Scuba Diving Fishing Land Rafting Xtreme Adventures Things 2DO

GUEST REPORT

Woodward BB

Wednesday, June 30th, 2004

Dear Rolando,

Our family vacation to Costa Rica was a dream come true! My 2 children, John, 18, and Mary, 16, and I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica. We chose Option #4 with your tour company. I was a bit apprehensive traveling out of the country with my teenagers, but felt at ease after landing in Liberia and being greeted by a delightful gentleman holding a sign with our name on it. He helped us with our luggage and our adventure began.

The first 3 days we spent at Sol Playa Hermosa lounging on the beach, swimming in the clear water, snorkeling, kayaking, and shopping in Coco...just thoroughly enjoying ourselves. I was thrilled that the drinking water was safe!

On the 4th day, Rolando picked us up at 1 pm sharp. Your welcoming smile and warm countenance made us feel right at home. We drove about an hour to Los Inocentes. The scenery was beautiful. Los Inocentes must have the most beautiful horses in Costa Rica. The wranglers, Denis and Alfonso, were delightful. We went for a long ride through the rain forest. Alfonso and Rolando taught us so much about the vegetation and wildlife. We saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys, the rare Laughing Falcon, the huge Guanacaste tree, Ficus tree, gorgeous butterflies...I could go on and on. We spent the night and had delicious meals. I could have stayed another day, but thank goodness we stayed that night because it saved us over 5 hours of driving.

The next day we traveled to Arenal...the view of the volcano and the lake are a sight I will treasure forever. We checked into the beautiful Arenal Observatory with a view of the volcano out of our hotel room. The relaxing hot springs were across the road with easy shuttle access.

The next day we went river rafting with Costa Rica Paddle Sports. It was a blast! Eric was one of our guides that kayaked beside us like a pick up man if we needed him. Miti,the photographer, who would kayak and get pictures from various points was a charming man, and Cocho was our guide in the raft with us. The rafters were all very professional, informative, and made the trip very enjoyable. We saw lots of Toucans flying over the river. I have rafted the Snake River in Wyoming and the Arkansas in Colorado and this was so much more fun because there was alot more white water. The equipment looked brand new and the guides were very safety conscious. At the restaurant we ate at after the rafting, we were able to see the Blue Jean Frog.

Our last day we did the Costa Rica Arenal Canopy Tour. There are 9 platforms and it was a thrill to zip line from one tree to the next. The guides were so friendly. It was reassuring to always be connected to a cable while in the trees. We felt very safe.

The Costa Rican people are so friendly and so proud of their country. I have never traveled with a guide before and it was a wonderful experience. We learned so much more that if we had traveled on our own. Rolando, your wise words and kind actions have touched our hearts and you will remain a treasured friend, one we will remember forever.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Susan, John and Mary

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