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Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers  

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337 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Reviews

Holiday of a Lifetime

Have just returned from Discover Costa Rico Tour. The whole trip was amazing from the moment I arrived until with a heavy heart I left this beautiful country.The itinerary was perfect in every way.
We visited many different areas and saw the wonderful wild life and were lucky e ought to see the Quezal which was beautiful and well worth the 5 30am start .All the accommodation was lovely and each had unique features ,food was great as well.
The holiday was made extra special by Alex our guide who was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable and caring and funny and just great.Our driver Mal was wonderful as well driving to perfection in sometimes difficult bumpy areas but he always had a smile on his face.
All in all the best trip I’ve ever been on and can’t wait to go back to explore more .

Most Inspirational Moment

To many moments to mention really but loved the sloth just lying around on a fence by the road,loved the canal trip ,loved the Cloud forest rope bridges ,loved meeting the people,loved the birds and loved Alex knowing every birds name and where to spot them.All in all loved every second.

Thoughts on Group Leader

What did I think .Well he was amazing ,knowledgable,kind,professional,patient,funny,organised,caring, He was our hero and our friend and our inspiration to find out more about this beautiful country that he loves so dearly. Each evening we were briefed for the next day of action.Suggested what best to wear clothing footwear what we needed etc,in fact could do with him here as never know what to wear ! He went out of his way to ensure everyone was fine.We went on numerous extra walks etc and enjoyed every second.He is a true professional and Exodus are so lucky to have him on there team .Well done Alex

Advice for Potential Travellers

Only advice is maybe go a day early to get over the long journey.We arrived at 23 hrs having been up 27hrs then 5 30 am start. I didn’t really think of this problem but in future will do.This is not a complaint just a thought as to be honest I felt terrible on the first day .

Discover Costa Rica

Very varied trip with good range of experiences despite poor weather at the start. Great accommodation though the breakfast at Arenal Montechairi was poor.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing a sloth and baby at very close quarters at Tortuguero National park. The visit to Esquinas Rain Forest lodge and learing about the conservation work.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent local guide who dealt with an injured friend with sympathy and efficiency. Excellent first aid knowledge. He was very enthusiastic about his job and the wildlife,

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take capes or ponchos to Tortuguero. We had 5 days of heavy rain. We took too many US dollars. There was good availability of ATM's.

Discover Costa Rica

Fabulous holiday – due in no small part to our guide Katia, she went over and above what could have been expected. It included early morning and late evening walks to watch wildlife that weren’t included in the tour.
Also travelling with a great bunch of people absolutely made the holiday. Can’t wait for my next Exodus trip.
Richard

Most Inspirational Moment

Tortuguero was brilliant and Esquenas Lodge

Thoughts on Group Leader

Couldn’t have done more to make for a great holiday

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a poncho

Discover Costa Rica

Holiday exceeded expectations – due in no small part to our excellent guide, Antonio, who went out of his way to ensure that everyone had a great time and their individual interests were catered for.

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably the first close up sight of wildlife, iguanas in the trees beside the restaurant in Laguna Lodge

Thoughts on Group Leader

Can not speak too highly of Antonio; professional, knowledgeable, excellent communicator and a wicked sense of humour!

Advice for Potential Travellers

No need for any smart clothes for evening wear - casual and sportish fine

Discover Costa Rica

An excellent introduction to Costa Rica, and in particular its wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many, although we particularly enjoyed the night walks that were available at the lodges. The forests come alive at night and provide opportunities to see wildlife that doesn't normally appear during the day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent - Antonio was a superb ambassador for Costa Rica. He organised additional walks to ensure the team got the most out of their visit. He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Costa Rica, and is particularly good at identifying the many different birds we saw and heard on our travels. Mention should also be made of our driver, Alex. Despite limited English he was always friendly & enthusiastic, kept the coach spotless both inside and out, and must know the width of the coach to the nearest millimetre!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a universal sink plug - few hotels and lodges have them. Ponchos (and perhaps over-trousers) are more flexible than a conventional cagoule as it covers cameras & rucksack also. For people enthusiastic about photography, take a flash (if not fitted on camera) and a tripod. There is little light under the canopy even at midday and so shutter speeds are slow. For taking photos of specific species (e.g. amphibians) you may find that use of flash is not permitted (sometimes for all species on night walks) and so a tripod is the only way to get good photos. Make sure you protect your camera from moisture ingress. Rain is exceptional at times and a couple of our party had camera damage as a result.

Captivating Costa Rica

This trip was varied so provided something for everyone. It was an easy trip – there is excellent infrastructure in Costa Rica, the standard of accommodation was good and the walking was not difficult.

