Other Options...

[*WDW*Groupie*]

A few final thoughts on A&K Family:

• the transfer from the airport included an escort and a driver; the escort knew everything about our trip, group and tours booked and gave us a ton of useful information on our drive to the hotel -- this was very helpful; she also gave us a map and highlighted some local restaurants for us that we could walk to from the hotel
• A&K has a Marco Polo club for travelers that have gone on 3 or more of their trips; they have an exclusive party for them on each trip apparently; the party on our ship looked to be well-attended (maybe 50 or so people judging from the pictures); our waiter told us they have very high end hors d'oeuvres (caviar, fancy champagne, etc.) for this group
• transfers seemed to be well-handled based on the volume of our group (196 total). There was an escort with each bus to the airport and this escort came through security with us and accompanied us right to the gate; I imagine moving a group of 196 is not easy but they made it look that way!
  
• upon arriving in Ushuaia there were local escorts on every bus to give us a verbal history of the town and attractions on our way to the hotel for lunch and check-in for our cruise
  
• I like the previously mentioned discount for booking another trip with A&K (you have 30 days to make use of it)
• I liked that I was able to book a half day private tour with A&K -- I was VERY impressed with the guide, their flexibility in booking the tour and the quality of the tour (which included pre-booked tickets to tour the Opera House -- very worthwhile)
• at the conclusion of our trip they had a group of escorts at the BA airport; one of them came up to the Hard Rock restaurant to tell us the AA desk had opened for us to check-in; high marks for that -- they were excellent and had eyes on our very large group until we had gone through security
• I didn't like that coming back from Ushuaia they only had 1 bus to take us from the domestic terminal to the international terminal; we waited quite a while in the heat for the bus to come back after dropping off the first group and our luggage barely made it on the bus -- judging by the size of the group and the amount of luggage I imagine it was going to take at least another 3 or 4 trips to get everyone to the terminal (walking wasn't an option for me due to the amount of luggage I had lol)

Edited to add: if you are thinking about going to Antarctica, I'd recommend going with a company that goes directly to the continent, such as Nat Geo. As I mentioned previously due to a medical emergency we only spent 90 minutes on the continent before we turned around. That's a VERY long way to go (and a lot of money to spend) for such a short time. If I were to go again, I'd look elsewhere -- I'd also likely go with a smaller ship where everyone could go onshore together.

If there are any single travelers out there Nat Geo has a new ship, the Endurance, coming in 2020 that is going to Antarctica and has cabins for singles. They are currently taking reservations for Antarctica on this new ship in December, 2020 and I'm toying with the idea of booking.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Received this e-mail from Tauck today:
With the assistance of our travel industry partners, we are making it easy for you to fly to Europe from the US and Canada with our Take Off with Tauck inclusive air package providing true value and peace of mind travel. This fully inclusive package covers taxes and fuel surcharges with no hidden fees or surprises and much more!

Enjoy one upfront, flat round-trip price per person from US and Canadian gateways.

$750 per person for Economy Class
$1750 Premium Economy Class
$2990 Business Class

Available for new 2019 bookings only made from January 8 – February 28, 2019. Valid for trips departing March 1 through August 31, 2019. Subject to availability, not combinable with other offers.

 

[Woodview]

Very good value & Price for those trips. AND If it is for Flights from anywhere in USA or Canada

Go for Economy Class & save money for your shopping & your Duty Free on way back

Most Airlines flying to Europe are very good

Just make sure of Luggage weight allowed for these prices .....

22 lbs ( 10 kgs ) overhead cabin + laptop & 50 lbs ( 23 Kgs ) for Hold Luggage ......... Strictly enforced

 

[aggiedog]

That would be a steal for us. Flying from Texas is rarely under $1,000, and frequently more.

