Discover Costa Rica

Two weeks in Costa Rica getting to explore the country's most beautiful and diverse sites was one of the most incredible adventures I have been on. The fact that all places are so unique and diverse from one another and getting to see incredible wildlife throughout the trip was fantastic.

We have just come back from this trip and had an amazing time; so much wildlife and the Ticos are so friendly and welcoming

This country is so diverse and exodus shows you that from the start! We started on the Caribbean side at Tortuguero and basically got soaked the whole 3 days we were there, it rained and it rained but our group got on with it with a smile. That area would have been wonderful if the weather hadn't been against us but it was what it was! We still suffered a bit of bad weather at Arenal and i never got to see the volcano as the cloud was on top of it all the time, the walk was lovely up to it though and the landscape is beautiful. The weather started to improve as we travelled over to the pacific side , the birds and the wildlife are abundant , we saw that many sloths on this trip we stopped taking pictures of them ha There are some long drives in this trip but never more than a couple of hours on the road without stopping, lots of views to look at and of course we stopped if the driver or guide saw anything interesting to see as well, (a couple of macaw's were spotted and we pulled over to get some great photos) The wildlife is all around you if you take the time to look, the leaf cutter ants and the ant highways through the forest floor , the frogs , the sloths... so much to see! Whilst you don't have to be a fitness fanatic for this trip , i would suggest that you are able to walk long distances and tackle some steep slopes. You can always sit by the pool if you don't want to go on the hikes but you would miss out on the whole point of the holiday if that is what you aim to do. Exodus pull it out the bag every time with the accommodation , all the rooms were lovely and well chosen , its one of the reasons i have booked with Exodus 4 times now.

A great holiday for wildlife

A fantastic and memorable experience. We would never be considered as bird watchers but you can not help getting caught up in the excitement of spotting some of the many exotic species of bird, reptile or mammals. A truly memorable holiday for all the right reasons. If you are considering visiting Costa Rica, then don’t wait!

A fantastic and memorable experience. We would never be considered as bird watchers but you can not help getting caught up in the excitement of spotting some of the many exotic species of bird, reptile or mammals. A truly memorable holiday for all the right reasons. If you are considering visiting Costa Rica, then don’t wait!

Saw many different biomes and rain forests.

Our Exodus Discover Costa Rica trip has been such a memorable tour. So much bird and animal life to see. We deliberately opted for a small group of 16 people so we would not miss a thing. We also chose a wildlife and birdwatching expert Guide. Staying for two nights at each location, in different climates (rain forest, mountainous etc) gave a great insight into this beautiful country of Costa Rica.

A brilliant trip that shows the diversity of Costa Rica. From lagoons to rainforests to dry forests and cloud forests and beaches we saw so much of this lovely country and its flora and fauna. Highly recommended.

I'm a wildlife photographer and chose to do the Discover Costa Rica trip with Exodus. Even in September, the start of the "wetter season "it was beyond my expectations.

Eduardo and Victor were exemplary; they made the price of the trip worth it.

Travelled first time with Exodus to Costa Rica and it was a very well organised and exciting tour of the beautiful country. Travelled to many different lodges and national parks. Arriving in San Jose we were welcomed by our wonderful tour guide Gwenda, we couldn't have asked for a better tour guide, so much knowledge about the country, culture and wildlife. Gwenda is truly an valuable member of Exodus along with Randall our amazing driver keeping us safe on our travels.

Excellent introduction to a lovely country

This was a jam-packed itinerary, with many walks and other activities, combined with a lot of driving. We moved on every two days, which was necessary to see everything, but it also meant there was no down time. Although this was a wildlife trip, at times the wildlife was rather shy. Some walks we saw very little. We probably saw more wildlife on the boat trips. Our expectations were probably not realistic, but we expected toucans and sloths to be hanging off every branch. It's not like that (at least in the dry season). We didn't see a sloth until halfway through the trip when there was one on a tree next to our hotel. Never saw a yellow-billed toucan, although we did see other toucans and toucanets (never knew there was such a thing!). Final count was around 150 different birds, as well as many other creatures (many of which we didn't know existed). So the wildlife was amazing, but you need to know it doesn't necessarily just pop out at you. On some walks, especially in Manuel Antonio, there were so many other groups looking at the same thing that it was quite difficult to get in to see things and was quite tiring at times. The walks throughout the trip were also very slow and we understand the pace was to suit looking for wildlife but walking so slowly was difficult and tiring in the heat.

