We travelled to Costa Rica as a family of four (children aged 9 and 12) and wow what a trip. Firstly, the group were brilliant company and all of the children very quickly became best friends. Secondly, David our guide knew nature like no-one else i've ever met, helping us see sloths, crocodiles, monkeys, Racoons, a humpback whale and many many bird species. Thirdly, the activites were perfectly pitched for the families, zip-lining, river tubing, horse riding and a boat trip to name a few of the highlights. And finally it was a faultless trip, everything ran on time, ran perfectly and was 100% hassle-free. We loved it, what a country!
Five great and different experiences of Peru! This is a first class itinerary which gave us five 'mega day' experiences of Peru, each of which was quite different from the others: seeing the wonderful condors in Colca Canyon; visiting the families on a reed island in Lake Titicaca; walking the last part of the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate; seeing the great colonial religious art and architecture in Cuzco and spending time in the rain forest on a tributary of the Amazon. These memorable experiences were separated by other days travelling through scenic landscapes, visiting interesting sites and staying in some great hotels. The Colca Lodge and ICH Lodge on the river were both wonderful. Bar one that I've reported to Exodus, the others were all solid four star hotels with comfortable rooms and good food and locations. The food in Peru is generally good and we had tasty lunches and dinners out. I'll pass on the guinea pig next time though!
An amazing wildlife experience This trip delivered in bucket loads. There was wildlife everywhere we looked. Copious capybara and caiman. Three fantastic sightings of jaguar (a mother and two cubs and two solitary jaguar) and three amazing sightings of giant otter groups. Birds everywhere including imperious jabiru storks, kingfishers, herons, hawks and jacana. And it was great to be in a remote location on the Paraguay River. Apart from the odd fisherman in small boats, there was only our boat and one other from the lodge on the water. Most of the time we had the river to ourselves. The second lodge is a little busier and not quite so remote, but we still saw lots of wildlife including tapir, collared peccary, crab-eating foxes and a stunning southern tamandua.
