Essential Costa Rica - Package with Guanacaste

Traveler Reviews

• AB

  Albina5.0•November 2026
  We have just come back from the amazing Costa Rica – we did an Essential tour with Guanacaste ( Tamarindo), which we...
  We have just come back from the amazing Costa Rica – we did an Essential tour with Guanacaste ( Tamarindo), which we booked via Touradar ( within UK). What an absolutely amazing holidays!!! Everything was organised so well from the start to finish. The logistical planning, pick ups, drop off, guides, toilet stops, lunch stops, tour overall -all has been planned and coordinated very well, we were very impressed and cant thank enough all the service providers who has been involved in this planning and making this fabulous holiday happened for us. Everything was on time, buses were punctual and all the drivers were nice and friendly. We had to share the transport with other travellers from around the world, but that was not a problem and everything was still on time and efficient. We have received the agenda and a time table for our trip from the Touradar before travelling so we knew where we will be staying, pick up times and locations and we didn’t have any issues even once, no delays or cancelations, everything was spot on as per provided schedule. We have been picked up by the Destination services at the airport on arrival and transported to San Jose hotel. The hotel was okey, had everything we needed for 1 night stay ( Sleep inn paseo) and was quite centrally located so we went for dinner in town but due to late arrival we didn’t have chance to explore the capital, but definitely next time. Next morning we were picked up to go to Tortuguero. We stopped at Guapiles for a tasty breakfast and continued our journey to the Pachira lodge through the jungle and rain forest by bus and then by boat. We stayed at Pachira Lodge 2 days. What an amazing place, so remote, tranquil, calm, peaceful, in the middle of the rain forest surrounded by jungle – trees and animals. Axon was our guide for this part of the journey who showed us around, took us to see Tortuguero National Park on a boat safari and a little village on the Caribbean -Tortuguero. Axon was great, very knowledgeable, funny, and very informative. Big thank you to him-perfect tour guide!!! We were quite lucky with a weather ( end of October) and only had some rain in the morning, so enjoyed the pool and hotel trail in the spare time in the afternoon and cocktails at the bar in the evening. The lodge was fantastic in all aspects, we had different animals coming in so we have seen monkeys, lizards, sloths, toucans, parrots, and the noise of the jungle life at night is just unreal. The food at the lodge was very tasty and freshly cooked, we loved the papaya and the pineapple as they grow them locally – was very fresh and delicious. During the visit to Tortuguero village we have seen a little turtle walking to the sea ( which was quite unusual for it being during the day and the end of October and the sting ray coming to the shore to warm up in the warm waters of the Caribbean sea). The village of Tortuguero was small and cute with a street of shops, cafes and local’s houses and a school, which opens up to Caribbean sea. You are not allowed to swim on the beach due to strong tides but is it a very nice long beach which you can walk around and see turtle nests and eggs shells which got hatched earlier in September. After 2 days of the Caribbean coast, we continued our journey to La Fortuna region, with a stop for lunch at Guapiles. We stayed at El Faro hotel, which was 20 min walk from the main street/center, where we walked to few times for dinner. The hotel was nice in a shape of the hut, quite remote, with lots of birds around (calibri’s, tanagers, magpies, parrots, mormots, etc)….and an amazing Arenal volcano view. Breakfast was included and the lady at the café cooked it for us on demand as per provided menu- which was tasty. The hotel has a walking trail and we took the most of it exploring it ourselves and observing a wild life, animals, plants, birds etc. During one afternoon we took an optional activity to visit a hot springs; we visited Termalitas @ $10 each – a budget version of the hot springs. We were slightly disappointed about the place as its being full of kids and noisy, but we did go on Sunday and had no choice to visit any other day, so had to take the most of it. The place had 9 pools of different temperatures- so it was still nice to experience. We will recommend to invest abit more money and visit other hot springs. Its plenty to chose from around there. We had a hike to the Volcano included in the tour package, which was challenging due to being steep but still very pleasant and enjoyable with lots of stops and great views. We meant to go see the Green