Kimkim Trip Reviews

We have never been to Ecuador before but after this trip I will strongly recommend to everyone to go to Ecuador and with KimKim :) Daniel was absolutely essential help by preparing my itinerary. I had already some idea but he helped me to make it to the perfection. Let's imagine: we saw in 18 days Galapagos, Guayaquil, Cajas, Cuenca, Gualaceo and Chordeleg, Ingapirca, famous market in Guamote, Chimborazo - 5 000 meters, Baños, Cotopaxi - 4 800 meters, Laguna Quilotoa, Otavalo and of course Quito.
All the time the itinerary work perfectly. All the transportations in Galapagos were just accurate. But the best person was our Guide and driver Christian. He was our guide from Guayaquil till Quito. Every day in the good mood even he must work hard, every day precise picking up us from each hotel, giving a perfect explanation and explaining all my questions. Thanks to him we understand mot just history, architecture and culture but also the people of Ecuador. I have to mention he was driving very safe.
If you ask me what was the best in our trip I couldn't tell you. Everything was just perfect. Galapagos? Cuenca? Ingapirca? Quito? Or Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Baños? Each of this locations were different and wonderful in its way. In addition the hotels we have used were so nice and unique!
Thank you everybody in KimKim who was involved and a special thanks to Daniel and Christian.

Pamela and Lubomir Repka.

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

Casa Pimampiro

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Mainao

Puerto Ayora

Exe Galería Man-Ging

Guayaquil

Hotel Boutique Carvallo

Cuenca

Posada Ingapirca

Ingapirca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Floresta

Baños

Hacienda La Cienega

Cotopaxi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Patio Andaluz

Quito

Activity Reviews

Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería

Ecuador

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

Visit Highlands Tortoise Reserve & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Guayaquil Gateway: Exploring the Pearl of the Pacific

Guayaquil

Full Day to Salinas!

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guayaquil City Tour - Free afternoon

Guayaquil

Guayaquil - Cuenca - City Tour

Guayaquil

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cajas National Park - Cuenca - City Tour

Cuenca

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gualaceo - Chordeleg - Cañar Province

Cuenca

Gualaceo - Chordeleg - Cañar Province

Cuenca

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ingapirca Ruins - Guamote

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guamote - Chimborazo - Baños

Guamote

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Baños - Pailón del Diablo to Cotopaxi - Hacienda Adventure

Cotopaxi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cotopaxi National Park - Quilotoa Lagoon (Private)

Cotopaxi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Otavalo and Cuicocha Lake: A Day Trip from Quito

Quito

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

COVID Test at your Hotel

Ecuador

Amazing service. Would definitely use again for future travel plans. From the first time I connected with Adriana, she was very helpful and answered all my questions. After making a truly memorable trip plan, she was available for any further questions. Highly recommend!

Hotel Review

Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens

Fortuna

Unique experience with unparalleled service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Awesome views and experience. Get to really experience Costa Rica with this excursion

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was truly great. Only issue we had was the reservation for the ride back to the airport. Our car came at 8AM when it probably should have come at 10. We were sitting at the airport for 5 hours.

Normally I book trips myself, but this was our first time using a travel agent, and we had a fun week in Costa Rica. It is a beautiful country with lots to do and see. If anything, I wish that we had more time there. Brittany, our agent, was always friendly and reasonably responsible. She listened to our needs throughout the process. Most of the trip reservations ran smoothly. The only hiccup we had was on the first night. We arrived at 2 am from our flight, super tired. When we came to the hotel, they could not find the reservation that KimKim booked through Expedia. They even tried calling Expedia and trying to find it but couldn't find anything. KimKim didn't give me any relevant info to find the reservation besides the unsuccessful confirmation number, and we couldn't get in touch with them since it was the night. Eventually, we had to end up paying for a night directly with the hotel at the counter (which was at a cheaper price than the KimKim booking). KimKim refunded their booking fee. In general, the agents were available to respond within 15-30 minutes of when we had a question or situation.

