2 independent reviews for Costa Rica adventure and wildlife holiday
Reviews for Costa Rica adventure and wildlife holiday
Sue Kramer review 26 Dec 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful country. The birds and wildlife.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Just go!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.Judy Procter review 29 Jan 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visit to Drake Bay.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
This holiday is rated leisurely/moderate. There is absolutely nothing moderate about it. Many many hours are spent sitting in a bus or a boat. Given the heat and humidity - this is medically challenging for some travellers. The humidity meant that any clothes made of cotton were permanently damp. Clothes made from quick dry fabrics should be included on the packing list. Mosquito repellent was ESSENTIAL. Colones were the currency of choice - very poor exchange rates were used for payment in in $. Most people got diarrhoea- many whilst in Cahuita. Given the frequency of journeys - bring Imodium.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Benefits to local people: According to the Costa Rican embassy, tourism is the main source of income. Local people benefitted from tourists in the hospitality and retail sectors. The host company employs local guides/drivers. They select places to stop at. Environmental Impact: We drove around a lot - I assume the engines were petrol or diesel - not great. We all flew long distances. Not great for the environment. Water bottle refil is good. I hope food waste was fed to animals. Conservation Support: visiting national parks, visiting local museums, staying in eco lodges. Nature-based tourism should support biological diversity.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Disappointing - Expectations were created that could not be met - let alone managed. One of the main reasons I booked when I did was because the trip notes state “…during November to January baby turtles hatch…”. During a conversation with an host company employee - I was reminded to take black clothing so I could go onto the beach to see the turtle hatchlings. This was a huge disappointment right at the beginning of our trip. Our poor guide looked nonplussed as he said the hatchling had finished. The country is amazing. Our guide was excellent. The expectations were mainly not met due to inaccurate detail in the trip notes.Read the operator's response here:
We’re grateful for your review, Judy, and are glad you found Costa Rica to be an amazing
country to visit, and your tour leader to be excellent. We are sorry, however, that you
were disappointed with a few aspects of the trip, and would like to provide a response to your
concerns below.
We rate this tour as Leisurely/Moderate (Level 2) based on fitness levels required to safely
partake in the included walks and activities, and while we mention in the trip notes that there
can be slow drives due to occasionally poor weather conditions, the feedback we have
received over our years of operating this trip does not indicate that our customers find this to
be a challenge. Naturally, Costa Rica is a hot and humid country, and we expect our clients to
inform us of any concerns they may have about dealing with this prior to travelling.
We do agree that it would be helpful to add a note about bringing quick-drying fabrics, and to
move insect repellent up to ‘Essential Equipment’ in our trip notes, and have passed this on to
our product manager for Costa Rica to make the relevant changes.
While there is a lot of driving on the itinerary, we do have to cover a lot of ground to see the
full variety of sights the Costa Rica has to offer, and alternative ‘greener’ travel options such
as public transport are limited in the country. While CR is looking to reduce their carbon in
the same way the UK is, it’s a long term project rather a quick fix, and you can be assured that
we will remain at the forefront of this effort, in regards to tourism, going forward.
We are sorry that you were disappointed not to have been in Costa Rica at the same time that
baby turtles were hatching; while hatching season is indeed November to January, as
indicated by our trip notes, as it is a natural phenomenon no tour operator nor Costa Rican
wildlife authorities can precisely predict when hatchings will happen. We do not mention
that viewings are guaranteed, but are very sorry if this was the impression you received prior
to departure.
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