Costa Rica Exploration - Forests & Wildlife Had a fabulous time on this trip in March 2022.
The itinerary means that you cover a wide area of Costa Rica from the comfort of your small coach with likeminded travellers. Johnny was a great guide - very experienced at knowing what to say when with a smile and good humour. Chico was our safe driver with a cheeky smile.
The accommodation was good and varied but mainly lodges situated right where the forest and wildlife were.
I would say that this would suit as an introduction to the varying eco systems in Costa Rica as the tour takes you from Caribbean to Pacific coasts and with rainforests, cloud forests, beaches, volcanoes and lagoons . Wildlife sightings included sloths, hummingbirds, toucans, scarlet macaws (and numerous other birds), caiman, iguanas, monkeys . tree frogs etc. Some were hidden in the greenery of the forest and others were visible and I got some good photos - it is not so easy to take photos than, say, African safari.
Lodge employees were friendly and the food, when included, was delicious. There was some opportunities to eat in local restaurants as well.
There are a lot of early starts but it was also dark early so the itinerary made the most of the daylight hours.
Cycling is such a great way to see a country and this trip didn’t disappoint. There was a great range of cycling from tarmac roads to rough off road. Cycling experience and fitness is a must. The roads are undulating and on some days there were some long climbs, made all the more difficult in the heat. It also meant there were great views! In addition to the cycling there were great trips and even some free time to relax.
Wonderful trip to Costa Rica This was our 8th Exodus trip and one of the best. The tour leader was excellent..Giovanni Madrigal. He was very knowledgeable, professional in his approach and good fun especially as he had a great relationship with the driver, Juanjose who was also part of the team. Gio made it clear from the outset that this was a group holiday and group harmony was important. We were encouraged to rotate the seats on the bus so everyone got a chance to sit at the front. The group really got on well. There were many excellent group meals and we had a good mix between travel, group walks and downtime by the pool. The accommodation was very good....wooden lodges set in wonderful surroundings. We stayed for 2 nights in each place which was great. Much of the food was included so it wasn’t so expensive when we were there....most hotels had happy hours! We saw so many birds, mammals and reptiles. Gio knew where to look and had a scope so we could all see. There are additional trails we could walk on our own which we enjoyed. He knows his country and was keen to pass on his knowledge.