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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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I absolutely loved Costa Rica, it is such a special place and it makes you appreciate how wonderful our world can be when we look after it! This trip is quite a busy trip and with long drives at times but it is worth it as you get to see so much of this country and its extraordinary diversity of landscapes. Lots of great scenery, wonderful cloud forests, beaches, countryside and amazing wildlife including sloths, hummingbirds, toucans (and numerous other colourful birds), iguanas, monkeys, tree frogs and the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen. I loved every place we visited but my favourite has to be Tortuguero nature reserve. The boat trips around its waterways spotting wildlife was definitely one of my highlights.
Difficult to pick as too many. Spotting wildlife in its natural habitat is wonderful. And the beautiful sunrise on the beach in Tortuguero.
Bring good waterproofs, camera with a good zoom lens and strong trainers or walking shoes. Also a torch is useful as it can be quite dark at night around the lodges and in Dominical we experienced a few power cuts.
This is a great trip if you like your wildlife. Make sure you bring the best camera/lens that you have got as you can get some amazing photographs.
Having said that there are a few things that could be better:
– Tortuguero is famous for its turtles. We didn’t see any even though we went to the beach around dawn both mornings we were there. Subsequently we found out that you can go on a local guide tour overnight, they then liaise with other guides to share where the turtles are (it is a long beach) to give you the best chance of seeing them. You may have to ask about it at the Lodge about booking a guide
– Manuel Antonio. Likewise a local guide would help find more of the wildlife here, as they know the area & have the required spotting scopes
– Savegre. To see the Quetzal (which is the main reason for going there, & is spectacular) again, you need a local guide to take you to the right area. These can be booked via the hotel
Hopefully Exodus will include these local guides/trips going forward as I have shared this feedback with them.
We enjoyed the coffee/chocolate tour at La Fortuna, where you get to make your own chocolate (you need to add a lot of sugar otherwise it’s very bitter !)
We also did a night trip to see more frogs & other night animals while at Manuel Antonio which was good
Seeing the Quetzal at Savegre
Our driver Victor was excellent
See summary
Good experience despite the weather that forced us to miss a few highlights.
Seeing the countryside.
David was exceptional, very knowledgeable & helpful.
Be prepared for bad weather. Busy itinerary with lots to experience
So much to see and senses were bombarded
There was so many but I liked Tortuguero - i felt my senses were bombarded. There was so many animal sounds, so much to look at with the sights and smells and then the feeling of it all. From being on the water looking at the birds and wildlife to feeling the humidity it was amazing.
Randall was oustanding.He was the ultimate professions and delivered his knowledge and insight very effectively. He shared information on the wildlife, flora and fauna as well as information on Costa Rica's social, historical and education systems. His answers were always articulate, well explained, patiently delivered and never too much effort. He was clearly liked and respected by hotel staff and locals wherever we went which was lovely to see. He made our trip truly memorable and nothing short of outstanding. (Oh and he solved my problem efficiently and effectively when I left my passport and other items in a hotel safe that we'd checked out of around 90 mins before!)
Moving on so regularly takes a bit of planning in terms of luggage and packing. Whilst my suitcase was big enough for the stuff I was taking (around 16kg inc case), a slightly bigger one would have been advantageous for packing up and moving on and made things a bit easier.
We hadn’t realised the incredible variety of habitats within Costa Rica, and this trip allowed us to sample them with Johnny, our superb tour leader.
Hotels were all good and some were exceptional, particularly Cuna del Angel, where the views from the restaurant were wonderful, and the Savegre Hotel, where the grounds were beautiful. The pace of the trip was good, it was nice to have 2 nights in each hotel.
We enjoyed seeing sloths, monkeys, crocodiles and hundreds of birds. The weather was very hot in some places, but the walking was never too fast paced. The cultural experience at the farm was lovely.
Seeing quetzals in the grounds of the Savegre Hotel, and then again on a wildlife walk the next day
Johnny's enthusiasm for his country and its conservation was infectious and we learned an extraordinary amount. Johnny is an expert bird and wildlife spotter and was kind and considerate to every member of our group. The places he chose to eat were great and the early morning walks were lovely. We couldn't have had a better leader!
If you go to the Savegre Hotel, take advantage of their hide in the gardens, we spent a couple of hours engrossed in watching the hummingbirds - magical
A thoroughly enjoyable tour which enabled us to experience the different regions of this beautiful country together with its amazing and varied wildlife.
Everything ran smoothly and the (many!) early starts were a great idea meaning that we could visit places whilst they were still quiet and uncrowded.
Our driver, Randall, was extremely friendly, helpful and skilful in his role – a great asset to the trip overall.
Many moments…..! Exploring the quiet waterways of Tortuguero. Early morning swimming in the pool of the waterfall at La Fortuna. Seeing the cloud formations at the Continental Divide. Walking/swimming at the deserted beaches of Manuel Antonio NP. Experiencing the relative isolation of the Savegre valley….and more!!
Andres was an exceptional group leader - the best mix of educator and entertainer. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about flora and fauna and we learned so much about the rich biodiversity of Costa Rica. He also kept us interested and amused with information about culture, politics, education and more personal tales, when his sense of humour shone through. He was very concerned for our safety and well being, making sure we were always aware of any potential dangers/problems.
As advised in the notes, pack for a variety of weathers. We were lucky and had mostly lovely warm/hot weather but also a few cooler days with the inevitable rain when waterproofs were useful. There are a couple of opportunities for doing laundry as items do take a long time to dry.
The trip was very enjoyable. The only blip was our stay at the hotel in Monteverde…amazing views but the rooms left a lot to be desired, would not recommend. We had good food everywhere, but perhaps felt that rather than have the same menu every evening at the all inclusive hotels (except at Tortuguero) we could have gone somewhere different for dinner. All the other hotels were lovely.
excellent, we shall certainly travel again with Exodus.
Too many to single one out!
Andres exceeded all expectations. He was so knowledgeable and passionate about all aspects of Costa Rica. He was patient, empathetic and wanted us to experience as much as possible in the two weeks visit. He had a great sense if humour and spoke excellent English.
Be careful, easy to overeat! Three courses at lunch and dinner was too much!
Excellent tour. Well planned. Excellent guide and driver. Hotels ranged from adequate to very good. Food very good.
Walks in rainforests.
Excellent. Very knowledgeable, hard working and caring
Very warm. Sun tan lotion, insect repellent and binoculars essential. Think carefully about clothing and footwear for daytime and evenings.
We’re delighted to read that John had such a great time in Costa Rica, but did want to acknowledge his comment about having shirts stolen from his suitcase, possibly at one of the lodges on this trip. This was raised with John’s tour leader during the holiday and the management of both properties John mentions were contacted, but had no success in finding the missing shirts. We’ve used the Laguna Lodge and the Hotel Eco Arenal for some time now and have never had customers face any issues to do with theft. While we can’t pinpoint exactly what happened to John’s shirts, we do apologise that they went missing on the trip.
– The Exodus Travels Team
Costa Rica is incredible and made more so with our guide Johnny.
Seeing a sloth
Johnny was the best guide I have ever had. He is extremely knowledgable.
We enjoyed our tour very much. Pick up from the airport was a little chaotic as a lot of flights had been altered due to strikes and we didn’t seem to be on any of the reps lists. Other arrangements went well. Saw a lot of the country in a short time and the programme had been well thought out.
Some of the accommodation in the early part of the trip was very dated and needed some serious reinvestment.
Seeing so much wildlife and beautiful flora.
Our group leader David was excellent. Always willing to help and was very good at spotting all manner of wildlife especially birds. He went out of his way to put in extra activities and it was really appreciated by all the group.
