If you are in two minds about booking this trip, book!The cycling was not easy at times due to a combination of hills, non paved roads, distance and heat. However, this added to the challenge, adventure and achievement and our expectations were well managed by our fantastic Costa Rican guide/leader, Jackie.The journey through three countries provided some amazing rides. Personal highlights were those ending with swims in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans where we would literally cycle on to the beach and jump in for a swim! There were also rides through cloud forests to rain forests, to and from volcanoes, through local villages and through banana plantations spotting monkeys, toucans, sloths and other wildlife along the way!Along the trip we also enjoyed a couple of optional non cycling days and exciting pit stops. I loved our tour round a chocolate farm, canopy walk through a rain forest, zip lining, red frog island trip and walk through a butterfly nature reserve. The non cycling activities allowed us to experience more of the three amazing countries we visited.Nature and wildlife feature highly on the trip but the start and end in Granada and Panama City provided a great contrast and are beautiful places to spend a few days. The amazing feat of the Panama Canal was also fitting end to the trip.The trip was exceptionally organised from start to finish. There were no issues and I cannot think of any areas of improvement. Travel is with a group leader, mechanic and driver who were all fantastic and fundamental to the success of the trip.Our Costa Rican guide Jackie is a real gem! She provided interesting and informative information about the history, culture and environment of the places we visited and an infectious sense of fun and positivity. She provided excellent briefings about the cycling before each ride, she had a genuine love of Central America and she was a joy to be around. She was also a very good cyclist.The hotels and restaurants selected by the tour operator were well chosen and some were so good they were highlights of the trip.I will remember this trip and the lifelong friendships I have formed for years to come. Thank you Jackie and the operator's team and book if you are considering this trip! I will be coming back for more!
Excellent experience and great guide Fantastic trip for my partner and myself. So much so we decided to announce our engagement at the end of the trip! The guide: Roberto was superb...He was relaxed, good fun and very informative providing us with lots of cultural, historical and animal kingdom facts. He really was the best guide we have ever had on a trip with the tour operator and he made the trip for us. We also had a great group of 15 people and we all got on really well. Overall an excellent experience and one we will remember forever...
Awesome diverse scenery-the most fabulous snapshot of 3 countries This was an amazing trip that I had been thinking about doing for years. I am so glad I finally took the plunge, despite not being a regular cyclist. The trip is a superb "snapshot" of 3 beautiful countries where the scenery is diverse-think wildlife/exotic birds, beautiful beaches, laid-back atmosphere, extraordinary tropical forest greenery, colourful towns, lakes, volcanoes, mountains and wonderful colonial architecture. A good mix of biking and down-time!