Besides this booking hiccup, all the other bookings ran smoothly. Everyone that KimKim booked us with were great companies and excellent service. We especially enjoyed Sky Adventures ziplining at Monteverde and the Catamaran Adventure with Tuscanes Tours in Manuel Antonio. Also, the shuttles that they booked us with RideCR between the different locations were always on time and very professional, which I very much appreciated. One note about the transfers, I feel that there could have been more attention to detail by Brittany for when the shuttle times were and when the hotel check-in/check-out were. There were multiple times when the two did not align and so we found ourselves having to figure out what to do in the interim time. Another way to work with this issue would have been to call the hotels for us in advance and let them know of these transportation timings.

One thing that I would have wished for is a breakdown of the costs for lodging and activities. As college students, we were hoping to keep the budget as low as possible. As such, Brittany kept some large blocks of time in the day free to do self-exploration so we didn't have to pay additional upfront costs. On the itinerary, she provided suggestions of what to do, but the transport and entrance fee to those activities were not included. If I had a cost breakdown, I could better understand where to spend and where to splurge. It is also possible that I could have found cheaper rates than the agent if I looked myself. It seems like most of the bookings were done through Expedia, at least for the hotels, which may or may not have been the cheapest rates.

Overall, we had a good experience, but not necessarily a great or excellent one based on the above factors. I appreciated that Brittany was able to connect us with the local companies, but now that we know the good companies to book with, I would book a trip by myself in the future.

Hotel Review

La Fortuna Downtown Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna San Carlos

Good, no-frills hotel. Good front desk service. I like that all the rooms face the pool. Breakfast in the morning was tasty. The location was great to be able to walk around town or get to La Arenal and the Hot Springs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue

Manuel Antonio

Staff was very attentive. We love boats so this was a really fun ride. It was great to interact with the other people on the boat as well. Had great food and drinks.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were supposed to go on an Antarctic but our cruise was canceled on the day of departure. KimKim helped us build a replacement trip on very short notice to salvage our vacation. Thank you.

Activity Review

El Chalten Full Day, Free time

El Calafate

It took a couple of years to organize this trip because of the pandemic. Serena and Lorena put together an excellent ten day itinerary that introduced us to Argentina Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia.
We spent three night in Ushuaia. This was sufficient time to tour the town and vicinity, visit the prison museum, tour the National Park, cruise the channel and experience the penquins on Martillo Island, and tour the Haberton Ranch.
We spent four nights in El Calafate which was plenty of time to tour the town, visit Perito Moreno glacier (boardwalk and boat tour), boat tour of the other glaciers, and Nibepo Aike ranch, including 3 hour horse back ride.
The next stop was three nights in El Chalten. I was able to trek to the lagoon of Fitz Roy, tour the small town, trek to the lagoon at the base glaciar Huemul and take the boat tour of the nearby lake.
We stayed in the Fuegueno hotel in Ushuaia. It was a nice hotel but noisy at night. Our room was facing the mountains; we had to endure a lot of noise from the street below.
In El Calafate, we stayed at the Kosten Aike. This is a nice hotel but it is noisy at night. After the first night we switched rooms from the street side to the court yard side of the hotel - which was very quiet. The staff is excellent!
In El Chalten, we stayed at the Destino Sur. This was a very pleasant hotel and a grade above the others.
There were a couple of glitches. My transit never showed up at the bus stop in El Chalten. I had a ten minute walk to the hotel. On the transit from El Chalten to El Calafate, the driver stopped for about an hour at the airport outside of town to pick up another passenger, but the passenger was a no show.
Ryan's Travel itinerary was vague. They should provide more detail of the daily activities.

Lorena is excellent. Down the road I am sure that I will use her travel agency again.

