South America Marine wildlife Trips

This was my first Exodus trip and it was a wonderful two weeks exploring Costa Rica with a small group of 7, our fantastic guide Guillermo and excellent driver Carlos. Two nights in each location, very different landscapes. We saw a huge number of creatures and an amazing 174 species of birds. Great hotels and excellent airport pick up in San Jose. This holiday was fabulous!

This was my first solo long-haul adventure and I felt privileged and grateful to be immersed in such a unique, fragile and important environment. The wildlife was abundant and spectacular - on land, air and sea. The boat accommodation was excellent and the guide and crew were always on hand, helpful and good-humoured.

This journey through Ecuador showcases its dramatic landscapes, unique wildlife, and warm local culture. What makes it especially compelling is the opportunity to experience the country as locals do, staying in locally run accommodations rather than traditional cruises, particularly in the Galapagos, offers a more authentic and often overlooked perspective. The Galapagos feels incredibly safe and close‑knit, with a strong sense of community that stands out alongside the extraordinary wildlife.

From beginning to end this was a fabulous holiday! The ship and its crew were amazing. Spotlessly clean and always attentive 5 days aboard this ship was a great pleasure. The food was 5* all the way, delicious and plentiful, with frequent snacks and creative juices at every break. The tour was well paced with loads of activities, hiking and snorkeling and informative talks. The naturalist guide, Carlos, was one of the best. Enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable, he is passionate about the Galapagos and maintaining it pristine qualities. Wild life was abundant and snorkelling with fish, turtles and even penguins.. it was a trip of a life time. The chef was very attentive to my restrictive diet, being celiac. Did I mention the food??? First class all the way!

From steamy Tortoguero, with the howler monkeys waking us up at 5.00am (no need for an alarm!) to cool, mountainous Savegre thronging with hummingbirds, this was a tour of contrasting habitats each with their own variety of wildlife, plants and flowers. In addition to the wildlife elements of the tour, visits to the Aquiares coffee factory and CAITE research centre were incredibly interesting. The optional visit to the Bri Bri community was well worth it; we learned all about how chocolate is made from scratch and had great fun trying each part of the process. While there were some longer travel days, they were well paced, never felt too onerous and we often saw interesting things en route. The boat trips were fantastic- just getting to Tortoguero and to Drake Bay were experiences in themselves, with opportunity to see lot of wildlife on the way. The snorkelling trip was amazing- we were able to swim above sea turtles, rays and amongst lots of colourful fish. Even if you don't snorkel, the boat trip was worth doing- we saw a pod of humpback whales quite close to the boat, and a variety of birds. The accommodation was comfortable and in all the hotel grounds we were able to spot a variety of wildlife- great for photographers who enjoy having a camera/phone in one hand and a 'sundowner' in the other!

Our guide Mnfred Cyrman was great, the itinery was very interesting and well thought out with a perfect balance of group activity and personal time for relaxation. All of the food and accomodations were great, and the transport bus and driver were also great.