Our night was short and we woke early for a 620 am trip to Tortuguero. On the map it seemed *quite* remote and half the journey would be by boat.
Our guide was Kenneth (I kick myself for not asking him his Hispanic name as often the guides try to make it easy on turistas by Anglicizing their names). Kenneth spoke like a scientist but many of the ladies thought he was quite handsome ("rowr!" as one would say). Kenneth loves his country and was honest about some of its problems. But he loves Costa Rica with a passion - which showed and made his comments more interesting.
At one point before a visit to a butterfly garden, he asked the kids "how many legs does a butterfly have?"... Inside the garden we were surrounded by more butterflies than I have ever seen. Several large "Blue Morpheus" landed on my daughter as if she was a fairy queen. My younger daughter was off curiously trying to find the answer to Kenneth's question.
Butterflies *look* like they have "four" legs...which is odd since insects have 6. Where are the other two? Why only walk on four? Well....you'll have to find out for yourself :-). Kenneth's explanation was fascinating.
When we finally got to the Turtle Beach Lodge, we were surprised by the beauty of the grounds in this remote jungle retreat. The cabins were "air conditioned" the natural way but we spent so little time in them we did not mind. Wildlife surrounded us wherever we looked. We encountered our first "howler" monkeys and "Jesus Christ" lizards (common Basilisk). My girls ran down to the beach - composed of dark volcanic sand - and saw nothing but desolate beach and jungle for miles up and down the coast.
That night we dined on delicious food in an open air room, serenaded by the chirping of nocturnal birds and insects. I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean less than 100 yards from our cabin. We were definitely in the wild and it was starting to feel like a vacation. I had not checked my Blackberry in over 24 hours - I probably could not if I tried.
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.