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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10 Reviews

4.9 out of 5

lucy green

Reviewed May 2024

Trip of a lifetime

Costa Rica Adventure truly lived up to my bucket list expectations, from zip-lining in the cloud forest to staying in an eco lodge in the middle of the rainforest, we were immersed in a paradise of wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

My personal highlight was a sunset cruise along the coast of Carillo with a pod of dolphins swimming in the bow of the boat. We were also lucky enough to see multiple families of sloth at our farm to table culinary tour at an organic farm.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were so lucky to have the lovely Glenda as our tour leader. I learned so much from her about Costa Rica's unique biodiversity. Glenda's knowledge of Costa Rica and her ability to spot wildlife was incredible, her enthusiasm about her country was fantastic and she was great fun, making us laugh everyday. She made sure the tour was extremely well organised and everyone had a great time!

Advice for Potential Travellers

A good camera is worth bringing as the wildlife spotting opportunities are endless! would recommend bringing plenty of insect/mosquito repellent, quick dry clothing and a higher SPF sunscreen than you'd usually use.

Alison Earnshaw

Reviewed May 2024

Simply the best time ever!

The most amazing holiday filled with wildlife, fun and culture

Most Inspirational Moment

Finding out that the anteater was my new favourite animal

Thoughts on Group Leader

Glenda had the eyes of an eagle and the knowledge of David Attenborough, she was so enthusiastice about her country, culture and wildlife

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip contained way more than the amazing items on the itinerary. Bring a good camera and a waterproof case for it. Just enjoy!

Ann Holmes

Reviewed March 2024

Pura Vida: what an amazing trip

We travelled over 1000 miles with the tour taking us on the canals of Tortuguero on the Caribbean side of the country : over the hills into the Cloud Forest of Monteverde and finishing in Camara on the Pacific. On route we saw a vast amount of amazing birds, reptiles, insects and mammals. This adventure trip included many trips in boats, zip wiring, tubing down the river, bathing in hot springs. We walked to waterfalls, volcanoes, and through a Tropical Rain forest.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many on this trip. I loved the sounds especially in the morning of the howler monkeys and the cacophony of bird song. I also loved the zip wiring : flying through and over the tree tops: 14 zip wires in all.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Adriana Costa and was very organised and had a vast knowledge of the wildlife of Costa Rica. She was a lot of fun. Our driver Randall should also get a mention : his driving was exceptional and bus always immaculate, and always accommodating. They were a great team together.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Our trip was in March… take some sort of waterproof jacket, waterproof walking shoes (boots not needed) A jumper for the Cloud Forest as the temperature drops but otherwise a mixture of shorts: long trousers and tee shirts. A few items to change into for the evening. Plenty of insect repellent (containing 50%deet) didn’t need Colones as everywhere we visited accepted dollars and in most places prices were written in US $. I would recommend taking binoculars for spotting all the amazing wildlife and a torch for the nighttime walk.

Roger Heward

Reviewed February 2024

Awesome wildlife & adventure trip

Amazing tour from Caribbean coast to Pacific coast with outstanding tour guide

Most Inspirational Moment

So difficult to pick one! Overcame my fears and completed zip wire and tubing 🤗

Thoughts on Group Leader

Glenda was fantastic and delivered over and above what was required of her

Advice for Potential Travellers

No need to take local currency and take plenty of mosquito spray Poncho & rain jackets are essential

Mary Gottwald

Reviewed February 2024

Costa Rica Adventure

A brilliant trip, travelling from the East Coast and the rainforest to the West Coast and the sea. Fantastic birds, monkeys, crocodile, caiman, sloths, humpback whales, dolphins, great flora and fauna. Also lots of activities such as zip lining, horse riding, tubing, hanging bridges to name but a few.

Most Inspirational Moment

Beautiful colourful birds, whales and dolphins

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant, enthusiastic and so knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Relax and enjoy!

Heather Derham

Reviewed February 2024

good title

Very varied scenery and wildlife. good amount of adventure with lots of different activities

Most Inspirational Moment

Swimming with turtles

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

look closely at details

Silpa Shah

Reviewed January 2024

Pura Vida!

The trip was a melange of nature, activity, adventure, culture, history, economics, lushness, the smells, the sounds and much much more. Mind blowing. Get involved in everything. Leave nothing to chance.

Most Inspirational Moment

Everything was inspirational but the two things I most wanted happened. I saw baby turtle hatchlings and sloths. It was a great moment to see the hatchlings and safely guiding them to the sea, I felt very protective of them. We saw two varieties of sloth: 2 toed and 3 toed, amazing and how lucky. The zip line in Cloud Forest is a must, especially the Superman zip which you have to pay extra for but worth it. You're literally flying through the air, it's safe as you're fastened securely and so comfortable, and the views are amazing. It was a once in a lifetime for me as were most things in CR. Also loved the zip line in La Hacienda, hanging bridges, butterfly dome, swimming at the base of the waterfall, descending and ascending 500 steps down to/from the waterfall, chocolate tour, pineapple tour, humming bird tour, forest walks, baby turtle hatchlings, dolphin tour, swimming in the sea, thermal pools, volcanic mud pools, more waterfalls. List is endless.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I would describe Mayer as amazing, dedicated, passionate, authentic, organised, great sense of humour, peoples person, patient, kind, enthusiastic and lastly he really captured, through photos, the essence of our group and the activities we did. He's definitely the best tour lead 10/10, the worst being Michled in Jordan! He falls in the minus rating. Mayer tweaked the itinerary a couple of times which benefited us as we got to try/see things we may have otherwise missed. He also gave us enough free time to relax and reset as the tour was pretty full on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go with the flow. Itinerary is hectic, a lot of walking but that's what you're there for. You can easily get away with wearing trainers on the tour so no need for heavy walking boots.

