Discover Costa Rica

Customer Reviews

• DD

  Deborah

  · March 4th, 2025
  Absolutely an awesome trip. I love the information on the government, history and the education system. Daniel was fantastic, as was our driver, Ricardo. I also loved all the family owned businesses and restaurants we went to. And the lodging was awesome. Some of the hikes were more strenuous than expected; but we were given options. Overall, the trip exceeded my expectations. The restaurants picked offered a good variety of foods and the prices were fairly mid-priced and fair. The only downside would be one couple, Daniella and David, were on the negative side, especially David. He complained constantly about the rain and many of the places we ate. Daniel went out of his way to accommodate them by trying to find a more economical place for them to eat, while the rest of us enjoyed the restaurants he chose. It's a shame you can't give personality tests before some of the trips! HaHa. Our spirits were not dampened though!
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  Exodus Adventure Travels commented on this review

  Our local team will be thrilled to hear your kind words about all the team on the ground! Thank you for taking the time to let us know you had a great adventure on Discover Costa Rica tour. We always appreciate hearing back from our travellers.... Show more
  Trip date: February 2025
• CH

  Cheryl Irene

  · March 4th, 2025
  First, I want to say that our tour guide Daniel was EXCELLENT in all things! He shared his vast knowledge of all of the beautiful areas that we visited and his obvious love for what he does was contageous! We had one traveler in our group who complained about EVERYTHING and at times was very rude to Daniel and condescending. Totally uncalled for. It made the others uncomfortable at times. However, Daniels patience and ability to handle the situation was very professional. Now as for the trip itself, it was all that I expected! The various areas we visited were beautiful and full of so much "nature" in the form of birds, lizards, monkeys, crocodiles, turtles and other forms of life. The vegetation was mind boggling. As much as I loved the various hikes (thank goodness for my two walking sticks) I had to back out of a couple because of my bad knee. Daniel made sure that I was included at least in the ascent to the top of the hills in a jeep with the others in order to see the area, and while they made the trek back down, I returned in the jeep. He was always watching out for me to make sure that I didn't fall flat on my face! Overall, the meals that were included were good. The restaurants that Daniel chose for our meals that we paid for were excellent and in a fair price range (the complainer thought $6 was too much to pay for a meal and made a big deal out of it, so Daniel took him next door to a far less "expensive" restaurant.). While we were staying at El Establo in Monteverde I missed a step in the poorly lit hallway stairs and had a nasty tumble. Although badly bruised hip, I survived. Daniel made sure the management knew about the poorly lit stairs so that they could hopefully fix it before someone else fell. The various national parks were absolutely beautiful. Seeing the sloths up close in Manuel Antonio Park was a real treat. Great trip! I would highly recommend it to anyone!
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  Exodus Adventure Travels commented on this review

  We would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to post a review of your experience on our Discover Costa Rica tour and we are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your adventure. We were especially happy to hear your feedback on Daniel and have... Show more
  Trip date: February 2025
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  Caroline

  · September 5th, 2024
  Eduardo our guide and Victor our driver were both wonderful, looking after us every step of the way, and always attentive to our requests and enjoyment of the holiday
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  Exodus Adventure Travels commented on this review

  We are so happy to hear that you had a great time on our Discover Costa Rica tour and we really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and providing us with feedback. We are thrilled that Eduardo and Victor took care of you and we know our local team will... Show more
  Trip date: August 2024
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  marta

  · February 4th, 2020
  The travel arrangements, accommodation, and food were excellent. The driver was excellent and the guide very good. I was with a lovely group of people. Unfortunately we had torrential rain at Arenal and Monteverde which meant that we got soaking wet and didn't see a lot. The other four locations were wonderful, particularly Savegre cloud forest. I would have loved to have stayed there another night and gone straight to the airport from there. I didn't particularly enjoy the farm visit and afterwards found myself covered in flea bites! Altogether though it was a great trip with beautiful birds and wonderful scenery.
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  Trip date: January 2020
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  Judy

  · November 1st, 2019
  Great trip...lots of things to do and the guide was excellent, he was very knowledgeable about the wildlife
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  Trip date: April 2019
• GR

