Olman Romero

We wanted a trip focusing on "birds in Costa Rica", and we were pleased at what a wonderful itinerary we had. First hotel: We loved Hotel Bougainvillea - it is clear that this is a birders paradise in San Jose. It is far from the city center, but the gardens were fantastic. The hotel is a bit old fashioned, but the service was great. Lovely restaurant with an excellent breakfast. We loved stopping at the La Paz waterfalls. Amazing hummingbirds, very educational, and the hikes were fantastic!!! Next we stayed at Lomas de Volcan. This might have been my favorite of the places we stayed in terms of the actual room and amenities. Comfortable individual "cabin" - very modern bathroom, fantastic restaurant and bar, and a great location. I would gladly stay there again. My husband really enjoyed the thermal pools, and the restaurant was "traditional" food and just fine. We loved visiting Arenal Observatory Lodge - and saw lots of birds. It was super rainy, but we got a nice hike in. We next stayed at Natural Lodge Cana Negro. We loved this place - the owner and family were awesome, the staff were very interactive and helpful, and it was a fantastic place to birdwatch. The guide who took us out on the river was very knowledgeable, which made it quite exciting. The restaurant at the lodge is quite good. I will recommend everyone visiting Costa Rica and interested in rain forest and flora and fauna should take the time to get up to this part of Costa Rica. We also loved the Cloud Forest Lodge. We were literally in a cloud the entire time. It was wet and windy, but being able to see Curi Cancha and Monteverde reserves was AWESOME. It gives one a great understanding of "rain forest"! Our guide, David, at Curi Cancha was absolutely one of the best. He was enthusiastic, and we saw a lot of birds because of his knowledge of the area. While we didn't see any birds in Monteverde reserve, we did get a real "rain forest" experience.

While Hotel Villa Caletas was fine, an Italianate hotel in Costa Rica seemed a bit odd. It also had a million steps, and we had to ask to have our room changed. There was no way the two of could manage all those stairs multiple times/day. It has a great view and the restaurant is fine. Our guide into Carara National Park was our only real disappointment. She really knew nothing about birds, although she did know her plants. The only birds we identified was through interacting the guides helping other people. I suggest you not use her again for a birding trip.

Esquinas Rainforest Lodge was an experience! The cabins are rustic, just screens, and it was rather hot and rainy, but nevertheless we loved visiting this part of Costa Rica. The staff here was great. I think we also appreciated the variety in the places we stayed, which on top of the amazing diversity of flora and fauna in Costa Rica made this trip amazing!!

Our final stay was at Savegre National Reserve Hotel. This is a great place. We loved our room, and we had another amazing guide - absolutely the best. We went out twice with him! He has so much local knowledge. It was inspiring.

Altogether, we had an amazing trip - and we ended up seeing 190 new species of birds, including scarlet macaws and the resplendent quetzal. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in wildlife, birds, and getting to see different aspects of Costa Rica. Olman did a great job of putting this together, although I wouldn't go back to Hotel Villa Caletas and Carara National Park.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bougainvillea San José

Heredia

This is a lovely hotel away from the center of San Jose. There gardens are fantastic. If you are a birdwatcher, this is the place to stay, as the gardens attract many local birds. The rooms are comfortable, and the restaurant and bar were good. The owner must love rocks, because the lobby has many cases of rocks collected from all over Costa Rica. It was quite interesting.

Authenticity & Character

This is a slightly older hotel, but full of charm. The gardens are wonderful, and the beds comfortable, and the bathrooms are modern.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

The location of this hotel near Arenal Volcano is fantastic. We had our own little "house", and it was well furnished. The bathrooms were modern, and the property beautifully landscaped and maintained. The restaurant here is excellent, but they have a nice bar with original cocktails. Their breakfast is first-rate. They had many hot and cold options, including an omelet station and waffle maker. The location is great if you are interested in the area around Arenal National Park. We had a flat tire, and the staff was amazingly helpful in putting in enough air and then recommending a great place to get the tire fixed in the nearby town. I highly recommend this lovely hotel. There is a great view of Arenal Volano when it is not socked in by clouds!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Natural Caño Negro Lodge

I think people don't often head up this way on a visit to Costa Rica, but it is a mistake. This area is fantastic, and the National Cano Nego Lodge is great!! The staff was sensational, and the food at their restaurant quite good. Great bartenders too!! The owners are quite gracious. They arranged our birding trip down the river, and it was excellent. They have a bird feeding station that you can look out on while eating breakfast or other meal, and it makes it all the more fun! The Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cano Negro is amazing, and it is definitely worth heading up to this region. The beds are very comfortable, and the bathroom was modern! I highly recommend this lodge as well as visiting this part of Costa Rica. The roads in are a bit rough, so be prepared to bounce around a bit.

