testimonials
We can’t say enough about how pleased we were that we went with Costa Rica Focus, and thoroughly recommend them in every respect.
From the very onset, it was a pleasure working with our contact Jess. She always promptly addressed any questions or concerns we had and tailored the vacation to suit our needs and requests. The entire vacation from pick up to drop off was flawless and the various locations gave us a wonderful opportunity to experience the diversity of birds, plants and other wildlife in Costa Rica. Her brief WhatsApp messages as we arrived in the country and when we arrived at each new location, ensuring everything was running smoothly and as planned, were most welcome.
As for our guide and driver Andres, what can we say? If a review sheet had a plus and minus column, we would request a third plus-plus column. He was absolutely amazing in every respect. We arrived to meet Andres as a stranger only to leave two weeks later feeling like we just left our best friend behind. He was the most knowledgeable guide, an extremely careful and diligent driver, plus a delightfully thoughtful fellow in every respect. Nothing was too much trouble and any questions or requests were answered or taken care of immediately. Many before we even asked the question. His main concern always was that we had the best experience in every respect.
Without hesitation we highly recommend Costa Rica Focus.
Richard and Donna,
San Diego, California.
What a vacation this turned out to be. I’ve had the best vacation of my life, and a big part of this is down to Costa Rica Focus. Thanks a lot, and I want to recommend this company to everyone with a wish to visit Costa Rica. A thoroughly professional company, which gave my first-time birding experience with the American continent another dimension.
The drivers brought us safely between the sites. The local birding guides did an excellent job, and I were satisfied to discover the guides were equally nerdy as me. The guides knew bird-ID, song/calls and sites very well. I ended up with a species list of nearly 300, but would certainly have struggled reaching 220-230 without the help by the local birders from Costa Rica Focus. They also included my not-so-nerdy wife in a brilliant way, which made her happy as well.
I owe a more detailed explanation to those who want to keep up reading, to explain. I’ve been a Norwegian birder for well over 40 years, but my wife doesn’t share this hobby with me. She likes nature but is more interested in the culture part new places. With the possible conflicting interests in mind, I contacted Costa Rica Focus just to get some advice for a Costa Rica-tour we had talked about since even before we got married 27 years ago. We had an idea of which sites we were going to visit and just had a few questions of which order we should do the sites, and how to best move from between the places.
Costa Roca Focus quickly responded, and gave us a few options, one of which was to set up a 12-days schedule. I silently asked for the 12-days-tour, and to my complete surprise, my wife accepted on the condition of getting a week on the beach after the Costa Rica Focus journey. I probably won the jackpot.
This turned out to be the best decision we’ve made in a long time. I can’t praise the company enough, and the money was well spent. The standards of our hotels were around 3 (4) stars, and all breakfast included. About two weeks before our tour started, Costa Rica gave us a must-do-list, which included connecting to a Whatsapp-group, to download an app (Axis) which kept an overview of our schedule and name of the guides for the trip, and a list to remind us of what to pack. These were all useful to us. The contact with Costa Rica Focus during our trip was quick and easy, and through the WhatsApp-group the company always responded quickly to our questions. …
A 10-day birding trip with a photography focus. Great birding and photography with our fabulous guide Sr. Minor H. despite occasionally iffy weather. Locations were great, accomodations ranged from luxurious to very basic, food from merely very good to excellent, including some pleasant surprises like Pizzeria Los Colibries, on the road to Savegre where we ended up when our destination restaurant turned out to be closed due to a medical emergency in the owner’s family – really good pizza with near-perfect crust and hyper-local ingredients like local mushrooms, herbs from their own gardens, lettuce from their hydroponic gardens, etc. It’s the first pizza place on the right on the road down to San Gerardo de Dota from National Route 2. You can’t miss it:). Logistics were perfect, including arrival and departure.
Not a lot ot add to the overwhelmingly positive reviews of Costa Rica Focus. This is the fifth trip I’ve taken with them in four years, including one to Ecuador in collaboration with Ecuador Birds Tours, and if I go again to a destination they offer, I can’t think why I would look elsewhere.