I was totally blown away with the service I received from Lorena, she had booked a pre and post cruise plan that was excellent. When the cruise cancelled she got right on making plans to fill in the days, basically she saved the trip and turned it into an excellent adventure last minute. She went above and beyond not only making hotel reservations but everywhere we went a driver was waiting to pick us up and deliver us to our hotel. All tickets and passes were waiting, with never a glitch. There is no way I could of done it without her knowledge of where to go and how to get there. Lorena is definitely an invaluable member of your team. 5 stars are not enough.
Sam and teresa

Wow!! What an amazing journey! Mathias and the entire Authentic Ecuador team were just amazing. We already had a trip planned to Southeast Asia that got derailed because of the Omicron variant of Covid. We were able to book an amazing trip through Kim Kim and with Mathias To South and Central America. We began in Peru and then arrived in Ecuador. Ecuador was absolutely magical! We explored Quito, Banos, Archidona and The rainforest at Yasuni National Park. Our guide and driver, Cristian, was an amazing guy. He was kind, warm, laid back and very knowledgeable. From the city bike tour and cooking class, to the gorgeous villa in Archidona, we grew to love the people, culture, history and nature of Ecuador during our stay there. We will be back one day for sure! We would love to bring our children next time! Thank you to the entire team!

Hotel Review

Kuyana Amazon Lodge

Archidona

What an absolutely stunning and peaceful place. Wish we could have stayed longer. The owner and the staff are so kind and the property is immaculate. With the backdrop being the Amazon and in the amazing country of Ecuador, what could be better. We had a super fun cooking class and a really great night walk through the rainforest. What an amazing experience. Thanks guys!

Tips for future travelers

Don't bring too much luggage. Easier for you and the staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Community projects - Paddling excursion - Traditional dinner - Night walk (NCC)

Yasuni National Park

We loved the Napo Cultural Center and our guide Vince is the absolute best!

Quality of Experience

Food

Amazing food! Thanks Chef!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wow!! What an amazing journey! Anne and the entire Peruvian soul team was just amazing. We already had a trip planned to Southeast Asia that got derailed because of the Omicron variant of Covid. We were able to book an amazing trip through Kim Kim and Peruvian soul To South and Central America. We began in Peru and it was absolutely magical! We started in the rainforest in Tambopata National Reserve. Our guide and lodging were great. We saw all kinds of insects, animals and birds. From there we went to the sacred valley and saw the ruins of Ollantaytambo and the Moray terraces. From there we went to Machu Picchu and our minds were blown. Our guide along the way, Julito, was extremely knowledgeable, professional, warm and kind. In Cusco I suffered some altitude sickness and he took the best care of me. I felt like I was in very capable hands. I grew to love the people, culture, history and nature of Peru during my stay there, We will be back one day for sure! Thank you to the entire team!

When my wife and I had dreamed of going to Patagonia, but we weren't really sure where to begin. We had no knowledge of the region and what it would take to navigate around each town within Patagonia. After contacting KimKim, Erin quickly put together a detailed itinerary with great day to day activities. She was very responsive and easily made adjustments to customize it to make it our dream trip. She provided different options, and did all of the work to make the appropriate changes.

The pre-reading they gave us before our trip was also very helpful to know what to expect about the culture and what we needed to pack. Her itineraries were detailed and we knew exactly what was supposed to happen on a daily basis during the trip.

She kept us informed about the ongoing Covid situation for each country that we were planning to visit as things were rapidly changing. She took the time to call us to help us make informed decisions when we needed to make changes to our trip. This was so helpful because we would not have known each countries regulations without her and her team.

When we found out the week before our trip that the land border between Chile and Argentina was going to remain closed due to Covid, Erin and her team promptly informed us and wasted no time in finding alternative solutions that would still allow us to go on our trip.

Erin really went above and beyond to assure our trip was great. She rearranged our entire itinerary and accommodations in just a few days before we left. Despite all of the last minute changes, our entire trip still went off without a hitch. Transportation showed up as promised and hotels were as described. She was also able to recuperate most of the money we would have lost for canceling and changing everything last minute.

