Tours and Trip Packages to Osa Peninsula in August 2024

“Costa Rica really is an amazing place. Not a rich place as thought by Columbus but not third world either. I think they call it an emerging economy. Very much worth visiting if youve never been before and this is an excellent trip. I can only comment on the 2nd half of January when its relatively (but not completely) dry and only really, really hot on the Pacific coast. In theory, you could create this trip more cheaply yourself but do you really want the hassle of having to organise all the hotels and transfers to some pretty remote places (Tortuguero, Savagre and Drake Bay)? 3 days is enough at any of the stops so youll want to get yourself around the country during a two week stay. Plus you would need to arrange a quality guide to learn all about Costa Rica and point out incredible wildlife you would otherwise inevitably miss. The age group on our tour was exclusively in the retired category apart from us two who were a generation younger. 9 Brits, 7 US. No problem at all as we all got on famously. Its not the most active of tours - a lot of time is spent on coaches and minibuses but that cant really be helped due to the geography and evolving road network of Costa Rica but you do feel a bit lethargic sometimes, especially after the long flight to get there. There were a couple of challenging walks to waterfalls which almost everyone made but if you struggle with tricky surfaces and awkward walkways then its no problem to stop and wait for the others to return. The change in climate is quite incredible as you journey around. San Jose is relatively high up for a capital city so a lovely temperature for wandering round. The wind generally comes from the east and the Atlantic coast gets a lot more rain than the Pacific. This means the Atlantic coast is slightly cooler but wetter. Up in the mountains, its still warm during the day but down to single figures first thing in the morning. I have to say we were incredibly lucky with the weather even though it did rain heavily a few times but not for long. There are many early starts to contend with which is fine for those from the UK thanks to the time difference. This is so you can either catch the wildlife at their most active or get on the road early to avoid the traffic and travel to the next place as soon as possible. Talking of wildlife, Costa Rica is all about birdlife. We must have seen dozens of exotic species far too many to mention here. The place is absolutely alive with creatures of all shapes, sizes and colours which is a great testament to the way Costa Rica has created a large number of magical National Parks. I must admit, personally, we were more interested in tropical fish than birds and thought we would be snorkelling on both coasts. Sadly the seas were a bit rough for the Cahuita reef but Cano Island more than made up for this with two excellently organised snorkels off the back of a boat. The fins and mask supplied by the resort were of a high standard so no need to bring your own gear. Its probably not the best location to try snorkelling for the first time or if youre not too confident but there are two snorkel guides from the resort in the water with you at all times so youre in very safe hands. Not a problem if snorkelling isnt your thing as the others went for a nature walk in the pristine forests of the island.San Jose Presidente Hotel recently renovated, comfortable, very central location right on the pedestrianised Central Avenue.Tortuguero - Evergreen Lodge a proper eco-lodge metal mosquito mesh for windows no AC, only a fan very damp but dont be surprised by this as its in the middle of a rain forest. Excellent swimming pool and lovely food.Cahuita - Cuidad Perdida (not the Atlantida worth checking with this tour company's rep which hotel you are booked into) some people reported issues with showers lacking hot water but this was fixed during our stay. A 5 minute walk from the very easy-going Cahuita village with lots of Jamaican style restaurants and bars to choose from.Turrialba - Villa Florencia best room of the whole trip huge, modern, well equipped. Beautiful, peaceful location.Savegre - Savegre Hotel, Nature Reserve & Spa Stunning location at the bottom of a steep valley, still 2,200m up so relatively cold first thing in the morning. Best food.Drake Bay - Wilderness Resort rooms really could do with an update but all had AC and plenty of hot water for showering. Amazing location, on the beach, overlooking Drake Bay. The highlight of the trip.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. The amount of wildlife that we saw was simply unbelievable - from sloths and whales, to scarlet macaws, toucans and 4 types of monkeys. We even saw animals that I'd never even heard of before. (Agouti and coati.) Tortuguero is simply magical - waking up to the sounds of the rainforest and then seeing turtles on the beach at the other end of the day. I couldn't believe the number of beautifully colourful birds we saw in the cloud forest. By the end of it, we were saying, "Oh, it's just another hummingbird." And our time on the peninsula was just spectacular. Plodging through a stream in the rainforest and swimming near a mini-waterfall were great experiences. Never mind being able to spot humpback whales while standing on the beach having a picnic lunch!”

“From the coasts of the Caribbean to the highlands in the middle ending with the Pacific side we swam and walked to see amazing wildlife like sloths, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, a variety of birds, turtles, crocs, snakes and a variety of fish.”