Fabulous trip that incorporated both coasts and more remote places I loved this trip! The itinerary was excellent - we saw so much and varied wildlife - dolphins, whales, a tapir, howler monkeys, quetzal, scarlet macaws, sloths, turtles and so on! Lots of variety and included some more remote places. Cahuita was great, and Torteguero, and Drakes Bay were particular highlights. Savegre was a lovely cooler spot for a couple of days, really loved Corcovado and the snorkelling. Accommodation and food was of a really good standard overall. La Marta needed more time spent there - the short walk didn't really do it justice. I had maybe expected some longer walks generally on some of the days activities, however we were able to do some additional walking on our free days / time. We had a group of ten which was a nice number, and a really great bunch of people!
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA AND PANAMA I had absolutely the best time!!! I'm still buzzing from this holiday and smile everytime I think of it. I don't really class myself a cyclist (everyone I met at the airport massively played down their expert cycling ability!), but I am generally fit and cycle from time to time so was fine. Despite being near the back on most of the hilly journeys, this was no issue and our leader encouraged us not to rush or race, and to enjoy the holiday and the scenery and I certainly didn't feel I had to hurry up and catch the others, despite the fact they were mainly ahead of me. To spend two weeks wheeling around the central american countryside is a wonderful way to spend a holiday, it was beautiful, warm, warm even when it rained, the people were really lovely, I laughed non stop, we all bonded quickly, which isn't difficult when you have a group goal, the hotels were better than I expected (except 1 or 2), food was great/ok, and we were thoroughly looked after by the leader and the guides, in every aspect.Agree with Rita that some people might like more background/contextual information about the countries, although personally this didn't bother me, I just like the cycling, but some might prefer this, but to be fair to Rob, on every other aspect he was 110%, in terms of making sure we were comfortable, happy, healthy and had everything we needed. Please go on this trip if you want a challenging but feasible outdoor adventure. If you're struggling, just have a bus day and talk in Spanglish to Luis!
Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We had a great guide, Gustavo, and fab driver, Juan, who helped make the trip a success. We saw plenty of wildlife, including sloths, greenback turtles, monkeys, iguanas, frogs (including the iconic red eyed tree frog) and birds too numerous to list. Costa Rica is a lovely country with rich biodiversity and unspoilt countryside. The people were friendly and largely English speaking and very helpful in all the places we stayed. Our accomodation was of a good standard and the first and last lodges were particularly good. In spite of travelling in the rainy season the weather was kind to us - an added bonus.