 

[disneyphx]

Thanks for all of the Antarctica tips and photos - make me so excited to make that trip finally happen!
Friends went in their daughters senior year of high school - thinking that might be a good to time for DD to visit her 7th continent

 

[AquaDame]

If there are any single travelers out there Nat Geo has a new ship, the Endurance, coming in 2020 that is going to Antarctica and has cabins for singles. They are currently taking reservations for Antarctica on this new ship in December, 2020 and I'm toying with the idea of booking.

Interesting that I only see that one date for the ship so far... I wonder if more will be added later or if they will be using that ship for one of the other itineraries instead? Antarctica is still many years off for us due to cost, but its all very interesting, thank you for taking such care to write everything up!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Interesting that I only see that one date for the ship so far... I wonder if more will be added later or if they will be using that ship for one of the other itineraries instead? Antarctica is still many years off for us due to cost, but its all very interesting, thank you for taking such care to write everything up!

They have a few more 2020 dates for the Endurance on their website.

Dd really wants to do the A&K trip again for the Falkland Islands and South Georgia . I would prefer the Nat Geo trip. She can be very stubborn so we'll have to see how this plays out. I have convinced myself that we will be booking either with A&K or Nat Geo for 2020 and will be doing a deposit soon. I can still make use of the A&K return booking discount so that may play a factor.

"Glittering white, shining blue, raven black, in the light of the sun the land looks like a fairy tale. Pinnacle after pinnacle, peak after peak, crevassed, wild as any land on our globe, it lies unseen and untrodden". Roald Amundsen

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Some time ago, I mentioned on this forum that I was booked to do a Gate 1 tour of Costa Rica and there were a couple of people interested to hear about my experience.
I’m not sure if that is still the case, but having now returned home (we did the trip over Xmas and New Year), I thought I’d provide a bit of a rundown and if anyone has questions, I’m happy to answer.

For a start, I know that Gate 1 is not often a tour company compared with Disney because it is in a much cheaper bracket. I wanted to say that I was really impressed by the product we received for the price we paid. We loved the tour and I’m not convinced that paying twice the price for a different tour would have given us twice the enjoyment, particularly since wildlife is not on anyone’s schedule.

Secondly, this is our experience of just this tour. I can’t say whether all Gate 1 tours around the world run the same way.

Our tour was 12 nights and made up of 3 parts. Every person on our tour was there for the middle part, but numbers were smaller for the pre- and post-extensions. I would recommend both, as Tortuguero and Manuel Antonio were real highlights.

Pre-extension:
1 night in San Jose
2 nights Tortuguero

The core tour:
1 night San Jose
2 nights in Arenal
2 nights in Monteverde
(We were then split between two buses with some continuing on the post-extension and others going back for a final night in San Jose)

Post-extension:
3 nights in Manuel Antonio
1 San Jose

Note: any time spent in San Jose is really more about logistics than enjoyment as it isn’t a particularly appealing city.

Transport:
The buses were comfortable and spacious. During the middle part of the tour our group was almost at 40 (fully booked) but the bus they used seated 50. This meant that no singles or odd-numbered groups were not forced to sit with strangers. My family of 3 always had at least 2 pairs of seats. During the pre- and post-extension when the group was smaller we often spread out over 3 pairs of seats and took a window each.

Food:
Ranged from good to great. It wasn’t all buffets and for some dinners we went to lovely local restaurants where we got to choose from a 3 course menu. Juice was included with most meals and for some meals a glass of beer, wine or soft drink was also included.
Everyday, when boarding the bus, we were provided with 2 bottles of water to make sure we stayed hydrated.

Hotels:
Ranged from okay to great. I have noticed that for some tours, Gate 1 and Disney use the same hotel in Arenal. Sadly that was not the case on our tour as our hotel in Arenal was probably our only trip disappointment (it was a pretty hotel in scenic location, but the service was poor).
On the flip side, the one we stayed in in Manuel Antonio (Si Como No) was up there as one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed. The views of the ocean and jungle from our balcony were breathtaking.
The one we stayed in in Tortuguero (Evergreen Lodge) was basic but so charming and fitting with the environment, that we also loved it. We truely felt immersed in nature.

