Costa Rica Tours & Trips

Top operators in Costa Rica

From what our Costa Rica travelers tell us, Green World Adventures comes out as the top choice - they're really getting things right with well-organized tours and guides who know their stuff inside out. TruTravels is also doing great work, especially with Jurgen leading groups and giving everyone a proper look into local culture while keeping the mood light and social. The other companies have some catching up to do. Intrepid's itinerary looks good on paper, but we're hearing mixed things about their transport and hotels. Similar story with Travel Destinations - the language barriers seem to be an issue and their larger groups make it harder to get that personal touch many travelers want. What makes Green World stand out is how smoothly everything runs - from pickup times to accommodation choices, they've got the details sorted. Jurgen and the TruTravels team are clearly passionate about sharing Costa Rica's culture, and it shows in how they run their tours. They're particularly good at creating a group dynamic where everyone feels included and learns something new about the country. Both companies' guides regularly go beyond basic facts and figures, sharing local insights you won't find in guidebooks. Rather than just moving people from point A to B, they're focused on creating genuine travel experiences that feel authentic and unscripted.

• G Adventures

  
  5.0 (22,797 Costa Rica reviews)

  "Costa Rica Quest Tour description on TourRadar did not mention that a lot of activities included in the description cost extra money, each costing between $45 to $65. This was communicated only after booking the tour. Only one meal was included. The hotels used by this tour (G Adventures) were just okay, some of them subpar with small rooms and no WiFi in many rooms. The transportation arrangements were excellent. The best part was the local guide(CEO) who was extremely knowledgeable and flexible and made the experience quite enjoyable.

  Good - by Xavier G.

  Tours

  21 Costa Rica tours

  Age range

  12 to 90 years old

  Adventure type

  Explorer

  Response time

  1h

  Response rate

  100%

  Average price

  $409

  G Adventures is an expert in:

  • Explorer
  • Active
  • In-depth Cultural
• TruTravels

  
  5.0 (27,538 Costa Rica reviews)

  "If you go to Costa Rica, pray you get Luis. He absolutely made the tour, and the whole group felt the same. He never failed to bring optimism, enthusiasm, education and encouragement on every single day, and his energy was contagious throughout the whole group. Luis is the perfect tour guide and a wonderful person, a true asset to TruTravels and leaves a positive impact on everyone lucky enough to meet him. He helped people overcome fears, push themselves out their comfort zone and learn about the beautiful country and culture of Costa Rica and wider Latin America. It was an incredible experience and the worst part of it all was having to say goodbye! The tour itself was incredible, with amazing activities in a supportive environment of like-minded individuals. Feel as though I have made friends for life and had experiences that I will take with me forever. Costa Rica is beautifully diverse country, perfect for nature and adventure lovers. We were lucky enough to see LOADS of wildlife which was a big highlight for me. The activities were great, and the guide’s recommendations for optional activities were amazing. A really nice part was that you never felt pressured to do optional activities if they just weren’t your thing. Ill be recommending the Costa Rica Adventure to everyone I meet! It was friends I had made on previous tours that told me to do this one…. best recommendation ever.

  Excellent - by meg n.

  Tours

  1 Costa Rica tours

  Age range

  18 to 39 years old

  Adventure type

  Active

  Response time

  14h

  Response rate

  96%

  Average price

  $359

  TruTravels is an expert in:

  • Active
• Intrepid Travel

  
  4.5 (11,928 Costa Rica reviews)

