlifeonthe farmandthelargercommunity.guestswillseethe biodigester,asimpletechnologythatconverts methanefromanimalmanurestobiogasforcooking fuel. Guestswilllearnabouthowcoffeeisprocessed:the artandprocessofdepulping,fermenting,washing anddryingwiththewetmillanddryingpatioand
12 1:30pm LUNCH GaiaEstate Buffetlunch howthisprocessaffectscoffeequality. Themorningconcludeswithasegmentonhow coffeeisroasted.guestswillseeabatchroastedon thefarmroasterduringtheirvisit. 1:30 3:30pm CoffeeTour GaiaEstate Thetourcontinueswithacoffee cupping session wherebyguestscantasteavarietyofcoffeeswith differenttasteprofilesfromaroundnicaragua, includingtheregionswewillvisitlateroninthe week.cuppingsessionwillpairflavorswithavariety oftropicalfruits.thetourconcludeswitha barismo sessionwhereguestslearnand experimentwithhowcoffeedrinksarepreparedat thecoffeebar.guestsmayperusethegiftshop followingthetour. 3:30 6:00pm Freetime,optionalbird watchingwithguided ornithologist GaiaEstate Firstlightandduskarethebesthourstoseebirdlife ontheestate. 6:00 7:30pm Dinner Diriamba TypicalRestaurant Monday,March5 th (B,L,D) 6:30am OptionalGuidedbird watchingwith ornithologist GaiaEstate 8 9am Breakfast MiBohioHotel, Diriamba 9:30 12:00 pm Visittovillagewitharts andcraftcottage industriesinsanjuande Oriente(30minutedrive) SanJuande Oriente,Carazo Potteryandpaintingsaresoldbylocalartisansina pleasantlocalvillage. TraveltoApoyoLagoon 15minutedrivefromSanJuandeOriente 12:30 2:30 pm LunchandswimatApoyo Lagoon ApoyoLagoon ApoyoLagoonisthecleanestandmostpristinefresh waterbodyofwaterinnicaragua. 2:30 3:15 TraveltoElChocoyero ParrotReserve Ticuantepe 45minutedrivefromApoyoLagoon 3:30 5:00 Walkandbirdwatchingin Ticuantepe http://vianica.com/activity/1/chocoyero national park
ElChocoyero At4pm,hundredsofparrotsreturntotheirnestsin holesintherockwallofawaterfallattheprincipal birdwatchingsiteofthisreserve. 5:00 5:45pm ReturntraveltoDiriamba GaiaEstate 45minutedrivefromElChocoyeroParrotReserve 7:00pm Dinner Diriamba Restaurant Tuesday,February21 st (B,L,D) 6:30am OptionalGuidedbird watchingwith ornithologist GaiaEstate 8 9am Breakfast MiBohioHotel 9am 2pm TraveltoSelvaNegra, NorthernNicaragua (includinglunchstop), Transit TROPICALHUMIDECOSYSTEMSEGMENT 2:00pm Settleintocabins SelvaNegraCoffee EstateandEcoLodge www.selvanegra.com SelvaNegraisalargescaleorganicandSMBCBird Friendlycertifiedcoffeeestatenestledinthe mountainsofmatagalpa,northernnicaragua.itis alsoaneco lodgeandcloudforestnaturereserve whichaimsforsustainableintegrationinallits operations.examplesofthisincludetheecolodge whereguestsstayinbungalowswithinaprotected naturereserve,showerwithsolarheatedwater,eat inarestaurantthatoffersorganicproductsfromthe farmwhiletheyadmiretheviewsofthelakeholding thewaterthatgenerateselectricity. 3:00PM Guidedhikeincloud forestreserve(atajo, Romantico,Pilastrails). Optionalhorseback option. Anafternoonhikeintothemiddlelayerofthe mountainwillrevealthepeacefulnessofthenature reserve.thisisalsothebesttimeforahorseback ridealongtheroadsystemoftheestatetotakein someofthedailyactivityofthefarmworkers. 6:00pm Dinner SelvaNegra FullmenuatRestaurant 7:30pm MeetwithSelvaNegra co ownerandhistorin EddyKuhlfortolearn abouttheindigenous historyofmatagalpaand SelvaNegra AneveningdiscussionandpresentationwithEddy KuhlhaswrittennumerousbooksonNicaraguan colorfulhistory,indigenousandmostrecentlythe historyofcoffeeproductioninnicaragua.
