Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

We had a grest time on the trip to Costa Rica planned by Serendipity. Many thanks to Bryan and his team for making the trip smooth and enjoyable. Lodgings were very nice, especially the Lagarta Lodge in Nosara. The Hotel Arenal Paraiso rooms were dated but comfortable. They could update and improve the interiors considerably. Their breakfasts were excellent. All the tours went smoothly. Guides and transportation were on time, courteous and knowledgeable. We had to change the transportation schedule a couple of times but the team handled the changes perfectly. Overall, using Kim Kim and Serendipity was a great way for us to make our first tour of Costa Rica. Thank you!

I had a great experience using kimkim for a trip to Croatia in early 2023. So when it was time to plan a family adventure to Costa Rica, kimkim was at the top of my list for assistance in selecting locations and planning activities and hotels. Our travel company, Serendipity Adventures, gave us a fabulous itinerary specific to our family's needs and desires, giving us a good mix of different activities and plenty of downtime. Our local specialist, Bryan, and his team immediately responded to the Kimkim message board and WhatsApp. They kept us up to date on any changes or itinerary issues. It was helpful to have a local contact when there were language barriers (such as returning our rental car), and just knowing somebody would help communicate if needed provided a lot of peace of mind.

The best part of our trip was the guided tours. We were matched with expert guides in every town, and through this experience, we could see so much more wildlife than we would have seen on our own. Additionally, the guides gave us a comprehensive overview of the country, the region, and the culture. Every guide we had was excellent, but the ones who stood out were Mariano in La Fortuna (he took us on the waterfall and volcano hike), Andres in Monteverde, and Andres "Socio" in Manuel Antonio, who guided us through the Manuel Antonio park.

Costa Rica was an easy place to travel and an enjoyable experience. We would definitely use kimkim and Serendipity Adventures if we go again!

My husband and I had a wonderful diverse trip planned out by the team. Highly recommend guides for the nature walks since they are trained to see what we would have missed. The four different areas and stays were all well selected. We enjoyed the crazy river tubing and ziplines in Monteverde especially. Thanks for all the instant replies to my questions.
Andrea

Our guide showed up and the first thing he told us was that he wasn’t feeling well. The second day he told us he needed to visit a pharmacy. Half of my family caught whatever he had and ended up sick for the 2nd half of the trip. He mostly drive us from point A to B over several days. At the end I asked Serendipity what an appropriate tip was for our guide (and other than infecting us he was very nice so we wanted to tip him). He was with us for four days. They suggested a range of 20-40-% of the entire seven day trip cost. I would avoid using this service.

Activity Reviews

Arriving and Meeting your Helicopter Crew

Liberia International Airport (LIR)

They cancelled even though it was clear and sunny.

Quality of Experience

Canyoning Adventure

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Surfing Lesson

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Serendipity arranged our trip. Everything as expected. Drivers on time, safe. Kioro and Senda best accommodation. Needed to do our own research for Guanacaste, Playa Hermosa. Travel logistics, time spent driving, hotel Bosque, area around not as good. Would be nice to also be given a time frame for tour days, rather than just a pick up times. Ie, 9am to 2pm or 7am to 930am so we could plan open time. Serendipity was fabulous when had questions. All of our drivers were great.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Tucked away, peaceful

Location

Lush, Gardens, View, Staff

Staff

Personal attention

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely clean each day

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

Perched up on hill, room great, views incredible. Deck area great. Restaurant & Bar enjoyed

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Agency booked. We needed to do more homework about hotel and location.

Authenticity & Character

Right on the beach, pool didn't seem clean as under tree canopy.

Location

It is located next to houses, chickens, loose dogs, constant vendors selling stuff, like 8x an hour, burning fire garbage, people take beach chairs. Nothing else around. Other restaurants, stores, town. Just accommodation.

Staff

Clarence made our stay more fun. Check in experience poor.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms not ready or cleaned had to wait

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike on Arenal Hanging Bridges

Arenal/La Fortuna

We kind of raced through as busy with large groups blocking way. But still fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Nature Walk at Ecological Park & Butterfly Garden Danaus

Arenal/La Fortuna

Private and thoughtful guide, learned lots, saw lots.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nature Safari Float and Tortilla Making

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Tortilla making very quick, like 5 minutes, then lunch. Float was awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day at Selvatura, Hanging Bridges and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Monteverde Orchid Gardens

Monteverde

Short 45 minutes but learned lots.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wetlands Boat Ride and Rum Tasting at Hacienda El Viejo

Costa Rica

2 hour drive each way. Tour guide not available when arrived, lots of sitting and waiting. Almost 8 hr day for 1.5 hour tour + lunch. Place was amazing though once got going.

