Just got back from the Natural Wonders tour of Costa Rica. Wonderful country with a very high biodiversity per square mile ... Ie you'll see a lot! Roger our guide and Frank our bus driver were both very professional with great senses of humour. We would highly recommend this trip, particularly if you are lucky enough to have Roger and Frank leading the tour.

Costa Rica is a small but exceptionally varied country and Road Scholar’s “Exploring Natural Wonders” gives a good overview focusing on geography and wildlife, making it a valuable alternative to a “beach trip.” The itinerary’s rewarding coast-to-coast locales, interesting lecturers and guided tours, plus the range of hotels and good food, make this two-week tour highly recommended. Our guide Carlos Jimenez did an outstanding job, particularly in pointing out all the critters on the trails and rivers with the use of radio sets, and driver Alvaro Montero was a friendly partner. As with all Road Scholar trips, fellow travelers were all very companionable.

In Costa Rica, I loved waking up to the howler monkeys howling, and howling again before bedtime ! The white-faced capuchin monkeys stealing the food of our plates, and our delight in finally seeing a pair of colorful macaws. We saw just about every bird our guide told us we would see...he knew his birds, their calls, and their hang-outs. Exciting and educational trip !

I just returned and can highly recommend this Costa Rica program. The nature activities were balanced - seeing birds, mammals, flowers, trees, insects, etc. The lectures provided a framework for what we were seeing - the inter-dependency of geography, history, and economic influences. It is an active trip - not particularly physically demanding - but a full day starting early in the morning. Our guide Ignacio was excellent.

This was a great program which would be enjoyed by almost anyone interested in the outdoors, especially birding and flowering plants. The history of Costa Rica as it relates to current conservation efforts was especially interesting. Any moderately active senior would have no trouble; an 88 year old participant enjoyed himself. No problems with insects or illness(for most), food and acomodations generally excellent. Guide was superb.

I loved it! I saw Quetzales and Scarlet Macaws, crocodiles, Storks and Spoonbills. I awakened to Howler Monkeys. I went zipling and white water rafting. The food was fabulous. The people were wonderful.

This trip was the fulfillment of a 20 year dream. Costa Rica is a natural wonder, and this trip gave a wide sampling. Yes, long bus rides are not fun, but I found looking out the windows fascinating. Stops were well planned. I particularly enjoyed the eco-lodges in Tortuguero and Selva Verde. Rooms were basic with only screens in the windows and ceiling fans but quite comfortable. The "fancier" lodgings were more predicable. Food was basic, good and plentiful. Yes, you will eat a lot of rice and beans (which I love). Our guide, Rodger, was fantastic with an encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna which he loved to share. I was most surprised by the other participants. They were all engaging and interesting people who made the trip even more special. If you have an opportunity, take this trip!

This was my first visit to Costa Rica. I had been dreaming of visiting for many years. It fulfilled my dreams and beyond. The scenery, birds, and tropical vegetation were breath taking.

First, the highlights: The Arenal Volcano National Park and Hanging Bridges were spectacular (although the walk would be more comfortable with hiking boots with rigid soles because the paving stones are so unstable). The Savegre Lodge, including a half hour watching a pair of nesting quetzal birds, made the whole trip worthwhile. Overflowing with exotic flowers and birds, this valley is everything I dreamed of when I chose this trip to Costa Rica. Roger, our leader, was extremely knowledgeable about wildlife and went out of his way to help us get great pictures, even if we just had ordinary digital cameras. The downside: the bus is terrible, especially for the 5-hour trips. It's the most cramped, least comfortable tour bus I've ever been in, but it may be all that's available in a developing country like Costa Rica. The driver was great and did his best, especially on narrow mountain roads. The first stop (Tortuguero) is hot and humid, and the hotel has no air conditioning; the water is not safe to drink. When the turtles aren't nesting (March), this is not, IMHO, a great place to visit. Bottom line: I'm glad I took this trip, but I wish we had spent more time at the good places and less time on that wretched bus.

This was a trip of a lifetime! Our guide Chito and bus driver Orlando were wonderful. The lectures were fantastic. The field trips were educational and fun. Accommodations and food were clean, safe, and four to five star quality for a Central American country. The weather cooperated throughout the entire trip. Best of all, our group was inquisitive, adventurous, and thoughtful. I usually travel independently so having everything arranged and enjoyable company available was a real vacation. I would have preferred more opportunity for physical and independent activities.