Authenticity & Character

The owners are amazing, and the staff very helpful and knowledgeable.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

This may be the most famous rain forest area of Costa Rica. It is well known because it is amazing. We drove up through the clouds to get here. While it was windy and rainy while we were there, it did not keep us from heading to Curi Cancha and Monteverde Reserves. The guide the hotel arranged was fantastic. I don't think you can understand a rain forest until you hiked through one! This lodge is perfectly positioned to visit both these reserves. Our room was quite spacious, the bed very comfortable, and the bathroom modern. The restaurant is good, and they do a very nice breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Villa Caletas

Tárcoles

This is a fine hotel in an Italianate style. The staff were excellent and very helpful. Our room was comfortable, and the place has a lot of old-fashioned charm. My only complaint is that there are a lot of stairs. If you have any mobility issues, this is NOT the place for you. They were kind enough to change our room, because to get to our original room was quite a trek up and down multiple stair cases. From the restaurant area, you have a great view looking out over the Pacific Ocean, and watching the sunset from there was amazing.

Esquinas Rainforest Lodge

Golfito

This part of Costa Rica is hot and humid. You are in essentially a cabin with only screens. The showerhead actually heats the water for your shower. The place lost power during a torrential rainstorm - so no shower that day. However, the beds were comfortable, and the meals (you really have to eat here) were very good. They used local fruits to make pitchers of juice they served at the meals. I found this quite fun. The staff is great, and our bird-watching guide was excellent.

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

This is a Hilton, and Hiltons have a certain level of dependability. It is located downtown, so it nicely placed if you want to go to the gold museum or the central market. Our room was on the small side. The bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom fixtures modern. You have to valet park your car, which was $27. This quite a hefty charge. You are also a bit of drive from the San Jose airport, so give yourself plenty of time to get there.

Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa

Páramo

This is the place to go if you are interested in seeing a resplendent quetzal. The guide the hotel arranged was stellar!! The room was spacious, and including a porch where you could look out over the gardens or the stream that runs nearby. The bathrooms were very modern, and the place was modern and comfortable. The breakfast here was excellent, but we did not have the best of luck with having supper there.

Activity Reviews

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Bird Watching Tour

Caño Negro

This is a fantastic area to bird. Our lodge provided us with a great guide, and we went down the river seeing iguanas in trees, caiman, and a fantastic assortment of birds. FANTASTIC!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was quite excellent.

Transport

Early Birdwatching Tour at Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

By far, the best birding experience in Costa Rica. It is a beautiful place, with a number of different habitats. Our guide David was fantastic! We were even lucky enough to see a resplendent quetzal! This is a "DON"T MISS THIS" type of place!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carara National Park Guided Tour

Costa Rica

The park is not worth the visit. It is a transitional forest, and we saw very few birds or wildlife. Plus the cicadas were so loud and there were so many of them it was kind of gross.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quetzal Safari Quest

San Gerardo de Dota

Our quetzal quest was successful, plus there are so many other places to birdwatcher. We went out with our sensational guide twice - amazing!! What a beautiful place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early Birdwatching Walk

La Gamba

We had a great guide, and the area is really diverse biologically. It is quite worth visiting this part of Costa Rica!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Please thank your whole team, US and Costa Rica, for taking such good care of our group of four when we had car trouble. Everything about the trip was FANTASTIC. Our favorites by far were the Manuel Antonio National Park tour and the Selvatura Hanging Bridges. The hotels were fabulous, esp. Issimo Suites, in the treetops! We plan to use KimKim for every trip out of the country! Thank you again!