  "The trip was a quick journey through Central American countries, from Guatemala to Costa Rica, but I didn’t feel it was rushed. Every second day was long travel days, if you don't mind, but the following day was mostly free day or choose optional activities. As this is a small group tour, transportation was a 16 seater van where there was not a lot of leg room. A few taller people in our group traveling in these vans for 8 hours did not feel comfortable; I consider myself short and I did struggle a bit as there was hardly any space to extend my legs; we only had 13 people (including our guide - Juan Ma Perez and driver). There were a number of border crossings, some were simple and quick and others quite time consuming. I felt the ones that were time consuming and complicated were due to our guide trying to complicate things by collecting the immigration fees to pay as a group. My experience is individual payment is much simpler and quicker. Border crossing in/out of Honduras and Nicaragua were interesting. Due to the route of the tour, we travelled into Honduras twice. Our guide told us entry fee into Honduras is US$4/p or they also accept the Guatemalan Quetzals of Q$30 and we can pay separately. At the counter we handed over $4 but were given a $3 receipt. I saw a plaque and posters at the counters stating entry fee is US$3. When asked later, our guide said the additional $1 is the currency conversion fee. A couple of days later when leaving Honduras I asked the immigration officer how much is the entry fee, he advised $3. I said we paid $4 a couple days ago; he answered, "really?". A few days later as we entered Honduras again (different entry point), our guide suggested to collect the entry fee of $4/p and pay as a group, but I opted to pay my entry fee separately. When in the immigration building, our guide approached me and asked for $4. I felt his tone wasn't friendly and I didn't want to cause any scene, so I gave him the money. When at the counter getting my passport stamped, I asked the officer how much is the entry fee and if there is any additional fee for currency conversion. He answered $3 and no additional fee. When told him that I paid $4, the officer asked which counter and officer charged $4? I said we handed the money over to our guide as a group. The officer said the entry fee is only $3 per entry and no conversation fee; if we handed the money separately to our guide for payment then it has nothing to do with the immigration. When entering Nicaragua, the entry fee suggested by our guide was different to the information provided on the internet (our guide said the info on the internet is incorrect). Our guide suggested to collect the money and pay as a group to speed up the process, I opted to pay separately, however our guide stood next to me and made sure I handed over the amount he suggested. I was last in the line but first to exit with all my documentation; while it took a while for the immigration office to process the group documentation and receipt. I felt there was a level of dishonesty from our guide. Our tour (for 2024) included 1 activity and 1 breakfast; all other activities were optional with a fee. The orientation walks included were literary an orientation walk, showing the location of the supermarket, laundry, souvenir stores, etc. Many of us later did not join the walks as we had google map to help us with orientation. We also felt our guide used the opportunity to take us to the restaurant he already arranged with the owner for dinner (we were not obliged to join as dinners were not included). A lot of us wanted to experience local culture and food, however the restaurants he arranged were more burgers, pasta, pan fried chicken or steaks with just a couple of local dishes. Many of us later decided to go separate ways for meals. It was nice for our guide wanting to arrange places for meals, however perhaps ask the group what food we would like to try or experience and maybe take us to restaurants that have better review/ratings. While 95% of activities were optional on this trip, prices of activities charged in 2024 were already more expensive than what is stated on the Intrepid website for 2025! A couple of activities were US$50 more than what was stated. Fully understand that prices may increase due to inflation, however a difference of $20-$50? There was an activity organized by our guide but we were told to pay directly to the company upon arrival. Our guide assured and confirmed with us, twice, that the activity costs US$40 including return transport. On the day, we were asked to pay $45 ($5 for return transport per person). As our guide did not come with us, I texted our guide advising the issue. He said, “thank you for the update, I also thought $40 included transport”. I asked him if he would like to call and confirm with the company as he arranged and booked the activity. Our guide simply said, “it is what it is, you will need to pay $5 for the transport.” There were other people (not part of our group) said that they only paid $40 and it included transport. I felt our guide deflected his responsibility and may have pocketed the extra $/p? Later, some of us decide to look for local tour companies for the same activities upon arriving at each location and we found local companies were at least $10-$20 cheaper than offered by Intrepid. As Intrepid is a big company, surely they can get better deals for the activities? Arrangement of transportation, cost of additional activities, and some information about the tour were provided at the very last minute. There were a few days that we left later to travel to our next destination because our guide couldn’t organize a transport to pick us up earlier as originally planned. Cost of activities were provided late in the afternoon for next day. Perhaps better organization skills, such as providing the cost of all additional activities on the first day of the tour (like other tour companies do) would be great. Intrepid is a well known company and people make final payment a month before the trip, surely this should be enough time to plan the journey. Perhaps Intrepid could learn from other tour companies about organization. Tour guides should always put first the interest of their passengers. However, I felt it wasn’t in this case. Also note that now a days we all have smart phones and information is readily accessible and available on the internet.

  Average - by Miguel W.

  Tours

  6 Costa Rica tours

  Age range

  5 to 99 years old

  Adventure type

  Explorer

  Response time

  8h

  Response rate

  76%

  Average price

  $297

  Intrepid Travel is an expert in:

  • Explorer
  • In-depth Cultural
  • Active