Hi all, just back from my first visit to Central America! This was a terrific tour, different to the other JY tours I've done as there were no iconic sights to be seen, rather the focus was on wildlife, beautiful unspoilt scenery and a bit of culture. It was great from start to finish! The itinerary was busy and the excursions varied from walks through rainforests to relaxing boat trips, with the camera always in hand as we searched for yet more wildlife!
This tour is amazing for birdlife in particular and we saw more than 50 species; we also saw sloths, four kinds of monkeys (including the very vocal howlers!), racoons, porcupines, crocodiles and caymans, large spiders, snakes (thankfully from a distance!) and much more. The tour began with a visit to the capital of Costa Rica, San José (staying in a great five star hotel) and we saw the very interesting gold museum (which gave a history of the country) and the stupendous national theatre. Then it was off to Tortuguero NP by road and boat, on the Carribean coast, and a haven for wildlife. We stayed in simple accomodation which will be familiar to anyone who's done a safari before. After that we journeyed to stay near the famous Arenal volcano (which was gently smoking while we were there) and we stayed in a briliant hotel in an amazing natural setting by a river, with all sorts of wildlife in the hotel grounds.
On our way to Monteverde we visited a coffee plantation and had a very interesting talk from one of the original Quaker settlers there. The hotel in Monteverde was poor, the only disappointing one of the whole tour, but it was only for two nights so it was no big deal. We had a walk through the cloud forest and a night walk through the jungle which was an experience and a half!
Next was our three day visit to Nicaragua, which for me was the highlight of the whole tour. Nicaragua is a beautiful and fascinating country. It is poorer than Costa Rica and has had a turbulent past with many natural disasters and much political upheaval. However, the people are extremely friendly and positive and are taking to tourism like the proverbial duck to water! We had a brilliant time there, staying in a fantastic authentic colonial hotel. Granada is a very attractive city, with brightly painted houses everywhere. The horse and cart ride and boat trip were hugely enjoyable, as were the visits to various markets and the trip to the smoldering Masaya Volcano - we had a glimpse into the huge crater!
Our final destination was Jaco on the Pacific coast. We stayed right beside the beach (I could see the ocean from my room) and had further excursions to Manuel Antonio and Carara national parks, including a terrific mangrove cruise with more birdlife and numerous crocodiles (we spotted two famous ones, namely the monstrous Osama Bin Laden who is 80 years old and the playful Lady Gaga!!). On our last night in Jaco, a good number of us went to Lemon Zest restaurant for a fine dining experience - a great way to end off a memorable tour.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua are two terrific countries and this tour is definitely worth considering if you love wildlife (especially birds) and are interested in a change from the usual style of tours, where you visit one well known site after another. JY are to be commended for including Nicaragua and the only suggestion I'd make regarding that tour is that perhaps the time spent there could be extended (possibly at the expense of Monteverde?), as many of our group said they would have loved to have seen more of that country.
Our group had 21 travellers - I was the youngest at 43 and the oldest was exactly twice my age! There were a pair of friends travelling together and a group of three friends, but everyone mixed very well with each other and we had a truly great time. Our tour manager, Lisa Niksic was absolutely SUPERB and set a new bench mark in tour managers as far as I'm concerned! Not only did she put helpful hints on the Community forum before we left, she had prepared a colour handout with a daily itinerary and lots of useful information. She was clear in everything she told us, always cheerful and went out of her way to help each and every one of us get the most out of our holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she helped to make a good holiday into an outstanding one for all of us. Lisa specialises in Italian tours (as she lives there), so if she is the TM for your tour, then you are in safe hands. Oh and she gave the Community forum a good plug as well, as many of the tour group did not use it! The local guide Alfonso was also excellent, with an encyclopedic knowledge of his native wildlife and he also went the extra mile for us.
The weather was fine throughout - hot and sunny, with temperatures ranging from high 20s to mid 30s celsius. It was very humid in Tortuguero and even more so in Jaco (I expect it would be less so in the rainy season). We were not troubled by mosquitoes at all - most of us got a few bites from other insects but that was all. Some people had upset stomachs from time to time, but nothing too serious that stopped them from enjoying themselves! So all in all, I'd say that this tour is a triumph for JY, interesting, varied and unusual and I'm very glad I did it!
Roll on my next holiday (once I've got my washing sorted out!)
Cheers,
Bob
PS if anyone is doing this tour in the coming months, I'd be very happy to answer any queries as best I can!
