Reviews

Discover Costa Rica (incl stay at Piedras Blancas)

Just recently returned from a fantastic tour of Costa Rica and its natural wonders. This was our very first tour taken with Exodus tour and given our experience we are sure to consider Exodus in our future travel plans.

My wife and I were the two token Canadians in the group. We had a wonderful bunch of tour mates who all shared a light hearted sense of humour and concern for our world.

The central location of the Hotel Presidente – our first and last night accommodation – was ideal as it allowed us to readily partake in several of the sites of San Jose (all within walking distance). The two night stay in each location worked out perfectly. The “Eco” accommodations were top notch and not detached from nature like a 4-star hotel would be. Nor were we “roughing it”.

The activities were not too taxing. We enjoyed the fact that our daily activities typically did not start before 8am. We were Initially concerned that the tour might not be active enough for us, however, there was often the option to do more or less.

Thanks to the keen eye and in-depth knowledge of our Guide Jorge Lizano Suarez, we observed a wealth of wildlife. His enthusiasm was evident as he continued to add to our group’s running list of “must see” flora and fauna.

Fantastic country, trip and experience

We toured Costa Rica as a couple in a group of ten in January 2024. Our guide Jorge Diaz did a fantastic job of showing us many of the different sights, sounds and experiences his country has to offer.

Costa Rica

Very organised trip with a very knowledgeable guide who would adapt the itinerary to suit the group.

Discovering Costa Rica

Great itinerary. All the major habitats covered. Liked that we had two days in each hotel, as a lot of travelling involved. Our guide went above and beyond, up every day at 0600 for a walk for those that wanted to spot birds and other animals with the dawn chorus. Note that our guide was flexible about what was done in each location and on the days of travel.

Just Brilliant

What an amazing trip this is, one of our best trips ever. Costa Rica is stunning and to experience the many different ecosystems and habitats and see the matchless variety of bird, animal and plant life was memorable. The itinerary is perfect, allowing one to see contrasting areas and top highlights, also to get off the beaten tourist trail aswell – the stay at Esquinas lodge and the visit to a farming family are good examples. Tourism is wonderfully well managed in Costa Rica and the hotels were all of a good standard, a nice varied selection. Special mention for our guide, David Vargas, who made our trip beyond incredible, see more below. Regarding tips for fellow travellers you will find many in these reviews, such as taking a rain poncho ( downpours tend to be short lived and a poncho fits over your day pack) it’s a good idea to take some US dollars. Credit Cards are widely accepted. We took some Costa Rican Colones aswell but you will easily get those from ATMs as required and at least you can use unspent US dollars on a future trip. Prices are slightly above European I’d say, not cheap for Brits taking into account the pound against the US dollar. Take quick dry clothing, humidity can mean difficulty drying thicker fabrics, and casual walking type gear fits most of the activities. Heavy walking boots would be overkill – waterproof walking shoes or trainers are more than enough. We would also recommend doing the hanging bridges at Monteverde despite the high cost, everyone on our tour took it and agreed it was unmissable. My husband and I also enjoyed the optional trip to the hot springs at La Fortuna with dinner included afterwards. Finally, I’d say if you are considering this trip, don’t hesitate, just do it!

Fantastic

A great holiday that really shows you the range of Costa Rica’s climate and wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Aurora on her farm and running barefoot on a Pacific beach tie for first place.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dedicated, knowledable, funny, really helpful and untiring

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take warm clothes for the cloud forest, you might want a light down jacket. Don't buy smal value items with dollars, you'll get ripped off, beer is expensive in the hotels, take a travel plug as many washbasins don't have a plug. Take icaridin based insect repellent, less harmful to the environment than DEET and just as effective