Lake too but for some reason our guide didn’t took us there, so we have only spent 1.5 hours on the excursion instead of 3 hours planned. But it was still great to explore the Arenal, the views were insane- absolutely beautiful!!!! After 2 days at Arenal we continued our trip via the Arenal lake to the Cloud Forest of Monteverde. Another fascinating place with a fantastic views. Yet again we had a trail in the hotel ( Hotel Montana) which we explored ourselves and found lots of interesting flora and fauna including a little pretty lake. We have seen Howley Monkeys, black squirrels, aguti and coatis walking by at this hotel ( even heard wild pigs) and we had an amazing balcony view at the hotel to watch birds ( esp hawk-eagles). Breakfast was included so we had a buffet option one day and the other day we have ordered the breakfast from the stuff ( I think due to not having much tourist that morning it was more effective to provide breakfast on order). It was tasty. We have also had a lunch there too, but went to the local Restaurants for dinner ( which we found abit pricey but that’s Costa Rica). Food was fresh and tasty. We have also bought some souvenirs, such as coffee and chocolates ( which are amazing and very tasty compare to Europe) at the local supermarkets as was a bit cheaper. Monteverde was a bit cooler compare to other regions we have been, but we got lucky with a weather yet again and had some sun shine both days ( Temp at 23C). As an optional activity we have chosen to go to explore Hanging Briges with Salvature Park. The Bridge experience was amazing with a highest bridge at 33m high, but I will not recommend the Salvature park, as we found them overpriced and they have also wasted some of our precious time and cut our experience short but there are lots of other operators who provides cheaper option with 8 bridges experience. Our recommendations will be to go in the morning to enjoy the full day as not enough time in the afternoon. We had a Monteverde National Park guided tour included in the package and Isac was our guide who showed us around the park, who was amazing, very knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting information. The calibri garden was a highlight!!!! After Monteverde stay we continued our travels to the Pacific Coast to Guanacaste to the little village Tamarindo. A little paradise on the Pacific coast. The hotel we stayed is called Wyndham – on top of the hill, with amazing views of the pacific coast. The hotel provided free buffet breakfast ( very tasty) and bus transfer to the village downtown and the beach club ( 5 min ride) which was also included into our package. The hotel is based on the very steep hill so would have been hard to walk it est 30 min up the hill in the 35C heat- so the bus transfer by the hotel was a big bonus. Again, the weather was amazing during our stay and we took the most of the beach and sea time and enjoyed the beach club, which has a fantastic sunsets. You can hire surf or body boards at the beach club, they also serve lunch and cocktails and have a swimming pool, which we enjoyed. During our last day, we have a transfer bus to the airport at San Jose. Its important to note that traffic in Costa Rica can be quite bad, so as the roads, due to various maintenance and construction works, so its important to take this into considerations and depart earlier for the airport so not to be late for the flight. It took us 6 hours from Tamarindo to San Jose airport. But the lady driver was very nice and accommodating and we had few small stops on the way to stretch the legs and bathroom breaks. We absolutely loved our stay and were very impressed with a tour how smooth everything went, we just needed to show up and everything was planned. I will definitely RECOMMEND Touradar and Destination Services and will use them again, in fact, I started looking at other tours already for our next destination with them. We were very lucky with a weather and didn’t experience much of the rain apart from one morning at Tortuguero, as usually it’s a rainy season, so be prepared to get a bit wet, but due to hot weather its still warm and humid. Its fair to say that the weather forecast didn’t reflect the actual weather, so we recommend not to rely on it. October is a bit out of season so it was quite and not many tourists, so cafes and restaurants were empty and we didn’t need to book anything, just walk in. Sometimes we were only 2 families/couples in the group for the tour, but I can presume it can get busy during peak seasons. Lots of bars offered a happy hour and discounts on food and beverages. We will definitely be back to Costa Rica, such an amazing country and lovely people. We miss it so much already – indeed holidays of the life time!!!Show more
  Traveled in October 2026
• AB

