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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.

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17 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Reviews

Rich wildlife, but otherwise somewhat mediocre

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.

Most Inspirational Moment

Simple pleasures such as watching the birds come to the feeders opposite the breakfast table at Arenal a chance roadside encounter with a sloth. These moments felt more like an authentic Central American travel experience than the somewhat packaged included activities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was cheerful, knowledgeable about the local wildlife and ran the tour effectively although he could have been better organised and clearer in his communication at times.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I added an extension to Punta Leona on the Pacific Coast to my trip. The resort is vast and spread out over the coastal dry forest. Although the beach was pleasant and there was some wildlife to see, the various tourist facilities on offer felt more like an overwealming choice of expensive options that made for a less relaxing end to the trip than I was expecting.

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Reply from Exodus

Hi Ross, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback following your Costa Rica trip. I’m sorry to hear that aspects of your experience did not meet expectations, particularly due to the unseasonably cool and wet weather, which I appreciate would have limited your enjoyment of the landscapes and outdoor activities. While wildlife sightings were positive, I understand that long travel days, traffic delays, and optional excursions that did not feel like good value would have impacted the overall experience. I’m also sorry that your extension to Punta Leona was not as relaxing as anticipated, as I appreciate that the size and more commercial nature of the resort may not suit everyone looking for a quieter end to their trip. Your feedback regarding both the itinerary and the optional experiences, as well as your wider observations on the commercialisation of tourism in Costa Rica, is greatly appreciated and will be shared with the relevant departments as part of our ongoing reviews. Thank you again for your comments, and I do hope there were still some memorable highlights during your time away. We look forward to welcoming you on another Exodus Adventure in the future!

Natural Highlights of Costa Rica

As ever, the itinerary is accurate and makes the most of the trip time and the tour leader was fantastic.

 

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting three very different and equally spectacular regions in a week.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Laurens was a true Dr Doolittle and his knowledge of all the flora and fauna could not be surpassed. He organised an extra early morning bird watching session and was the perfect additional member of our group.

Natural Highlights of Costa Rica

Great trip all around!

Most Inspirational Moment

Birds, frogs, other animals/wildlife, scenery, learning about Costa Rica, making friends with my fellow tourmates, benefiting from the extensive knowledge of our guide, and mostly great food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He is absolutely professional and extremely well-informed. He is polite but not "warm" per se, and he can sometimes seem a bit bossy, but I think it's because he wants everything to go according to plan.

A wonderful introduction to Costa Rica’s natural wonders

This trip truly lives up to its name and was an unforgettable way to experience Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity. From lush rainforests and wildlife-rich national parks to volcanic landscapes and the coast, the itinerary felt perfectly balanced and thoughtfully paced, with each destination offering something new and exciting.

One of the real highlights was the wildlife. Seeing animals in their natural habitat was a daily occurrence, made even more special by the expertise of our local leader. Their knowledge, enthusiasm and ability to spot wildlife we would otherwise have missed added huge value to the experience and brought the landscapes to life.

The trip also offered a great mix of guided walks, scenic drives and time to simply take in the surroundings, making it feel immersive without ever being rushed. Early starts were well worth it for the rewarding wildlife encounters and peaceful moments in nature.

Overall, this adventure is ideal for anyone wanting to explore Costa Rica’s natural highlights in depth, with the reassurance of excellent organisation and an outstanding local leader. A truly memorable journey through one of the world’s most beautiful and biodiverse countries.

Most Inspirational Moment

Spotting a mother slot with her baby high in the trees and watching them move slowly through the canopy, completely at home in their natural environment. With our leader explaining its behaviour and conservation, it was a quiet, magical moment that perfectly captured the beauty of Costa Rica’s wildlife and the importance of protecting it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent! Humble, caring, attentive, a brilliant story teller and most importantly, he is passionate! Randall was brilliant.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack for all weather, embrace early starts and bring a sense of curiosity. A good pair of walking shoes, lightweight layers and binoculars will really enhance the experience. Most importantly, slow down and take it all in — some of the best moments come from standing quietly and letting Costa Rica’s wildlife reveal itself.

Great wildlife, shame about the minibus!

Costa Rica is undoubtedly a fabulous location. We really enjoyed the opportunity to see amazing wildlife in some stunning locations. Accommodation was mostly excellent (apart from a very tired-feeling Holiday Inn in San Jose) but there was simply too much time spent travelling in a cramped minibus. The ratio of travel time to dedicated nature-watching was simply too high. It might be too much trying to encompass three destinations, spread across a wide area, in such a short time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Boat trips in Tortuguero National Park

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very friendly and knowledgeable but occasionally somewhat overbearing. We sometimes felt like we were being talked to like naughty primary school children! Initially very unsympathetic and seemingly disinterested when group members' luggage was soaked while being transported on the roof of the minibus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Costa Rica's a fascinating destination and our knowledgeable guide helped us gain a good appreciation of its natural wonders. You need to be ready to spend a lot of time travelling between the three locations on this tour. It felt like we spent as much time on the road (in a far from comfortable minibus) as we did searching for, and finding, Costa Rica's special flora and fauna. If possible, think about a longer tour with a better balance between travelling time and time spent out enjoying nature. Definitely not recommended if you're tall!

