Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There are so many, I think probably watching the Turtle nesting or the excitement of trying to spot the male Quetzal at 5am! Photographing my first Scarlet Macaw.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Johnny was fantastic, he knew the answer to absolutely every question that we could throw at him about the wildlife and country in general. He is very passionate about conservation and had many stories about how the country had changed and the people he has met. He arranged for extra walks not included in the itinerary and had an amazing eye for spotting things right in front of us that I would never had seen without him. I chose this departure because he was going to be the leader and he certainly went above and beyond.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for all kinds of weather, one minute it would be nice and sunny and the next we were in a rain storm! Don't be put off by the rainy season, we experienced 3 afternoons of rain on the entire trip and the rain made it possible to see so many species on the night walk. Colonies are the currency here and you can get them in the UK before you fly but you can pay in US Dollars, (smaller notes, not many places can change anything above a $20) and nearly everywhere took some form of cards. Don't leave your souvenir shopping till the airport, if you see something grab it, the airport costs were very expensive.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to meet Aurora in the Copey Valley and learn about her family history of the farm and have an authentic interaction and share a meal with her.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Johnny Villalobos was unbelievable. His passion for conservation, social impact and this trip shows throughout every fibre of himself. He provided some incredible insight into the history, geography and sustainability of the country and just contributed to the overall brilliant trip itinerary!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a brilliant trip to go onto if you are a solo traveler or are traveling with a friend where you want to see the highlights of the country and have a love for wildlife of all shapes and sizes.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing a diversity of wildlife and sharing this with the rest of the party and with Carlos and Randall. I particularly enjoyed the warm welcome we received from Aurora? on our visit to her a dairy farm. This was typical of the friendly nature of everyone we met.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Just a fantastic guy really.

Most Inspirational Moment

Everything was good, but if we need to pick a few highlights, we would include the boat safaris in Tortuguero; zip-line experience in Arenal, early morning walk through Manuel Antonio National Park to the beach, everything at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Super organised. Ensured that we achieved maximum possible every day with early starts to miss the crowds. He really assessed what the group wanted. He was extremely enthusiastic about everything and integrated very well into the group. He also had a great relationship with our driver, which again made it run very smoothly.

Most Inspirational Moment

Tortuguero was amazing, so full of wildlife and so remote. Seeing so many sloths (thanks to Carlos spotting them) and seeing sloths active was incredible. The Don Juan coffee tour was also brilliant, we would recommend that to anyone who went in the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were really happy to have had Carlos leading our trip. He is so knowledgeable and happy to share as much or as little with you was you want. We had a great trip and would happily travel under Carlos again.

Most Inspirational Moment

Boat trip in Tortuguero. Walk in Arenal National park. The stay and walk at Manuel Antonio.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was very knowledgeable and friendly. It is obvious that he has a real interest in nature and wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to mention - maybe swimming in the Pacific at sunrise, zip lining through the rainforest or just sitting and watching birds and monkeys in their natural habitats

Thoughts on Group Leader

Daniel was absolutely outstanding; passionate about his country and keen to share the history, culture and all his knowledge of the wildlife with us

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack spare memory cards and batteries for your camera! We saw so much wildlife (I think 76 different species of birds) some of which we never thought that we'd be lucky enough to see. We had some properly humid conditions on a couple of days when we ended up sweaty all day (but still able to have fun). Don't assume that you'll be able to get handwashing dry overnight in all locations due to the humidity. Currency is easily available (I got mine from Sainsburys) so take a mix of Colones and US dollars then you can pay in whichever currency is quoted, but do always ask as we thought one price was US dollars and it turned out to be thousands Colones which made the item much more expensive than we first thought. Although not cheap for food and drinks we didn't feel that it was particularly expensive even for drinks from the bars in the more remote hotels. All our hotels were lovely and the food is plentiful with lots of different options.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the boat trip, the birds were fantastic to spot and we saw turtles and crocodiles as well. Also the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge was the most basic room of the trip but the best location , you are surrounded by forest , the birds and the wildlife are wonderful and a dip in the pool in the middle of it all was so special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pedro was very knowledgeable and passionate about his country and what they are doing towards tourism and re-forestation.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take good walking shoes , something that will dry out because you are likely to get them wet, and a fold up rain jacket that goes in your bag. Plugs were American type plugs. I got an e sim and it was a great idea, i had internet all the time and signed into wifi at the lodges ( which were all wifi friendly) I took colonies but everyone accepted dollars , in fact it seemed to be the best form of money, your cards are accepted at all the restaurants its only for tips and small venders that you need cash. Even though it rained i still wore shorts as it was better to have wet legs than wet trousers ha ha and its still hot!

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the toucans

Thoughts on Group Leader

Miguel certainly knew his birds: he led extra early morning and late afternoon bird watching walks

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is very much a holiday for wildlife spotting not a cultural tour. There is a lot of travel but seeing the country side is part of the experience. On the itinerary there seemed to be a lot of down time but in fact we were fairly busy: only day we had too much time it did pour for hours. Costa Rica is more expensive than I had expected : meals /beer about same as uk: wine more expensive: a £7 bottle in uk is £12 +

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to mention, every location gave something memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jonny Villalobos was a walking encyclopaedia. He is an extremely professional and friendly man whose enthusiasm and knowledge of Costa Rica wildlife, fauna and history was immense. Nothing was too much trouble for him, often adding on extra walks that were not included in the itinerary. His soul aim was to make our Costa Rica experience unforgettable which he achieved. He is widely regarded by his fellow guides as one of the best if not the best guides in Costa Rica.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although the guide notes are comprehensive there are a few additional point to make. 1. There is no requirement to take lots of dollars as credit cards are accepted everywhere, the only dollars required are for tipping as indicated in the itinerary notes. 2. The exchange rates from dollars to colones is poor especially if you are exchanging from sterling to dollars to colones. 3. Large dollar bill are not accepted everywhere. 4. People do not dress up, smart casual clothes will do. 5 The voltage in Costa Rica is 120V, and not all hotels have hairdryers. 6. Do not wear expensive jewellery in San Jose 7. Binoculars are advised as is a good camera or a telescopic lens attachment for your phone.