We appreciated the careful planning and arrangements for our trip to Costa Rica in January 2026. Arriving in Liberia - Guanacaste airport late because of flight delays, we found our driver after leaving the chaos of the airport and inefficient customs. Our driver brought us to Lomas Volcuna Hotel over twisty, bumpy roads late in the evening. Of all the arrangements, the only thing I would change was perhaps staying closer to the airport and taking the arduous trip the next morning. The hotel in Arenal surpassed all expectations. It was quiet, luxurious, and clean with the individual cottages. The landscaping lifted the senses and there was a trail in the woods for enjoyment. The North Fields chocolate and coffee experience informed us of all the complexity of these crops; the guide used excellent teaching methods to keep us engaged. The next day, our boat ride on the river found more wild life than any other adventure of the week. The guides spotted monkeys, sloths, caiman, iguana and several bird species. All week the guides had telescopes to see the animals and they outfitted our phone cameras for pictures. Our last day, we hiked up the side of Arenal; the climb was aduous for some of our party but the guide supported the members who needed help. The trip to Manuel Antonio was another long bumpy trip but the Mariposa Hotel destination was worth the drive. Great views, wonderful restaurant, infinity pool and capochin monkeys everywhere. Manuel Antonio park did not handle the crowds well, wildlife was distant, but the coast was beautiful. Back up the mountain to the cloud forest and Monteverde. The hotel, Fonda Vela, had a great pool, the best cooking of the trip and beautiful natural wood rooms. We traveled the hanging bridges which were very manageable even for our members who had difficulty hiking. Our night hike in the forest revealed the creature that come out after dark. Guides showed us toucans, other birds, a viper, and a frog. Seeing a frog made me realize that all the ecology and conservation in Costa Rica has at least saved this one little reptile. We just don't see frogs in the US like I did as a child. Kenny our driver brought us back down the mountain to Tamarindo bay. The resort had a gorgeous ocean front that we walks every morning at dawn to our extreme delight. The town and vendors could be overwhelming at times, but the evening shows with traveling Mariachi bands, jugglers and circus acts were entertaining. Photos of the week will be dear to us; a video of stills and video clips helps to recall the good times!

We had the most unbelievable trip! We love all of the diversity with animals and plants.

We had a great trip and everything went perfectly! We have traveled with Kim Kim before and I am so impressed with your attention to detail! Our pick up drivers were very professional (especially Kennie) , our adventures let us get a great feel for Costa Rica and it's beautiful and rich history and wonderful and welcoming people. Our hotels were perfect and allowed us to relax and still be close to everything.

Hotel Reviews

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fonda Vela Hotel

Monteverde

We all loved the family and staff!

Authenticity & Character

They went out of their way to make us comfortable. The authentic breakfasts were a real treat!

Location

Staff

Over the top great!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Roads were very bad!

Guided Hanging Bridges Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Farm Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very informative and fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Cooking Class - Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Excellent and very hands on! Still waiting for our recipies!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was a buffet style, but good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Could give more time at the beach

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An incredible trip full of fun and great memories . Olman was incredibly patient with my many calls and questions. Our favorite activities were the wildlife boat trip in Tortugero, zip lining in Monte Verde, the volcano hike in La Fortuna and the final night catamaran cruise in Tamarindo.

Hotel Review

Wyndham

Tamarindo

Hotel was quite run down and needs repairs. Great location and views but bedding was torn, sink had leaks and the water pressure on the shower was very low. There was a shortage of towels and issues with the dryers being broken. Breakfast was tasteless and bland. Tables not cleared at breakfast and dirty.

Authenticity & Character

big corporate hotel, very little charm

Location

great view

Staff

Not friendly and overworked, too much asking for tips

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed linens ripped, sink leaks, shower pressure poor

