Thanks for a great trip to Costa Rica!
Costa Rica | Feb 11 - Feb 19, 2023

R
Ruth G.
Charlottesville, VA | Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023

From organizing through the trip itself all went smoothly and gave us a great experience! This was our first time organizing travels using a travel service - but won't be the last. We particularly appreciate Bryan arranging for small group tours - versus large groups that we saw along the way. At times it was just us and our guide - fabulous! The guides were wonderful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the terrain and wildlife - which is infectious. Special appreciation to Socio of Endemic Birds - truly a standout in terms of depth of knowledge (in fact, he has trained many other guides). Our favorite accommodation was Hacienda Baru (near Dominical). This was "homey", complete with a lovely outdoor cafe that served great food that was cheaper than eating in town, and has fabulous nature trails on the grounds. We enjoyed having iguanas visit us during b'fast. Without leaving the property we were able to enjoy a bird watching tour and zip lining. We were happy that we only spent one night near Manuel Antonio Park - the crowds there were overwhelming. Special thanks to Bryan, Nancy and Charlotte for remaining available to us throughout the trip! One suggestion - providing more specific driving instructions would have been helpful.

Activity Reviews
Marino Ballena Park Combination Tour
Marino Ballena Park Combination Tour
Costa Rica

Boat ride was lovely - we saw mom and baby whale and playful dolphins, as well as the beautiful views. Our swim was lovely - snorkeling was underwhelming (not the guides fault, just not much to see). We enjoyed our time walking (on our own) on the Whale Tail at the end of the tour.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Rainforest Birdwatching Hike
Rainforest Birdwatching Hike
Uvita

Great guide, shared with one other couple. This was our first opportunity to see sloths - very exciting!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Flight of the Toucan Zip-Lining
Flight of the Toucan Zip-Lining
Costa Rica

We had 2 guides for the 2 of us - so we were all able to play! The lead guide had also been our guide for bird watching earlier in the day, so felt like we were "playing" with an old friend.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park
Costa Rica

The park is beautiful and full of wildlife. We did however, feel a bit overwhelmed by the size of the crowds. Most tour groups were large (we were fortunate to be in a group of 4) - so a lot of people to traverse around.

Quality of Experience
The nature - not the crowds.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Carara National Park Guided Tour
Carara National Park Guided Tour
Costa Rica

After our previous day at Manuel Antonio Park, we appreciated how quiet this park was. We had Socio for a second day - for a private tour. The volume of wildlife was lower than in Manuel Antonio - but Socio taught us a tremendous amount about the trees and balance of nature - as well as spotting fascinating insects/spiders, bats and other critters that we would have walked right by.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Socio was both exceptionally knowledgeable about the terrain and wildlife, but also took the initiative to make calls for us to re-schedule our tour in Arenal so we would not be rushed. Very grateful!
Arenal Volcano National Park Boat & Hike
Arenal Volcano National Park Boat & Hike
Arenal/La Fortuna

A very pleasant half day - with a (muddy) nature walk that we enjoyed, and a beautiful boat ride with views of Arenal (partially in a cloud). Once again - we had a private tour. Our only complaint was the 50 % penalty that we were charged for changing our tour from the scheduled day (pouring all day!) to the next day which was predicted to be dry. The company was willing to take us out in the rain - but we would have been wet/cold and seen nothing. We chose instead to spend that morning at our resort - enjoying the hot springs. KimKim did try to advocate for us, but the tour company didn't budge on the up-charge.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Coffee & Chocolate Tour
Coffee & Chocolate Tour
Costa Rica

Beautiful grounds - even able to enjoy on our rain-filled day (the walking path is under cover). We learned a lot about the production (from start to finish) of coffee and chocolate - and enjoyed the opportunity to make our own. I must admit - the coffee that we bought in their gift shop was much better than what we made!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Bryan Leon
Bryan
Bryan Leon
Local specialist in Cartago, Costa Rica | Replied on Feb 26, 2023
Dear Ruth, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback on your recent trip. I am thrilled to hear that everything went smoothly and that you had a great experience. It was truly a pleasure to help you organize your travels and I'm glad to hear that you found the small group tours to be enjoyable. I'm especially pleased to hear that Andres from Endemic Birds was a standout and that you enjoyed your time at Hacienda Baru. I appreciate your suggestion regarding providing more... Read more

Dear Ruth,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback on your recent trip. I am thrilled to hear that everything went smoothly and that you had a great experience. It was truly a pleasure to help you organize your travels and I'm glad to hear that you found the small group tours to be enjoyable. I'm especially pleased to hear that Andres from Endemic Birds was a standout and that you enjoyed your time at Hacienda Baru.

I appreciate your suggestion regarding providing more specific driving instructions and will definitely take that into consideration for future trips. It is feedback like this that helps us improve our services and make sure that our clients have the best possible experience.

Once again, thank you for choosing our travel service and for your kind words. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any assistance in the future.

Best regards,
Bryan Leon,
Serendipity Adventures, Costa Rica