  Albina5.0•November 2026
  We have just come back from the amazing Costa Rica – we did an Essential tour with Guanacaste ( Tamarindo), which we...
  We have just come back from the amazing Costa Rica – we did an Essential tour with Guanacaste ( Tamarindo), which we booked via Touradar ( within UK). What an absolutely amazing holidays!!! Everything was organised so well from the start to finish. The logistical planning, pick ups, drop off, guides, toilet stops, lunch stops, tour overall -all has been planned and coordinated very well, we were very impressed and cant thank enough all the service providers who has been involved in this planning and making this fabulous holiday happened for us. Everything was on time, buses were punctual and all the drivers were nice and friendly. We had to share the transport with other travellers from around the world, but that was not a problem and everything was still on time and efficient. We have received the agenda and a time table for our trip from the Touradar before travelling so we knew where we will be staying, pick up times and locations and we didn’t have any issues even once, no delays or cancelations, everything was spot on as per provided schedule. We have been picked up by the Destination services at the airport on arrival and transported to San Jose hotel. The hotel was okey, had everything we needed for 1 night stay ( Sleep inn paseo) and was quite centrally located so we went for dinner in town but due to late arrival we didn’t have chance to explore the capital, but definitely next time. Next morning we were picked up to go to Tortuguero. We stopped at Guapiles for a tasty breakfast and continued our journey to the Pachira lodge through the jungle and rain forest by bus and then by boat. We stayed at Pachira Lodge 2 days. What an amazing place, so remote, tranquil, calm, peaceful, in the middle of the rain forest surrounded by jungle – trees and animals. Axon was our guide for this part of the journey who showed us around, took us to see Tortuguero National Park on a boat safari and a little village on the Caribbean -Tortuguero. Axon was great, very knowledgeable, funny, and very informative. Big thank you to him-perfect tour guide!!! We were quite lucky with a weather ( end of October) and only had some rain in the morning, so enjoyed the pool and hotel trail in the spare time in the afternoon and cocktails at the bar in the evening. The lodge was fantastic in all aspects, we had different animals coming in so we have seen monkeys, lizards, sloths, toucans, parrots, and the noise of the jungle life at night is just unreal. The food at the lodge was very tasty and freshly cooked, we loved the papaya and the pineapple as they grow them locally – was very fresh and delicious. During the visit to Tortuguero village we have seen a little turtle walking to the sea ( which was quite unusual for it being during the day and the end of October and the sting ray coming to the shore to warm up in the warm waters of the Caribbean sea). The village of Tortuguero was small and cute with a street of shops, cafes and local’s houses and a school, which opens up to Caribbean sea. You are not allowed to swim on the beach due to strong tides but is it a very nice long beach which you can walk around and see turtle nests and eggs shells which got hatched earlier in September. After 2 days of the Caribbean coast, we continued our journey to La Fortuna region, with a stop for lunch at Guapiles. We stayed at El Faro hotel, which was 20 min walk from the main street/center, where we walked to few times for dinner. The hotel was nice in a shape of the hut, quite remote, with lots of birds around (calibri’s, tanagers, magpies, parrots, mormots, etc)….and an amazing Arenal volcano view. Breakfast was included and the lady at the café cooked it for us on demand as per provided menu- which was tasty. The hotel has a walking trail and we took the most of it exploring it ourselves and observing a wild life, animals, plants, birds etc. During one afternoon we took an optional activity to visit a hot springs; we visited Termalitas @ $10 each – a budget version of the hot springs. We were slightly disappointed about the place as its being full of kids and noisy, but we did go on Sunday and had no choice to visit any other day, so had to take the most of it. The place had 9 pools of different temperatures- so it was still nice to experience. We will recommend to invest abit more money and visit other hot springs. Its plenty to chose from around there. We had a hike to the Volcano included in the tour package, which was challenging due to being steep but still very pleasant and enjoyable with lots of stops and great views. We meant to go see the Green Lake too but for some reason our guide didn’t took us there, so we have only spent 1.5 hours on the excursion instead of 3 hours planned. But it was still great to explore the Arenal, the views were insane- absolutely beautiful!!!! After 2 days at Arenal we continued our trip via the Arenal lake to the Cloud Forest of Monteverde. Another fascinating place with a fantastic views. Yet again we had a trail in the hotel ( Hotel Montana) which we explored ourselves and found lots of interesting flora and fauna including a little pretty lake. We have seen Howley Monkeys, black squirrels, aguti and coatis walking by at this hotel ( even heard wild pigs) and we had an amazing balcony view at the hotel to watch birds ( esp hawk-eagles). Breakfast was included so we had a buffet option one day and the other day we have ordered the breakfast from the stuff ( I think due to not having much tourist that morning it was more effective to provide breakfast on order). It was tasty. We have also had a lunch there too, but went to the local Restaurants for dinner ( which we found abit pricey but that’s Costa Rica). Food was fresh and tasty. We have also bought some souvenirs, such as coffee and chocolates ( which are amazing and very tasty compare to Europe) at the local supermarkets as was a bit cheaper. Monteverde was a bit cooler compare to other regions we have been, but we got lucky with a weather yet again and had some sun shine both days ( Temp at 23C). As an optional activity we have chosen to go to explore Hanging Briges with Salvature Park. The Bridge experience was amazing with a highest bridge at 33m high, but I will not recommend the Salvature park, as we found them overpriced and they have also wasted some of our precious time and cut our experience short but there are lots of other operators who provides cheaper option with 8 bridges experience. Our recommendations will be to go in the morning to enjoy the full day as not enough time in the afternoon. We had a Monteverde National Park guided tour included in the package and Isac was our guide who showed us around the park, who was amazing, very knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting information. The calibri garden was a highlight!!!! After Monteverde stay we continued our travels to the Pacific Coast to Guanacaste to the little village Tamarindo. A little paradise on the Pacific coast. The hotel we stayed is called Wyndham – on top of the hill, with amazing views of the pacific coast. The hotel provided free buffet breakfast ( very tasty) and bus transfer to the village downtown and the beach club ( 5 min ride) which was also included into our package. The hotel is based on the very steep hill so would have been hard to walk it est 30 min up the hill in the 35C heat- so the bus transfer by the hotel was a big bonus. Again, the weather was amazing during our stay and we took the most of the beach and sea time and enjoyed the beach club, which has a fantastic sunsets. You can hire surf or body boards at the beach club, they also serve lunch and cocktails and have a swimming pool, which we enjoyed. During our last day, we have a transfer bus to the airport at San Jose. Its important to note that traffic in Costa Rica can be quite bad, so as the roads, due to various maintenance and construction works, so its important to take this into considerations and depart earlier for the airport so not to be late for the flight. It took us 6 hours from Tamarindo to San Jose airport. But the lady driver was very nice and accommodating and we had few small stops on the way to stretch the legs and bathroom breaks. We absolutely loved our stay and were very impressed with a tour how smooth everything went, we just needed to show up and everything was planned. I will definitely RECOMMEND Touradar and Destination Services and will use them again, in fact, I started looking at other tours already for our next destination with them. We were very lucky with a weather and didn’t experience much of the rain apart from one morning at Tortuguero, as usually it’s a rainy season, so be prepared to get a bit wet, but due to hot weather its still warm and humid. Its fair to say that the weather forecast didn’t reflect the actual weather, so we recommend not to rely on it. October is a bit out of season so it was quite and not many tourists, so cafes and restaurants were empty and we didn’t need to book anything, just walk in. Sometimes we were only 2 families/couples in the group for the tour, but I can presume it can get busy during peak seasons. Lots of bars offered a happy hour and discounts on food and beverages. We will definitely be back to Costa Rica, such an amazing country and lovely people. We miss it so much already – indeed holidays of the life time!!!Show more
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  Traveled in October 2026
• SF