The title of this program accurately reflects the experiences we had traveling throughout Costa Rica. Each day was filled with surprises and amazing adventures. I had never experienced such diversity of plants, the thrill of walking through rain forests and locating exquisite rare birds. The birding is superb and thank you Roads Scholar for your excellent venue choices. This is a country not to be missed, providing you have William as your guide!

Every aspect of the tour was handled professionally.

We saw some really beautiful country and an incredible variety of bird life. Plan on being waked up early in the morning by howler monkeys.

The accomodations were nicer than we expected them to be. Several of the lodges combined beautiful landscaping with the impressive recycling and conservation efforts for which Costa Rica has become famous. Good Internet access was always available.

We enjoyed a number of lectures given by academics and naturalists. The speakers were informative and spoke excellent English.

Dining in Costa Rica involves lots of fresh fruit (pineapple, papaya, melons), juice, rice and beans, veggies, grass-fed beef, and fish. The coffee is as good as any in the world.

Our guide was Jimmy Trejos, and he was first-class. Jimmy was friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable. In the bus, he used a microphone and talked about the natural and man-made features of each region as we drove. He gave detailed but easy-to-follow presentations on flora and fauna, renewable energy, regional economics, geography, climatology, history, and on and on. Jimmy made sure our every need was attended to.

Jimmy also excelled on the trail. He has a highly developed ear and located dozens of different birds by their sound. He has an uncanny ability to spot birds, insects, and animal signs as he walks along. Of course, we couldn't see anything until he patiently pointed out where to look. He also organized optional 6:00 AM birdwalks every morning. The man was truly amazing, and a terrific representative for Road Scholar.

Some Highlights:

Seeing lots of crocodiles

Ziplining with an 85 year old woman (she loved it)

Walking on hanging bridges

Touring a coffee plantation (great tour guide)

Touring an organic pineapple plantation (wild and wacky tour guide)

All the birds

Howler monkeys

The Costa Rican people!

Costa Rica - Natural Wonders - is an excellent program. It covers rainforests, tropical forests, cloud forests, dry forests and transitional forests from Carrabin coast to Pacific coast. It is a birds' paradise. I enjoyed visits to coffee, banana and pineapple plantations. Local food is delicious. People are friendly. I am happy to have one extra thing that is not included in the program - zip lining at my free time. I am sure everybody enjoys this program.

Strongly recommend this journey. The activities were as noted and the activity level accurate. The pace was well set. The different areas and lodges were beautiful with plenty of plants and birds to accommodate everyone. There were plenty of rest stops and the guides were flexible with regard to those who wanted to begin at 6 AM and those that wanted to join in at breakfast. Our group was timely and made a great fit of personalities, many of which have done numerous journeys using the Road Scholar program. Great time!

We just returned from Costa Rica where we had an outstanding tour. My husband did the Spanish immersion tour while I did the fun tour for 12 days. We were both equally satisfied and loved every minute. We both had great guides (mine was better but he disagrees) and could not have been happier with our experiences. A+++

I found this program to be interesting and fun. I would do this trip again.

This December trip to CR with Edwin was fantastico! We had the greatest group of 19 adventurers and the wilds of CR graced us with incredible viewings. It could not have been anymore perfect. Sandy G. Austin, Texas

The title of this trip is accurate. It is a great itinerary. Friends who have traveled to Costa Rica have said they did not see all that I did on this trip. I highly recommend this program because my experience was wonderful - a great itinerary, terrific fellow travelers and the BEST guide on the planet - Edwin Ramirez!!

this program is amazing and i would highly and totally recommend it to anyone, especially if being led by edwin ramirez

Costa Rica is a jewel in hte central American region. It offers a lot of insight into what is possible when a country truly embraces education and social support for their people. I loved learning about their journey and enjoying their beautiful country.

We had a wonderful time on this trip! Edwin, our guide, was FANTASTIC! He is so knowledgeable and was enthusiastic to share information with all of us. He is also very patient and tries to keep things upbeat and positive.
We saw lots of birds (I documented 143 species for myself)and animals, plus the rainforests were breathtakingly beautiful. Edwin often took us on early morning bird walks, which was great. The lectures were good and the activity level was just right for us. The people of Costa Rica were very welcoming and eager to make us happy. All in all, we had a great time and would recommend this trip to anyone interested in having some amazing experiences in a beautiful country! Pura Vida!

If you want to have a great experience, this is the trip for you. Amazing the number of animals, birds and plants to see and learning about the country was very interesting. And have to mention the wonderful lodging and food. All this and very informed guides to point out different things along with details about each. Was more than I expected and happy it was.

This is an amazing trip. The tour guide was exceptional and went out of his way to accomodate requests. He had extra hikes (ie in the moring before breakfast). The accomodations were very unique and comfortable and operated by locals!