I would highly recommend KimKim and Erin to anyone looking to have a worry free trip. They really helped take the stress of planning everything and dealing with covid out of the picture. We felt very taken care of and that we were in good hands the whole way. This trip would not have been possible for us without them and we are very grateful and appreciative!

We have made a rather last minute decision to visit Costa Rica for our very first trip together with Anna. Having had difficulties with arranging a car rental we decided to look for some support with our arrangements. At this point Anna popped into Kimkim and ask for assistance. Charlotte did not only came up with a positive offer for the rental but gave us advise for our entire trip plan inclusive of hotels, activities, insurance, etc. We found the Kimkim platform very user friendly and easy to understand. Frankly we did not really hesitate for a moment weather to accepts Charlotte's offer as it gave us a the structure and the security for 16 days we just needed to feel comfortable. Not going into details we just really liked all our destinations, hotels so we were convinced enough to reach out to our suggested hidden spots in between the cities. Credit goes to Kimkim and Charlotte who by the way was all our way long available for questions or just a kind follow up. Traveling to different exotic destinations we would definitely be looking for a Kimkim representative to guide us with good recommendations !

PS : If you get the chance to visit the Pacific Coast, dont miss Playa Ventanas next to Uvita !

Hotel Review

Azania Bungalows

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

our favorite

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arrive and Transfer to Hotel

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Diego helped us plan the trip. He made suggestions about the itinerary and helped us select suitable hotels etc in accordance with our budget.
Our trip included most of the key parks, waterfalls, hot springs, and other must-see venues. We even ventured on a Zipline which was fun.
There was one excursion, the Volcano walk, which turned out to be very difficult for us (senior citizens). The walk was considered a "leisurely" walk but instead, it was a very difficult climb on a relatively steep grade. I would not recommend this tour for seniors.
Diego was very responsive to our inquiries which were promptly answered.
So thank you, Diego. You streamlined the trip for us and it was an enjoyable journey.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country, well worth a visit.

Hotel Review

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

We stayed here for 3 nights. What we loved was that the hotel had hot springs. So after a day of walking and sightseeing, the hot springs were great for relaxing. The hotel dining room was spacious and the food and service were excellent. The only reservation is that the hotel facilities are on a hill and it is necessary to use a shuttle if your room is up the hill. While the shuttle was available most of the time, it was necessary to wait for the shuttle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The ambiance was great

Staff

Very responsive staff. Always happy to help

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Transfer San José to Arenal with guided visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

Costa Rica

The transfer was picturesque and La Paz was an interesting stop. The waterfalls were magnificient. The collection of animals reminded me of a zoo, but in reality La Paz was the only place where we saw the larger animals. We did see many butterflies and other insects as well and the gardens are a real treat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My daughter and I had a fantastic time during our stay in Nepal. Ngima and his team took excellent care of us. We arrived as clients but felt like friends and family when we left. Everyone took great care of us and we are already looking forward to a return trip with Nepal!

Brittany and the Kim Kim team put together a fantastic 9 day trip for me and my son over the New Year holiday with very short notice and reasonably priced. Our accommodations in La Fortunate, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio were beautiful and luxurious. Twice we opted to hang out in our room just to enjoy the beautiful views.

Brittany had set up multiple excursions and guided tours at each of the three destinations. The activities like the sky walk, kayaking and snorkeling were so much fun. We really loved everyone of them. The guides on our tours through the rainforest of various parks and on the ocean were so professional and the experience was very educational as well as entertaining. We got a ton of great wildlife photos.

Our entire experience with Kim Kim has been the best and we will definitely use their services in the future. We highly recommend them and we are very picky vacationers.

Thank you Brittany and your team.