NorthernNicaragua Wednesday,March6 th (B,L,D) 5:30AM BirdWatchinginthe cloudforest:bavaria, Mosquitia,andPeter& Helentrails(2 3hours) SelvaNegra HikeSlevaNegra virginrainforestwhereyou experiencenatureatitspurest.howlermonkeys, deer,sloth,quail,andguatusasarejustafewofthe animalsthatmakethevirginforesttheirhome.over 220birdshavebeendocumentedintheregion: toucans,hummingbirds,andgoldfinchesareamong thebirdsthatmaketheareaabirdlover'sparadise. Theluckiestbirdwatchersmayevenaddaquetzalto theirinventory.also,avisitingbotanistidentified morethan85orchids. 7:30AM Breakfast SelvaNegra Fullmenuatrestaurant 8:30AM Sustainableand integratedfarmtour. SelvaNegra 12:30pm Lunch SelvaNegra Fullmenuatrestaurant Atourofthecoffeeestateandsustainablefarmthe guestsexperiencefullintegration,forexample;how theleftoverfoodoftherestaurantfeedsthepigs,the pigs'wastegeneratesmethanegasusedtofuelthe kitchenthatwillcookthesausagesmadefromthese pigs.thesustainableintegrationprojectinvolvesall theactivitiesattheestateincludingcoffeeproduction, cattleranching,dairyproducts,fruitsandvegetables, flowerproduction,andtourism. 2:00pm FreeTime SelvaNegra Anighttourofthelowermountainareawillreveala differentbirdandwildlifeviewingopportunity.a campfireenvironmentwillofferagreatforumto discusseveryone sfindsoftheday. 6:30pm Dinner SelvaNegra Fullmenuatrestaurant 8:00pm FrogTourorcampfire SelvaNegra Thursday,March7 th (B,L,D) 5:30am Optionalhikeandbird watchingincloudforest SelvaNegra 7:30am Breakfast SelvaNegra Fullmenuatrestaurant 8:30am Coffeetourfromseedto cup Atourofthecoffeeplantationandprocessingfacilities willprovideinsightsoftheimmenseeffortand manualhoursrequiredtoproducecoffeesustainably. Participantswillseethenursery,plantation,shade system,wetmill,roaster,biogasdigester,andorganic lab.ifthetimingisright,witnessfirsthandthecoffee
picking,receiptpointoftheday spicking,millingand roastingofyourmorningbrew. 11:30am Checkoutandtravelto ZapateraIsland(with lunchstop) Transit AQUATICECOSYSTEMSEGMENT (TravelfromSelvaNegratoZapateraIslandis3hours tothegranadapier,then30minutestravelbyboat fromgranadatozapateraisland 3pminto evening Checkintorooms,rest andrelax,overnight. SantaMaria EcolodgeSpa, ZapateraIsland ZapateraIslandisanundiscoveredoasisonLake Nicaraguarifewithnaturalrichnessandarchaeological treasures.theislandwasanancientceremonialsiteof indigenouspeoplesdatingbacktotheperiodof800 1350AC.Petroglyphshavebeenpreservedandcanbe foundhere.therearenomotorvehiclesontheisland, andapproximately70%oftheislandiscoveredin forest.theislandconservesanambiancethat combinestranquility,naturalsplendor,anda mysticismsurroundingthetrailsleftbehindbythe indigenouscultures,yettobefullyinvestigated.the combinationofforestandthefreshwateraquatic ecosystemonlakenicaraguamakesforsomeofthe bestbirdhabitatinthecountry. Friday,March8 th (B,L,D) 8:00am Breakfast SantaMaria EcolodgeandSpa, ZapateraIsland Eggs,riceandbeans,tropicalfruit,pancakes,orange juice,gaiaestatecoffee. Morning Relax,hike,horseback ride,sail,bird watch, kayak,spaservices, petroglyphobservation SantaMaria EcolodgeSpa SantaMariaEcolodgeisrightonthewaterandoneof onlytwoplacestostayontheisland,equippedwithsix rooms,abarandrestaurant.santamariaalsooffers spaservicessuchasmassageandyoga.countona comfortable,trulyauthenticexperienceoffthebeaten trackoftraditionaltourismroutesinnicaragua. 12:30pm Lunch SantaMaria BBQchicken,pork,orpolishsausage,beans,plantain chips,sourcream,andsalsa(vegetarianoptions availableforallmeals) Afternoon Relax,hike,horseback ride,sail,guidedbirdwatching,kayak,spa services,petroglyph observation SantaMaria
6:30pm Dinner SantaMaria ChickenQuesadillaswithmozzarellacheese,riceand beans,salsa. Saturday,March9 th (B,L,D) 7:30am Breakfast SantaMaria Ecolodge 8:30 10:30 am Relax,hike,horseback ride,sail,bird watch, kayak,spaservices, petroglyphobservation 11:00 DepartforGranada Granada 30minuteboatrideand10minutecarridetoGranada 12:00 CheckintoGranada Hotel Granada GranadaisabeautifulcolonialcityclosetoLake Nicaragua. 12:30 Lunch Granada 2 6pm Freetime Granada Guestscantourthecitybyfootorbyhorseandbuggy. 7:00pm ClosingDinner Granada Sunday,March10 th EarlyAM (B) TraveltoAirportand Departure ManaguaAirport LandtransferfromGranadatoManaguaairport approximately1hour15minutes. Land Costs Deposit Single Supp Trip Dates Group Size Difficulty Activities $2135 $500 $160 March 3-11, 2012 10-18 No Experience Needed Coffee, Birding, Cultural Exchange, Hotels
