Reviews

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

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

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330 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Hilary Brattle

Reviewed January 2019

A fabulous trip

This trip was fast paced and full of variety. We stayed in seven different locations during the two weeks which meant we were packing up and moving on every two days. The scenery we saw in between locations was incredibly beautiful and the bus rides were always interesting as our guide made sure we stopped for coffee, lunch or a surprise! …..a sloth and baby in a tree or crocodiles basking in the river!
The lodges were all full of character and of a high quality. Meals were typical Costa Rican with amazing variety and choice. The fruit was outstanding.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many magical moments. Quetzel hunting with dozens of other crazy people at 5 30 am. We had almost given up hope when Glenda made the first sighting and we all captured the flash of green tail.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was called Glenda and she was a marvel, transmitting her love of Costa Rica to all of us through her constant stream of information. As we travelled we learnt about the history, culture and wildlife of this wonderful place. We were amazed at her ability to spot the smallest bird or animal hidden in the undergrowth. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she was brilliantly organised. We felt we were in very capable hands with Glenda and our driver Carlos.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. A warm jumper and trousers were needed in two mountain locations whilst thin clothes were needed in low lying areas. Be prepared to get up early to see wildlife!

Geoff Paterson

Reviewed January 2019

Discover Costa Rica

An excellent, varied and active holiday, led by the most inspirational guide I have ever had. Covered most aspects of Costa Rica’s varied terrain and abundant wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

Searching the forests for the elusive quetzal at 5am and finally getting sight of this impressive bird.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Glenda Araya is the best tour leader I have had on an Exodus holiday. Her great enthusiasm for her country, it's people and wildlife was infectious. She has an extensive knowledge of the areas visited and the wildlife to be found there. Nothing was too much trouble, she was attentive to the needs of individuals within the group and has a very easy and friendly manner.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take plenty of warm clothing for the mountain regions, it's very cold first thing in the morning. Perhaps something that could be emphasised a little stronger in the trip notes.

Karen Woodward

Reviewed January 2019

Word of the holiday - wow!

What an amazing Country to visit. Felt I saw it too. So much wildlife. The guide made it. Her enthusiasm and passion for her Country was the energy passed on to us all. It was non-stop and we made the most of every minute. It was a great experience and will treasure the memories.

Most Inspirational Moment

There was not one moment. It was the whole trip. Everyday I said wow on more than one occasion. So much biodiversity. It was like visiting different Countries. I enjoyed the house visit as well as her cooking! I enjoyed the drives and looking at all the difference scenery.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Best group leader I have ever come across. To give perspective, I have travelled 55 countries and experienced many tours. I really do mean she was the best. Her level of care and energy was felt by all. She was superb and so hard working. She really wanted us to see and experience as much wildlife. Always looking to spot something for us and her excitement when she did was infectious. She created a great energy for the group and made the experience all positive. She asked about our comfort in the lodges and considered us at all levels. Very caring. I enjoyed her company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you struggle with pain on bumpy roads, this is something to consider. I found the cloud forest very cold, particularly at night, so more than just a jumper was needed for me.

Katharine Barnes

Reviewed January 2019

Excellent trip - superb scenery and wildlife

A great trip, 2 nights in each hotel, fairly long drives on the days we moved on. We saw lots of spectacular wildlife and scenery – rainforest, cloud forest, beaches, waterways, countless birds, cute moneys, plus some mammals we’d never heard of, such as olingoes and agoutis.

Come prepared for hot and sticky weather on the coast and cold and wind in the mountains.

Most Inspirational Moment

The waterways in Tortuguero and the magnificent cloud forest.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader, Alex Castro, was great. He spoke excellent English and knew all the birds and animals. he had an excellent telescope to help us see the birds. Alex worked really hard to make sure we were all well looked after.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Come prepared for both hot and cold weather.

Susan Leckey

Reviewed December 2018

Brilliant Holiday

This was our first holiday with Exodus; we weren’t sure what to expect but we can honestly say we can’t fault it. Costa Rica is a fantastic destination and this itinerary was thoughtfully put together to show it at its best. The variety of locations was incredible and in each place the standard of activities and of accommodation was outstanding. Somehow every day seemed to be better than the day before. We enjoyed being part of the Exodus group, and having then spent an additional week on our own we realised that a huge part of the success of the trip was due to having an excellent guide and driver to point out things which otherwise would have passed us by. All in all an unforgettable holiday and highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many inspirational moments it's hard to decide, for example seeing a newly-hatched baby turtle scuttling to the sea, getting up at 5 to see the Resplendent Quetzal, boat trips at Tortuguero, falling asleep at Esquinas Lodge to the sounds of the rainforest, walking in the cloudforest, being woken by Howler monkeys at dawn (on my birthday!), spotting sloths, monkeys, iguanas and birds, learning about Costa Rica ..... the list goes on.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were very pleased to discover that our leader was Johnny Villalobos as we had read about him in earlier reviews. He was absolutely brilliant, from his incredible encyclopaedic knowledge of all wildlife to his boundless enthusiasm. He was really friendly and attentive and had a great sense of humour. He made sure that we all got the most out of the holiday and spent a lot of time explaining every aspect of the country, from history and politics, to agriculture, economy, sustainable tourism and everything else. A great ambassador for Costa Rica and for Exodus. Pura Vida !

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it - we have no hesitation in recommending this holiday. On a practical note, be prepared for a range of temperatures ( we really did need fleeces at Savegre). Closed shoes are a must for the rainforest treks, as are waterproofs.

