This one week tour is 50% wildlife spotting and 50% long travel days. Wildlife is colourful, diverse and fairly easy to spot, but the experiences were hindered by unseasonably cool and wet conditions – unexpected, but nonetheless possible in February. Walks were often spent sheltering under the hood of my waterproof jacket and an appreciation of the Costa Rican landscapes was limited. Road journeys between hotels were longer than expected, often due to heavy traffic. The optional excursions were OK, but not great value for money. Unfortunately, Costa Rica’s high end tourist industry has become expensive and quite commercialised.

Ross Bishop Natural Highlights of Costa Rica

The leader, Prathap, was exceptional and handled everything with great good humour and expertise. Every aspect of the trip more than fulfilled my expectations, and the quality of the leadership and administration was first-rate.

Peter Cantrell Hike Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail

It was a really great and often physically challenging experience, I enjoyed it immensely. Most of the days were very long with no relaxation time, much of this was down to the itinerary changes because the trains were out of action. Some of it was also due to a small number of slow walkers, but I guess you never know who you are going to get.

The tour guide Praphat Jayasinghe was excellent. He had excellent English, was friendly, organised and very knowledgeable. It was the first time the trip had been run plus there were some changes to the itinerary due to the recent cyclone, however everything ran smoothly. His expertise was obvious and we were fortunate to have him as our guide.

 

Maria Cook Hike Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail