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A wonderful trip. Stayed in some beautiful locations with excellent accommodation
Seeing two pairs of the elusive resplendent quetzal on the last day
Johnny was a superb guide. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. He looked after the group attentively and the trip wouldn't have been the same without him.
If you love nature this is a must do trip
We drove some 1,300 miles (or was it kilometres?) in two weeks, travelling every second day so quite a lot of time was spent on the bus albeit with regular stops. The country is very varied with distinct geographical zones.
Gliding peacefully along the waterways in Tortuguero. Staying at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge - wonderful. Seeing the Resplendent Quetzal at Savegre and the wonderful humming birds.
Andrés was very knowledgeable about his country, patient and imparted just the right amount of information. Our driver was Erik - a very professional and excellent driver who spent much of his spare time cleaning and polishing the bus. It was immaculate.
Monteverde - the suspension bridges/canopy walk was well worth doing, as were the butterfly and humming bird gardens. Esquinas - at $15 their night walk was excellent (much better than the Monteverde walk) and we saw lots of frogs and a very venomous snake which the Esquinas guide gave a wide berth to! Each of the lodges/hotels had laundry services, cost by piece or by the bag so I take a week's worth of clothes and get them laundered half way through as the humidity isn't conducive to getting things dry once washed. I packed my clothes in plastic bags so they didn't get damp.
Read the trip notes carefully – they are accurate. This is a basically one day travelling, one day exploring throughout the 14 days. The hotels are very good and the food excellent. However, if you like to go slightly off the beaten track then this is not the trip for you. It is a leisurely trip and our guide reinforced that many times. He never went off the programme – if there was free time then we had to research our own activities or optional walks.
Esquinas Rainforest Lodge is a special place - the wildlife all around you. The guides here are very good.
Andrès is good - and has lots of knowledge - but maybe he's done this trip too many times to show the enthusiasm I've experienced with other guides.
It's hot and humid - so many things get damp - pack plenty of t-shirts. It's cold in the cloud forest in Savegre - especially at night - make sure you do have a few warm layers. Shampoo and soap etc is in all they the hotels. I didn't feel the need to use walking poles. Walking boots not required. You can drink the water in all locations. Flying via Houston was ok as you don't need to reclaim luggage. Coming back via Washington Dulles was very easy - would recommend it. You can recharge batteries at every hotel. Wifi free and available everywhere. U.S. dollars accepted everywhere - normally receive Costa Rican colones as change - but never a problem. Not much to do in San Jose but good to go a day early to recover from flight. Good hotel with swimming pool.
I went on this holiday expecting great things and this did not disappoint. The variety of wildlife was second to none. The hotels were all different and to a very good standard. The organisation was good and having two nights at each location gave you chance to experience each of the very different Eco Systems in the country. The guide Johnny was friendly, knowledgable, and went the extra mile often in his free time.
The variety of the wildlife.
I have been on a number of Exodus holidays and the group leaders have always been very good but Johnny was the best I have ever come across. He went out of his way to make the holiday a great experience, he sorted out rooms so that you could get straight in on arrival, the cases were always ready. When ever we had any free time, he would normally offer to take us out for a walk to look at the wildlife and as a result I felt that I was occupied for the whole holiday, I am not one for sitting on a beach.
Be prepared for a holiday with very little down time, you can make time if you want but why not rest when you get home.
Our first trip with Exodus was a wonderful experience. The diversity of flora and fauna was amazing.
So many wonderful moments - Boat trips, hikes, good company, great driver, excellent guide.
Guillermo was a fountain of information and always did his best to show us as many birds, animals and plants as possible. He is friendly and helpful.
If you can avoid transfer/transit through USA, then do. Takes a very long time and we nearly missed our flight on return journey.
A brilliant holiday. Packed itinerary. Very well managed by our guide Edwin who added such a huge amount to my enjoyment.
The whole trip was incredible. Apart from the listed itinerary we were treated to 3 experiences (humming bird garden, crocodile and bird watching boat trip, and the stone spheres at Fina 6) which we were not included by Exodus but were suggested by our guide Edwin, All three were and amazing additions to our holiday. Thrilling moment was seeing several quetzels but I was also delighted by how close we got to wild life in general.
Edwin was inspiring. His enthusiasm for Costa Rica was so apparent and the knowledge of the country he passed on to me was exceptional. He was also a very caring and considerate group leader sensitive to our needs and safety He was consistently courteous and was an excellent conversationalist, his knowledge of the English language is amazing and he was always keen to learn new words or phrases often with good humour and laughter resulting in a really fun time. I have very happy memories of both Costa Rica and Edwin, and thank him for additions to trip (see above).N
No, the trip notes covered the holiday. My only major problem was with Houston airport. My husband and I were taken aside, our travel documents taken by a very stern American and with no explanation we were instructed to sit down. After about half an hour he appeared with our suitcases that had been extracted from all the luggage being transferrred directly from our UK / Houston flight to the Houston / San Jose flight. he then went though our luggage. This delay (with no explantion) meant we then had to race for our connecting flight. I do not want to fly via USA again.