  Suzi4.4•September 2026
  This is not a great tour for solo travelers. You are with different people during transport, in hotels and even...
  This is not a great tour for solo travelers. You are with different people during transport, in hotels and even scheduled activities. You might be going zip lining and someone else you’ve met will be zip lining the same day but at a different time. Also, it’s very difficult to reach anyone while on tour, turn around time for any communication is 24 hrs. and frequently the app would not work. Also, my Spanish is limited (my fault) and a lot of people in the groups were Spanish speakers so communication could sometimes be a challenge - but the people were so friendly and kind. The positives, unbelievable sights and experiences. Transportation was where and when you were told and you always got where you needed to be.Show more
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  Traveled in September 2026
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  Todd4.0•September 2026
  A good way to see much of variety of Costa Rica in a fairy short period of time.
  Traveled in August 2026
  

  Reply from: Destination Services Costa Rica

  Dear Todd, Thank you for your feedback! We're glad to hear you enjoyed the trip and that it gave you the chance to experience so much of Costa Rica's diversity in a short time. Thank you for traveling with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another Pura Vida adventure in the future! Warm regards, Paola & DS Team

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• MV

  Michael4.0•August 2026
  Inclement weather impacted transit between locations. Obviously, mother nature is what it is. The delays were really...
  Inclement weather impacted transit between locations. Obviously, mother nature is what it is. The delays were really very challenging.Show more
  Traveled in August 2026
  

  Reply from: Destination Services Costa Rica

  Dear Michael, Thank you for your feedback. We completely understand how tiring travel delays can be, especially when you're looking forward to reaching your next destination. During your visit, Costa Rica experienced a particularly rainy period, which unfortunately affected travel times in some areas. While these situations are beyond anyone's control, we know they can impact the overall travel experience, and we truly appreciate your patience and understanding throughout those unexpected challenges. Thank you for traveling with us, and we hope to welcome you back to Costa Rica for another adventure in the future. All the best, Paola & DS Team

  Show more
• 

  Nicky4.0•April 2026
  We had a good trip to Costa Rica. All the arrangements, pickups and tours were as advertised. I would, however have...
  We had a good trip to Costa Rica. All the arrangements, pickups and tours were as advertised. I would, however have liked to have had a text or email confirming pickups.Show more
  Traveled in April 2026
• NS