Linda Cooper

Reviewed December 2018

Perfect!

We were lucky enough to have Johnny Villlobos as our guide and he made the whole trip special! His knowledge of eveything to do with Costa Rica was outstanding. Everything ran smoothly from pick up at San Jose to the sad return to the airport at the end of the trip. The quality of the hotels was excellent (I am quite fussy!), Henry our driver was excellent and the bus was always waiting for us. Apart from the hanging bridges at Monteverde everything was included with Exodus, which was not the case with other tour groups. Although of course we must have paid that in the overal trip cost it was so much better not to keep paying extra along the way. Many entrance costs were between $16 and $26 so it would have really added up. The only other thing extra I did was the hot springs at La Fortuna which was a fantastic experience – I would thoroughly recommend that one. Johnny took us on many extra walks that were not on the trip notes but were all fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing all the wildlife - from the turtles hatching at Tortuguero, the monkeys, agoutis, coaties, raccoons, sloths, iguanas, humming birds in other places and very special for me was seeing the scarlet macaws in a little fishing village on the Pacific coast. We saw a wide variety of other birds everywhere - it was amazing! Those members of our group that got up for the 5.00am Quetzal were rewarded with a sighting of 2 birds.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Exceptional! He knew all the places to go to see wildlife - places you would never think of on your own.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Temperatures vary so just make sure you have some warm clothes for Monteverde and Savegre. We went from about 35C to about 15C in 4 hours!

Sarah Thorneycroft

Reviewed December 2018

Amazing trip - Discover Costa Rica

Just got back from Costa Rica and I can honestly say as a regular Exodus traveller that this is one of the best trips I have been on. Our guide Johnny was amazing and a real credit to his Country – and no surprise that he has won guide of the year twice. My one wish was to see baby turtles and boy did we see baby turtles – pouring out of the nest and making their way down to the sea. I never appreciated the different climates available in Costa Rica and spending two nights in each place gave us the chance to experience them all. The wildlife was amazing and everywhere. I can highly recommend this trip to anyone that loves seeing birds, animals, flora and fauna.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing baby turtles pouring out of their nest

Thoughts on Group Leader

Amazing - incredibly knowledgeable about all the wildlife we saw - gave us guidance on how and what to look for - and generally went above and beyond. Very willing to share his knowledge and also told us how Costa Rica as a Country works which gave us a real sense of the whole Country and not just the bits tourists get to see.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just enjoy the experiences - even the rain - as it is part of this amazing Country.

Ruth Harris

Reviewed December 2018

Stunning !!

Exodus’ first women only trip with the wonderful Katia as our guide. She was truly an inspiration and a great breadth of knowledge so effortlessly imparted.
I felt so privileged to be in Costa Rica. We saw much of its wildlife including armadillo and anteater and fabulous diversity of landscapes and eco climates.

What a beautiful country and what a great group of fellow travellers.

Most Inspirational Moment

Esquinas Lodge was definitely my favourite place to stay. So remote and so beautiful. The sounds of the rainforest especially at dawn. Close second was Tortuguero. The gardens there teem with birds and the boat trips took us right into the waterways where we saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, capuchins, caimans,turtles and so many birds. Turning off the engine of the boat and sitting in silence to hear the rainforest breathe was unforgettable. Seeing my first sloth was special. As was the quetzal trip at dawn. Three resplendent quetzals in no hurry to fly away!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very special. Nothing was too much trouble. Katia really did go the extra mile to make everything run smoothly and her knowledge was awesome. She had the perfect balance of interpersonal skills and professional know how. I learnt so much about the social and natural history of Costa Rica and we had such fun too!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If in the UK, do take the direct flight from London Gatwick to San Jose. It took all the strain out of the travelling and avoided the stresses of stopover in the USA, the harsh treatment by the US immigration system, and risk of missing onward flights!

Linda Hawe

Reviewed December 2018

Costa Rica Discovery

First Exodus women’s tour and every part of it was fantastic!! We had a wonderful guide who could not have been more knowledgeable or helpful and funny. Torteguero was the highlight on the boat in the primal rainforest. However we covered 7 different ecosystems all different and exciting. Loved the bird life we did get to see a lot. I definitely recommend this trip it was so interesting. The watch outs were the zip lines are high and you need warm clothing for the Savegre as it is so high.

Most Inspirational Moment

Wildlife and the different ecosystems. Plus the visit to local lady and her farm.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Amazing, Katie is inspirational and freely shared so much with us, on many subjects. Also brilliantly organised, always checking on our welfare and organised extra activities as well. She is fabulous.

margaret crisp

Reviewed December 2018

What an adventure!!!

Had a wonderful trip around Costa Rica, on the delightful ‘women only’ trip. We were led by a very knowledgeable and informative guide, in Katia, and whilst I avoided the zip wires, I thoroughly enjoyed the suspension bridges, the boat trip in the mangrove swamps and the geo-thermal baths. We saw birds of all kinds, including the quetzal, racoons, crocodile and caiman, an armadillo, sloths, turtles and monkeys! We started as a group of strangers on the same trip…and ended up feeling a family!!
The only downside was the return trip…so thorough is the security at Houston, that a two hour gap between flights is barely sufficient and i had to run to catch the second plane!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the tree roots seen on the boat trip round Tortuguero…..

Thoughts on Group Leader

Awesome!!!! Very knowledgeable and an inspiration!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you can, avoid Houston airport....or be prepared to keep looking at your watch and hoping!!!!!

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