A stunning, stimulating, invigorating and fascinating country. Book this trip now. See the places, the wildlife and the scenery firsthand. Meet the people. Talk to them. They smile back. Take your photos but also take the time to sit back and fully absorb. Wonderful.
Crossing the Continental Divide and stopping on the summit to experience the Trade Winds. How far do you dare to lean without falling ? Look right and you see the Caribbean side of the country, look left and there's the Pacific side. Visit the Hummingbird Farm at Antonio Manuel National Park, there is no possible way you could leave without a huge smile on your face. Ziiiippp, slurp, ziiiippp.
Group Leader was Edwin and our bus driver was Michael. Great guys - many thanks for looking after us and showing us your country with obvious passion.
Some advice (i) Book this trip (ii) Packing list combination of optional + essential items is fairly accurate but dump the brolly, take hiking shoes (don't really need boots), zip-off hiking trousers/shorts, one warm up layer only (fleece or jumper), maybe some clothes washing powder/ liquid and make sure your camera has good telephoto lens for birds/animal photos, at least 250MM for SLR or 6x zoom for digital (10x better) (iii) check out flight options to avoid US Immigration, travelling from London to San Jose on Iberia via Madrid seems a better route and arrival time.
Excellent adventures every day. Loads of wildlife to see, great jungle lodges, excellent guide and good food.
Sitting on the beach at Manuel Antonio with a palm tree behind us with a toucan at the top, a woodpecker half way up and an iguana next to us.
Guillermo was excellent, hugely knowledgable about the bio diversity, seemed to know every species of bird we saw and had a very sound philosophy about life.
Pack lots of changes of clothes as its mostly hot except in the mountains where you need a fleece at night. Leave the really cold gear behind. It can rain a lot on the boats at Tortuguero but ponchos are provided so a lightweight waterproof jacket is the only rain gear you need. You can buy caps everywhere which is useful both for rain and shine. Food (including salads) and water is generally safe but you still might need some Immodium just in case. Walking trips are generally fairly easy, albeit sometimes slippery when wet. I had walking boots, a pair of rugged trainers and walking sandals. If you wanted to save space you could get away with just walking shoes and leave the boots behind.
This trip seems a great introduction to what Costa Rica has to offer and certainly worked as an appetizer
Walking in the cloud forest of Monteverde and on the hanging bridges in between the tree tops were definitely something inspirational. It was a rainy day which only made it more magical. An afternoon bird watching trip by a riverbed near Esquinas lodge was particularly enjoyable and the walk along the river at Savegre was both inspirational and tranquil. The sounds and closeness of the animals particularly in Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio and Esquinas lodge. And as a more general comment. On our trip we had a special birdwatching guide and therefore some fellow travellers were particularly interested in bird spotting. I found it particularly inspirational to see their enthusiasm and couldn't help becoming interested as well. Both the guide and the fellow travellers have definitely opened my eyes to a new world.
Gustavo is extremely knowledgeable on everything from birds, animals, plants as well as the history, politics and daily life of Costa Rica. He was helpful answering every silly question we could think of and constantly added extra walks in the mornings or afternoons, giving us every opportunity to get the most out of the trip. In Tortuguero he got us a very good guide for the boat trips on the canals. Don't know if other guides there were just as good, but we were very happy with our Hector. Also, Gustavos sense of humour definitely added to it being a joy having him as a guide. Our driver (Geraldo) was also very good and extremely helpful along the entire trip.
Bring proper trekking boots. Called Exodus to ask about foot wear and was told to just bring walking shoes and sandals. Walking in the rain on muddy paths in the cloud forest of Monteverde would have been a lot easier wearing a pair of trekking boots. Apart from that ..just enjoy
Stunning country with multiple Climates, Landscapes and Wildlife that will take your breath way. The people truly want you to experience the best their country can offer and every interaction leaves you feeling that your time and money is valued highly.
The shared experience with like minded people, our group, the leader, the drivers and local people. There was a real and tangible desire to share highlights of new wildlife, food & drink, culture and scenery.
Gustavo was a gentleman, he made sure everyone's experience in Costa Rica was the best it could be, he was always accessible if required, appearing with a sixth sence at times to translate or inform. Passionate, knowledgeable and the leader within the group, he was in it with us and you felt that you and your shared adventure mattered to him.
Book now you will not regret it