Kirsty Storr

Reviewed November 2022

Experiencing Pura Vida adventure in Costa Rica

Just back from this brilliant holiday – we’ve had an exceptional time exploring Costa Rica’s flora and fauna with plenty of adventure and activities to keep us entertained over the two week holiday. Our group spotted at least 125 different species of birds, animals and other creatures, from colourful butterflies and birds of every shape and size to adorable sloths, from poisonous frogs to killer tarantulas and scorpions, from humpback whales to dolphins and flying fish. Our tour of Costa Rica took in wet, dry and damp rain forests, incredible scenery, amazing sights and sounds, very rainy rain, beautiful hot sunshine, captivating night tours including a magical, breath-taking experience watching baby turtles hatching and making their first journey out to sea, wildlife walks and hikes, plus fabulous food from pineapple plantations and organic farms. Other activities included flying through the rain forest by zip line, tubing down rapids and horse riding through a wildlife rich ranch, basking in volcanic thermal springs under the stars. We added in a couple of optional adventures: surf lessons at the beach and a coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour at the base of the Arenal volcano. Our excellent tour leader, Mayer Jimenez brought expert wildlife and bird knowledge to the holiday, a huge bonus for our group. This holiday comes highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing on a beach at night in the pitch dark, watching tiny baby turtles no bigger than a satsuma emerge from their sandy nest and making their way down the beach towards the sea.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Mayer was exceptional. His extensive knowledge of flora, fauna and birdlife really made our trip even better as we spotted more than 125 different species.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Rain forests are damp! Don't unpack anything you don't need: keep as much stuff as possible zipped up in your waterproof duffle bag or suitcase, including all clothes you aren't currently wearing. Quick-dry clothing is a great idea. And if you don't want to put on a soggy swimsuit, bring at least 3 sets with you, and watershoes if you plan on going tubing.

Nicola Bennett

Reviewed May 2022

Incredible

What a superb and wonderful 2 weeks. So much to see and be amazed by, something new every day and so many wonderful birds and animals to try and photograph. Good accommodation and we were never hungry. Costa Rica is a very forward thinking and developed country and they are rightly very caring of their wildlife and forests. We had a wonderful guide (Carlos) and driver (Mau) and they helped us see everything that we would have completely missed without their help. It was all so wonderful that it is hard to pick out highlights but loved the day out looking for dolphins, the boat trips at Tortuguero (and Tortuguero itself) and the zip lines.

Most Inspirational Moment

Not possible to pick out a moment - the first two days were so brilliant that we would have been happy if that had been our entire holiday

Thoughts on Group Leader

Carlos was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, organised, thoughtful.......just made our trip brilliant

Advice for Potential Travellers

take a mini umbrella, buy a telephoto lens, do your washing in a service laundrette in La Fortuna, be quiet on walks so you can hear everything, do everything offered - do the zip line, ride the horses, swim in the waterfalls.. . Prepare to really appreciate what is happening to the rainforests and the animals that rely on them

Louisa Green

Reviewed December 2019

Life-changing!

I had not been on holiday for over a decade before I embarked on this trip, so suffice to say I had high expectations! Costa Rica had been on my list ever since a colleague visited the country two years ago, and it was well worth the wait. We were fortunate enough to only have eight travellers, which meant that our guide, Jonathan, had ample time to answer all of our questions.

If you are looking for a holiday which will give you eight hours of sleep a night then this trip is not for you. We were up for breakfast before 8am every day and despite there being several optional extra activities listed on the trip notes, we didn’t have time to do any of them as we were constantly on the go! I felt as though I was away for six months or more, and I enjoyed moving to a new area of the country every few days. Each hotel we stayed at had a different style suited to the area of the country we were in – rainforest lodge, spa resort, mountain hotel, ranch, beach hotel. The food was wonderful – all breakfasts are included and on the days when our lunch and/or dinner weren’t included, we never felt hungry.

Most Inspirational Moment

I thoroughly enjoyed our turtle nesting tour in Samara and after three hours of walking up and down the same stretch of beach, we finally witnessed a female Lora turtle making her way up the beach, dig her nest, lay her eggs, cover them up again and return to the ocean.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jonathan, our tour guide, was absolutely brilliant. He even managed to squeeze in a few extra activities which weren't on our itinerary such as a visit to a fruit market with a tasting session, a stop in Nicoya town en route to Samara, a trip to the man who produces "the best coffee in Costa Rica" and also a slight detour to another of his friends who has their own pottery business. He knew the calls, English and Latin names of every bird we saw, gave a debrief at the end of each day, made sure we knew the plans for tomorrow, took us to local restaurants for the not-included meals and consistently went above and beyond for us. He made an incredible trip into an unforgettable one.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip is currently (Dec 2019) tagged as a culture trip, but in reality it is definitely a wildlife adventure. Some days we saw in excess of 30 different types of birds and reptiles, and were very lucky to find sloths, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys, spiders, frogs, snakes, toucans, macaws, crocodiles, turtles, caimen, lizards and iguanas every single day. The trip notes state that the average lunch is around $15 and $35 for a dinner - in practise we found that we paid nowhere near this much. Hotel meals are expensive, but local restaurants often charge half the price for a more authentically Costa Rican meal.