Guide:
He was professional and knowledgeable. When we had one hiccup on our trip (our bus broke down due to a mechanical issue the company couldn’t have predicted), both our driver and guide jumped to action with the haste and professionalism I would expect from a well-organised tour. It meant some changes in plan to our day, but I didn’t see anybody annoyed or complaining.

Free/optional time:
We had quite a bit of this on our tour which we loved. While most people opted for the optional tours Gate 1 offered, we loved that we could cater the trip to our exact interests and book some specialised private wildlife tours with well-rated naturalists.
I like the ease of being on a tour, but the flexibility and ability to escape the crowds that comes with booking things on your own. We felt like this tour provided the best of both worlds.
My only criticism would be that the optional tours were plugged a lot on our trip and there was a definite sense that Gate 1 like you to stick with what they’re offering.

Cost:
Booking during some promotions, we paid approximately US$100 per person, per day, which I thought was a bargain. Especially considering that over Xmas and New Year, some of our hotels alone would have cost close to what we paid had we booked independently. For comparison sake, I tried pricing up the whole trip independently and literally could not book it for cheaper.
Included was half of our day activities, all breakfasts and about half of our lunches and dinners, and all baggage handling. Gratuities beyond luggage handling were not included.

Highlights:
Seeing the animals. We saw almost every animal on our bucket list. I’m happy to highlight this further if anyone is interested, but won’t get started now as I could go on for ages.

Demographic:
This was a holiday time tour, so the age demographic might be different from other tours, but I would say that age groups across the bus were pretty well spread out. There were people in there 20s and people in their 70s and the spread in between was fairly even.
Kids were the minority with only 3 under-18s on the tour. My son was the only child who did all 3 legs, but at no stage was this an issue.
Most tour participants were from the USA or Canada.

Overall, I have only good things to say and would happily travel with Gate 1 again.
Happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

 

[Calfan]

Some time ago, I mentioned on this forum that I was booked to do a Gate 1 tour of Costa Rica and there were a couple of people interested to hear about my experience.
I’m not sure if that is still the case, but having now returned home (we did the trip over Xmas and New Year), I thought I’d provide a bit of a rundown and if anyone has questions, I’m happy to answer.

For a start, I know that Gate 1 is not often a tour company compared with Disney because it is in a much cheaper bracket. I wanted to say that I was really impressed by the product we received for the price we paid. We loved the tour and I’m not convinced that paying twice the price for a different tour would have given us twice the enjoyment, particularly since wildlife is not on anyone’s schedule.

Secondly, this is our experience of just this tour. I can’t say whether all Gate 1 tours around the world run the same way.

Our tour was 12 nights and made up of 3 parts. Every person on our tour was there for the middle part, but numbers were smaller for the pre- and post-extensions. I would recommend both, as Tortuguero and Manuel Antonio were real highlights.

Pre-extension:
1 night in San Jose
2 nights Tortuguero

The core tour:
1 night San Jose
2 nights in Arenal
2 nights in Monteverde
(We were then split between two buses with some continuing on the post-extension and others going back for a final night in San Jose)

Post-extension:
3 nights in Manuel Antonio
1 San Jose

Note: any time spent in San Jose is really more about logistics than enjoyment as it isn’t a particularly appealing city.

Transport:
The buses were comfortable and spacious. During the middle part of the tour our group was almost at 40 (fully booked) but the bus they used seated 50. This meant that no singles or odd-numbered groups were not forced to sit with strangers. My family of 3 always had at least 2 pairs of seats. During the pre- and post-extension when the group was smaller we often spread out over 3 pairs of seats and took a window each.

Food:
Ranged from good to great. It wasn’t all buffets and for some dinners we went to lovely local restaurants where we got to choose from a 3 course menu. Juice was included with most meals and for some meals a glass of beer, wine or soft drink was also included.
Everyday, when boarding the bus, we were provided with 2 bottles of water to make sure we stayed hydrated.

