Upon arrival at San José Juan Santamaría International Airport (airport code - SJO) you will clear Customs and be transferred to our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott, San Jose. Depending on your arrival time, join us this evening at the hotel for an optional get-acquainted dinner.

Day 2   Sun, Feb. 22                                                                                        B/L/D
San José - Star Lodge

After breakfast we’ll meet our Costa Rican guide and Astronomer/Study Leader, Gary Seronik in the lobby of the hotel, where we will board our private motorcoach for a brief supermarket stop for last minute items and then journey west to our Star Lodge, reserved exclusively for our stargazing pleasure. Located on the Gulf of Nicoya, our dark-sky lodge is in a prime birding and wildlife habitat. 
            Lodge rooms feature two beds, private bath, ceiling fan, and screened windows on three walls, enabling the evening breeze to keep us comfortable. Rooms will be outfitted with red lights to allow stargazers to preserve dark adaptation and enjoy the truly dark viewing conditions. Away from observing areas, non-stargazers will find a lighted area for reading, card games and socializing. The lodge’s manicured lawn faces an open southern sky, which is the perfect site for setting up telescopes and other equipment. The open-air restaurant and lounge area overlooks the hotel’s beautiful swimming pool and the bay beyond, and is a comfortable meeting-place both day and night. Meals at the lodge are served buffet-style and feature fresh ingredients, including locally grown vegetables, chicken, beef, fish, and tropical fruits. Throughout the night, stargazers will be served famous Costa Rican coffee, as well as tea and cookies. This afternoon, stargazers can set up their telescopes for the first of five nights under the glorious southern skies.

Over the next four nights we’ll continue to enjoy the richness of the southern Milky Way and the many deep-sky wonders visible throughout the night. You are invited to join Gary Seronik as he conducts guided tours of the night sky (at 7 p.m., midnight, and 4 a.m.) to show you where to find some of the sky’s best sights with binoculars and small telescopes.
            Dinner will be served nightly around 5:00 p.m., to allow plenty of time to prepare for a great night under the stars. February nights at this location are 10 hours long — the Sun sets around 6:00 p.m. local time with astronomical twilight ending less than an hour later.
            During the day, you can sleep in late, relax at the lodge, take a dip in the refreshing swimming pool, or enjoy optional activities that include horseback riding, massage services and day trips away from the lodge, as well as guided nature walks to look for exotic birds and wildlife.
            Included in the price of this tour are some daytime activities - a half-day boat excursion from the lodge’s private pier into the Gulf of Nicoya to visit a nearby mangrove habitat, home to many exotic water birds; a sunset tractor ride to a beautiful lookout point; and a second boating excursion to a secluded beach.