Tours – This definitely ended up being one of the best things about our trip more than we had anticipated. I did some investigating prior to our departure to Costa Rica. Our only hesitation about booking prior to going was that we were going during rainy season. We quickly learned rainy season was no issue it all. We had three rainfalls during the day and it resulted of them blowing in and out within one hour. Rain did not put a damper on our vacation at all. The Costa Ricans explained that the rainy season in this part of the country is not an issue.We ended up finding a small tour company (a husband and wife duo) that own and operate their own business. Avispa’s Adventures – they are out of the Guanacaste area and only 5 minutes from the hotel. Amy is originally from the USA and speaks fluent English and Avispa is Costa Rican and speaks/understands English relatively well. The tour prices are the same as the big tours and the major difference is that you get a personal one on one experience. If you go with the big tour company you go with upwards of 15 to 20 people and all different people. With this company you may go by yourselves or they will match you with another couple and you can save approx $20 per person depending on the tour. Avispa’s Adventures offer the same tours as the big guys and will customize a trip if you so choose. They also offer taxi service or pick up to/from the airport. Visa and Amy are truly a hospitable duo. You may visit their website at www.avispasadventures.com to read all of the different tours that are offered. You may email Amy/Visas at info@avispasadventures.com and they usually emailed me back within 24 hours of receiving my email. While at your resort you dial *(star symbol) 372-3094 which is their cell # and you may speak to Amy. When you arrive at the hotel they insist you sit the next morning at 9am for an hour to discuss the hotel and the area. What they are really trying to do is to commit you to tours by the big company. Not necessary to go to that meeting just get a hold of this tour company and you are all set. They are a licensed and insured company.
Since their website offers a myriad of tours I had requested of Amy to tell me which are the best of the best tours to save me time. Amy responded with her #1 choice of “Visa’s Miravalle’s Volcano Adventure” and second the “Visa’s Palo Verde Adventure."
When we arrived in Costa Rica I immediately called Amy and arranged to do the Miravalle’s Volcano Adventure. The trip consists of canopy Tour, horseback/tractor ride to waterfalls, mud baths, hot springs bath, and an authentic Costa Rican lunch and the trip is an 8-9 hour day. Amy informed me the price per person was $145/person but she had another couple going and if we wanted to join them the price would drop to $120/person. We were fine with this as it still was a very small group and avoided the crowds, wait time, and the chance of annoying tourist of the big tour companies.
I had previously asked if we could stop at a souvenir shop just to take a look if we had time. Amy said no problem and this little excursion was added at no additional charge. (Again the big tour companies would not do this.)
8am was our pick up time and we asked what time we would be home from our trip. Amy said the whole tour is approx 8 hours but it can be as long or as short as we want it to be. She explained that it is all up to us and we can take things slow if we so choose. Our first stop was the souvenir shop which they allowed us at least 30 minutes to visit. They did not hurry us at all. Costa Rica has absolutely beautiful pottery. We were then on our way to the Canopy Tour destination. Along the way Amy and Avispa stopped at a store and got us some fresh cooked pork rinds for us to eat. They were delicious and again this showed us the point of difference of the big tour operators compared to the little guys. Beer, Water, and other snacks were also supplied to us at no charge on our tour. (Again the big tour operators do not do this)
The Canopy Tour was amazing. And again I can not stress how peaceful and personal this tour was. George was our main guide on the canopy (an assistant also came along) and Amy came along to translate as George only speaks Spanish.
We took our time making the climb up to the first platform while plant life and animals were pointed out to us. What was so nice if you were nervous to do the zip line, your fears were calmed as you weren’t rushed by 20 other tourists to keep moving. Only 1 other couple besides ourselves so we were able to travel at our own speed and leisure.The canopy was amazing and nothing to be fearful of at all. This trip ended after approx 2 to 2.5 hours and we were greeted at the end with an authentic Costa Rican lunch which again was included into our package. We had leisurely lunch and then off we went to see the waterfalls. Avispa and Amy stopped frequently on our trip to point out plant life, sites, and animals. Again it was very relaxing. We all chose to do the horseback ride up to the waterfalls. We were paired up with another guide as this was a private property and exclusive to Avispa’s Adventures. We climbed up the mountain to view the waterfalls, cross a suspended bride, and took many photos of the absolutely breathtaking sites. Then it was back on the horses to meet up with Amy and Visa for the next part of the tour.We traveled now to the Miravalles Volcano area where we indulged in warm mud baths and a hot spring soak. Amazing to see the sulfuric hot springs and to understand the energy is used for power throughout Costa Rica. While we soaked in the hot springs Amy served us wine to finish off this exciting tour. Again this part of the tour is a private location where only a handful of tours are allowed to go. Johnny the Volcano man is your guide on this part of the trip. We headed for home at approx 6pm. As the Costa Rican Independence Day torch Run was taking place this day we were able to see the Torch run and Amy/Avispa stopped so we could watch. We felt the trip was worth far more than the $120 each that we paid.
The other couple on our trip said they were doing the Avispa’s Palo Verde Adventure in a couple of days and said we could join if we wanted to. Since we had so much fun on this tour we decided to do it. The cost is $95 per person but since we had 4 or more on the trip it only cost $75/person. Amy said we could depart at anytime we wanted but recommended we get their early as Animal life feeds early in the morning. We left at 7am and began the journey. Avispa stopped on our way along a river point so we could watch the men getting natural materials out of the river for construction. The interesting point of this was that we got to see how they bring this out of the river. 2 big oxen pull a cart out of the river once their cart is full of these fine materials. It was like out of the movies. Next stop was a local bakery where we got ourselves a treat. The pastries were delicious and inexpensive.We arrived at the Tempisque River and were the first on the river. Again a big boat and only 2 couples, Amy, Avispa, and the tour guide. Birds, crocodiles, and monkeys were all pointed out for us to view. They even let us fish on board. Crocodiles we were able to feed. Saw howler monkeys and listened to them howl. Following this tour we stopped for a Costa Rican lunch which again was delicious. Amy and Avispa then said since we didn’t see the White Face monkey, we are willing to take you to Guantil where you can see a pottery making demonstration. We all decided we would go and this was added on to our trip at no charge. Wow!!! We were back at the resort by 2:30pm. I can’t say enough about happy we were about the tours. Personal attention, superior customer satisfaction and unique adventures for an unforgettable experience is their tagline and believe it!
Overall wonderful experience with the hotel and the tours!!! We will go back to Costa Rica!