Hotels:
Ranged from okay to great. I have noticed that for some tours, Gate 1 and Disney use the same hotel in Arenal. Sadly that was not the case on our tour as our hotel in Arenal was probably our only trip disappointment (it was a pretty hotel in scenic location, but the service was poor).
On the flip side, the one we stayed in in Manuel Antonio (Si Como No) was up there as one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed. The views of the ocean and jungle from our balcony were breathtaking.
The one we stayed in in Tortuguero (Evergreen Lodge) was basic but so charming and fitting with the environment, that we also loved it. We truely felt immersed in nature.

Guide:
He was professional and knowledgeable. When we had one hiccup on our trip (our bus broke down due to a mechanical issue the company couldn’t have predicted), both our driver and guide jumped to action with the haste and professionalism I would expect from a well-organised tour. It meant some changes in plan to our day, but I didn’t see anybody annoyed or complaining.

Free/optional time:
We had quite a bit of this on our tour which we loved. While most people opted for the optional tours Gate 1 offered, we loved that we could cater the trip to our exact interests and book some specialised private wildlife tours with well-rated naturalists.
I like the ease of being on a tour, but the flexibility and ability to escape the crowds that comes with booking things on your own. We felt like this tour provided the best of both worlds.
My only criticism would be that the optional tours were plugged a lot on our trip and there was a definite sense that Gate 1 like you to stick with what they’re offering.

Cost:
Booking during some promotions, we paid approximately US$100 per person, per day, which I thought was a bargain. Especially considering that over Xmas and New Year, some of our hotels alone would have cost close to what we paid had we booked independently. For comparison sake, I tried pricing up the whole trip independently and literally could not book it for cheaper.
Included was half of our day activities, all breakfasts and about half of our lunches and dinners, and all baggage handling. Gratuities beyond luggage handling were not included.

Highlights:
Seeing the animals. We saw almost every animal on our bucket list. I’m happy to highlight this further if anyone is interested, but won’t get started now as I could go on for ages.

Demographic:
This was a holiday time tour, so the age demographic might be different from other tours, but I would say that age groups across the bus were pretty well spread out. There were people in there 20s and people in their 70s and the spread in between was fairly even.
Kids were the minority with only 3 under-18s on the tour. My son was the only child who did all 3 legs, but at no stage was this an issue.
Most tour participants were from the USA or Canada.

Overall, I have only good things to say and would happily travel with Gate 1 again.
Happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

OMG, the sloths!!! All of the pictures are fantastic, though.

 

[BluesTraveler]

@lpm23 - per your question about what other travel companies we are looking at. In 2018 DH and I did a Backroads hiking trip and it was outstanding. 18 people, 3 guides, luxurious hotels, amazing food. We will definitely do another one next year. Currently looking at Argentina for early 2020. We would also love to do one of the Backroads family trips with our kids in the summer of 2020 - they've got so many options that we don't have it remotely narrowed down. The other 2 companies we would consider for 2020 are National Geographic (family trips limited to 25) and Abercrombie & Kent (family trips limited to 24). But Backroads for an adults-only early 2020 and for a family trip summer 2020 is the current front runner.

Tauck has a few small group departures for family trips but they are pretty limited. Thomson doesn't take credit cards without a surcharge and I can't see passing up all those points. Tauck also has a new Portugal river cruise in 2020 that I'd be interested in, and that's a Tauck Bridges trip so would be lots of kids.

 

[Calfan]

@lpm23 - per your question about what other travel companies we are looking at. In 2018 DH and I did a Backroads hiking trip and it was outstanding. 18 people, 3 guides, luxurious hotels, amazing food. We will definitely do another one next year. Currently looking at Argentina for early 2020. We would also love to do one of the Backroads family trips with our kids in the summer of 2020 - they've got so many options that we don't have it remotely narrowed down. The other 2 companies we would consider for 2020 are National Geographic (family trips limited to 25) and Abercrombie & Kent (family trips limited to 24). But Backroads for an adults-only early 2020 and for a family trip summer 2020 is the current front runner.