I don’t know where to start. The countryside, the people, the food, our driver, our guide, my group companions, and, of course, the birds, all combined to make this tour the greatest experience of my near 72 year lifetime. Minor’s expertise bordered on magical. Daily I would stand agog at what he showed us, what he did, and what I was looking at. I would think, what am I (a simple retired school teacher), doing here looking at this. Only problem, I drank too much coffee, but who wouldn’t drink too much Costa Rican coffee. It will take me weeks to process through all my pictures and I need to continue to practice the new photography skills that Minor taught me. Thank-you CRF (Tavo) for patiently convincing me to take this plunge. – John (Eugene, OR)
The Itinerary was tailor-made with a private guide by Costa Rica Focus. I have been on a group excursion with this company in the past and wanted to streamline a trip. Jess, Wanda and Joan provided the exact trip that I requested with even more extra stops suggested by my guide along the way.
My guide, Alex C. is accomplished, knowledgeable and an affable companion, constantly displaying his expertise and enthusiasm. Costa Rica Focus treats every client like family. I was asked about my comfort and experience throughout the trip. I am an older female adult, travelling alone. I felt totally safe at every location.
The accommodations were comfortable, clean and in all cases surrounded by a habitat of exquisite beauty and an abundance of birds and other wildlife. I could not have asked for anything more.
This was our 2nd trip with Costa Rica focus and it was even better than the 1st which was fantastic. They are affordable, are always available for questions and plan the absolute best trips. Their guides are extremely knowledgeable and make the trip fun. Can’t wait to go back.
Our two-week nature tour through Costa Rica with Costa Rica Focus was simply outstanding. From the initial planning to the final farewell, everything was expertly handled and thoughtfully curated.
The true highlight was our guide, Johan. Between our group, we’ve travelled all seven continents and Johan stands out as one of the very best we’ve encountered. His deep knowledge, sharp eyes, and calm, generous spirit made every day special. Thanks to him, we enjoyed an incredible range of bird sightings—including many rare and elusive species—and came away with extraordinary photographs we never would have captured on our own.
Johan’s ability to anticipate wildlife behaviour, position us for the best views, and share insights without overwhelming made all the difference. He’s not just a brilliant guide, but a truly wonderful travelling companion.
Costa Rica Focus delivered a top-tier experience, and we leave with a deep appreciation for the country’s wildlife, landscapes, and people. Highly recommended for anyone passionate about nature, birds, or photography.
—Tony & friends
“Wings of Northern Costa Rica” was my fourth birding trip with Costa Rica Focus (Costa Rica/3 trips; Ecuador/1 trip), made extra special by the fact that I was able to reunite with birding companions I had met on previous trips! Although we all live far from one another, we have stayed in touch and try to plan our birding adventures together with the help of Joan at Costa Rica Focus. Joan bends over backwards to meet our needs at every turn. Talk about personalized service! I know that I will always be in the best of hands. As an experienced birder living in Costa Rica, I seek areas outside of the heavily trodden birding hot spots. The “Wings of Northern Costa Rica” trip surpassed ALL of my expectations. I absolutely loved birding the tropical dry forest of Guanacaste Province, but it didn’t stop there. We traveled from one life zone to another, exploring mangroves, marshlands, gulf waters (Nicoya), rainforests of 2 volcanoes (Tenorio and Rincón de la Vieja, with Miravalles Volcano close by) and 2 wildlife refuges (Palo Verde National Park; Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge). The beauty of our surroundings and unique diversity of wildlife were incredible and resulted in more than 250 bird species, many of which were “lifers” for me. Our stays at Celeste Mountain Lodge, La Ensenada, and Borinquen Lodge were especially exceptional. THANK YOU to Costa Rica Focus and to our outstanding guide, Mayer J., who so patiently brought out the best in all of us as photographers, birders, and nature lovers. Mayer taught us so much; I can’t wait to do it again.
