Guido & Agnes have been traveling throughout pretty much all of Costa Rica in February and March 2024. All their findings will be soon be translated into a complete offer of Impactful tours, trips and travel guides for your new favorite travel destination.
Enjoy a peek preview of their pictures to get inspired and make your own list of favorite trip ideas for your custom trip to Costa Rica!
Hello Impactful Travelers,
Greetings from Costa Rica, where Agnes and I have been immersing ourselves in the surprising local culture and breathtaking natural beauty. We’ve embarked on this journey with a clear purpose: to connect with inspiring locals and discover authentic experiences that we can share with you.
Below we will showcase the different destinations we visited, with a lot of pictures so you can get inspired! All these destinations are now ready to be included in your next custom Costa Rica adventure. So, scroll along and let us know what you think by contacting us or filling out the form below!
Guido, Agnes and our local team are ready to design your dreamed custom trip to Costa Rica. With our combined expertise and years of experience in designing custom trips in Costa Rica and Latin America, we will ensure that:
And if you still haven’t decided on the destination for your next adventure, please also consider our Ecuador Custom Trip Planner and our Peru Custom Trip Planner. You can even combine these destinations with our Multi-Destination Custom Trips in Latin America.
In Puerto Viejo, nestled between pristine beaches and dense jungle, we found a community as vibrant and diverse as the landscape itself. We had great food, made chocolate and learned about local refreshing drinks. We met Carleen, a charismatic local who introduced us to Caribbean cooking and regaled us with fascinating stories. She still proudly speaks “broken English”: a local dialect full of history. We visited BriBri families living deep in the jungle, where we discovered linguistic connections to the Peruvian Andes. A bit further up north, we were inspired by Jurgen of Selva Bananito Lodge, whose sky-high enthusiasm for conservation was infectious. And finally, in the Tortuguero channels, we found a hidden ecolodge offering the best wildlife experience!
Our journey continued in Dota and Rivas, where we hiked to an off-grid cabin in a private reserve, and woke up finding ourselves surrounded by toucans, squirrels, and even a family of wild boar. We visited several amazing hotels in San Gerardo de Dota, an absolute birder’s paradise. We learned about organic agriculture and kombucha brewing from a local powerhouse woman. Our favorite visit was to Providencia: we were moved by this community working together to preserve their traditions and create opportunities for youth through tourism. Their dedication to sustainable tourism was a testament to the power of impactful travel. They also had the perfect quetzal-spotting place; we were there by ourselves surrounded by several colorful males and a female for an hour. Surreal!
After crossing the country once more to pay a quick visit to a perfect Tortuguero-alternative, we arrived in the area around the famous Arenal volcano. Despite witnessing the harsh realities of mass tourism here, we remained committed to discovering responsible alternatives. We found solace in the less-traveled parts of Río Celeste and admired the work of organic farms offering comfortable accommodation. The community-based tourism initiatives we encountered, particularly those led by young people, served as a beacon of hope for the future of sustainable travel. So inspiring!
Our travels led us further north-west to Guanacaste, where we encountered more history and cultural heritage. We engaged in hands-on cooking classes, learned about medicinal plants, and marveled at the pottery skills of the local Chorotega community. Despite the region’s dry climate and rugged road conditions, its spirit was far from parched. Around Nosara and Sámara, we got a taste of the Pacific beach life, where surfers and pensioners mingle with the locals.
Our last destination was the Osa Peninsula. Passing through the picture-perfect Uvita beach along the way, Osa truly embodied the “save the best for last” sentiment! While we marveled at Osa’s famous pristine nature on our hikes all over the peninsula, it was the diverse community tourism and conservation initiatives that left a lasting impact. One of the highlights was the gold tour with Juan, which turned out to be one of our favorite experiences in all of Costa Rica!
Like many travelers, we were awed by the abundant wildlife sightings everywhere—the country teems with life! Despite its popularity and some mass tourism spots, we discovered plenty of off-the-beaten-path destinations that made us feel truly immersed in the authentic Costa Rican experience.
Probably the Caribbean region. Beyond its stunning beaches, it offers countless meaningful experiences, making it a complete holiday destination. Plus, it’s not as overpopulated as some other areas, allowing for a more authentic and serene experience.
See all our customers’ reviews here. (And if you wonder why you see so many mentions of “RESPONS” and “RESPONSible Travel Peru”; well, that was our name until the end of 2023! Read our story here.)