I haven’t seen any reviews of Caravan’s 10 day Costa Rica tour on this forum. Since we thoroughly enjoyed it I felt I needed to share with others who may be looking for someting like it. Caravan is an American tour company out of Chicago – check their website for itinerary, dates, prices . Air fares are not included in their tour prices. I have used Caravan twice now and highly recommend them! Four women, ages late forties to mid-sixties, took the Caravan bus tour April 2 – 11/08. I had previously taken the Caravan Canadian Maritimes tour and was very pleased with it – nor did they disappoint me with this trip! The bus was comfortable, we made stops about every two hours when en route, rotated seats on each leg of the trip, and most days we were at our hotel by 4 – 5 p.m. Starts every day were early, from 6:30 – 8:00 a.m. departures, with luggage out 1/2 to 1 hour before, but there was always ample time for breakfast. Water is provided whenever you want it, and there is a bathroom on board for emergencies. We had a wonderful driver, Rolando, who got us in and out of places you’d never imagine a bus could go! And he spotted two toucans in a tree along the road and gave us the opportunity to see them up close. We had 45 people on board ranging from a 10 (?) year old granddaughter, one couple (30’s?) to people in their 80’s – majority I would say 60+, but all made good travelling companions. We had a few singles as well, but mostly couples. Out tour director, Tatiana, was fantastic and went above and beyond, sharing her knowledge and love of her country with us. She would have Rolando stop along the way and she or Rolando would purchase fresh fruits to show us how they grow – cashews or pineapple, for example. She kept everything flowing smoothly and displayed only grace and cool-headedness when having to deal with unexpected things such as two separate accidents leading to a broken sink and a broken toilet – no personal injuries, fortunately. Most meals were typically Tico, and we loved gallo pinto from the first breakfast. Meals became a bit repetitious after a while, but we generally had no complaints about the food.
The Aurola Hotel in San Jose was wonderful,and we did venture about two blocks to a fairly large supermarket to look around and pick up a few snacks and local alcohol. We were able to sample a local coffee liqueur and local orange liqueur – both delightful, and purchased both for the trip! Around $10 U.S. for 750 ml. Most familiar snacks are available, and some we’d never seen – all around prices at home.
Was this review helpful? Yes Thank you for giving us your opinion.