Sincerely,

Ann

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

So beautiful. Monkeys everywhere. We just enjoyed watching the view , hanging out at the pool and sipping a cocktail. Easy walk to the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Luna Hotel & Spa

La Fortuna

A wonderful hotel. We loved the trail along the river. The food was delicious. Everyone was so nice and friendly. Thank you for a great stay.

Tips for future travelers

Enjoy your stay. Be adventurous and hike up to La Fortunate waterfall.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful accommodations.

Location

Staff

Very kind and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Beautiful views. Another hotel we enjoyed just hanging out in our room watching the views and animals. The restaurant was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rio Celeste Day Trip

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great guid.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great guide. Great educational experience. The sky walk was a blast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sea Kayaking & Snorkeling

Costa Rica

We loved it. Awesome to kayak experience as well as snorkeling.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colombia was phenomenal - we had such an authentic, local experience due to the effort and care put into our trip plan by our local guide, Felipe. KimKim made it easy to communicate with updates constantly through WhatsApp while we were in the country, and catered to every need we had that popped up.

Medellin was like a tropical, Spanish-speaking San Francisco - a must see! Cartagena was an enchanting colonial Spanish town. I hope to have those wooden windowsills and white walls on a latin ranch someday :).

Hotel Review

Hotel San Pedro de Majagua

Isla Grande

Charming and comfortable, and surrounded by massive local trees, the hotel is adorned with hammocks and private outdoor living rooms attached to your hotel room. Can sit in the evenings and look out over the coast, with the sea breeze and waves all around you.

Tips for future travelers

Use the bikes to get to town!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

City Tour of Medellín (with Parque Arvi)

Medellín

The cable car trip is amazing. Stunning views, and you interact with friendly locals the entire time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have never heard of KimKim or used it before, but it worked out very well. Felipe and his associate were very responsive and available at all points, checked in with us to make sure things were running tight and we’re just super helpful. We loved Medellin and our city tour there. The restaurant reservations everywhere worked well and were appropriate for what we wanted. Cartagena was more heavily touristed than we expected but our city guide Manu was great, and the hotel was very nice, conveniently located, much nicer for us than a big hotel would be. We absolutely loved staying at Isla Grande. (The boat ride back was a bit choppy and wet but fun anyway.) We loved our first trip to Colombia and are so pleased with how all of the planning worked out. Thanks again!

Hotel Review

The Click Clack Hotel Medellín

Medellín

Very stylish, playful, great location, terrific service although breakfast could be a bit slow some days.

Activity Review

Dinner Reservation at OCIO / OCI.Mde

Medellín

They took such good care of us. They didn’t immediately have a table ready but apologized and more than made up for it by sending complimentary dishes. The food was our favorite of the whole trip. Great place

The trip was amazing, start to finish. We enjoyed every aspect of this trip and felt we had a good mix of city and nature experiences. Santiago, Chile was a welcoming city with beautiful historical landmarks, parks, neighborhoods and museums not to be missed such as Sky Costanera, Cerra San Cristobal, Barrios Bellavista and Lastarria, Museos Chileno de Arte Precolumbino and La Chascona. The views from Sky Costanera and Cerra San Cristobal were eye popping and really gave you a sense of the city largess. The museums were a moving historical and cultural experience. We walked the neighborhoods and used the local subway daily, located safe and convenient from our hotels. The Atacama desert was incredibly beautiful and greatly exceeded our expectations. The guided desert tours with José Miguel Ruiz-Tagle were very well done, the mountains, salt flats, lagunas, geysers, natural flora and fauna made this feel like an other worldly place. Hoteles Altiplanico accommodations were peaceful and the manager Oscar was very helpful. Puerto Natales, the national park tour of Torres del Paine and the full day hike to the base of the Torres were both great outdoor experiences. The hike was not difficult but long at 9.5 hours round trip and definitely requires endurance, strong legs and knees. Mauro, our hiking guide was patient and paced the group well. Hotel Noi Indigo accommodations were perfectly located with incredible mountain views. If we could do it over again, we would have spent more time there. We also visited the beach towns of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, a great place to find a unique artisan gift, dine overlooking the pacific ocean, and experience the beaches. Loved Buenos Aires, Argentina and the trip to Iguazú Falls, both Argentine and Brazil falls and took a fun boat tour to feel the falls up close. Once there, not hard to understand why this is a Unesco World Heritage site. Buenos Aires was beautiful, very large, impossible to see in the short time we were there and we would love to go back again. Really enjoyed walking the city, the many city parks and mature trees lining the roads. We visited Museo Evita, a great tribute to her societal contributions and place in history, as well as MALBA, Ecoparque, Puerto Madero, Palermo Soho and Hollywood, easy walks from our hotel.
The people of Chile, Patagonia and Argentina were warm and welcoming. Emilce, Clementina and all of our ground support/guides (Jose Miguel, Fernando, Vitor, Natalie, Lauren, Mauro and Vitor) were great, particularly during this period of COVID, helping us navigate the testing, locations and timelines. Go and have fun!

