Reviews

Fun But Tiring

This was a jam-packed itinerary, with many walks and other activities, combined with a lot of driving. We moved on every two days, which was necessary to see everything, but it also meant there was no down time. Although this was a wildlife trip, at times the wildlife was rather shy. Some walks we saw very little. We probably saw more wildlife on the boat trips. Our expectations were probably not realistic, but we expected toucans and sloths to be hanging off every branch. It’s not like that (at least in the dry season). We didn’t see a sloth until halfway through the trip when there was one on a tree next to our hotel. Never saw a yellow-billed toucan, although we did see other toucans and toucanets (never knew there was such a thing!). Final count was around 150 different birds, as well as many other creatures (many of which we didn’t know existed). So the wildlife was amazing, but you need to know it doesn’t necessarily just pop out at you. On some walks, especially in Manuel Antonio, there were so many other groups looking at the same thing that it was quite difficult to get in to see things and was quite tiring at times. The walks throughout the trip were also very slow and we understand the pace was to suit looking for wildlife but walking so slowly was difficult and tiring in the heat.

Discover Costa Rica - My First Trip With Exodus

My perspective is that of a fit and active gent in his early 70’s. Also, this is my first trip with Exodus. As another reviewer has noted, “Discover Costa Rica” is almost exclusively a nature trip. The itinerary touches only slightly on the peoples, history and culture of Costa Rica. This is also an active trip! You’re on the move every second day: bags packed and ready for loading by 7:00 AM with 8:00 AM departure. There’s not much downtime throughout this two-week trip.

It struck me that on a nature trip like this, the wildlife needs to “get the memo” that we’re coming. The wildlife needs to show up! Seriously, the forces of climate/climate change, local weather, and seasonality can come together in a way that limits the opportunity for wildlife viewing. Such was my experience. Several of the nature walks yielded very little in terms of wildlife viewing. In no way do I fault our group leader. He was VERY knowledgeable. I can’t imagine anyone trying harder to find wildlife for our tour group to view. So . . . enjoy the walk in the tropics and any wildlife you see is a bonus might be a good mindset.

Most of the wildlife I saw was birds. It seems silly almost to state the obvious. Birds are actually quite small as compared with other wildlife, say, an elephant you might spot on a trip to Africa! A bird can come into view, alight on a branch, and then, within a few seconds, disappear into the lush vegetation. There’s limited opportunity to observe the creature and perhaps take a few photos. I wish I’d considered this more before embarkation!
Accommodation was perfectly serviceable, clean rooms and well maintained. This is not luxe accommodation but it’s not spartan either. It was perfectly in line with the amount I paid to take the tour. The food was varied and tasty. Lots of it!

In my opinion, Discover Costa Rica is a good trip that could be great if the itinerary was tweaked a bit. For openers, I would get rid of one two-night stop (suggest Monteverde as we saw almost nothing) and create two other three-night stops. This would allow for a little downtime. I would also add some trip experiences such as the farm visit on the final day. These added experiences might focus on the people, history, and culture of Costa Rica. This way, if the wildlife “doesn’t get the memo”, there are still some high-quality experiences that the traveler will cherish.

Most Inspirational Moment

I can’t say I had any “wow” moments. That said, I very much enjoyed the 3 river boat trips we took. These plus Manuel Antonio Park were the wildlife highlights. The farm visit on the final day was also great as it offered insight into the life of the owner of a small farm. A very hard-working, gracious, and welcoming host. My wife and I were the only Canadians on this trip; all others were from the U.K. I can’t overstate how pleasant these folks were to travel with! A real delight and they contributed hugely to our overall enjoyment of the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

As mentioned above, our group leader Jonathan was very knowledgeable; encyclopedic I guess you could say in all matters about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. He went all out in his quest to show us all that was possible to see in terms of wildlife. Well organized.