A FEW IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT YOUR TRIP...Read carefully Included in your Trip Fee: Eight (8) nights accommodation based on double; all meals as indicated on itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner); ground transportation (coaster bus) cooperative visits and activities as indicated; guide fees; all entrance fees and local taxes; cuppings and special events as indicated by the itinerary. Not Included in your Trip Fee: International Airfare; Extra nights lodging; Tourist card; passport; airport departure tax; single supplement hotel fee ($160) based on availability, if unable to share a room trip fee based on double occupancy; medical evacuation and trip cancellation insurance; meals not specified itinerary), all alcoholic beverages; cost of delays due to weather, transportation problems, illness, political disputes or other contingencies for which reasonable provision cannot be made; tips to your guides as seems appropriate; optional activities. Do I need a Visa to travel to Nicaragua: No. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens; however, a tourist card must be purchased for $10 upon arrival. Tourist cards are typically issued for 30 to 90 days. Transportation/Flight Arrangements: Upon your registration, Adventure Associates will work closely with you on your individual flight plans. You must arrive in Nicaragua March 3, 2012. Your departure is March 11, 2012 unless other plans have been made. Do verify your flight itinerary with Adventure Associates before purchase. Travel & Trip Insurance: We strongly recommend that travel insurance be purchased immediately following your registration. The insurance protects you and your money from late cancellations, accidents or illness in remote areas, emergency evacuation, loss of baggage, airline flight changes and other unexpected delays. The particular program we recommend (Access America or TravelEx) will cover preexisting conditions if you purchase full coverage within fourteen or twenty-one (14/21) days following your registration or flight purchase. Information is available upon request. How to Register: If you do not have an application form, please contact our office for a complete registration packet. Complete the application form and return it to our office along with the appropriate deposit. Upon receipt of your application, we will send you a confirmation and final details about your pre-trip preparation. For immediate confirmation, you may charge your deposit to Visa, Master Card or American Express by phone or fax.
Payment Schedule: We accept checks, Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Note: Due to the fluctuating nature of the American dollar, the trip price is based upon the dollar value at the time of printing (March 2011) and is subject to change. $500 deposit due at time of registration Final payment due two months prior to departure. Cancellation & Refund Policy: If you must cancel prior to departure, the following fee will be assessed based upon our receipt of your written cancellation request: Days Prior to Departure (trip destination) 90 or more... $200 60 to 89... $300 45 to 59... 50% fee 1 to 44... 100% fee Itineraries are subject to change. No partial refunds are possible for any unused portion of your trip. Penalties on airline tickets are subject to the individual air carrier's rules and regulations. Departure is defined as the date of the first flight, or the trip departure date as indicated on our Trip Schedule, whichever comes first. Once a trip has been confirmed medical circumstances will not be considered as exceptions to our cancellation policy. However, if you have purchased a comprehensive Travel Insurance plan that covers cancellation, you may be able to retrieve some of the funds. Adventure Associates of Wa, Inc. www.adventureassociates.net Ph: 206-932-8352 Copyright 2011, Adventure Associates. All Rights Reserved.