Great way to see a lot of Costa Rica with the huge benefit of a private vehicle and guide. All accommodation was a high standard as well as good and ample food in all hotels.

This proved to be a memorable trip, for all the right reasons! The wildlife is extraordinary. Point a camera in any direction and you will capture something wonderful, including sloths, toucans, quetzals, crocodiles and frogs. The itinerary gives a true taste Costa Rica's varied terrain, weather and eco-systems. The accommodations are excellent, not because they are luxurious, but because they are clean, safe, comfortable and most importantly, in excellent locations. We were also very well looked after by our exceptional guide, Johnny and bus driver, Randall, both of whom had a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eye.

The trip was packed full of wonderful and exciting experiences. The itinerary was terrific and we saw so much that was incredible and beautiful, with masses of photograph opportunities.

A great itinerary covering a number of nature reserves. We have seen so much wildlife and although we had a specialist birding guide there was still a lot to see and discover. The hotels/eco lodges were good with one exception in Manuel Antonio which was poor and the town was very busy as the tour took us there on Easter weekend. The National Park there was a bit crowded and at variance with other locations.

Amazing wildlife. The boat driver at the beginning of the trip (Cecil) did a great job. Chico the bus driver, who was with us for most of the time, was a very good driver, was very efficient dealing with the luggage and he kept the bus immaculate. He was a character. Before travelling to Costa Rica I spent 2 weeks in Panama. It has rubbish piled up everywhere - they don't seem to manage it, don't have a recycling culture and use a lot of polystyrene for the ubiquitous takeaways which just end up in the street. Costa Rica was like a breath of fresh air; no rubbish and a very strong emphasis on conservation. I far prefer independent travel but having researched Costa Rica I realised that going to all the places I wanted to was a challenge too far. Exodus had been highly recommended to me by several friends and they were right. My reservations about an organised trip were dispelled very quickly. It was a small group, everyone bonded and got on very well. I enjoyed everyone's company and never felt the need to 'escape'. There was often a lot of laughter. The trip was planned round my 70th birthday and I had a great group of people to celebrate (? drown my sorrows ?) with!

Costa Rica is such a beautiful Country. Can recommend it 100%.

We had an absolutely fabulous experience. The itinerary was well planned and allowed for a wide variety of experiences as well as free time to explore on our own or to rest. We loved the fact that we got to see most of Costa Rica to experience the wide variety of habitats and flora and fauna.

A lot of time spent on the minibus. A variety of places visited for a short time.

Just recently returned from a fantastic tour of Costa Rica and its natural wonders. This was our very first tour taken with Exodus tour and given our experience we are sure to consider Exodus in our future travel plans. My wife and I were the two token Canadians in the group. We had a wonderful bunch of tour mates who all shared a light hearted sense of humour and concern for our world. The central location of the Hotel Presidente – our first and last night accommodation – was ideal as it allowed us to readily partake in several of the sites of San Jose (all within walking distance). The two night stay in each location worked out perfectly. The “Eco” accommodations were top notch and not detached from nature like a 4-star hotel would be. Nor were we “roughing it”. The activities were not too taxing. We enjoyed the fact that our daily activities typically did not start before 8am. We were Initially concerned that the tour might not be active enough for us, however, there was often the option to do more or less. Thanks to the keen eye and in-depth knowledge of our Guide Jorge Lizano Suarez, we observed a wealth of wildlife. His enthusiasm was evident as he continued to add to our group’s running list of “must see” flora and fauna.

We toured Costa Rica as a couple in a group of ten in January 2024. Our guide Jorge Diaz did a fantastic job of showing us many of the different sights, sounds and experiences his country has to offer.