This was one of a lifetime trip! Absolutely Amazing! We have a 7 year old and we decided to take the chance and travel from Atlanta, GA in the US to Lapland to be able to find the Real Santa and do everything possible to make my son experience Santa with all the bells and whistles!

Finding the right partner to do is very important. And here is where Kim Kim comes to life once again. We chose NORD DMC with Julia and Thao behind everything, and when I say everything, I really mean it!

I am a very particular traveler because I like to do research first and find the exact places to stay and the activities I want to do, and then, work the itinerary together so that I can get the local insights and the experience and expertise of people like Julia and Thao.

They understood my wishes and gave me different options until we were able to create the perfect experience and spend a wonderful Christmas in a beautiful country.

The hotels they chose, the adventures tailored for our family and all the ideas of what to do and where to eat were on point. Not to mention that they were always available if I needed to ask something. They are both very warm and knowledgeable.

I have a lot of more countries to go, but if I go back to Lapland or any of the Scandinavian countries, I will contact them for sure!
Thank you Thao and Julia for a Magical White Christmas with Santa in Lapland.

January 2022. Our trip to Costa Rica was wonderful. Adriana, our trip planner was amazing. In planning the trip, she modified the itinerary several times to fit our specific needs and was available to answer all our questions immediately before and during the trip. She even offered to check her email after her regular hours to assure our needs were met. I never felt we were alone without help if needed.

The hotel in Arenal, the Kioro , could not have been more perfect. The view of the volcano from the room was phenomenal. One of our most memorable moments was seeing the volcano after the clouds finally cleared. Hotel staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The dinner meal at the poolside restaurant was delicious and included many local specialties. Franklin, the tour guide for the national park hike and the La Fortuna waterfall, (and our trusted driver, Gonzalos) was entertaining, informative and helpful. He went out of his way to try to try to find sloths, making extra stops along the way. And he helped us get an item in town that we needed. The 500 steps down to the waterfall are worth the prize at the end of the journey, even though the climb back up was challenging. Take some water with you for the climb back up. A couple hours to shop in La Fortuna is all you need and a nice place to gather souvenirs (as are some of the stops the drivers make in transport - good deals). Also some good dinner choices in La Fortuna. Note: no ATMs in the hotels, so get your cash in town.

Joshua was a great guide on the Frio River in Cano Negro tour and he really knew his facts. We saw beautiful birds, such as the blue heron, the Anhinga (native to CR), Wood-stork, and Amazon Kingfisher. Turtles, and Jesus Christ green lizards – named that because the literally fly across on top of the water. Oh, and huge iguanas! Caimans were sunning on the shores all over. The big treat, though, were the monkeys. Howler monkey families everywhere and we saw an adult w/a melanin mutation, causing him to be orange. There was also a baby with the same mutation which was white. Joshua had the boat docked so we could get a closer look and we got great photos through the telescope.

