This trip is a great example of the contrasts across the whole country of Costa Rica, from the tropical rainforest of the Caribbean coast (wet but amazing wildlife), through the volcanic area and cloud forest to the Pacific coast (hot and humid) . The final resort in the highlands with its hummingbirds is a real highlight.
Not sure what 'review title' means! The trip fully met my expectations. It was a full on experience involving (voluntary) frequently pre-dawn early morning bird watching walks; seeing some amazing natural sites (waterfalls, (dormant) volcanoes; Pacific and Caribbean beaches - where swimming was possible, bird and animal watching close up - the fauna seemed a lot less afraid of mankind, and as a result good views were easier. The guide was more than capable of giving us a full-on Costa Rica experience.
We have just returned from a fantastic holiday guided by Johnny Villalobos. He made the experience memorable for our group of 13 travellers. He gave 100% to us, walking early to see as much as possible, owl hunting at night and working all hours to enable us to ' maximise' our holiday ( his word ) ! The itinerary was well put together and all the lodges and hotels were carefully chosen, all different but all excellent. We particularly loved Esquinas Lodge, its remoteness and the birds of course! We saw a huge number of bird species and Johnny helped us to check the 'list' every evening in happy hour!!! We had the good fortune to be travelling with a great group of people which really made for a fun time as well. We did see quetzal too. We saw at least two males and two females and they did us the honour of performing a memorable flying display! All in all a really wonderful holiday. My only query might be a question of its rating as Leisurely 1!!!