Discover Costa Rica

Our Clients’ Reviews

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. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 71 reviews.

Peter Gordon

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written January 2011
An excellent trip which covers a lot of ground. Costa rica is a wonderful country and certainly not like most Central or South American countries. It is well developed and benign.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Difficult to say as there were many wonderful moments. Two would be seeing two jaguars swimming the river on our way to Tortuguero on our first day and finding the elusive Quetzal at Savegre and spending nearly an hour watching a male and female in a tree. Dont expect to see jaguars but Quetzals seemed to be seen by most at Savegre at this time of the year.
What did you think of your group leader?
Rafael was simply superb. If Exodus use a better guide I would be surprised. He had great sense of humour, an outstanding knowledge of almost any subject and gave us a grest deal of information about the country and the wildlife we saw. He was determined to ensure that we enjoyed every minute of our stay. I must add that he was assisted by an excellent driver Francisco who also worked very hard to ensure everything went well. They were a great team and a pleasure to be with.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you love wildlife then go. You will see wonderful birds and also a variety of animals although almost certainly not jaguars. Be prepared for rain although we had none except at night in the two weeks. You will need to change your sleeping patterns as you will have very early starts on most days. You need to pack for extremes of temperature. We went to Nicuesa lodge rather than Esquinas and it was very hot and very humid. From there we went to Savegre where it was cold enough at night to need a fire in the rooms so dont expect tropical temperatures all the time.
It is a trip with a lot of driving but our guide always ensured that we had stops along the way to break it up but you have to accept that you are covering a lot of ground in a small country and the roads are not always too good. The trip is well organised to see the various areas and differing habitats.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Just go. You will enjoy it. You will stay in some amazing places and see very different areas.
david humphrey

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written January 2011
A great trip, wasn't quite sure what to expect, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Aerial walkways in the cloud forest - walking in the clouds!
What did you think of your group leader?
Marcos is a great guy, larger than life, seemed to know just about everyone in the country.
Sarah Laidler

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written October 2010
Beautiful country & a good group of fellow travellers. Fantastic weather in the first week, pity about the floods in the second week! The detour into Panama was definitely not expected.........
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
I knew we were out of season for the turtles laying on the beach, but hadn't realised that we would be in time to see the baby turtles being born. That was totally unexpected and a great experience. I was also surprised at how many sloths we saw - even one above us in a tree on the beach. They don't do very much, but when you've never seen one before even a slow moving sloth is a novelty!
What did you think of your group leader?
Gustavo was excellent. Always happy to impart knowledge and to help with bookings. Every tour and restaurant he recommended was spot on - and he even found some horseriding for 2 of us which meant we could have a bit of a canter on the beach rather than doing the standard trip available. Real credit to the local operators, Gustavo and Sergio (driver) for the work they did to get us back to San Jose when the floods caused landslides across the roads we were supposed to be taking. The diversion across the Panama border isn't an experience I'd want to repeat in a hurry, but at least we made our flight home!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The transfer via Miami is a nightmare - their security processes are not set up to deal with passengers on tight transfer timetables so avoid if at all possible. Dallas was much better (apart from the diversion due to the tornado warning on the way out), but if you can avoid the group flights and go via Europe it might be better. A pac-a-mac is absolutely useless against the Costa Rica rains, so pack a decent lightweight & breathable set of waterproofs. Trousers that are designed for tropical climates & will dry quickly after getting wet are also really useful - especially if they are the type with zips that can be converted to shorts. Take lots of pairs of socks - they were the one item of clothing I couldn't persuade to dry quickly!! A camera with a really, really good zoom will also stop you ending up with lots of pictures of unidentified blobs (probably sloths) in trees when you get home.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Not quite sure of the logic of having a day at Manuel Antonio park on the day it is closed. The bad weather started on that Monday and so most of the additional activities were cancelled, but a number of us would have liked to go hiking in the park if it had been open. I think this has been resolved for 2011, but it is a bit ridiculous that the timetabling was left like this for 2010. Apparently the national park near San Jose is supposed to be fabulous, so might be worth looking at including some day trips to that park on future itineraries. There are a lot of additional activities on this trip that if you don't do then you really miss out - so budget accordingly. I would definitely recommend the crocodile tour (as much for the birdlife you see from the boat as the crocs) and think Exodus should consider making it part of the main itinerary. We had a pretty sociable crowd on the trip and there's loads of good restaurants along the route - eating out was generally better than eating in the hotels. Because of the road problems we didn't get to visit the last lodge on the schedule, which was a shame as the tour leader had already said it was his favourite place. I think if I ever went back to Costa Rica I would try and see some areas that are a bit further off the tourist trail, as this trip tends to concentrate on the most popular (& therefore busy) parks. It is a beautiful country, but if you are going specifically for the wildlife viewing / photography then the number of people in the parks will make that difficult as the animals and birds will be spooked long before you have your camera out (except for the monkeys, who will probably just try and steal the camera!).
Kathy Macey