Activity Reviews

San Jose - Tortuguero

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgable

Transport

Enjoy the Beauty of Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero

Great wildlife and wonderful guide. We saw and learned a lot

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sailing Excursion

Costa Rica

Crew was so friendly and views were amazing

Quality of Experience

comfortable ,

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

crew was awesome

Transport

Long ride from our hotel

In an airport on our way home last night, my 8 year-old grandson was reading posters for various travel options. "Where do you want to go next?" I asked. "Nowhere," he said. "I want to go back to Costa Rica.." That sums up our experience. When you work with an unfamiliar travel group, you never know if you can trust the literature. We could. Everything in our week-long trip went exactly as scheduled.
The hotel our family met up at, Buena Vista Chic Hotel, was beautifully situated. The staff was kind and the breakfast was delicious. The shuttle made it possible for us to arrive on three different flights.
Our personal driver, Cesar, accommodated all of our schedule requests and navigated challenging roads and traffic conditions carefully. He even brought a booster for our youngest traveler. Translation apps on our phones helped us out when we had plans to make that exceeded our language skills.
Our tour guides in Tirimbina (Ralph on the river trip and Valeria on the night walk at the Lodge) were fun to be with as well as very knowledgable about the wildlife at hand. The children overcame their initial fears about hanging bridges and became confident discoverers of monkeys, frogs and leaf-cutter ants.
The folks at Los Lagos let us swim before our afternoon excursion to the Mistico hanging bridges, even though check in wasn't until after 3. The adults loved soaking in the hot pools and the kids adored the water slides in the cool pools. We had lunch poolside and dinner in the dining room. Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. And breakfast the next morning was absolutely incredible. It was hard to tear the kids away after just one night.
The drive from La Fortuna to Quepos was challenging in its length and the hardest part of the trip. We arrived after dark and didn't know until the next morning how beautiful our beach location was at Karahé. Our rooms on the lower (beach) level were perfect both for the kids and the 2 grandmothers, giving us easy access to the water and restaurant. (I would NOT have wanted to need to cross the busy road dividing the property.) Breakfasts were very basic but dinner in the restaurant and lunches on the beach were great. We also took Ubers to 2 other restaurants.
The children skipped our excursion to Manuel Antonio Park in favor of playing on the beach. (The early start was too much for them although it put 4 of us at the front of the crowd at a very busy park). The easy walking and a good guide (Lisandro) with a telescopic lens made this visit comfortable for 2 of us with some vision and mobility issues, although I much preferred the quiet of Sarapiqui.
It was a pleasure to reconnect with "our" driver for the trip to the airport.
The trip was a total success for our family of folks ranging from 8 to 76. Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Buena Vista Chic Hotel

Alajuela

This hotel far exceeded our expectations. Yes, it was close to the SJO airport and had a shuttle. But it also had a beautiful location over-looking the city, very kind staff and a great restaurant. It was a perfect start to our week n Costa Rica.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The skyline at night was beautiful.

Staff

Our group arrived on 3 different flights. All were met and the staff helped navigate the challenges of finding supper for the last ones in. (The first person to arrive mentioned the kindness of the bartender)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

The children in our group would happily have lived here!

Authenticity & Character

The landscaping! The hot spring pools! The birds! The water slide! And the food!!! Breakfast was particularly lovely.

Location

Although clouds kept the volcano shrouded most of the time, it was lovely to be in its presence.

Staff

Check-in isn't until 3pm and we had an excursion scheduled for 1-3. The kids were eager to swim and the kind staff at reception had no problem with giving us early access to the water and restaurants.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Every inch of the property is beautifully landscaped. Staff was constantly keeping it all pristine.

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

It was a pleasure to end our trip here with private beach access, the pool and the restaurant just steps away from our rooms. It was fun to have a sloth and her baby hanging in a tree by reception and a mischievous group of monkeys swinging past the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We were especially well cared for at the beach and in the beachside portion of the restaurant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tirimbina Rainforest Lodge

Sarapiquí

I wanted to start my family's first trip to Costa Rica in this quiet location away from crowds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Having constant access to trails meant the adults could talk short walks with the children without it being an "excursion."

Staff

Valeria was the guide on our night walk and she was so great with the kids!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

More than 3,000 people a day visit this park, so it was always busy. I much prefer quieter locations but the level paths and a guide with a telephoto lens on his scope made this a great final excursion for 2 of us with vision and mobility issues.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver met us on time. Our guide, Lisandro, and his nephew were informative.

Transport

Boat tour at Sarapiqui River

Sarapiquí

Our family had the boat to ourselves! Ralph was charming and informative. He and the boat captain spotted birds, reptiles and mammals that we certainly wouldn't have seen on our own. What a great lazy way to enjoy the area: motoring down the river. Ralph also shared some 3-D goggles that were a revelation to us all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ralph had a relaxed style and tons of information. We all enjoyed spending time with him.

Transport

Night Walk at Tirimbina Rainforest Center

Sarapiquí

Our children were feeling a bit apprehensive about walking in the jungle at night. Valeria hit just the right tone to keep them engaged and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff