A delightful and easy, relaxed adventure in Costa Rica I had not been on an Exodus trip before but have been on small group tours with JLA and G Adventures, probably 6-8 trips in total. Discover Costa Rica did what it says on the packet. There was no significant deviation from the trip as described at booking and on departure. We visited different habitats and ecosystems in different regions of Costa Rica with excellent guide plus superb driver. The accommodation was as I expected: adequate to good but nothing luxurious. Activities were well spaced and well explained. overall the trip was physically easier than I have experienced before, but as I am getting older I am not sorry about that! I particularly valued no 'single night' stops. All stays were 2 nights which is far more relaxing. The standard of service and food in all hotels was good. Access to coffee and tea was not good at every venue
Cycling nicaragua, costa rica and panama What an amazing adventure. I have been on several Exodus trips - hiking and cycling - and this was my favourite so far. Three countries in 2 weeks - brilliant guides/mechanics; great bikes, beautiful scenery and locations.... all you could ask for and more.
The cycling is moderate/challenging - good roads throughout and the bikes are excellent. The bikes have speedometers which show your speed, distance covered etc which is really helpful. There are a few challenging hills but overall it is manageable. The group has a leader at the front and one at the back of the group (I was at the back!) so you can take whatever time you need! Plenty of stops for water and fresh pineapple and biscuits.. It was very warm and humid so be prepared to be very sweaty!
All three countries were beautiful. Plenty to see and do whilst you cycle - our guide - Roberto- was extremely knowledgeable about everything (don't think there wasn't anything he couldn't answer) so the cycling was interspersed with breaks to show us wildlife, views, swim at a beach...
The hotels were good - some more basic than others- but all decent. Some of them were fantastically located, right on a beach or on a beautiful hillside.
Food was very good - lots of seafood; those who were vegetarian found it harder to find choices in some places though
On a free day, 10 out of our group went zip wiring in Costa Rica- brilliant fun and I would definitely recommend it if you are okay with heights
Amazing views of scenery and wildlife This is an absolutely incredible tour -- our guide Jason was both very informative and very helpful. He explained the history of the Arenal volcano to us, we took a short hike a small part of the way up the mountain, and then went back down to look at wildlife in the rainforest. We saw spider monkeys, which Jason said are a pretty rare sight, and then a red curacao just walked out onto the trail in front of us! It was an incredible feeling to just be seeing all these animals spontaneously on a nature hike. Speaking of hikes, it is important to be aware that this tour is somewhat physically demanding. There are no extreme parts, just some strenuous walking over very uneven ground, but I think the tour description could do a better job of emphasizing the challenge. At the same time, the tour is extremely convenient in terms of picking you up and dropping you off at your desired location, whether a hotel, hot springs, or somewhere else. Overall, I strongly recommend the Arenal Volcano trip to anyone who is into volcanoes and wildlife and plans to visit the Arenal area.