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Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to submit a review of your Exodus holiday to Costa Rica, Philip, and we were pleased to read that you enjoyed the boat trips in Tortuguero. On the other hand, we are sorry that you found your leader overbearing and that you felt your tour featured too much driving. We acknowledge that one of the major reasons our customers choose Exodus is because we provide expert tour guides who can deliver our planned itineraries to a high standard, and ideally elevate a group’s experience in their destination. We are well aware of the impact that our leaders have on our clients’ overall enjoyment of the trip, and it is therefore a matter of great disappointment that you found yours to be unsympathetic and disinterested. Your leader is a valued member of our Costa Rican cohort and has proven in the time she has led for us that she is adept at leading tours that meet ours and our customers’ expectations; in fact, she has previously won our tour leader of the year award and regularly receives some of the best average scores across all our trips. We hope this shows why we were confident in her ability to successfully lead your tour, although we are sorry that your experience was not as positive as you had expected. We are further sorry that you felt there was an excessive amount of driving time proportionate to the length of your trip and that your vehicle was rather cramped. Our product managers spend a significant amount of time designing our itineraries and, though we cannot please everyone, we generally find that they strike a balance between seeing as much of a country as possible, whilst maintaining reasonable driving times. Having reviewed the feedback for all departures of this tour this year, we are satisfied that our customers rated their overall experience 4.27* out of 5*, which meets our general expectations, although we regret if this is not a reflection of your holiday. We sincerely hope that your disappointment on this occasion has not discouraged you from travelling with Exodus again.

 

Sarah Ahern, Product Manager

Natural Highlights of Costa Rica

Excellent guide in Alejandro. He was very accommodating and amenable with a great knowledge of and pride in his country. Accommodation very comfortable, the Pachira lodge in particular. Fantastic wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sea turtles laying eggs by the light of a full moon. The sloths! Amazing wildlife. The zip wire. Our guide and driver and the great group of seven we went with.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alejandro was just the right mix of authority when needed but flexibility and good humour too. It was clear how proud he was of his country and we learnt so much from him. He went the extra mile and really looked out for us all. A great guide.

Brilliant Nature

Brilliant guide Well organised trip Good drivers

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing monkey, sloth, iguana, reptiles, birds etc in their natural environment. Wonderful country- shows it’s possible to live in peace with nature and with each other.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant- so thoughtful, organised, keen eyed, knowledgeable, personable

Advice for Potential Travellers

Nothing beyond the trip notes needed for the tour, but check the flights as some people had worse than others ie those via USA

Fantastic Holiday!

Considering we only had a week, the holiday had a packed itinerary, was brilliant and just went too quick! A stunning country with a wealth of wildlife, trees and plants made even better by a terrific guide!

Most Inspirational Moment

All of it! I learnt so much about Costa Rica. Scenery was stunning. Difficult to pinpoint an inspirational moment but was taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed a stop-off at a banana processing plant and loved the tour of the coffee and chocolate plantation. And, of course, spotting my first sloth!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Miguel Alfaro Lopez was the best guide I have had on an Exodus trip and all my guides have been great. There was nothing he didn't know about Costa Rica right from when it first formed millions of years ago. His knowledge of the culture, climate, wildlife, trees, plants, bird song, politics, education system - everything was mind-blowing. He told us on day one that he would do all the worrying - and he did, not that we had anything to worry about. He looked after us incredibly well and was a joy to spend the week with. He was friendly, had a good sense of humour and nothing was too much trouble. If you have Miguel as your guide, you are extremely lucky!

Advice for Potential Travellers

There's a lot of travelling but enjoy the views of this beautiful country. Definitely recommend the coffee plantation tour and the hanging bridges. When it rains in the rain forest it rains hard but just embrace the experience. Enjoy every minute because this week goes far too quickly.

Wonderful wildlife

Wonderful wildlife, great guide, highly recommended

Most Inspirational Moment

The night walk

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jorge was great, very knowledgeable, highly professional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long drives between locations

Fab trip with great guide and driver but be prepared for long journey times and chaotic airport

Very enjoyable holiday with similar minded folk with a superb guide and driver. Thoroughly recommend but be prepared for chaos at the airport on arrival and exit – took us over 2 hours both times and long travel distances and early starts. But overall worth it. Thanks

Most Inspirational Moment

Lots of highlights but daft as it sounds really liked that although mid Jan still had Christmas decorations up - bizarre but fun!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent - one of best ever had and his level of English was amazing

Advice for Potential Travellers

Chill out / be patient at airport and enjoy the scenery on the long journeys