Very organised trip with a very knowledgeable guide who would adapt the itinerary to suit the group.

Great itinerary. All the major habitats covered. Liked that we had two days in each hotel, as a lot of travelling involved. Our guide went above and beyond, up every day at 0600 for a walk for those that wanted to spot birds and other animals with the dawn chorus. Note that our guide was flexible about what was done in each location and on the days of travel.

What an amazing trip this is, one of our best trips ever. Costa Rica is stunning and to experience the many different ecosystems and habitats and see the matchless variety of bird, animal and plant life was memorable. The itinerary is perfect, allowing one to see contrasting areas and top highlights, also to get off the beaten tourist trail aswell - the stay at Esquinas lodge and the visit to a farming family are good examples. Tourism is wonderfully well managed in Costa Rica and the hotels were all of a good standard, a nice varied selection. Special mention for our guide, David Vargas, who made our trip beyond incredible, see more below. Regarding tips for fellow travellers you will find many in these reviews, such as taking a rain poncho ( downpours tend to be short lived and a poncho fits over your day pack) it’s a good idea to take some US dollars. Credit Cards are widely accepted. We took some Costa Rican Colones aswell but you will easily get those from ATMs as required and at least you can use unspent US dollars on a future trip. Prices are slightly above European I’d say, not cheap for Brits taking into account the pound against the US dollar. Take quick dry clothing, humidity can mean difficulty drying thicker fabrics, and casual walking type gear fits most of the activities. Heavy walking boots would be overkill - waterproof walking shoes or trainers are more than enough. We would also recommend doing the hanging bridges at Monteverde despite the high cost, everyone on our tour took it and agreed it was unmissable. My husband and I also enjoyed the optional trip to the hot springs at La Fortuna with dinner included afterwards. Finally, I’d say if you are considering this trip, don’t hesitate, just do it!

A great holiday that really shows you the range of Costa Rica's climate and wildlife.

What a wonderful trip around Costa Rica with amazing guide Johnny Villalobos. Staying two nights at each hotel set the right pace. The food was very high quality throughout, although prices are close to European, so take plenty of dollars. Tortuguerro nature reserve and watching the turtles nesting was a massive highlight, along with the walks in the Jurassic like cloud rain forests. Make sure you take binoculars to see the wonderful array of wildlife as they are very difficult to spot in the jungle. Overall, it exceeded expectations as Johnny really made each experience so easy and interesting. Pura Vida!

I had an absolutely amazing time on the Discover Costa Rica trip. Our guide, Eduardo Lopez, was incredibly knowledgeable, especially when it came to wildlife. Exploring the cloud forests and rainforests was an unforgettable experience, and we encountered a wide variety of animals along the way. The accommodations were top-notch, and the entire trip was exceptionally well-organized. Thank you for this incredible adventure!

Our guide Jorge was incredible. He knew EVERYTHING about the country’s wildlife, landscape, history, culture and was so excited to share it all with us. He could identify all the birds and reptiles we found and helped us take great photos. He had everything organised so well and communicated the plans really clearly. The itinerary allowed us to discover so many different parts of the country - so close together and yet so diverse. Really recommend this trip, which was my 7th with Exodus, and definitely the best!