Tauck has a few small group departures for family trips but they are pretty limited. Thomson doesn't take credit cards without a surcharge and I can't see passing up all those points. Tauck also has a new Portugal river cruise in 2020 that I'd be interested in, and that's a Tauck Bridges trip so would be lots of kids.

Just checked out the preliminary info/teaser on the Tauck Portugal river cruise. That could tempt me...

 

[BluesTraveler]

Just checked out the preliminary info/teaser on the Tauck Portugal river cruise. That could tempt me...

Yes - it's already selling really well even without the full itinerary out! I just hate committing so far in advance, and that's a mistake I feel like I've made with ABD. Have VOWED I will not book summer 2020 until after Thanksgiving of this year, so we really know what the options look like. Hold me to it friends...

 

[Calfan]

Yes - it's already selling really well even without the full itinerary out! I just hate committing so far in advance, and that's a mistake I feel like I've made with ABD. Have VOWED I will not book summer 2020 until after Thanksgiving of this year, so we really know what the options look like. Hold me to it friends...

We wouldn't be able to consider it until 2021 or later, but not because I have a problem committing far in advance, lol. We are committed to Japan with Thomson Family Adventures for 2020 based on a deposit I put down in 2017 to lock in 2017 pricing. I stewed a bit at the time (although the deposit has been fully refundable at any time) but am super glad now that I bit the bullet and forked over $5k in 2017. Locking in the 2017 pricing is going to save us quite a bit compared to what we would pay now to book a 2020 trip.

 

[lpm23]

@lpm23 - per your question about what other travel companies we are looking at. In 2018 DH and I did a Backroads hiking trip and it was outstanding. 18 people, 3 guides, luxurious hotels, amazing food. We will definitely do another one next year. Currently looking at Argentina for early 2020. We would also love to do one of the Backroads family trips with our kids in the summer of 2020 - they've got so many options that we don't have it remotely narrowed down. The other 2 companies we would consider for 2020 are National Geographic (family trips limited to 25) and Abercrombie & Kent (family trips limited to 24). But Backroads for an adults-only early 2020 and for a family trip summer 2020 is the current front runner.

Tauck has a few small group departures for family trips but they are pretty limited. Thomson doesn't take credit cards without a surcharge and I can't see passing up all those points. Tauck also has a new Portugal river cruise in 2020 that I'd be interested in, and that's a Tauck Bridges trip so would be lots of kids.

Thanks. I will have to check those out. How much hiking on backroads family? our daugter's are 7 and 9 and we typically travel with my dad. so not sure if that is too much for our group.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Thanks. I will have to check those out. How much hiking on backroads family? our daugter's are 7 and 9 and we typically travel with my dad. so not sure if that is too much for our group.

Lots of variation, and they also have 'multiadventure' trips, which include some biking, kayaking, etc. They have trips specifically for that age group, so I'm sure the hiking would be kid-appropriate.

 

[laceltris3]

.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Thanks. I will have to check those out. How much hiking on backroads family? our daugter's are 7 and 9 and we typically travel with my dad. so not sure if that is too much for our group.

We traveled with Austin Adventures this past summer (and will again in June) on one of their family trips. There were two multi-generational families on the trip and AA was able to accommodate everyone's needs. They provided alternate activities for the folks who didn't feel they were up to the longer hikes. It sounds like they were quite pleased with the accommodations made for them. Ages ranged from 7 to 70+.