Quality of Experience

Food

Buffet

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Guaitil Pottery Town

Costa Rica

Should be added to Hacienda Day as basically in same area, repeat long drive. Pottery demonstration was fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guide Minor spoke great English so we learned lots while driving

Hike to Las Pailas, Rincon de la Vieja National Park and La Oropendola Waterfall

Costa Rica

We did not do due to extremely long day prior

Great vacation. Since my usual vacation is laying on a beach with little physical activity, I was concerned I would not enjoy myself. Wrong, I had so much fun and saw so many beautiful places and animals. Pura Vida certainly is an accurate description of the culture and friendliness of everyone we encountered in Costa Rica.

There were good things and not so good things
1. Good things -
a. very quick replies during planning process and during the trip;
b. desire to help ;
c, amazing guides
2. Not so good
a. Car trips took definitely longer than marked on the plan
b. Non tailoring of itinerary - some of the places we went were very touristy and cater to more senior people (e.g. hanging bridges) - it would have been great if they could have worked with us starting with understanding who the clients are, how active, what type of things we are interested in so that the itinerary could have been tailored. It felt a very standard itinerary. some agencies I have worked with have used a survey followed by a conversation to gather this info
c. Lack of good connections with local aviation company - I found out about changes in flight hours through fellow travelers that were using another agency. Also we had asked for a specific flight that was told several times it didn´t exist and in the end it did. That added around 5 hours to our trip ...
d. No water during car travels and they were long....

Our experience pre-trip with KimKim and their trip specialists was simple, straightforward, and super helpful. I've never used a travel service to plan a trip before. Wow, does it make things easy! We only had general ideas of things we would like to do and no specific location within Costa Rica we wanted to visit, so it was so helpful to have knowledgeable input in the planning. Once in country, we had wonderful drivers who got us where we needed to go. Our guides for the two tours we took were phenomenal. In Monteverde, Micha, a freelance guide, took us on a birdwatching tour at the Curi Cancha Reserve. Micha grew up in Monteverde, has spent his whole life observing the birds and wildlife in the area, and was so kind and knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time with him so much and highly recommend his service. In Tamarindo we took a boat tour up the Tempisque River with our guide Mauricio, who was so attentive to the needs of the group, very observant and knowledgeable. He clearly enjoyed the views of rare birds we came across and helped us identify the birds we saw from the bus. One of the other highlights of our time in Costa Rica was the food. We so enjoyed the local fare, simple as it is, and some very excellent coffee in both locations. We have nothing but good things to say about KimKim and will use them again. Pura vida!

Hotel Reviews

The Beach Bungalows - Adults Only

Tamarindo

If you're looking for a quiet, more private feel for your accommodation, The Beach Bungalows fits the bill! Nico and Kim are the owner and manager of this beautiful bed and breakfast spot just up the street from the main streets in Tamarindo. The grounds are clean, safe, and there are thoughtful touches throughout (water bottle daily replenished in our room, a full breakfast provided each morning, shared kitchen space, towels for the pool, etc). Each bungalow is private access, has a fully functioning toilet, and a/c. We loved our stay here!

Authenticity & Character

It felt very beachy and tropical.

Location

We loved that our hotel was a quiet retreat from the noise of downtown Tamarindo but close enough to be a very easy walk to anything we wanted.

Staff

They were engaging and helpful. Kim especially put care and time into knowing each guest and helping with recommendations and offering to fill needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms clean and neat, cleaned each day, a/c in each bungalow, pool swept and cleaned frequently.

Mar Inn Costa Rica

Monteverde Costa Rica

The Mar Inn is very nice. We only spent a couple of nights here and were fairly busy during our stay, but it fulfilled the need for a quiet, clean place to sleep. The staff were helpful at check-in and in helping us figure out the included breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

It felt very much a part of the town and not very Americanized.

Location

Mar Inn is a close walk to the small downtown of Monteverde but definitely up a steep hill.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathroom was very clean and neat, the bed made each day. The bed could be considered hard for people not accustomed to a firmer mattress. Our room had a neat little sitting room with full windows which was nice.

