Serendipity Adventures

The surest way to ruin (a) paradise is to advertise it. I’m tempted to keep the secret and hope that nothing changes. However, I will let the cat out of the bag because that is what the residents of San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica want. They made a conscious decision to forgo land clearing agriculture and to earn their living by providing high quality eco-tourism experiences.

This family trip was literally thrown together in two weeks and we lucked into a Costa Rica travel agency (Serendipity Adventures) that took care of everything except our flights.

What is paradise? Different people have different preferences but the my family believes in escaping Texas heat in August. But, doesn’t it get hotter further South? Probably but not if you are in the mountains of Central America.

I was looking at the better-known Monteverde cloud forest region NW of San Jose but Serendipity encouraged San Gerardo de Dota which is about the same distance but SE of the capitol.

My only issue was traffic in and around San Jose. We arrived on a Saturday and a 2 ½ hr drive turned into over 4 hours because San Jose was a parking lot and we have to go cross town from the airport. Our driver explained that people can drive on alternating days based on license plate numbers but no restrictions on Saturday when everyone gets in their car and becomes part or a city-wide parking lot. One we cleared the twin cities of San Jose and Cartago we found smooth sailing on the Pan American Hwy. The Pan Am had very fresh smooth asphalt (if I were driving I would want my Porsche). What the two-lane Pan Am lacks is consistent striping, shoulder, guard rails or passing lanes. If you leave the road there are three possibilities: 1) hit a ditch and roll over, 2) hit something hard like a very big tree; or 3) drop 2,000 feet and maybe the forest canopy below might slow your descent. No worries, we were in the care of a local driver. Getting back on a weekday was one hour faster but there were still massive traffic jams in San Jose. Tip, don’t fly on Saturday in or out of San Jose.

The road to San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre Hotel and Narutal Reserve & Spa departs the Pam Am at 9.800 ft elevation and follows the narrow Savegre river. The resort is 6 miles below at about 7.200 ft, and about a mile above Savegre Falls. The road is about 50% paved and full of hairpin turns,,,but I wasn’t driving. There are about ½ dozen resorts and some Air B&B’s in the valley. Savegre Hotel is the oldest but also very modern, completely equipped i.e. great Wi Fi, Thursday night football in the bar, a spa, guided or self-guided tours through a private reserve, excellent staff, comfortable accommodations and so forth. Very good menu.

Tip. Don’t rent a car. Let a local drive.

You can read the Hotel Savegre backstory several places on the Internet. A condensed version is that the valley was undiscovered until the mid-1950’s. No evidence of prior human occupation. The first settlers cleared land for cattle, then a professor came along and said, why don’t you throw trout into the (fish free) river and Canadians will fly down here to pay to catch them. Later on the locals were encouraged to give up on cattle and take up hospitality. Within 30 years the cleared land regenerated back to forest.

So what is there to do: eat, relax, drink, hike, hike, hike, night hikes and go birding. I have never been a dedicated birder but, I knew where I was going so I bought a new super tele camera for the occasion. That was a good decision.

We spent two days hiking and birding, include a night hike with Raul Chacon who is the best nature guide that I have met and that is saying a lot. Excellent English, extremely well educated and knowledgeable and passionate without being overbearing in the least. He finally admitted that his grandfather and great uncle discovered the valley and established the community and resort. Raul has been finding Quetzals, Motted Owls and 49 varieties of Hummers for his whole life except when he was away at school.

So what to do in 4 ½ days? A couple of hikes above 10,000’ (epiphany, no acclimation issues because there is more oxygen at altitude compared to the Rocky Mountains further north), a hell of a lot of pretty birds to photograph, hikes to waterfalls, a trip to a coffee plantation, the most challenging horseback ride that I have been on, learning all about cloud forests, the local economy and people, and making plans for a return visit to Costa Rica at some point.

Hotel Review

Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa

Páramo

Given the remote location it exceeded expectations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Highland Bird and Paramo Tour at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Birdwatching and Natural History at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Raul Chacon is excellent guide

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Guided Hike at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coopedota Coffee Tour

