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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Fantastic tour, great itinerary, excellent guide – as always with Exodus
Everything!
Glenda is an amazing leader. We couldn't have had a better guide, she knew everything about flora, fauna and history. On top of that she was always smiling. And she's extremely well organised - every day she send us a whatsapp message about the next day: when to meet, what to bring etc.
A very well organised trip with fantastic guide and driver who showed us how wonderful Costa Rica is .
Staying in La Laguna in Tortoguero and exploring by boat. But every place we visited had something special to offer.
Miguel is fantastically knowledgeable about the wildlife, especially birds. He also gave lots of info about the history and culture of his country. He had to deal with some difficulties in the group which was very stressful for him but he was patient and kind throughout.
My first trip with Exodus. Organisation, itinerary, group leader and transport all excellent.
The Tour Leader (Glenda Arafat) was exceptional in every respect. Tortuguero, Monteverdi, Dominical and the Savegre Cloud forest were the more memorable locations we visited (but all were good)
Exceptional! Glenda was simply the best overall tour leader I have ever met - very personable, empathetic, enthusiastic, incredibly knowledgeable, highly organised and always there when she was needed. Her knowledge of the birds/plants etc was incredible. She invariably ‘went the extra mile’ for us (she was out buying bottled water for us when the water supply was cut off in the Balmoral Hotel). We were truly blessed to have Glenda as our leader. She made the trip.
The itinerary was perfect; it really did enable us to discover Costa Rica. Plus the guide )(Daniel Boller) and driver (Randall Gonzalez) were fantastic and the group members were highly compatible.
Probably the diversity of wildlife and flora/fauna. Our guide and driver were enthusiastic about both and worked extremely hard to enable us to see a lot and get great photos.
Simply outstanding. Daniel is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Cost Rica - history, culture, politics, sustainability, economy and, especially, the wildlife and vegetation. He enhances all of this with stories from his own experience, which bring the facts to life. He is passionate about the natural beauty of Costa Rica and showed great commitment to enabling us to get to see as much of it as possible. He was also flexible, positive, good humoured, generous with his time and grea
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
Thank you for your detailed and insightful review. We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the incredible wildlife and were able to capture some amazing photographs—bringing the best camera gear is definitely a great tip!
We appreciate your suggestions regarding local guides at Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio, and Savegre. You’re absolutely right that their expertise can make a big difference in spotting wildlife, especially in areas like the Quetzal’s habitat. We’ll certainly consider integrating these local guide experiences into future itineraries to enhance the overall trip value.
It’s also great to hear you enjoyed the coffee and chocolate tour in La Fortuna and the night walk in Manuel Antonio—those are fantastic additions to the itinerary.
Thanks again for sharing your experience and helping us improve. We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon.
The Exodus Team
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.