Reply from Exodus

We are very grateful for your review, Stephanie, and are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the variety on offer in Costa Rica. On the other hand, we were sorry to learn of your disappointment with the service and cleanliness at the Savegre Hotel & Spa, as this is not the type of feedback we expect to receive. The Savegre is our usual property for nights 12 and 13 of this tour and it is generally well-received by our groups, however, we would certainly not wish to downplay your review, which we have put to the hotel’s management. They have offered their sincere apologies for the unclean bedding and have followed up with the housekeeping team to ensure it is not repeated. They have also explained that the slow catering service may have been due to high occupancy during the holiday season, however, their staff will be better prepared ahead of subsequent busy periods and the head chef will endeavour to improve the menu. We realise none of these improvements will change the experience you had, but we trust it shows that we have taken your concerns on board for the benefit of future Exodus guests. We, nevertheless, remain apologetic for any impact your stay at the Savegre had on your overall enjoyment of your holiday.

Sarah Ahern, Product Manager

Amazing Costa Rica

What a wonderful trip around Costa Rica with amazing guide Johnny Villalobos. Staying two nights at each hotel set the right pace. The food was very high quality throughout, although prices are close to European, so take plenty of dollars. Tortuguerro nature reserve and watching the turtles nesting was a massive highlight, along with the walks in the Jurassic like cloud rain forests. Make sure you take binoculars to see the wonderful array of wildlife as they are very difficult to spot in the jungle. Overall, it exceeded expectations as Johnny really made each experience so easy and interesting. Pura Vida!

Amazing trip!

I had an absolutely amazing time on the Discover Costa Rica trip. Our guide, Eduardo Lopez, was incredibly knowledgeable, especially when it came to wildlife. Exploring the cloud forests and rainforests was an unforgettable experience, and we encountered a wide variety of animals along the way. The accommodations were top-notch, and the entire trip was exceptionally well-organized. Thank you for this incredible adventure!

Best Exodus trip ever

Our guide Jorge was incredible. He knew EVERYTHING about the country’s wildlife, landscape, history, culture and was so excited to share it all with us. He could identify all the birds and reptiles we found and helped us take great photos. He had everything organised so well and communicated the plans really clearly. The itinerary allowed us to discover so many different parts of the country – so close together and yet so diverse. Really recommend this trip, which was my 7th with Exodus, and definitely the best!

Anyone who cares about the planet should put this on their list

I had heard that this was a good trip, and was looking forward to it a lot, but as a veteran of Exodus (this was my eleventh adventure with the company) this Costa Rica excursion managed to far exceed expectations. Costa Rica is an extraordinary and unique country that treasures its natural habitats (and abolished its own army in 1949) but you do need a good guide to unlock its treasures for you, and Jonny Villalobos was the key to making the last two weeks completely unforgettable. Jonny knows EVERYTHING… and is infinitely patient, and understands that a good guide needs to be like the proverbial swan… serene on the surface, while paddling away under the water to make sure everything runs like clockwork. The itinerary is impressive enough, but Jonny had most of the group willingly getting up at 6am every morning to go on his wonderful additional birding hikes… and I’m not even particularly interested in birds. I’m sure that I have learned more about wildlife in the last two weeks than in the entire 63 years that preceded it. Much of the fun of this trip is that most of you will be staring at dense foliage not seeing anything but leaves and vines, only for Jonny to isolate a branch half way up and reveal some perfectly camouflaged creature that you hadn’t even heard of five minutes before. I’ve never said ‘wow’ so many times in my whole life. And where the trip notes said something like ‘the day is yours to explore etc etc’ of course you can do that if you want to, but why would you when you’re going to get so much more by joining in with Jonny’s unique spin on every activity. Of course the real star is the country itself and the extraordinary diversity of landscapes and habitats, from hot and humid tropical rainforest, to chilly atmospheric cloud forests up in the mountains. From rivers whose banks teem with monkeys and birds and lizards to thrilling waterfalls, to an idyllic pacific beach where all that’s missing is a bounty bar or a bottle of Timotei shampoo. Seriously, everyone should give Costa Rica a go if only to appreciate how wonderful our world can be when we look after it, and to give you hope that it is possible to repair at least some of the damage we’ve done to our beautiful planet.