This was an amazing 2 week long adventure exploring all that Costa Rica has to offer - a vast amount of birds and wildlife, gorgeous flowers and plants, beaches, walks and, for the more adventurous, ziplining. Most of the accommodation was superb, often nestled among the cloud and rain-forests where the abundant wildlife roamed freely and the organisation of the tour was excellent with just the right amount of time in each place to fully explore and not feel that the trip was rushed.
Having never been on an organized group trip before, I wasn't sure what to expect but I had nothing to worry about. The views were incredible, the company was great, and it was such a fantastic experience I'd do it all over again! The trip was a good mix of time on the bike, boat rides, and a few touristy bits.
Although on paper it might look as if we were in a bus a lot, every moment was worth it for the variety of terrain and wildlife we saw, and the people we met. The wildlife was stunning, made more so through the expertise of our guide, the Tortuguera boat pilot, and the bus driver too. The accommodation was invariably clean and well looked after.
The only concern was Manuel Antonio park, which is highly commercialised. We queued for a hour from just after 7 am to get in, and there was (in contrast to all the other parks) close to mayhem inside. I suspect that mangrove wildlife is not as happy as it should be there.
The coffee farm and the over-canopy walkways were well worth the money. The visit to a dairy farm was very good too, and the farming ladies did so much to make us welcome.
The National Museum in San Jose is excellent.