 

[SirDuff]

@lpm23 - per your question about what other travel companies we are looking at. In 2018 DH and I did a Backroads hiking trip and it was outstanding. 18 people, 3 guides, luxurious hotels, amazing food. We will definitely do another one next year. Currently looking at Argentina for early 2020. We would also love to do one of the Backroads family trips with our kids in the summer of 2020 - they've got so many options that we don't have it remotely narrowed down. The other 2 companies we would consider for 2020 are National Geographic (family trips limited to 25) and Abercrombie & Kent (family trips limited to 24). But Backroads for an adults-only early 2020 and for a family trip summer 2020 is the current front runner.

Tauck has a few small group departures for family trips but they are pretty limited. Thomson doesn't take credit cards without a surcharge and I can't see passing up all those points. Tauck also has a new Portugal river cruise in 2020 that I'd be interested in, and that's a Tauck Bridges trip so would be lots of kids.

I did the Argentina biking trip (Patagonia) over New Years 2015/16 and it was great. I also did Northern Thailand biking (over New Years 2012/13) and loved it too.

 

[Ava]

Some time ago, I mentioned on this forum that I was booked to do a Gate 1 tour of Costa Rica and there were a couple of people interested to hear about my experience.
I’m not sure if that is still the case, but having now returned home (we did the trip over Xmas and New Year), I thought I’d provide a bit of a rundown and if anyone has questions, I’m happy to answer.

For a start, I know that Gate 1 is not often a tour company compared with Disney because it is in a much cheaper bracket. I wanted to say that I was really impressed by the product we received for the price we paid. We loved the tour and I’m not convinced that paying twice the price for a different tour would have given us twice the enjoyment, particularly since wildlife is not on anyone’s schedule.

Secondly, this is our experience of just this tour. I can’t say whether all Gate 1 tours around the world run the same way.

Our tour was 12 nights and made up of 3 parts. Every person on our tour was there for the middle part, but numbers were smaller for the pre- and post-extensions. I would recommend both, as Tortuguero and Manuel Antonio were real highlights.

Pre-extension:
1 night in San Jose
2 nights Tortuguero

The core tour:
1 night San Jose
2 nights in Arenal
2 nights in Monteverde
(We were then split between two buses with some continuing on the post-extension and others going back for a final night in San Jose)

Post-extension:
3 nights in Manuel Antonio
1 San Jose

Note: any time spent in San Jose is really more about logistics than enjoyment as it isn’t a particularly appealing city.

Transport:
The buses were comfortable and spacious. During the middle part of the tour our group was almost at 40 (fully booked) but the bus they used seated 50. This meant that no singles or odd-numbered groups were not forced to sit with strangers. My family of 3 always had at least 2 pairs of seats. During the pre- and post-extension when the group was smaller we often spread out over 3 pairs of seats and took a window each.

Food:
Ranged from good to great. It wasn’t all buffets and for some dinners we went to lovely local restaurants where we got to choose from a 3 course menu. Juice was included with most meals and for some meals a glass of beer, wine or soft drink was also included.
Everyday, when boarding the bus, we were provided with 2 bottles of water to make sure we stayed hydrated.

Hotels:
Ranged from okay to great. I have noticed that for some tours, Gate 1 and Disney use the same hotel in Arenal. Sadly that was not the case on our tour as our hotel in Arenal was probably our only trip disappointment (it was a pretty hotel in scenic location, but the service was poor).
On the flip side, the one we stayed in in Manuel Antonio (Si Como No) was up there as one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed. The views of the ocean and jungle from our balcony were breathtaking.
The one we stayed in in Tortuguero (Evergreen Lodge) was basic but so charming and fitting with the environment, that we also loved it. We truely felt immersed in nature.

Guide:
He was professional and knowledgeable. When we had one hiccup on our trip (our bus broke down due to a mechanical issue the company couldn’t have predicted), both our driver and guide jumped to action with the haste and professionalism I would expect from a well-organised tour. It meant some changes in plan to our day, but I didn’t see anybody annoyed or complaining.

