Costa Rica's Coastal Secrets
4.8
I had booked this trip to celebrate "big birthdays" for both me and my daughter, so my expectations were high and this fantastic holiday exceeded my expectations. Walking in the rainforest and cloudforest and sailing in the mangrove swamps was magical and thanks to the sharp eyes of our guide we saw at very close range howler and capuchin monkeys, two and three fingered sloths, poison dart frogs, blue jean frogs, transparent frogs, crocodiles, caiman, lizards, basilisks, snakes (the yellow eyelash viper was stunningly beautiful seen through our guide's telescope), green turtles, humpback whales, dolphins, hummingbirds, anteater, racoons, coatis, scarlet macaws, parakeets, heron, egrets and lots more. It was a safari! We experienced the diversity of the ecology and cultures of Costa Rica while avoiding the touristy areas. The eco-lodges varied from good to excellent and all had air conditioning to ensure a good night's sleep. The food was excellent and special diets were well catered for. We were warmly welcomed wherever we went. There was quite a lot of travelling in our air conditioned minibus but the journey was made more interesting by the guide's stories about the local area and frequent stops to sample local fruit at the side of the road , eating in family run restaurants where you could watch the birdlife at the same time, or stopping to see archaeological remains such as the stonospheres. If you want to experience the great outdoors in the tropics and fall exhausted but happy into a comfy bed at the end of every day, this is the holiday for you.