Most Inspirational Moment

Wildlife viewing by boat in Tortuguero Zip lining in Monteverde

Thoughts on Group Leader

Antonio was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and organised. He provided an amazing amount of information about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica and his love of the country really shone through. He went above and beyond the call of duty by accompanying us on walks during free time and by always being on hand to answer questions. Antonio's english was exceptional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

When it rains it really rains so take a poncho - that way it covers you and your rucksack. It is difficult to dry things out once they get wet so consider taking some 'proper' trekking clothes that are quick dry material.

Fabulous Costa Rica

A great trip with a group of 16 which gelled really well and an inspirational guide and excellent driver. The itinerary was well-planned and we saw some varied parts of the country without endless bus journeys. All the lodges and hotels were good, and some very good, as was the food and of course the coffee. There was an occasional lack of hot water indoors, and too much rain and mud outdoors, but that’s the rainy season for you. We saw a simply extraordinary variety of bird, animal and reptile life, often spotted by Chico as he drove the bus. Jorge’s knowledge of birds and pride in his country were constantly evident. He arranged far more walks than the itinerary suggested so that we saw as much as possible. Overall a really excellent trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing baby turtles hatch and make their way across the beach into the sea at Tortuguera. Sloths ran them a close second. And then there were the quetzals....

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jorge loves his country deeply and made a great job of showing it to us and telling us about it. Among other topics, I came back very well-informed on the education system in Costa Rica! And his knowledge of birds was wonderful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Two of the hotels are at quite high altitude and in late November it was wet and cold. Take warm clothes and bedsocks. A walking pole was useful on muddy walks, and decent boots are essential.

A wonderful trip

This 16 day trip in November 2017 covered much of the Costa Rican countryside and was focused on bird watching. It was very well organised, tour leader (see below) was excellent, accommodation and food were fine. We stayed in 6 lodges close to or within National Parks on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. We saw in excess of 250 bird species including the Resplendent Quetzal. It was everything I wanted and more. Thank you.

Most Inspirational Moment

Several things stand out. 1. Seeing baby turtles hatch and make it to the sea in Tortuguero NP. 2. The variety of birdlife and their stunning colours. 3. The attempts Costa Rica is making to encourage tourism and protect its natural habitat.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Johnny Villalobos. Such a nice guy, hugely knowledgeable, hugely enthusiastic nothing was too much trouble. He could identify the majority of the native birds along with their call. Up every day by 5am to lead the dawn walks and still around at 8pm in the evening.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Weather. It can be very hot and humid: 30C and 92% humidity, to 6C at altitude in the rain forest. So be prepared for both extremes. Consequently in the rain forests it can be damp and your clothes are damp. 2. Photography. If you are a serious photographer you need 400mm zoom for the birds.

Highly recommended

I cannot recommend this trip enough. Everything was organised to perfection. We saw pretty much every animal available (apart from a jaguar which i believe the chances of seeing are zero)!
The hotels were all pretty much first class – food delicious, staff so friendly, rooms comfortable and the towel art!
Transport – comfy, driven very well by Felix, arrived on time everywhere.
Andreas – the best tour guide you could ever hope for. It was a passion for him to ensure that we all made the best of the holiday and he ensured that we see everything he saw. He was so knowledgeable with everything Costa Rica had to offer. He was careful to ensure i was feeling okay after a run-in with a raccoon 🙂
Activities – all spot on and the hot springs were amazing. I only wish i was brave enough to do the zip wire instead of the coffee tour.
Fellow travellers – all were amazing and made everyone feel welcome. i am sure we are going to keep in touch with everyone in the future.

Most Inspirational Moment

The hatching turtles on Torteguero beach. The whole reason i booked for November and i was not disappointed. The friendliness of the Costa Rican people. Everywhere we went we were made to feel very welcome.

Thoughts on Group Leader

First Class! Could not have hoped for a friendlier, more knowledgeable tour leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take an umbrella and do not forget to take a fleece or something for the Savegre Lodge - it is a tad chilly at times!

Beautiful Costa Rica

We have just returned from a fantastic holiday guided by Johnny Villalobos. He made the experience memorable for our group of 13 travellers. He gave 100% to us, walking early to see as much as possible, owl hunting at night and working all hours to enable us to ‘ maximise’ our holiday ( his word ) ! The itinerary was well put together and all the lodges and hotels were carefully chosen, all different but all excellent. We particularly loved Esquinas Lodge, its remoteness and the birds of course! We saw a huge number of bird species and Johnny helped us to check the ‘list’ every evening in happy hour!!! We had the good fortune to be travelling with a great group of people which really made for a fun time as well. We did see quetzal too. We saw at least two males and two females and they did us the honour of performing a memorable flying display! All in all a really wonderful holiday. My only query might be a question of its rating as Leisurely 1!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Baby turtles hatching and making their perilous journey from nest to sea. The Resplendent Quetzals! Getting very wet in Monteverdi cloud forest! Visiting a local school and the home of Aurora for a Costa Rican lunch.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Amazing group leader. His knowledge, love and pride for his country Costa Rica shone through.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you love birds, mammals, nature and beautiful scenery book this trip.