If you are elderly, have bad knees, enjoy long bumpy rides over awful roads insulated in a bus, then this may be the trip for you. Despite the excellent,knowledgeable and skilled guide and driver, both my wife and I felt relieved when the trip was finally over. By the end of the trip we felt we knew the name of every bird in Costa Rica, but the itinerary called for minimal amount of time in the parks themselves with no actual hiking or serious exploration. Quite frankly the itinerary left us confused. Why spend hours in the hot sun going through security to buy some gifts at a prison; or spend half a morning visiting a cheese factory to see a few mostly empty vats then visit a gift shop. Why visit a ? typical family for lunch and a school. Getting to know the locals authentically, would involve letting us out to meet people in the marketplace or beach or in the towns - certainly not seeing a few locals in feathers putting on a show in our hotel. Time could have been spent more actively exploring national parks, getting up close to volcanoes, or indulging in one or more gorgeous beaches. In San Jose, we visited the national opera but spent no time walking the streets, encountering people or exploring some of their exceptional museums. Mostly the food was fine, the hotels were excellent but the first 3 nights in vicinity we were stuck in an isolated hotel, about 50 yards from a construction site. Instead of being woken at 6 am by the call of birds, we were awoken by the sound of hammering and sawing. Since we were virtually the only guests there, nights as well as days were spent with our group sans tv or other distractions. To his credit, our guide arranged some spontaneous entertainment.

Recommended: No

Best Suited For: Seniors
Tour format: Bus
Tour length: Over a Week
Tour type: Group