Activity Reviews

Private: Half-day Bird-watching in Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

Our guide, Micha, was so great. He took us to all the best spots he know for seeing birds and wildlife and was so knowledgeable and kind. He went out of his way to show us the beauty of his hometown. It was exciting for us to be able to see so many birds even though it was really windy that day. We even got to see a Motmot!

Quality of Experience

We had so much fun exploring the local wildlife and the area around Monteverde

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Micha really helped us find the birds, identify them, and told us so much about the area.

Transport

Car was very clean and new

Palo Verde National Park Boat Tour

Costa Rica

We weren't sure what to expect for this tour but it turned out to be a fun adventure! The boat tour itself was lovely. Lots of birds and wildlife to see. Our guide, Mauricio, was fabulous! We spent quite a bit of the day on the bus travelling to the boat and also picking up other guests, but he did his best to help us see wildlife from the bus along the way and tell us about the areas we were driving through. The included lunch was so cool. We stopped at a local ranch to enjoy a traditional Costa Rican lunch, cooked right there over wood. followed by Costa Rican coffee. It was lovely! We also got a bonus stop at a town known for traditional pottery where we were given a demonstration.

Quality of Experience

Food

I really enjoy the traditional Costa Rican fare and this was especially delicous!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mauricio was engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about his country.

Transport

This rating may be misleading - we had a great experience on the transport, but they had to make an extra trip to pick up guests before backtracking to the boat so some of us spent quite a bit more time on the bus than we expected. At the end of the tour our guide, Mauricio, did arrange to have a different bus meet us partway, which was very kind.

Self-Guided Playa Langosta Crossing and Beach Day

Tamarindo

If you're looking for a beach experience away from the crowds and clubs, this is it. The surf was beautiful and the waves so much fun to play in. Getting to Playa Langosta from Tamarindo is definitely a bit of a walk up the beach and around the point. So be prepared for a long walk. But the beach was beautiful and there was lovely views all the way up and tide pools to explore at low tide on our walk back to town.

Quality of Experience

My wife and I decided to go to Costa Rica for our anniversary fairly last minute. Neither of us speaks Spanish or had much knowledge about the country. Kimkim saved me hours of research by offering a buffet of options for what we wanted to do during our trip and then Gustavo helped us to customize the recommended itinerary to fit what we wanted. Specifically, when he heard that we were interested in bird watching, he added Monte Verde to our itinerary which turned out to be a highlight of the trip. In country everything worked flawlessly. We were picked up on time for each of our rides to new locations or tours. Not having to deal with the stress of driving and getting to just enjoy the country side was almost worth booking through kimkim all by itself. Bottom line, we will be recommending kimkim's service to anyone we know who is considering a trip and doesn't want to do all the research and booking themselves.

Let me start by saying this, and i said this to my partner at least once a day during our trip, I will NEVER plan another trip WITHOUT KimKim ! I have been the trip planner for all of our vacations for years, every flight, transfer, transport, adventure, experience and meal, and of course , I then felt completely responsible for their success or failure! This is the first time in years that I have felt like I was actually completely on vacation and in the moment! I know that I did the planning with KimKim and chatted with Gustavo and Jessica and set up the plans, but I was totally along for the ride this time! We were never disappointed, absolutely AMAZING!
The KimKim team, Gustavo, and Jessica (thank you Jessica for handling things in real time !!) really listened and heard what we were looking for in out Costa Rican experience. Thank you to Christian at Relax for the best start to our trip, what a wonderful host and amazing place to stay! Thank you to Jorge and Diego at Jacamar for our adventures in La Fortuna! Thank you to both Hugos (great driving and sharing) and Alex (Tortuguero). Also, all boat rides were incredible, and the snorkeling in Cahuita and surfing in Puerto Viejo (best surf instructor Misael!!!! )I could gush all day! I know i have forgotten some names but not the experiences!!! Thank you for making our trip Absolutely Unforgettable!

Hotel Review

Relax Natural Village

Puerto Viejo

Cristian , thank you so much for making our stay so wonderful! You have created a magical place to stay in Puerto Viejo! Thank you for your hospitality, comfy beds and rooms, the delicious breakfast and coffee every morning and for every suggestion you made! We will only stay with you on any future trips to Puerto Viejo! Absolutely fabulous !!