I had heard that this was a good trip, and was looking forward to it a lot, but as a veteran of Exodus (this was my eleventh adventure with the company) this Costa Rica excursion managed to far exceed expectations. Costa Rica is an extraordinary and unique country that treasures its natural habitats (and abolished its own army in 1949) but you do need a good guide to unlock its treasures for you, and Jonny Villalobos was the key to making the last two weeks completely unforgettable. Jonny knows EVERYTHING... and is infinitely patient, and understands that a good guide needs to be like the proverbial swan... serene on the surface, while paddling away under the water to make sure everything runs like clockwork. The itinerary is impressive enough, but Jonny had most of the group willingly getting up at 6am every morning to go on his wonderful additional birding hikes... and I'm not even particularly interested in birds. I'm sure that I have learned more about wildlife in the last two weeks than in the entire 63 years that preceded it. Much of the fun of this trip is that most of you will be staring at dense foliage not seeing anything but leaves and vines, only for Jonny to isolate a branch half way up and reveal some perfectly camouflaged creature that you hadn't even heard of five minutes before. I've never said 'wow' so many times in my whole life. And where the trip notes said something like 'the day is yours to explore etc etc' of course you can do that if you want to, but why would you when you're going to get so much more by joining in with Jonny's unique spin on every activity. Of course the real star is the country itself and the extraordinary diversity of landscapes and habitats, from hot and humid tropical rainforest, to chilly atmospheric cloud forests up in the mountains. From rivers whose banks teem with monkeys and birds and lizards to thrilling waterfalls, to an idyllic pacific beach where all that's missing is a bounty bar or a bottle of Timotei shampoo. Seriously, everyone should give Costa Rica a go if only to appreciate how wonderful our world can be when we look after it, and to give you hope that it is possible to repair at least some of the damage we've done to our beautiful planet.

A really excellent tour. I don't think I can find fault with anything. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The locations visited were incredible and we saw an amazing amount of wildlife with the help of our guide. The accommodation was good and the transport between locations was very good.

We had a fabulous time in Costa Rica. The group got on so well together and we had the best guide, Glenda. We were extremely fortunate with our weather too. Although was the dry season, we were warned that we could expect rain at any time, particularly on the Caribbean side. We only had (biblical) showers at La Fortuna, but after we had had our tours. The wildlife was fantastic - we were lucky enough to see several quetzals and sloths and the bird life was abundant. Most of the hotels used were good but the Holiday Inn in San Jose was a little sub standard. The food was poor and the service in the bar very slow. We thought the Monteverde lodge was too close to the road as we could hear traffic at night. The service was rather surly there too. The lodge at Manuel Antonio was also close to the road and our room (very small) was right next to it so we were woken at 5am by traffic. The restaurant was very expensive too - much better to go into the town.

We travelled mid February 2023 to Costa Rica. It was the trip of a lifetime and delivered everything I hoped for and more. Arriving at the airport we felt immediately that we were in great hands on meeting our guide David Vargas and driver Wilbur. The knowledge and expertise of our guide David Vargas made our trip a very interesting one. We learned so much about birds of which David is literally an expert as well as learning about Costa Rica. David also had fantastic people skills and helped our lovely group to quickly become friends and gave a 150% to ensuring we were all having a fabulous trip. Costa Rica was beautiful and inspiring. Nature is all around you and within the first two days I had seen more wildlife than I ever had in my life before. The trip gives does give you a packed schedule but this allows you to see and experience and all the diversity that this amazing country offers. It was our first ever group holiday and we absolutely loved the experience. Travelling with like minded nature lovers allowed for laughter but also learning. We are a middle aged couple who enjoyed the social side of this trip very much. The conversations and laughter at meal times and during exploring made our trip a memorable one.

This was the first trip to Central America for my wife & me. The group size was only nine, so not too large which helped a lot when it came to looking through one mono scope at yet another new bird. The trip mainly involved birdwatching, though bathing in hot springs, a river & the Pacific ocean were features. The hotels were all to a good standard, however, the Suria hotel had a limited menu for all four main meals. Distances travelled were generally less than 5 hours, however, one day that was exceeded when a bridge partially collapsed. We visited tropical & rainforest as well as cloud forest & mountane (transitional) climates. Our amazing guide David, helped us to spot literally hundreds of birds & he was so knowledgeable & enthusiastic. He also ensured any problems were dealt with diligently & effectively. This was truly an incredible adventure & we can thoroughly recommend it.