Free/optional time:
We had quite a bit of this on our tour which we loved. While most people opted for the optional tours Gate 1 offered, we loved that we could cater the trip to our exact interests and book some specialised private wildlife tours with well-rated naturalists.
I like the ease of being on a tour, but the flexibility and ability to escape the crowds that comes with booking things on your own. We felt like this tour provided the best of both worlds.
My only criticism would be that the optional tours were plugged a lot on our trip and there was a definite sense that Gate 1 like you to stick with what they’re offering.

Cost:
Booking during some promotions, we paid approximately US$100 per person, per day, which I thought was a bargain. Especially considering that over Xmas and New Year, some of our hotels alone would have cost close to what we paid had we booked independently. For comparison sake, I tried pricing up the whole trip independently and literally could not book it for cheaper.
Included was half of our day activities, all breakfasts and about half of our lunches and dinners, and all baggage handling. Gratuities beyond luggage handling were not included.

Highlights:
Seeing the animals. We saw almost every animal on our bucket list. I’m happy to highlight this further if anyone is interested, but won’t get started now as I could go on for ages.

Demographic:
This was a holiday time tour, so the age demographic might be different from other tours, but I would say that age groups across the bus were pretty well spread out. There were people in there 20s and people in their 70s and the spread in between was fairly even.
Kids were the minority with only 3 under-18s on the tour. My son was the only child who did all 3 legs, but at no stage was this an issue.
Most tour participants were from the USA or Canada.

Overall, I have only good things to say and would happily travel with Gate 1 again.
Happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

Thank you for the review & photos! I’m one of the people who was asking about Gate 1. Glad to hear you had a good experience with them!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thank you for the review & photos! I’m one of the people who was asking about Gate 1. Glad to hear you had a good experience with them!

You’re welcome

Our whole vacation consisted of 3 main parts - a week in Orlando spilt between Universal and Disney, the Gate 1 Costa Rica tour, and 2 weeks on a Southern Caribbean cruise. While the cruise was the highlight for my son, Costa Rica was the highlight for my husband and I. I’m going through a small bout of post-vacation blues at present, and I keep looking at photos from CR wishing I was back there. It really was very special.

I think for us, the star of the trip was the itinerary. I was looking at the ABD Costa Rica tour the other day and see that it’s about 5x more expensive per day than what we paid. While people can spend their money how they want - what does strike me about the tour is the itinerary. If your priority is some outdoor adventure tourism followed by a bit of rest at the beach, it would be fine. I think that if your priority was like ours (wildlife), then the ABD itinerary simply wouldn’t fit the bill. It needs to swap either/both locations with the likes of Tortuguero or Manuel Antonio. Even the cloud forest of Monteverde had more fascinating wildlife (IMO) than Arenal as it’s where we saw all the coatimundi (so cute) and a stunning Resplendent Quetzal.

That’s just my 2 cents though as I realise that everyone’s reasons for travelling are different.

Some more pics incase anyone is interested (and because I’m reminiscing):

We were lucky witness 3 different Jesus Christ Lizards (including this beautiful Emerald Basilisk) actually run across the water.

Blue jeans poison dart frog. There were a lot of these gorgeous little creatures on the trees outside our cabin in Tortuguero.
American crocodile. This guy was huge. 3-4 metres long.
The Respeldent Quetzal. I wish I could have got a better pic, but with all the plant life in the foreground, it was really hard to focus on the bird. Google has better pics that showcase the quetzals glorious tail.
Coatimundi. I love these animals so much. There was a whole family (including babies) roaming around the coffee, sugar and cacao plantation we visited in Monteverde.
Red-eye tree frog. So beautiful.
I loved that on this trip we were able to see 4 of the 6 species of Toucan present in Costa Rica.
Seeing fur de lance on a private night tour was a little bit scary as they’re ground dwelling snakes, but we loved seeing all the aborreal snakes during the trip such as the boa-constrictor and many different coloured eyelash pit vipers.
This is a 2 toed sloth. The last pic was a 3 toed.
We saw 2 species of Macaw - the scarlet macaw and Great Green Macaw