Authenticity & Character

Cristian is just the best host and the cabins are absolutely beautiful !!

Location

Walking distance to everything we wanted to do and see!!

Staff

Breakfast was delicious every morning and staff was kind and attentive !

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cabin was spotless and comfy, outstanding!!

Activity Reviews

Horseback Riding on the Beach

Costa Rica

We loved this day !!

Quality of Experience

Saw so much more than we expected!! Jungle and beach !!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was so great ! we learned a lot!

Transport

On time and kind!

Private Surf Lesson at Salsa Brava

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Great lesson !! so patient ! great instruction , we really learned a lot and enjoyed every moment!! Thank you Misael!! and the lunch suggestion was one of our favorite meals of our entire trip !!

Quality of Experience

Great lesson, Misael really understood how to explain body mechanics so that we could make progress and make adjusments ! thank you !

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unnecessary for us, we could have walked and instead paid two cabs we did not need , but we did not know final meet up so now that we know we would have walked instead of taking cab to school and then back tracked to beach

Coffee Experience and Nighttime Nature Walk

Monteverde

Junior is the best ! We learned so much and had an amazing time! We have a new friend in Monteverde for sure!!

Quality of Experience

Junior's passion for coffee makes this the best experience! He is a coffee expert and a great teacher!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

thank you, Junior! for taking so much time to share your world with us!

Transport

Junior picked us up and dropped us off at our lodge and shared his love of coffed with us from start to finish!

Mariano was Amazing!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Everything was perfect here!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde Costa Rica

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip to Costa Rica. The highlight was the Monteverde Cloud Forest - very pretty and great guides. One of the best parts of this trip was simply not having to worry about any of the details - all of our transportation was pre-arranged to pick us up at our hotels and they always arrived on time or a few minutes early. The transportation was also comfortable and the drivers friendly and helpful. Erwin, who helped us with planning, made good suggestions and was also flexible to meet our specific desires. Overall, would recommend using KimKim for planning your trip if you want to be able to not worry about the details and just enjoy your time in Costa Rica.

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Hiking Tour & Paradise Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Good overall. We were the only people on the tour, which gave us personalized attention. The hot springs were nice, but it would have been good to have more instruction about which pools to visit in what order. Dinner here was just okay - nothing wrong with it but also nothing special.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Walk & Sky Tram in Arenal Volcano (hanging bridges and aerial tram)

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great tour. We were in a small group (1 guide, 4 guests), which made the walk really interesting - we had time to ask questions and have personalized experience. (guide told us that sometimes the have groups of 20... that may not have been as enjoyable.) We was coati, snakes, spiders, and learned a lot about the plants and trees in the rainforest. One downside - there were only 2 hanging bridges on our walk. Given that it was called a "sky walk", we expected that there would be more bridges than that.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guide for the walk (Reinaldo) was fantastic. He found so many snakes and things we wouldn't have found for ourselves, and was very knowledgable.

Transport

Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

We didn't really learn anything here. It was a big group (~20 people) and really just 1 big cooking station, so we ended up watching a lot and not doing much cooking ourselves. Everyone helped chop some vegetables and made our own tortilla, but not much else in the way of cooking. The menu.. Rice - we measured some rice and water into a rice cooker Vegetable saute - chopped a few vegetables, but that was it Beans - cooked ahead of time Chicken (main course) - cooked ahead of time. No information about how it was made, ingredients/seasoning, etc Tortillas - we got to make these, which was good Fried plantains - a couple of people (on the other end of the kitchen) fried these without the rest of us knowing/seeing anything about it. The food was decent, but overall we just really didn't learn much about the local cuisine and we didn't actually do much cooking for ourselves. (We've taken classes in other countries where we each had our own cooking station and made everything ourselves.) May be an okay activity for college-aged people or people just looking to fill an itinerary, but really not good for people know love to cook and want to learn.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Experience

Monteverde

Fun to learn about 3 different products in a single tour. This was informative and interactive - we got to actually press sugar cane and crush/mix chocolate ingredients. The guide was fun and informative. The only downside was that we had a pretty big group (10-12), so sometimes there was side chatter and people who seemed to distract or slow down the group.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk

Monteverde

Fun way to see the rainforest. Our guide did an amazing job of finding wildlife we would have never found on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