  Gillian

  · March 31st, 2018
  Well organized and comprehensive tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife, especially the birds. He spotted things which we would never have done and was able to identify them with ease.
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  Trip date: March 2018
• DW

  Donald

  · March 21st, 2017
  Great holiday for the environmentally conscious person. A cornucopia of flora and fauna, well presented.....wonderful experience.
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  Trip date: March 2017
• AE

  Ani

  · October 30th, 2016
  This was my first group tour and it completely...
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  Trip date: October 2016
• A

  Ian Hay

  · November 9th, 2013
  An interesting and wonderful country. Exodus organisation was impeccable. Not a cheap location and activities/shopping aimed at 'Tourists' charged in USD and often over-priced. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?For us both, seeing baby and adult turtles. For myself seeing the amazing butterfly population, particularly the Morphos.What did you think of your group leader?Good and reliable.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Add a few days at Pacuare Lodge [www.pacuarelodge.com] at the end of your Exodus trip. Arrive and depart by white water raft. Amazing location, service, staff and food. In National Geographic's top 25 Ecolodge list! Our only mistake was not booking for longer!!Take twice as many USD as you think you will need. Contrary to expectation the the visit and walk to Arenal goes nowhere near the summit or crater. Don't bother visiting Selvatura Park, Monteverde - very overpriced, staff indifferent and some frankly rude. Visit the nearby Monteverde Butterfly Gardens 'El Mariposario' instead [not to be mistaken for the understocked butterfly house which is part of Selvatura Park].For snacks in Monteverde go to the Orchid Cafe - wonderful iced coffees and other delights!Is there anything else you would like to add?Suggest Exodus offers the option of Pacuare Lodge as an extension and includes a visit to see at least one volcano crater.
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  Trip date: November 2013
• A

  Di Rooks

  · October 26th, 2013
  A truly amazing trip which surpassed my high expectations. Everything was perfect, the accommodation, the food, the guide, Giovanni, the local guides, the itinerary which included close contact with lots of amazing wildlife and chance to become familiar with some of the culture of Costa Rica with a visit to a coffee plantation, a school and an appetising lunch with a lady who makes delicious cheese. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Difficult to choose one there were so many but my first view of a sloth was amazing, I had always wanted to see one, also getting so close to iguanas who posed beautifully for photographs. Gliding peacefully along the canals at Tortuguero was like a dream. And I loved the feeling of being so close to nature at Esquinas lodge, listening to the evening frog chorus. What did you think of your group leader?Giovanni was all you could ask for in a guide. His knowledge about wildlife was extensive and he never tired of answering our endless questions.  He was obviously proud of his country and was keen for us to learn something about his people. He was able to recommend some good eating places. He was sensitive to all our needs and had a good sense of humour. He made sure dietery requirements were met and went out of his way to make sure we saw all the wildlife we could, He had amazing spotting ability, we wondered how he managed to spot some things, and would stop the bus so we could take photographs and get a closer look through his telescope. He made sure we saw the resplendant quetzal at Savegre. We were lucky enough to see male, female and juvenile.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Book now it is an amazing trip. A poncho is really useful as it covers your rucksack when it rains. I took my own wellies for the muddy walks but others managed in trainers. I found my walking stick useful on really muddy tracks as it helped maintain balance when it was slippery. The walking is not difficult many of the trails are on stony tracks. I didn't need the separate holdall for the trip to Tortuguero as there was enough room for luggage even on a full boat. Check you have enough time for connecting flights in Madrid if you choose that route.A super absorbent travel towel was useful on the waterfall walk to dry off after a swim.Take plenty of insect repellent. We had to go through security again in Madrid on the return journey even my bottle of water bought airside of security in San Jose was confiscated so this might affect what you buy at duty free in San Jose.Is there anything else you would like to add?I must mention the driver. I felt really safe the whole time he was such a skillful driver on some very steep and windy roads. We were only eight in our group so we had plenty of space to spread out in the minibus. All the accommodation was clean and comfortable and all the staff were friendly and looked after us well, nothing was too much trouble. This really is a trip of a lifetime. It was my first trip with Exodus but it won't be the last I was very impresssed with their organisation before and during the trip. I can wholeheartedly recommend this trip, just book it you won't be disappointed.
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  Trip date: October 2013