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written September 2010
A priviledge to experience this wonderful country full of sights and sounds.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Just how many of us get the opportunity to see such memorable sights - The Green Back Turtle lumbering up the beach to make her nest and watch her lay her eggs, witnessing a wee hatchling emerging from the egg in the sand and making its first daunting journey down to the sea. The variety of birds and wildlife was amazing those lovely little "poisous" dart frogs, snakes, sloths, magnificent scarlet macaws, lizards, those colourful tiny humming birds - this list goes one even finding a taratula amongst the foliage AND even a rare glimpse of that elusive quetzal - albeit the less colourful female, but we saw one!!
We trekked through rain forests - got wet, through cloud forests got wetter! experienced a ride on an ox-card in torrential rain, yes even wetter!! - but how we laughed! We trekked over the hanging bridges as high as the trees themselves all pushing towards the sunlight - a canopy of every shade of green. We trekked and bathed in magnificent waterfalls, waded through streams, strained our eyes and necks looking for the lava flow on Arenal Volcano that didn't happen that night.
Not one day went by when we didn't see or experience something new - and of course make new friends.
We ate, quite a lot, we drank, more that we should have! and laughed all the way - a great group

What did you think of your group leader?
Jeff was a gem from start to finish. Knowledgable about everything without talking down or being a bore!
His explanations. in perfect English, gave us a true understanding of the wonderful creatures and the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. He spoke openly, answered any questions we had on all aspects of the country, had wicked sense of humour and in turn we like to think we left him with a richer command of the English Language with the "Cockney" we taugt him en-route!!! Jeff and I would Henry, our driver, were a great team together - even laughing when they had to get out to mend a punture in pouring rain!! Henry was steady and kept our vehicle spotless.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take extra cash to partcipate in the optional excursions. Be prepared for some longish coach travel between destinations - but never boring, too much to take in, always on the lookout for something new. Be prepared to get wet - rain forests/cloud forests, a bit of a giveaway eh!! It's a warm rain - but in a couple of the lodges difficult to dry clothes. We were not bothered in any way my mosquitos but take plenty of repellent as they are out there! Really travel as light as you can as you do "live of out of a suitcase".

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Just go and enjoy - and I hope you will be as lucky as we were, sure you will be!
Kathryn Nother