Great experience. Our guide taught us a lot about both the animals and plants/trees in the cloud forest. We saw many cool birds and trees, and even a couple of monkeys. Moved at an appropriate pace and got a good sense of the forest.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Corcovado and Hiking at the San Pedrillo Ranger Station

Uvita

Good trip to a really remote area that many people don't get to visit. We had good guides who helped us see wildlife. We saw many monkeys and a sloth, also some really cool birds. (We hadn't seen these elsewhere in Costa Rica.) Only 2 drawbacks: at the start we were in a pretty big group which made it difficult to hear the guide; it's a 90 minute boat ride each way, which makes for a long day. Instructions said to bring bathing suit and towels, but we didn't actually swim on this trip. (There was a very short opportunity to swim in a pool in a stream, but nowhere to change from hiking clothes to swimwear.)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We initiated and finalized our travel planning with a woman who left KimKim before our travels began. Phil took over and was very responsive and helpful during our trip. One day we had to cancel our tour due to rain and he made all the calls immediately to obtain a reimbursement for us. We learned when we got to Costa Rica that mornings are best for tours but our original planner scheduled many tours in the afternoon - when you see less animals and are more likely to get rained on. That was the type of insider travel coaching we were hoping to receive from KimKim when we decided to coordinate our travel plans - but apparently didn't get it. Had we worked with Phil from the get-go, it might have been a different story. Also - we traveled between several locations which on map don't seem that far away from one another and googlemaps indicated, for example, 100 miles. We assumed that it would be a 90-120 minute drive but it turned out to be nearly 300 because roads travel slow in Costa Rica. One day we were in a van traveling between locations for over six hours. This was unexpected and ate into vacation time for exploring, relaxing, and doing tours. Overall - we had a great trip, our accommodations were wonderful (and all had breakfast included which was great), and it was nice that everything was reserved and transportation was ready for us throughout our stay. Because we traveled to Costa Rica just before the busy season - almost all our tours were exclusive where we had the entire bus, boat, guide, or place to ourselves. We never felt rushed and really enjoyed the varied excursions that were arranged for us.

Jean Carlo was so helpful throughout the process of planning our trip to Costa Rica. We were able to customize almost every part of our trip to be just as we wanted, and he was there to guide us every step of the way. As a result, our trip ended up being fantastic as all the activities were fun and the transportation was timely / comfortable. The trip went exactly according to plan, allowing us to be as stress-free as possible. I honestly don't have any complaints about either the planning process or the trip itself and will certainly recommend this service to anyone else planning to visit Costa Rica.

I wouldn't have planned a trip to Costa Rica any other way than using the Serendipity team and KimKim to organize and help us with all the logistics. Everything ran smoothly and we had wonderful experiences in three or four different provinces, visiting La Fortuna, Monte Verde and Manuel Antonio. The pre-planning team of Fio, Charlotte and Nancy was fantastic and I greatly appreciated their responsiveness to our questions and requests. They adjusted the trip plan and itinerary as needed and even changed hotels for us when we wanted to do something a little unique. We were really happy with their final recommendations and everything from the accommodations to the activities, transportation arrangements and all else was phenomenal. I will absolutely use them again for our next trip.

While in Costa Rica, we were so impressed with the guides. I hate to name them as I will undoubtedly miss some, but Mariano Salazar was particulary incredible with his knowledge and experience as well as his sense of humor and we all became fast friends. Alvaro (spelled incorrectly I believe) who transported us from Monte Verde to Manuel Antonio also stood out- he recommended sights and stops that we never would have known about, including stops for food and much less expensive souvenirs. There wasn't a single guide or driver who wasn't extremely knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and they all went out of their way to make sure that we were comfortable and had our questions answered thoroughly. Can't wait to get back and use Serendipity and KimKim again. It's a great business model and experience. So much better than if we had done the planning and organizational work on our own and the value relative to the cost was extremely high. Thank you so much to the entire team for making it a wonderful experience for the four of us in our group. We have many memories and many of those were thanks to you and for making it such an easy vacation.

My trip to Costa Rica was incredible! Brian and his team at Serendipity Adventures did an amazing job with planning and communicating once I arrived to the country. While the entire trip was absolutely amazing, surf lessons in Manuel Antonio was the highlight for me.

The trip was excellent. We worked with Randall to plan out three days of activities and transfers, and our family had a great experience. I think it would be valuable for the trip planner to check in at some point during the trip to see how things are going. The logistics ended up working out great, but I wouldn't say that we felt like we had someone watching out to make sure it went well -- maybe that was true behind the scenes.