This was the most amazing experience, enhanced by the enthusiasm and knowledge of our tour guide, David Vargas. We pretty well covered all areas of Costa Rica seeing diverse environments and experiencing different climates. David is an ornithologist and did his utmost to inspire the group with his love of birds and his country. His extensive knowledge of the history of his country and of its flora and fauna enhanced the experience. He always went the extra mile to ensure our comfort and to consider the needs of the group. We would have no hesitation in recommending this trip to anyone who has an interest in the extraordinary amount of wildlife that is there for all to

The holiday got off to a bad start with my first night at the Radisson Hotel. My room smelt extremely musty, there were large stains on the carpet, the curtain was hanging off the curtain rail and the dark brown furniture was very chipped. When I booked the trip, it was planned to stay at the Presidente which is in the heart of downtown San Jose. The Radisson is about 3/4 mile outside San Jose and walking outside after dark was not recommended. However, once away from San Jose, the holiday lived up to expectations, with spacious lodges in beautiful, peaceful settings (apart from the wildlife!). The flora and fauna was stunning and we had only one really wet day in Arenal. I was taken aback by the high cost of living and, where lunch and dinner were not provided, having both lunch and dinner at posh restaurants was both very expensive and, for me, unnecessary. A modest snack at lunch time would have sufficed. Setting up a group WhatsApp worked very well. Not only could we share photos, but also any last-minute changes in arrangements or the spot of a rare bird could be communicated to the group instantly. All sites had good Wi-Fi availability.

Brilliant trip, probably our best holiday yet. My husband is a keen birdwatcher, I am less interested but we both loved this trip. Our guide pointed out many birds, animals ,reptiles, insects and flora, he was amazing. We learned a lot about the natural history, biodiversity and conservation aspects of Costa Rica. We also heard about social and political history. Eric our guide was passionate about his country. Our driver Vincent was a careful and considerate driver and was happy to stop and reverse so that we could see birds or creatures we saw from the bus.

The trip was everything we were expecting and more. We have returned home with so many memories of both the group of people we met as well as the wonderful wildlife that Costa Rica has to share.

I had not been on an Exodus trip before but have been on small group tours with JLA and G Adventures, probably 6-8 trips in total. Discover Costa Rica did what it says on the packet. There was no significant deviation from the trip as described at booking and on departure. We visited different habitats and ecosystems in different regions of Costa Rica with excellent guide plus superb driver. The accommodation was as I expected: adequate to good but nothing luxurious. Activities were well spaced and well explained. overall the trip was physically easier than I have experienced before, but as I am getting older I am not sorry about that! I particularly valued no 'single night' stops. All stays were 2 nights which is far more relaxing. The standard of service and food in all hotels was good. Access to coffee and tea was not good at every venue

Great holiday Costa Rica is great fun and lots of birds. just a few points: there are lots of additional activities so take plenty of dollars. if you don't take them up you lose a lot of the experience and may have to stay on the bus. at least a couple of the hotels are not as stated in the trip notes and not really equivalent. The San Jose hotel is way out of town so you miss doing the city tour and there isn't much to do there. take a camera. take the best camera you can get or be lucky and have some great photographers in the group. enjoy.

Excellent trip in every way. 6 locations 2 nights at each. Was wondering how Exodus worked it out. Including both coasts and high ground. Our trip was focussed on birds in particular and are group of 16 had a cohesiveness as a result - we were all considerate to one another, the wildlife, and 'the moment out in the field'. Good value. we saw more than we could have expected I feel. The country of Costa Rica delivers on a number of levels and so does Exodus!

I finally made it to Costa Rica after my initial booking was cancelled at the start of COVID. I am so glad I re-booked because it was an amazing trip. The country is beautiful and we moved between various stunning areas and micro climates with the aid of our great tour leader Johnny Villalobos and our driver Wilbour. We were also lucky that the group gelled really well and the tour Whats App group is still in full swing. We were also helped by amazing weather which cannot be guaranteed. The accommodation apart from the Sleep Inn in San Jose (which was noisy) was all very good and immersed us in the local environment. Esquinas Lodge was especially beautiful. Obviously the animal and specifically the bird life was spectacular and it will take me weeks to sort through the amazing photos. An amazing trip and one of the best I have done.

It was an amazing trip, even though we had quite a lot of rain, even in the dry season and it didn’t make the wildlife any harder to see.