San Gerardo de Dota

Coffee tour was fine but too much travel to and from Hotel Savegre.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My daughter joined my wife and I on our Costa Rica trip. Our trip planners, Holden and Serendipity Adventures tailored our visit to accommodate our special needs and schedule. We landed in San Jose and stayed at a hotel within a mile of the airport. Next day, Alex picked us up at the hotel for our trip to the Arenal Volcano area. Alex was much more than a van driver. He is an encyclopedia for Costa Rica! He gave us interesting facts about each small town we traveled through, pointed out interesting flora and fauna, and took us to his favorite Soda for an excellent Cost Rican lunch.
Our hotel, the Arenal Springs Resort, is a full service resort with multiple restaurants, swimming pools and excellent service. Our favorite restaurant was the swim-up in the hot springs swimming pool! The only negative for the hotel was its size. Our rooms were far from the central area and, since we had trouble walking, we needed to call for a ride every time we needed to do something. The rides arrived quickly, but were a little inconvenient.
From our hotel, Serendipity took us to a jungle walk, a river rafting trip (no rapids), and a coffee/chocolate tour. Lots of great photos and we are now experts on coffee and chocolate!
After 4 nights in Arenal, we journeyed to Monteverde, and the Cloud Forest Lodge, Our trip began with a short trip through the jungle to Lake Arenal, where we and our luggage boarded a boat for a sail across the lake to a landing about 45 minutes away. Our van was then loaded up and we learned about some of Costa Rica's very poor roads! 3 1/2 hours of pot holes, with a few newly paved sections to give us some hope! Next time we visit we hope that paving will be completed!
We only had 2 nights scheduled for the Cloud Forest Lodge, which was unfortunate. We could have stayed there much longer! The hotel is an eco-friendly facility with no TV, no pools, and no noise! Yes, you can hear birds singing and some animal calls from the jungle, and occasional thunder, but nothing else. We had never experience such an atmosphere and I thought I might get bored, but it was a wonderful experience. Thanks to Holden and Serendipity for finding this unique destination. Next time, we will spend a week at that lodge.
More kudos: My wife is gluten intolerant and when we had lunch that afternoon on the balcony overlooking the jungle, we informed the waiter of that. Her lunch was excellent and gluten free. When we went to dinners, lunches, and breakfasts thereafter, all the wait staff knew of her gluten intolerance and were careful to serve her only gluten-free dishes. Even the amuse bouche was separately prepared for her at the dinners. We have eaten at many Michelin-stared restaurants without that level of attention.
Our best tour of the week began the next day, a bird watching adventure in the cloud forest. Our guide, Andres (Andy), was an internationally recognized naturalist who is an incredible source of knowledge of birds, animals, trees, etc!

We had an absolutely incredible trip to Costa Rica and it would not have been possible without the amazing team at Serendipity Adventures. From the very start, everything was thoughtfully planned, well-organized, and tailored to our family’s needs.

Holden, Wilman and the team were a joy to work with. Always responsive, friendly and professional. Every transfer, tour and accommodation was seamless and we felt supported at every step of our journey. The attention to detail made all the difference, allowing us to relax and enjoy Costa Rica’s beauty without any stress.

The experiences they arranged, from exploring rainforests at night to white water rafting, were unforgettable. It was clear how much care and passion went into crafting our itinerary.

Thank you, Serendipity Adventures, for the trip of a lifetime. We couldn’t recommend your team more highly to anyone considering a trip to Costa Rica.

Pura vida!

Our family had an amazing trip to Costa Rica! The trip planned by Kim Kim and the local tour group Serendipity Adventures was planned from beginning to end to perfection supporting our family’s interests and needs. Elena was wonderful in helping us plan the trip and Wilman supported us throughout our week on the ground. While we did our own self driving tour, it was nice to know that he and his team was just a text away to answer any questions we had. We visited Arenal with an exciting rafting trip and then a private hiking tour with Mariano that was so educational. Then it was on to Monte Verde for a night exploration of the Children’s Forest, fun ziplining and another educational coffee and chocolate tour. Finally, we ended in Manuel Antonio. We had the most amazing tour with Socio, who i think taught most of the other guides at the park. His knowledge and excitement about every single organism there was truly unmatched. We ended our journey to paradise with a boat tour where the kids got to unwind and swim in the ocean while we enjoyed some delicious seafood relaxing on our last day here. It was a full week that we will remember fondly

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

overlooking the water and the park with beautiful views

Staff

everyone is incredibly friendly. Alan and reception and Fabian at breakfast were both lovely

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

incredible views and very secluded in nature

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whitewater Rafting Sarapiqui River (Class III-IV)

Costa Rica

Lots of fun for family with older kids

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Mariano was so well informed and so much fun to learn from. We ended up in the middle of a deluge on our hike but it still was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about the history of the area and the environment

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk at Children's Eternal Forest

Monteverde

Such an incredible night hike with Alan who found so many creatures and taught us about each of them as we spent this special time exploring the Children’s Eternal Forest. There was something truly magical about exploring the forest after dark and we all really enjoyed this experience so much. Of course, the highlight was the tarantula!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was awesome. He spotted two night animals as well!