In terms of the activities, the hike on the volcano was good but shorter than I would have expected. The guide was excellent -- really knew his stuff.

The multi-adventure day was amazing -- the adventure provider was Arenal Mundo Aventura. the van dropped us off there and we had a full day of hiking to a waterfall (and swimming) followed by ziplining, followed by rappelling followed by horseback riding. We definitely got our money's worth! The rappelling didn't feel super-safe -- we found ourselves asking if the ropes were old, if the knots were tied, if the ladder would hold -- but we made it. The last part where you go to a traditional village is a little bit misleading in the description of the tour -- we thought that we would be eating a traditional meal, but you actually go to a shop where you can buy things and then you go to the adventure part restaurant and have food. All in all it was a great experience.

Activity Reviews

{{start_location}} to {{end_location}} - Visit La Paz Waterfall

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day of Adventure in Arenal Mundo Aventura Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Spectacular hike. We thought it would be longer than it actually was.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time doing the coast to coast trip across Costa Rica everything run smoothly from start to finish our guides Dani , Jose and Memo where fantastic and speak perfectly good English nothing was to much trouble the food that they prepared in the evenings, was excellent all are very knowledgeable and kept us updated on the wildlife and facts I wouldn’t hesitate to use Kim Kim again

Thank you for an amazing trip. Dani was an excellent guide with a great combination of knowledge on wildlife and all things Costa Rican. Plus he possessed the enthusiasm and people skills to give us all a really great experience. A big thank you also to Josue who was also excellent in every respect and provided us with the support to enjoy and complete the Coast to Coast.

Hotel Review

Alma de Luna

Orosi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Naranjillo - Photos on the beach and we’re off! Biking 19km/12mi + Trekking 14km/9mi

Naranjito

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quality of bikes, poor brakes.

Pacuare River – Rafting 20km/12mi

Siquirres

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Maria – Pacific slopes Trekking 12km/7mi + Biking 14km/9mi

Santa Maria de Dota

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Humo – Through the valley to the Tapanti area Biking 9km/6mi + Trekking 17km/10.5mi

Humo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pacuare Valley – Free day in the rainforest - hike to waterfall, play in a rapid, and relax in a hammock

Río Pacuare

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ok

Transport

Caribbean coast – Biking 26km + Kayaking 12km

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pacuare River – Biking 43km/27mi + Rafting 10km/6mi

Río Pacuare

Excellent river guides.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Orosi Valley – Up and over the Continental Divide – Biking 49km/30mi

Orosi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip planned by Francisco was excellent. Each of the outings (adventures) was exactly what we wanted. In many ways it was like taking a graduate course in biology, botany and zoology. We particularly enjoyed the morning birdwatching with Josee. He was extremely well informed and gracious. Our driver, Alex, to and from airport/hotel, was superb. The roads were terrible. On arrival, we met Alex around 11pm as our flight had been delayed. He drove the difficult mountain roads to LaFortuna in fog and rain. Tip for the future, have your clients arrive at SJO in the afternoon to avoid the drive in the dark. We arrived at hotel at 2am and were picked up that morning for horseback riding at 8am (not much sleep). The hotel El Silencio was fine, not special. The Danus outing was good. The butterfly garden was not special. The transfer to Monteverde was fine and a nice boat ride with an attempt to find shorebirds. The hotel Fonda Vela was fine, not special; but the location was far from the activities because of terrible roads. It took about 45 minutes to go 5 miles. The sky walk adventure was worth the time; and the tram not particularly interesting. The Curicancha hike was very interesting with a wonderful guide. The night walk in the cloud forest was a highlight of the trip with a superb guide, Oscar. We took all our meals at the two hotels. The food was OK but nothing special or memorable. I forgot to ask Francisco about tipping. We did tip each guide $20 and also Alex. At meals, we tipped 20%. The drive from Monteverde to JSO was long and difficult but Alex did a great job. The daytime scenery as very interesting. Unfortunately the trip home took 16 hours -door to door- due to delays and long waits at airports. Not your fault. In all, we enjoyed being in Costa Rica and will surely recommend your agency and Francisco to our family and friends. Thanks for all you did for us. These are just my thoughts. My wife, Jan, will send her own review.
Donald Hamburg