Zip line tour in Monteverdi was very fun! Another memorable moment. The staff that accompanied us throughout the tour deserve 5 stars. Friendly, helpful, reassuring, professional. A bit of climbing up and down steep stairs and about a total of 2 miles of hilly trails in between the zip lines, so be aware you need to be in shape if you are an older tourist. You can do the hanging bridges without a tour guide, but another 3 miles of up and down hilly trails. So, I’d recommend stopping for lunch in between zip lines and bridges.

Manuel Antonio area was another treat. The Parador Resort was 5 star +. Again, staff very friendly and took care of your every need. Beautiful ocean views and the rainforest was right in front of the property where you could take a 1/2 mile walk. We saw Congo monkeys in the trees, white-faced howlers (cappuccinos) and sloths and macaws right on the hotel property. Breakfasts offered many choices. Eat as much fresh fish as possible if that is to your liking - mahi-mahi, red snapper, sea bass - all fabulous. Take a private birding tour if possible. Our guide, Elias, was very informed and we saw fabulous, beautiful birds up close with the telescope (a must). The tour of the Manuel Antonio National Park can be very busy and you may or may not see some of the animals you are seeking, but the park is very lush and beautiful. The beaches are clean, with beautiful white soft sand and wonderfully warm waters. Very relaxing. We had a day without any tours and enjoyed this day on the beach. Can rent chairs and umbrellas for $10 USD for the day at the public beach. (No credit cards)

Tour guides, Warner (kayaking) and Mario (Manuel Antonio National Park) went way out of their way to help us when we had an unfortunate incident. They were extremely helpful.

A huge shout-out to our drivers during our private transports: Ricardo, from San Jose to Arenal; Wilson, Arenal to Monteverdi - (a treacherous journey across the mountain); Albarro, Monteverdi to Manuel Antonio; and our driver from Manuel Antonio to San Jose made sure our check-in at the hotel was seamless before he departed. Such caring service!

The people everywhere were warm and friendly. Breakfasts included every day and lunches with almost every tour, were very convenient and tasty! I would recommend this company to any traveler going to Costa Rica and will look into using them again for our next trip. Great job!

Hotel Review

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Great staff, perfect location, fabulous ocean views. Perfect sunsets. Great food. Fish is fresh and delicious. The rainforest in front of the hotel allows amazing opportunities to see wild life right on hotel property! Junior suites offer so much room and comfort. Several pools to choose from, clean and relaxing. 5 star.

Tips for future travelers

Take the private birding tour (at 0600 -worth it), if possible. Phenomenal birds and informative guides. And the guide will get you fabulous close up photos through the telescope. And most of the tour is right on the property!

Authenticity & Character

Tropical setting, birds and sloths on the property. Classy.

Location

Staff

Everyone acknowledges you and goes out of their way to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was amazing because we saw so much. The Jesus Christ lizard jumping over the water, the huge iguana, the howler monkeys, including those with mutations. And our guide went out of his way to dock the boat and get us to shore so we could view the monkeys up close. But, it would not have been fun if we missed these sitings 🙁. It’s a 2 hour trip each way, so makes for a long day. Lunch was included, and was very good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Authentic Costa Rican meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nothing, really. It’s just a long journey to and from the river.

Although 8 days is not nearly enough time to visit Egypt, I had the trip of a lifetime! All the organization, from pick ups, to tours, to getting my test to return to the US was top notch. I also think with the limited time I had, Ibrahim picked great highlights. I would absolutely recommend this experience to EVERYONE - whatever you think about Egypt, it is SO MUCH MORE!

Traveling solo, I was a bit nervous, but both my guides Mohammad Shaarawy and Mohammed Kamal were knowledgable, professional and excellent. Mohammed Shaarawy excels at explaining complex Egyptian history and Mohammed Kamal is enthusiastic and energetic.

I'm so happy I did this tour and can't wait to come back.