My college buddy, Andy, and I had planned a trip after both finishing grad school in the summer of 2010. That trip got delayed as we focused on moving and finding jobs. Hanging out over Labor Day weekend in 2011, a trip for the new year was decided upon with Central or South America in our sights.
With some help from an ad in Outside magazine, we found this amazing trip through Adventure Life to Costa Rica and Panama. Since the time to celebrate finishing grad school came and went, it was now to be a pseudo-celebration of us both turning 30 this year.
Our 9-day trip promised to be jam packed with culture and activities. Adventure Life helped coordinate our flights, as Andy lives in Philadelphia and I am in Minneapolis, so we could meet at Miami International Airport and fly together to San Jose, Costa Rica.
After going through customs, a trip to the ATM to get some colones and a taxi ride through the city, we arrived at Hotel Le Bergerac, which offered very nice, clean accommodations in walking distance from the center of the city.
In need of food, we got some help from the hotel staff and headed out exploring. Andy and I came upon Bufalo's near the University of Costa Rica campus. It had beer and sandwiches on the menu and that was all the convincing we needed.
With drinks in hand - Imperial beer made in Costa Rica - we toasted the start of the trip. As we enjoyed our food we were treated to the performance of some of the local patrons doing karaoke in Spanish. The owner and servers made us feel welcome and even offered us the microphone but I hadn't had enough beer to trust my Spanish pronunciation to get up there.
After our meal, we walked around the University of Costa Rica campus, which had some great sculptures and interesting architecture. We then headed to the center of the city and saw the government buildings and amazing street art / graffiti as dusk fell.
It was a relaxed afternoon but the perfect way to transition into our vacation. We got a good night's sleep because the real action would start the next day.
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.