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written August 2010
The trip of a lifetime, which surpassed my expections!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing green sea turtles laying their eggs! - a moving experience!
After reading tour books and websites we did not expect to see Arenal Volcano at all - breathtaking views for the 3 days we were there!!!!
All the animals we got to see - sloths, caimens, tree frogs, monkeys, lizards, river otters, toucans, hummingbirds.....
What did you think of your group leader?
Antonio - he is a star - we love him!
When we arrived in San Jose our luggage had been left in Houston (due to Continental staff not putting the transit labels on!) and Antonio pulled out all the stops for us to get our cases back by Day 3!!
It was my birthday during the holiday and Antonio arranged a huge chocolate (Mark's recommendation) cake for me!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you have to fly with Continental (which I would strongly advise against!) ensure they put the transit stickers on your case or it will stay in Houston as you leave! Also on the way home my case did not make the connection on the way back so it was not at London when we were - we got it back 8pm the Sunday night. On complaining they offered $100 on our next flight! Never ever again are we going with that company!!!
Now the holiday we travelled half way around the world to see turtles nesting on a beach and the see Arenal volcano - neither disappointed - both took my breathe away! There are not words to describe either!
Also, I had read a lot about the bugs in Costa Rica and other than the hotel room in Manuel Antonio I did not get freaked out at all. Seeing all this wildlife in the wild where it should be, was a moving experience. Being woken at 5 am by Howler monkeys was amazing!
I hope future travellers get Antonio and Henry (our driver) - they make a brilliant team and Henry's driving on some bumpy roads was brilliant - I cannot thank them both enough!
Take a lot of cotton clothes, quick drying stuff, not jeans, hiking boots, raincoat, sink plug and a warm jumper (Monteverde is cold early morning!)
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Our tour group was full at 16 and for some of the rain forest walks 16 people was a lot - most of the walks we were at the back of the group and it was hard to hear what Antonio said, and also by the time we got to where the animal was most had moved away - 17 humans must be scary!
If you love animals you must visit Costa Rica - it is a beautiful country with lovely people and amazing countryside.
I cannot praise this holiday enough!
Felicity Peacock

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written March 2010
Costa Rica is a beautiful country with a variety of landscapes and habitats, from the sea coasts to wooded mountains, and from volcanoes to tropical rain forest. This trip visits them all with plenty of time to enjoy each area and see the different wildlife. The emphasis on eco-tourism and conservation is very welcome, with stays in some remote lodges in lovely natural settings but excellent facilities.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
One of the best moments was when we were on a tree top walk in the cloud forest and from the suspension bridge we spotted the rare resplendent quetzal perched on a branch in the mist. This is a magnificent bird with a bright red breast, greeny-blue back and very long blue feathers hanging below its tail. It was also exciting to see a 3-toed sloth hanging from an electricity wire above our heads in the seaside village of Manuel Antonio and then making its way along it hand over hand (or toe over toe) and disappearing into the night!
What did you think of your group leader?
The local leader was excellent - he had an amazing knowledge of local flora and fauna and was able to spot birds and animals which we would have missed, and then train his scope on them so that we could see them clearly. He was also very well organised, and gave us good advance notice of what we'd be doing over the next day, without giving us too much information so that we might forget it! His English was very good and he had an old-fashioned courtesy which was very refreshing.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take 2 or 3 drip-dry cotton shirts for the hot, humid areas. These are the most comfortable thing to wear when walking in the tropical forest. A pair of waterproof walking shoes (heavy weight trainers) is adequate rather than heavy walking boots. Make sure you can carry or pull your case easily, as in some hotels/lodges you may have to walk some distance to your room through tropical gardens. A lightweight waterproof jacket with hood which you can fold small into your day pack is also essential as the tropical rain can come suddenly and quickly drench you (although we actually had very little rain in late Jan/early Feb).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Don't forget your camera with lots of memory or film and a good zoom for capturing the wildlife - and take lots of photos! You'll enjoy them and the memories they bring back when you get home.
jane stoddart

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Written December 2009
Brilliant trip apart from delays at the begining.Amazing wildlife with loads of wildlife photographic opportunities.Exodus should try to arrange connecting flights(especially houston) with a larger gap between them, to allow for possible delays.Excellent accommodation,most in wonderful settings with wildlife on your doorstep,food was also excellent especially the fresh fruit.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
So many different things, but getting virtually eye to eye with an american crocodile at tarcoles,seeing male iguanas fighting at manuel antonio,river trip at tortuguero ,to name but a few.Also the visit to the school.
What did you think of your group leader?
Berny was very knowledgeable and helpful.Very well organised except at the begining when nobody met our group at san jose airport,we then had to get a taxi to our hotel.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take plenty of clothes (preferably quick drying) you'll need them.Insect repellent waterproof walking boots and clothing.If you like photography make sure you have a good quality waterproof kit bag,take plenty of memory cards with you as well.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you like wildlife photography you will be spoilt for choice with the different species of birds, reptiles etc that you will see.

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Discover Costa Rica

Our Clients’ Reviews

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

DISCOVER COSTA RICA