Great program for those who love nature. Wonderful opportunity to see animals,plants and birds in the wild. Wonderful guide. Don't miss it.

This program is the perfect way to learn all about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica and to experience the whole country - rainforests, cloudforests, volcanos, beaches, and mountains. Our accommodations were quite luxurious and the food on the whole was good - especially if you like beans and rice - and lots of fresh fruit! Our program leader, Edwin, was terrific. He was very knowledgable about all the animals, birds, plants, etc. and a good companion for our travels. Our bus driver, Alex, was amazing navigating the roads of Costa Rica. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to see the real Costa Rica! Be sure to bring a camera and binoculars!!

We just returned from taking this wonderful program, and I agree with Caroline! This trip exceeded all my expectations! The accommodations, the birds, biodiversity, lectures, climate, adventures... every day was superb! Costa Rica is an amazing country and our guide, Edwin, was beyond compare. This was our first RS trip and definitely won't be the last.

In general, this was an excellent program. The itinerary, accomodations, food, and leadership were very satisfactory.
My sole suggestion is that the activities in the San Jose area might be rearranged to reduce the amount of travel between venues. The roads and streets are very congested and we spent too much time in traffic jams. Both of the activities (coffee plantation tour, and INBio Parque) were very worthwhile, but seemed to be on opposite sides of the town.
Otherwise, just keep up the good work!

Just returned from taking this wonderful program. It exceeded all my expectations in every way. Costa Rica is an amazing country and our guide, Edwin, was beyond compare. Our fellow travellers were also the best. This was my first RS trip but hopefully not my last. If you enjoy the great outdoors and new advenutures every day, warm, friendly people, lots of birds and great food, you'll enjoy this trip.

Wonderful program. Saw more that I expected. Best was that weather was in our favor - not always possible. Mario was great and led us to much wildlife. The boat trips in Tortuguero were magical. Would consider doing this program again during a different time of year to get variety.

Still basking in the afterglow of an amazing trip. Our group bonded almost immediately and stayed that way through twelve days of travel. Our guide Edwin and our bus driver Didier (Captain D) were both outstanding; personable and helpful in every way. Edwin, with his VAST knowledge of tropical birds, animals, and vegetation, should be declared a national treasure. Every boat trip, hike, and early morning birding expedition was an adventure in discovery of new species to add to our life lists, and Edwin's enthusiasm for his job infected us all with birding fever. I twisted my knee partway through the trip and don't feel at all deprived, even though I had to miss several side trips. Between Edwin, Captain D, and the members of my RS traveling family, I felt totally taken care of in every way. The only criticism I have of the entire trip is that some of the hotels are less than accessible if you have an injury. So GO on this trip, but don't TRIP on this trip. Pura Vida!!!

For those who have a love of the natural world...this is a fantastic program. Costa Rica is an amazing land.
It has so much diversity.
This program covers the wildlife, history, geology, geography etc.
Our leader, Edwin, made this a most wonderful adventure.
The accommodations were all first rate and many not your average "hotel" room.
I would highly reccomend this program.

We had a memorable experience. From being picked up and dropped off at the airport.The accomedations were great, and food service was great. Our guide EDWIN was excellant in all aspects.He is an asset to your organization

OMG! What a wonderful sensory experience! From Howling Monkeys to Zip lining, to flowers and leaves bigger than you and food more luscious than rice you want to eat-is this trip. Really, the butt dudd on the bus was better than expected because there is no better way to understand the terrain shifts, the cultural architect shifts and the plantation life and the food we gobbled than to see it at eye level. And to top it all off, there was this great tour team-bus driver and guide (Divie and Pedro)that showed what great team work looked like and made the difference as we went over mountain ranges and cliffs without rails. I became a birder on this trip because the early morning walks in the cloud forest, the steep climbs and the hushed creeps that brought 100+ species to our view, including the famed Catzel! Ok,let's remember the 1000 pound Croc., 5ft. from me. I am in love and overweight from the flavors of this trip. Trust me! Go, Enjoy, and eat. diet later! and ask for you want, they aim to please. MY wish for next time as the only African American on the trip, I hope to go to the port city next time so that I can truly see the Caribbean side that built so much of the wealth of the country.Gratefully, the last lecturer was clearly "Black like me!" and gave great insight into the history and politics of the country. I suggest more focus be given to the inclusion of areas reflective of all cultural definitions of the country. GREAT TRIP! Hope to hear from fellow travelers as list is in the Comos! Hint: get it before exit time!