Advice for Potential Travellers

10 of the 18 people (we were 2 of the 10!) became ill on this trip with abdominal upset, etc. Take some meds to deal with this in the event it happens to you. Having some antibiotic pills would be great if your doctor would provide the prescription before you go. Also, bring basic first aid supplies on the walks for scrapes, cuts, insect bites, etc. (The group leader has none.) Give your wildlife viewing expectations a reality check as implied above. In places, the heat and humidity can be brutal for someone like me who comes from a temperate climate (British Columbia). You may have to pass on a few activities if you’re overwhelmed. At 2200 meters elevation (7000 feet), a number of us struggled at Sevegre which is the final stop before returning to San Jose. I was probably the worst as I felt I was constantly struggling for air especially at night when trying to sleep.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to submit a review about your recent Exodus holiday, Douglas. We are delighted that you and your wife enjoyed the riverboat trips, Manuel Antonio Park, and the farm visit on the final day. It’s also wonderful to know that the group of travellers from the U.K. added to your overall enjoyment of the trip. We appreciate your detailed insights about the itinerary and the nature-focused aspects of the tour. We recognise how disappointing it must have been to not see as much wildlife as you had hoped. As with all our wildlife trips, there is never any guarantee that animals will be seen in the wild, however,  the high concentration of animals in this region means that they are usually spotted by our groups. Regarding your advice for potential travellers, we are deeply concerned to hear about the health issues that affected several group members. At Exodus, our customer’s health and safety are our top priorities, and we regret to learn that during an incident on the trip, the guide did not have a first aid kit readily available, which is standard practice for our leaders. While we regret that this was not the case during this incident, our local team has confirmed that the leader took immediate action to best assist the customer, utilising his three years of first aid training. Your suggestions for improving the itinerary by adjusting the duration of stops and incorporating more cultural and historical experiences are invaluable. We will certainly consider these for future trips to enhance the overall experience for our travellers. Thank you again for your constructive feedback. We are committed to improving our tours and providing memorable experiences. We hope to welcome you on another Exodus adventure in the future.

Wildlife spotting in Costa Rica

Great way to see a lot of Costa Rica with the huge benefit of a private vehicle and guide. All accommodation was a high standard as well as good and ample food in all hotels.

An outstanding experience

This proved to be a memorable trip, for all the right reasons! The wildlife is extraordinary. Point a camera in any direction and you will capture something wonderful, including sloths, toucans, quetzals, crocodiles and frogs. The itinerary gives a true taste Costa Rica’s varied terrain, weather and eco-systems. The accommodations are excellent, not because they are luxurious, but because they are clean, safe, comfortable and most importantly, in excellent locations. We were also very well looked after by our exceptional guide, Johnny and bus driver, Randall, both of whom had a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eye.

An incredible experience

The trip was packed full of wonderful and exciting experiences. The itinerary was terrific and we saw so much that was incredible and beautiful, with masses of photograph opportunities.

Excellent trip!

A great itinerary covering a number of nature reserves. We have seen so much wildlife and although we had a specialist birding guide there was still a lot to see and discover. The hotels/eco lodges were good with one exception in Manuel Antonio which was poor and the town was very busy as the tour took us there on Easter weekend. The National Park there was a bit crowded and at variance with other locations.

An excellent trip and I'd recommend Exodus

Amazing wildlife.

The boat driver at the beginning of the trip (Cecil) did a great job. Chico the bus driver, who was with us for most of the time, was a very good driver, was very efficient dealing with the luggage and he kept the bus immaculate. He was a character.

Before travelling to Costa Rica I spent 2 weeks in Panama. It has rubbish piled up everywhere – they don’t seem to manage it, don’t have a recycling culture and use a lot of polystyrene for the ubiquitous takeaways which just end up in the street. Costa Rica was like a breath of fresh air; no rubbish and a very strong emphasis on conservation.

I far prefer independent travel but having researched Costa Rica I realised that going to all the places I wanted to was a challenge too far. Exodus had been highly recommended to me by several friends and they were right. My reservations about an organised trip were dispelled very quickly. It was a small group, everyone bonded and got on very well. I enjoyed everyone’s company and never felt the need to ‘escape’. There was often a lot of laughter.

The trip was planned round my 70th birthday and I had a great group of people to celebrate (? drown my sorrows ?) with!

Costa Rica Is An Amazing Place

Costa Rica is such a beautiful Country. Can recommend it 100%.

Fabulous Experience of Costa Rica

We had an absolutely fabulous experience. The itinerary was well planned and allowed for a wide variety of experiences as well as free time to explore on our own or to rest. We loved the fact that we got to see most of Costa Rica to experience the wide variety of habitats and flora and fauna.

Got to love driving

A lot of time spent on the minibus. A variety of places visited for a short time.