Earth, Fire and Water

This tour is definitely for those who want an active trip. Lots of hikes and nature walks. There was enough free time to relax, but this is an adventure trip. The variety was quite good, with beach time, horseback riding, jungle walks, hanging bridges, zip lines as well as relaxing with a book by the pool. Costa Rican food is very good. Lots of fresh fruit and salads, but also a good variety of seafood and meats. Flavored well, but not spicy hot. This is not a complaint, because we enjoyed all of our stays, but the website should be a little more clear on how rustic Tiskita is. We thought it was fun, but the cabins are quite rustic and are pretty isolated in the woods. It gets dark during dinner and one needs a flashlight to find the way back to the cabin along the dirt paths. It's dark in the jungle at night, and there are snakes. The lodge turns off the lights at 9 PM, but it doesn't matter because you're up early and tired. We thought it was fun, but if someone was expecting a luxury hotel like we had at Arenal Observatory or Monteverde Lodge, they might be surprised. Just a suggestion so people know what they are getting.

Wonderful to visit Costa Rica - just after the high season ended so no crowds and weather cooperated. Tiskita Jungle Lodge was quite remote and if someone is thinking they'll "dress" for dinner or wear heels, this is not the place for them! We loved it and were prepared for it.

I love how this tour gave us a whole lot of the natural world of Costa Rica mixed in with some of the culture. We walked a whole lot and I ate copious amounts of the excellent food and didn't gain a pound! The accommodations were excellent and the guides were friendly and ready to share what they know about the country and particularly its natural history. This was our second trip with AL. We went to Antarctica with you three years ago and loved it, so we thought this time we'd see whether that was a fluke or whether AL consistently puts on a great tour--and I am so happy to say it's the latter. The couple who accompanied us were traveling with AL for the first time, and they were mightily impressed. AL will be our tour provider of choice from here on in! Thanks so much!

We are return Adventure Life travelers. In 2007 we went to Antarctica and had a marvelous experience. Thus we felt confident in choosing Adventure Life for Costa Rica. Our judgment is confirmed by a wonderful trip. What has impressed us about our two Adventure Life tours is how well designed the entire experiences have been: planning, travel, events, lodgings, guides, food, and logistics. Costa Rica is a fascinating country in many respects, and our exposure to them was highly educational. It's of course a natural paradise in which we delighted, from early morning swims in the Pacific to spotting the Holy Grail of birding, the magnificent Resplendent Quetzel. On a very different dimension, it was fascinating to learn about the Costa Rican peoples' widespread commitment to sustainability and to their efforts to make a good life for every citizen.

I believe Monika initially was providing us help and then it was Marissa from then on. All support was excellent. I had several "last minute" questions and she always got back to me right away. Again excellent. The Bergerac at San Jose was great. We got to stay in Room 14 on our arrival with a wonderful balcony. Tiskita was fantastic and so were the other lodges. We were very comfortable at all times. Again, given all the logistics that had to happen, the drivers were always on time. We waited maybe 10-15 minutes after our flight back from Tiskita but Jose our guide said we were not scheduled for an hour later. I think they had moved our flight up. But even this did not cause much delay. Jose Romero, our guide for Arenal and Monteverde, was fantastic. We could not believe the 3 of us had a private tour guide. We were interested in birds and wildlife and he helped us find and identified for us many, many birds. He was always friendly and witty and had a great attitude. We want to get him again the next time we go to Costa Rica!! Our drivers was absolutely great - even on the winding dirt roads to Monteverde. The food at Tiskita was incredible. Yes all staff was excellent that we came into contact with and everyone went out of their way to be sure we were satisfied. Tiskita food was very good. Of course, they had their fruits from the orchard and every meal was special. Our food at Arenal Observatory Lodge was also good. We had a special meal at Montana Monteverde that was