Costa Rica
A Costa Rica Adventure with Exodus Adventure Travels
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
As such a popular destination and favourite of many adventure travelers, I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about in Costa Rica. Having traveled to 78 countries, this tropical destination has always intrigued me and been on my bucket list for decades. I would finally satisfy my curiosity and take a one-week trip to uncover the land between two oceans.
I have always said if when you discover a far-off destination, do it right the first time. The tour with Exodus Adventure Travels on their ‘Natural Highlights of Costa Rica’ would be the right company to explore with.
This would be my second time out with Exodus, the first coming in 2023 when I went on a ‘trip of a lifetime’ with them to northern Africa on a two-week adventure to discover the ‘Highlights of Morocco – In Comfort’. That trip was one of my favourites, not only for exploring the exotic treasures of Morocco but also for how well Exodus handled it. I was excited to experience the same professional service, choice of great hotels, guides, drivers, transportation and a general feeling of knowing I would be taken care of from the time I arrived at the airport to my departure.
Just like my trip to Morocco where there were only a few guests, we would be only nine travelers in Costa Rica, which makes any trip more delightful as we could get up and go in a short period of time.
Accommodations
Exodus provided us with strictly the best possible accommodations in ideal locations close to the attractions we would visit. This trip was set up perfectly, and all our rooms were clean and convenient with great staff and services. My favourite was the individual cabins found at the Evergreen Lodge in the Tortuguero National Park. Basically, we were nestled right into the tropical forest with natural setting all around us, the main river was a stone’s throw away, the facilities were properly kept and blended in with the surroundings. Instead of windows in our cabins, we would have screen meshing on three sides that let in fresh air and kept the insects and wildlife at bay.
To add to this authentic experience there were no roads to this lodge and the only way in and out was by specially built motorized boats. This whole experience turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip, and I started understanding why Costa Rica was such a desired destination as it prides itself by protecting its land and keeping a natural and sustainable environment.
The Exodus effect
From a to z, meaning from the moment I first surfed their website through my safe return home, I only have positive praise for this wonderful touring company. Their online portal is exceptionally user-friendly, and adventurers can find their next dream trip quickly, easily and with a lot of fun. Their in-house staff took care of all the details to organize and prepare the world traveler for the journey with many emails and links to more travel information.
Like my previous tour to Morocco, Exodus hires some of the best guides I would ever have on any trip. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and experts in their field, they were fantastic to be around and instrumental to the success of the tour.
Guillermo, our guide in Costa Rica, was a jewel and always ready to help us no matter the time of day and was always happy and smiling. A biologist by education, he spent decades learning and loving nature and gave us fascinating view of Costa Rica’s flora and fauna.
On both trips, Exodus had the most experienced drivers and excellent modes of clean and safe transportation. As well, Exodus guests were a joy to travel and share these amazing experiences with. Those who are friendly, educated, and well-mannered always blend in well to the Exodus way of doing things. It goes without saying that most of the adventurers are repeat Exodus travelers as they know what they want on every trip and get it.
Excursions galore
The best way to learn about a destination is to get out and embrace it. Exodus’ ‘Natural Highlights of Costa Rica’ was well researched, planned and perfectly executed. Every day was a grand day of discovery and with the guidance of Guillermo, we were out and about in the marvellous nature where we would see a multitude of wildlife, including the bigger animals, such as three different species of monkeys, reptiles, (too) many species of birds to even start describing them, right down to the hundreds of fascinating insect species we would see. We also embraced Costa Rican culture in the towns, villages and countryside with its welcoming people and delighted in the ever-popular local dishes that were fresh and healthy.
Personally, I had a few things to see on this trip and was not disappointed as this Exodus itinerary brought us to them. On my list was: the Costa Rica rain forest, the Arenal Volcano, both east and west coasts and beaches, the Cloud Forest, the ‘Treetop Walkways’ and the bridges that span the many gorges in the region of Monteverde. As an added bonus, Guillermo brought us to a banana plantation where we would find out all there is to know of these fruits from harvest to packaging.
With all that physical activity, we still had plenty of downtime to reflect rest, rejuvenate, and of course shop for beautifully locally crafted gifts and souvenirs to fill up our luggage.
Rain, rain go away
Unlike the northern climates, my home and native land, where there are four seasons, in the tropics there are only two, that is the rainy season and dry season. Venturing to Costa Rica in the wet season is not as bad as I thought and after our first two nights of unbelievable rain, we would have decent breaks in the morning and afternoon. And heading from the humid east over the mountains to the west coast brought us much needed dry conditions, blue skies, and brilliant sunshine.
“Pura Vida” is the slogan used to promote Costa Rica travel. Translated it means ‘pure life,’ for locals it means the ‘good life’ and will often be used to greet each other. To me, there is nothing truer than this greeting, Costa Rica has the good life. Having been to the tropics on many occasions and on three different continents, including nearby Panama and the Amazon, I find Costa Rica very welcoming, laid back and exceptionally well kept. This Exodus adventure tour was unlike any other I have ever experienced. My time with the other guests, Guillermo leading us, and the combined experience of the Exodus team with their 50 years of experience made this truly a trip of a lifetime and will remember it for all my days.