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

We went for the ziplining and stayed the entire day checking out all of the other exhibits and activities. Our favorite was the 2 toed sloths , particularly Oprah who was very photogenic! The reptile and butterfly presentations were also really well done and the hanging bridges walk was a lot of fun. The ziplining is really well done and you get the adrenaline rush you are looking for, knowing that the equipment is all well maintained.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Spent an amazing 11 days in Costa Rica, arranged by Elena. We were in 3 different locations, Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and near Arenal volcano, and all details were cared for and everything went extremely smoothly. Alex, the driver for two legs of the trip, was especially fantastic, providing history, background and sharing many stories during the hours-long drives- the time went quickly and the scenery was beautiful. Would definitely recommend both Costa Rica as a destination and KimKim as a travel agent.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Mountain Paradise

Fortuna

Good location near many activities. Abundant and fast Uber service makes a car unnecessary. The room was very dark, and bugs (flying ants) greeted us on our first night, but weren’t seen again after that. The scenery was beautiful and breakfast was very convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Beautiful hotel within walking distance of shops and restaurants in Monteverde. Comfortable rooms, and nice pool/spa area. Food and service in the restaurant was only ok. Though there was only one couple in the restaurant, service was extremely slow and we had plans for after dinner., therefore we had to hurry the waiter to get to our other activity on time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Sol

Manuel Antonio

Incredibly beautiful home set in the mountains overlooking the Pacific. Spotlessly maintained and incredible views. During our stay, we regularly saw (and heard!) a pair of Macaws soaring overhead, a sloth in a teee over the patio and a large group of squirrel monkeys in the trees overhead. Very memorable. We had a chef come and and prepare us dinner one night because the house was so beautiful we didn’t feel a strong need to leave. Pool table and pool (with daily pool service) kept our group of 6 entertained.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

EcoTermales Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Beautiful. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great guide but we didn’t see much that day - just one of those days.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Treetopia: Tram, Zip Lines & Hanging Bridges

Monteverde

Great fun, many ziplines, good value for the money.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Enthusiastic, knowledgeable guide who clearly lived sharing the beauty of the park. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

Fun experience with bonus - we saw humpback whales while we were out.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mariano was an excellent tour guide through Arenal. He was friendly and knowledgable and made the trip fun!
Alex was an excellent driver, despite being stuck in non moving traffic for more than 2 hours, he kept his cool and was still a delight to have driving us.
The communication with Kim Kim and Elena was great as well.
This was an experience I will not forget.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

Beautiful hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

10/10 would recommend. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Making chocolate was the best!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There was a miscommunication in our transport to this activity.

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Absolutely loved the hanging bridges, this was my favorite part of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano was amazing!

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Summer trip to Costa Rica in 2025 was truly amazing. I took my two adult kids as a celebration for them graduating high school and moving on to the next chapters in their lives. We made amazing memories and had 10 days of bonding time. Holden, Wilman, Nancy and the whole KimKim and Serendipity Adventures team were helpful from start to finish...beginning with the first day I started planning this trip a full year ago. Their attention to detail, patience with my endless questions and quick responses put my mind at ease and made planning and ultimately enjoying the trip totally seamless. Once in Costa Rica, any questions or needs we had were met promptly. Communication while there was a breeze. We even ended up adding some last minute excursions and they did all the leg work and set everything up. Everything we did was so fun!!! We visited La Fotuna/Arenal, Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio. Each place we equally amazing with a totally different experience

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

This was our favorite hotel of the trip. Everything was really amazing. Top notch staff and service, gorgeous grounds, a couple great restaurant options, two large pools with swim up bar and SEVERAL private smaller hot spring tubs. Quick taxi ride in to town for shopping and other restaurant options and close to lots of great excursions.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Luna Llena

Tamarindo

This was a quirky place. We didn't hate it but we didn't love it. Pros: The bungalows were cute and funky and clean, and it was nice to have a full kitchen. And the extra space was for nice for our family. The complimentary breakfast was good and staff was very friendly. Also, you can't beat the location...a quick, easy walk to the fun town of Tamarindo and the main beach. Cons: Pool is kinda dirty and the hot tub isn't functioning. Also, the appearance of a swim up bar was a sad tease...as there is no poolside service at all, and the 'bar' is non-functioning. The worst part was the water pressure in the room. This was a strange one...it was truly hit or miss if any water would come out of the faucet at any given time. There were times the pressure was great, and other times literally nothing came out and we couldn't shower, wash our hands or flush the toilet. Every time we asked about it we got a different answer about what the issue was. A couple times in the 3 nights we were there, we had to use the pool to get clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Falls at Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio

We liked this place. We stayed in the "apartment" and it was nice to have so much extra room and two full bathrooms. The only thing we missed about this room was having a patio where we could sit and enjoy the beautiful grounds and listen to the rain. We did see a group of squirrel monkeys out our window one morning though! The food at the Medusa restaurant is AMAZING! We loved the breakfast (free) and ate lunch and dinner there several times. The staff went above and beyond, everyone is so friendly and helpful. Finally, the location is good. Walking distance to a couple close restaurants and a quick bus or shuttle ride to the beach, Manuel Antonio park or in to town in Quepos.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hikes

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was REALLY a cool experience. We enjoyed every minute. The lush rain forest is breathtaking and filled with wildlife. The bridges are so cool with spectacular views. And walking across and see the Arenal volcano was truly magical.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sailing Adventure with Barbecue

Costa Rica

This was a favorite activity of the whole trip. Everything from the staff, the drinks, the food, the VIEWS! and just the whole vibe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canopy Zipline Tour

Costa Rica

This was super fun! Not real challenging but a fun adventure. Loved propelling down the little waterfall, and we even saw a sloth! Staff is super friendly too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The team at KimKim and Serendipity Adventures were so helpful from start to finish. Holden provided an itinerary that suited our needs perfectly; a mixture of adventure and relaxation. I was traveling with a friend. Getting our rental car was such an easy process. He booked the Heliconias Nature Inn near La Fortuna and Bosque Del Mar Hotel in Playa Hermosa and we couldn't be more happy with these choices. He also booked two tours during our 5-day stay, Canyoning and Sailing/snorkeling. Although both were fantastic, the Canyoning was my favourite!

Wilman maintained contact with us through WhatsApp before, during and after our trip which was extremely helpful. He responded very quickly to all of our inquiries and even helped reserve a last minute tour and provided several recommendations for dining.

Holden, Wilman, and the team at KimKim and Serendipity Adventures helped make our trip run smoothly and we are so grateful for their guidance and support!

Hotel Reviews

Heliconias Nature Inn

Peñas Blancas

Such a beautiful resort-like setting. We stayed at the Tucan Suite which was nestled in the forest. Alejandro and the staff were so friendly and made sure our stay was memorable. Although we didn't have time to do the night tour on the site, it seemed like it would've been a great experience.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms and grounds were just beautiful.

Location

We loved the location since it was nestled in the forest. However, we didn't mind driving. If you're not driving, it's about 27 minutes from La Fortuna.

Staff

We interacted mostly with Alejandro, Diego, and Carlos but everyone was friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were very comfortable and the room was clean. We would recommend better lighting and more towel hooks. There were only two. We would also recommend providing an umbrella for the guests, especially during the rainy season.

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

What a beautiful hotel! It was beachfront but also surrounded by forest with lots of native trees and plants. We saw howler monkeys on two occasions. We stayed in room 201 and we couldn't be happier with it. There were two queen beds with a separate living area that looked out to the forest with floor to ceiling windows. We also booked a sailing/snorkeling tour that picked us up from the beach which was very convenient.

Authenticity & Character

It was just beautiful and clean.

Location

Close to souvenir shops and a mini market. It was also a 10 minutes drive to the town of Coco which has lots of places to shop and places to eat.

Staff

Everyone was friendly and approachable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were super comfortable and the room was immaculate.

Activity Reviews

Canyoning in Arenal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Everything about this tour was amazing. If you like adventure but still a beginner like me, this would be a great tour. Also, the lunch at the end was delicious and much needed. We all got a bit hungry after the tour lol

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the staff were amazing!!!

Transport

Morning Sailing and Snorkeling Adventure

Costa Rica

It was a beautiful sail to our snorkel site. We even saw sea turtles on the way! We had so much snorkel time and saw some beautiful fish. It was amazing! Loved the atmosphere of the boat, familiar tunes but with a spanish flair, the bottomless drinks, and finger food snacks were perfect.

Quality of Experience

The sailing part of the tour was incredibly comfortable and beautiful. The care we were given on board, and the marine life seen were amazing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All staff were amazing!

Transport

We were picked up at the beach of our hotel which was a bonus!

I can’t recommend these guys enough. Planned a perfect vacation for us (the brief was see cool things and adventure). Super communicative throughout they absolutely nailed the brief and made every step of the way super easy!

Activity Review

Arenal Mambo Combo Canyoning and Rafting

Arenal/La Fortuna