I had heard that this was a good trip, and was looking forward to it a lot, but as a veteran of Exodus (this was my eleventh adventure with the company) this Costa Rica excursion managed to far exceed expectations. Costa Rica is an extraordinary and unique country that treasures its natural habitats (and abolished its own army in 1949) but you do need a good guide to unlock its treasures for you, and Jonny Villalobos was the key to making the last two weeks completely unforgettable. Jonny knows EVERYTHING… and is infinitely patient, and understands that a good guide needs to be like the proverbial swan… serene on the surface, while paddling away under the water to make sure everything runs like clockwork. The itinerary is impressive enough, but Jonny had most of the group willingly getting up at 6am every morning to go on his wonderful additional birding hikes… and I’m not even particularly interested in birds. I’m sure that I have learned more about wildlife in the last two weeks than in the entire 63 years that preceded it. Much of the fun of this trip is that most of you will be staring at dense foliage not seeing anything but leaves and vines, only for Jonny to isolate a branch half way up and reveal some perfectly camouflaged creature that you hadn’t even heard of five minutes before. I’ve never said ‘wow’ so many times in my whole life. And where the trip notes said something like ‘the day is yours to explore etc etc’ of course you can do that if you want to, but why would you when you’re going to get so much more by joining in with Jonny’s unique spin on every activity. Of course the real star is the country itself and the extraordinary diversity of landscapes and habitats, from hot and humid tropical rainforest, to chilly atmospheric cloud forests up in the mountains. From rivers whose banks teem with monkeys and birds and lizards to thrilling waterfalls, to an idyllic pacific beach where all that’s missing is a bounty bar or a bottle of Timotei shampoo. Seriously, everyone should give Costa Rica a go if only to appreciate how wonderful our world can be when we look after it, and to give you hope that it is possible to repair at least some of the damage we’ve done to our beautiful planet.

Wildlife Tours in Botswana
Botswana Safari Holidays
Botswana Safari Highlights
Thanks to the country’s stable government and progressive social policies, Botswana is now one of Southern Africa’s hottest safari destinations. Here are four great places to visit in Botswana for animal lovers.
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve: The second largest wildlife reserve in the world (20,000 square miles), the Kalahari Desert is the ancestral home of the Bushmen people. Its diverse array of animals includes Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, Wild Dogs, dozens of Antelope species, and many more. The area’s annual Zebra migration is spectacular, but little-known.
- Chobe National Park: Chobe is home to over 120,000 Elephants– about 1/3 of the continent’s total population. The park offers lots of different ecosystems to explore, including savannah, swamps, floodplains, and mopane woodlands. Besides Elephants, Chobe National Park is a great place to see big cats, which are largely found in the Liyanti Marshes.
- Makgadikgadi Pans: These are the world’s largest salt pans in the world. When flooded, the area is visited by thousands of Zebras, Wildebeest, and Flamingoes. But even when they’re dry, the Makgadikgadi Pans are worth a visit for their surreal beauty. Visit at sunset to get stunning photos framed by the silhouettes of ancient Baobab trees.
- Okavango Delta: The most famous of Botswana’s many ecotourism attractions, the Okavango Delta’s 5791-square mile wetland area earned UNESCO protected status in 2014. In the winter its myriad canals and swamps attract some 200,000 large mammals (Cheetahs, Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Wild Dogs, etc.) and over 400 bird species, including the Crested Crane, Hammerkop, and Sacred Ibis.
Martin Jacobs Discover Costa Rica
Brian Quinn Borneo Wildlife DiscovererThis trip exceeded expectations in terms of the variety of wildlife spotted and the competences of the group leader.
Jane Powell Discover Costa RicaA really excellent tour. I don’t think I can find fault with anything. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The locations visited were incredible and we saw an amazing amount of wildlife with the help of our guide. The accommodation was good and the transport between locations was very good.
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