Holiday review by Doctor Kevin Hurrell

Name: Doctor Kevin Hurrell

Date of trip: 01/01/2019

Number of people: 2

Of course the wildlife was wonderful and we managed to view nearly 100 species of birds. In addition the views of sloths, monkeys, dolphin, false killer whales, reptiles and insects were far more frequent than expected. The varied geography was another plus...making each journey an exciting adventure in its own right. Each resort had a different character and offered a different list of options.....exactly what we hoped for.

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Tribes Overall:

Surpassed expectations. The organisation was faultless...Swiss Travel were excellent and always picked up on time. The transport was always of high quality with very friendly drivers.
The venues were varied...exactly what we wanted ...offering a wide range of experiences.

Tribes Service:

Tracy was very helpful and the Vamoos app fed our expectations!

Guides:

All the guides were friendly and eager to please...most of the groups were small and the guides often tailored the tour to our wishes.

Social & Environmental Responsibility:

The Costa Ricans were always mindful of the environmental impact of tourism and usually tried to minimise this...once or twice we felt they could have gone further....especially in the area around Manuel Antonia National park which was far more typical of a tourist resort.

Pura Vida!

Hotel Presidente

San Jose

Excellent location in the heart of the city and good (but no frills) accommodation.
We wondered whether 24 hours in San Jose at the end of the trip would have been better spent as an extra day in Casa Corcovado but actually really enjoyed that last day...especially our tour of the National Museum.

Evergreen Lodge

Tortuguero National Park

Loved the journey by boat to the lodge and the water-based tours. Very comfortable accommodation and good food. Found Tortuguera fascinating...a great start to the holiday.

Selva Verde Lodge

Sarapiqui

Wonderful bird-watching....accommodation more basic but comfortable and again good food. We had an excellent guide for our night-tour and bird watching...knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Bosque de Paz

Between San Jose and Arenal

The position in the cloud forest, the accommodation and the welcome were all excellent. Very friendly and personal service. However the lodge was nearly empty ...just us and another couple...which seemed rather odd....and it was very cold in the evening and overnight.
Magnificent hummingbirds.

Parador Resort and Spa

Manuel Antonio

Excellent hotel with superb facilities, including the nearby beach. Area very busy however and Manuel Antonia National park something of a tourist production line. The guides have to cater for the numbers but as mentioned the monkeys and racoons are so used to people they almost put on a display.

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

Corcovado, Osa Peninsula

Paradise. Superb accommodation....choice of 4 four-poster beds in our bungalow, indoor/outdoor shower, own garden space with hammock , lovely pool and wonderful personal service. The position is amazing with an exhilarating boat ride to arrive. On our snorkelling trip we had both dolphins and whales putting on a display for us. The most natural habitat of the trip with wonderful wild-life viewing and a very enthusiastic willing guide.