We had a choice of dates for this trip. March or the end of December/beginning of January. Since March is jammed pack with orchid shows for most of us - of course we picked the holidays! What better way to begin the New Year than in horticultural Disneyland?
Our New Year’s destination was very special. To get there, we had to travel through the central volcanic valley where the acute valley hillsides along the highway were layered with ferns. It was like being inside a terrarium! The trip was long- but worthwhile. Besides stopping to see a few iguanas, we had the experience of seeing a recent landslide scar and appreciating for ourselves, the effect of severe land clearing on steep, unstable volcanic hillsides. Quite dramatic. But our fearless and expert bus driver, Dieder rose to the task and brought us to the sanctuary of Basque de Paz, our New Year’s destination, intact and in awe. Dieder is the best!
Basque de Paz is in a primary forest areas. Unfortunately, there are not many of these left. While the countryside has recovered and the secondary forests themselves are impressive, Basque de Paz (Forest of Peace) was truly a special sanctuary of primal forest.
The love for the land of the owners of Bosque de Paz is evident. They developed their own living fence maze orchid garden. It was wonderful to leisurely explore hundreds of orchid species in the garden. Bosque de Paz also hosted several hiking trails through the forest along the stream with its crystal sparkling water and along the hills looking into the canopy of the lower forest levels. Amazing. A Trogon posed for us as an omen of a great start to the New Year!
For our New Year Celebration, our hosts and hostesses graciously made us feel like family as we welcomed the New Year in peace and serenity nestled in the virgin forest.
Adventure Life took care of everything! All we had to do was show up when we were supposed to, which made our first trip to Costa Rica largely stress-free and incredibly fun. Our trip reps, Hannah and Mariethony, were helpful and responsive, getting back to us by email usually within a few hours. Our accommodations were all great, and we got incredibly blessed with some absolutely stellar guides and drivers.
Our Jungle & Beach trip was an excellent balance of adventure and rest. We got to try out a lot of different activities, including snorkeling, hiking, white water rafting and kayaking, while also partaking of some rest around the pool or by the ocean. We enjoyed seeing and exploring the beautiful Caribbean side of the country.
Joy Knowles
1 week ago
The company made our adventure trip hassle-free, and a lot of fun! I will definitely be using them again
Carolena F
1 month ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 month ago
COSTA RICA a trip of a life time travelling round this beautiful country. All went like clockwork even when the weather was against us and all transfers seemed to be part of the holiday not a chore. Would definitely use Adventure Life again having previously used them 20 years ago!!
Cynthia Calton
1 month ago
Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! Kassandra planned everything and the excursions, hotels, overall organization were outstanding. Everything worked out smoothly, the excursions guides were knowledgeable allowing us to see so much of the fauna and flora of the country. The hotels were great as well, all in fantastic locations and with beautiful views.