  Nicole4.0•March 2026
  This tour is excellent for couples with limited time in Costa Rica, as it was nicely divided into Tortuguero, Arenal,...
  This tour is excellent for couples with limited time in Costa Rica, as it was nicely divided into Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde and Tamarindo, allowing us to experience parks, volcanoes, forests and beaches. We chose 4star hotels and were placed in 3star hotels twice, however, all hotels were beautiful and well maintained. Since this tour utilises sub-tours and sub-companies, you must be prepared for changes in schedule, and whilst Tour Radar were helpful with our queries, they will not know what is happening in real time (eg. we were left waiting for pick up for an hour on one occasion due to traffic encountered in the pick-ups before ours).Show more
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  Traveled in March 2026
  

  Reply from: Destination Services Costa Rica

  Dear Nicole, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience. We are delighted to hear that the itinerary allowed you to enjoy such a great mix of Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde and Tamarindo within a limited time, and we truly appreciate your balanced comments. Regarding the waiting time for pick up on one occasion, please allow us to clarify that these delays can sometimes be caused by traffic conditions encountered earlier on the route (especially when collecting guests from different hotels). In all cases, our local teams are instructed to prioritise safety first and to drive responsibly and in full compliance with local traffic regulations, even if that means arrival times can vary slightly. With respect to accommodations, Costa Rica is a destination where not all hotels operate with an official star rating system in the same way as in other countries, which can sometimes create confusion when reviewing confirmations. That said, for your booking we did assign well known Superior properties, including Laguna Lodge in Tortuguero, El Establo in Monteverde, and your Hotel Tamarindo Diria In addition, one of the stays was confirmed as an upgrade, as part of our effort to enhance your overall experience whenever possible. Thank you once again for travelling with us and for your constructive feedback—it helps us continue refining both communication and on the ground operations. Warm regards, Customer Experience Team

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• KP

  Katherine3.0•March 2026
  Communication was ok until we had an issue. We arrived at approximately midnight in Costa Rica. I had specifically...
  Communication was ok until we had an issue. We arrived at approximately midnight in Costa Rica. I had specifically asked if we would have nay issues checking i to hotel. Was told all would be ok. Arrived at hotel was told no reservation and had to pay for the first night. Asked to adjust schedule and get back money. Only asked for difference between what we had paid via you and what the hotel charged. Was not possible to adjust schedule. Was told you would check about compensation. No response . Any communication is better than none. Telling g me you will check and then ot coming back is unprofessional.Show more
  Traveled in February 2026
  

  Reply from: Destination Services Costa Rica

  Dear Katherine, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We would like to let you know that we have already reached out to you privately to review your case in more detail. As this reservation involves specific hotel policies and operational considerations, it requires a careful and thorough review that is best handled directly with you rather than in a public forum. Please be assured that your comments are important to us and that we are committed to reviewing the situation with transparency and care. We truly appreciate your patience and the opportunity to address this matter properly. Kind regards, Customer Claims Review Office

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• GZ

  Gabija5.0•February 2026
  Amazing tour! It is very well organised, providing a good balance between activities and time to relax. It also gives...
  Amazing tour! It is very well organised, providing a good balance between activities and time to relax. It also gives plenty of opportunities to supplement the main tour with additional activities. The transfers were always on time, local tour guides were knowledgeable and very professional. We upgraded our hotels from the basic and we strongly recommend doing that - the hotels we got were amazing, especially in La Fortuna, where we were able to enjoy the thermal pools at the hotel. Other highlights include: ziplining in the rainforest in Arenal (though Monteverde option is also available), the suspension bridges in Monteverde and Tortuguero national park. The tour organisers were very helpful and responsive. Would strongly recommend!Show more
  Traveled in February 2026
  

  Reply from: Destination Services Costa Rica

  Dear Gabija, Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that the balance between activities, relaxation, and local experiences met your expectations. We place a very high value on the suppliers we work with, as they play a fundamental role in the overall service quality and guest experience. Your positive comments regarding transportation, local guides, and accommodations will be shared with our partners, as recognition like this is extremely important to them. Please rest assured that all our suppliers are carefully audited and undergo regular quality reviews to ensure that service standards are consistently maintained and that the level of experience never drops below what our guests expect and deserve. This ongoing process is a key part of our commitment to delivering reliable, high‑quality journeys. Thank you once again for your kind words and recommendation. We truly appreciate your trust and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future. Warm regards, Customer Experience Team

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• RM

  Rachel5.0•February 2026
  Great tour. A great introduction to Costa Rica and all its variety. We booked extras which were dovetailed...
  Great tour. A great introduction to Costa Rica and all its variety. We booked extras which were dovetailed brilliantly into all the activities. A must do trip.Show more
  Traveled in November 2025