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KamilaJanuary 28, 2019
I contacted Gecko with my travel plans to Costa Rica and the places I wanted to visit. My friend and I wanted to do our own thing and just have transportation between destinations and hotels arranged.
Lorena was in contact with me for a number of months and sent me a great itinerary that took care of everything so we didn’t have to search (also my first time in CR so I had no idea where to start).
All transport and all the hotels were wonderful!
Lorena stayed in contact via email throughout the whole planning process and I knew I could email her if any issues arose. Thankfully none did! We were so happy with everything! This is a great company to plan a trip with
Cyrus and Valerie from CanadaJanuary 5, 2019
Me and my girlfriend used Gecko Trail for our travel in Costa Rica …… WOW !
Everything went so well and no shuttle arrived late at our destination. As a result, we were able to accomplish our journey exactly how we wanted it.
We fully recommend Gecko Trail, they are the best, the most professional and are always here to help if you need to contact them.
Thank you again for everything !
Pura Vida !
Raimundo MachadoDecember 13, 2018
We, two couples, just came back from Costa Rica and all our trip, except flights, was booked with Gecko Tours. It included the lodgings, transfers, most of the meals and activities as rafting, diving, bird watching, hiking, you name it. It all just went perfect! Everything was on time, everyone more than friendly and great conditions on all activities. We could not be more pleased with our trip. Only thing that could have made it better was not returning home. Thanks a LOT to Gecko Trails, specially Lorena, and be sure I’ll pass along your contacts to everyone wanting to visit your beautiful country.
Rai & Francis from Toronto, CanadaOctober 24, 2018
My husband and I enjoyed our trop to Costa Rica. It was such a worry-free vacation as everything was booked via Gecko Travel. We have contacted Gecko Travel to plan our trip and they have booked all the transportation transfers, trips/excursions, and accommodations. We are impressed on how on point everything was, from the time of pick up/drop off, all the tour guides and trips and hotels were amazing . Would definitely recommend Gecko Travel to our friends and family.
Flavio BarontiAugust 21, 2018
Hi guys, I just arrived back from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica, and the first comment I want to leave is for Gecko Trail and especially Tamara who has been our guide on the trip to the “Tortuguero” canals.
We have probably been also very lucky with animals sightseeing, but having Tamara with us would have made it a wonderful day also without the sloth! She has been extremely helpdful and accomodating since our first email exchanges, and having her as a guide, with her perfect Italian, has really been a plus; all her stories and explanations on Costa Rica and on the areas we visited were very interesting and very well told also for our kids. All parts of the day were perfectly organized and greatly exceeded our expectations.
Finally, also the trip to Panama was perfectly organized and smooth. Thanks again for everything.
Irene und FamilieJuly 31, 2018
Über Umwegen und eher zufällig bin ich für die Organisation unserer individuellen Rundreise auf Gecko-Trail gestossen. Nina meldete sich via Email und später auch per WhatsApp unglaublich hilfsbereit, prompt und zuverlässig. Alle Fragen über Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua wurden rasch beantwortet. Durch die Unruhen in Nicaragua stellten wir unsere Reise kurz vor Abflug nochmals um und reisten 5 Wochen durch Panama & Costa Rica. 3 Wochen war ich mit unserer 16-jährigen Tochter alleine unterwegs und 2 Wochen gemeinsam mit meinem Mann. Sämtliche Hotel, Touren und Transfers hat Nina für uns nach unseren Wünschen & Bedürfnisse gebucht. Alle Unterkünfte waren super, sauber und schön gelegen, die Touren abwechslungsreich und die Guides unglaublich freundlich & hilfsbereit. Jeder der vielen Transfer hat ausnahmslos pünktlich geklappt! Die Tour-Guides waren alle englisch-sprechend. Wir hatten Touren dabei die nicht der Norm entsprachen – sondern schlichtweg fantastisch, einmalig und genial waren! Nina hat unsere Reise zu einem unvergesslichen & genialen Erlebnis gemacht – das Pura Vida haben wir voll ausgekostet und die Natur & Menschen dieses Landes unheimlich genossen. Gerne empfehlen wir Nina & die ganze Agentur zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit weiter – dies Reise war fantastisch!
Veronica EApril 25, 2018
We just got home from a second FLAWLESS Gecko Trail adventure- and beauty-filled trip. Everything from advice to booking to modifications was met with stellar service (thank you Irene and Lorena). Not enough praise can be said for the hotels, transporation, and tour providers suggested by GT. It was a magical trip from beginning to end, and it sure won’t be our last! PURA VIDA!
Margreth und RalphApril 24, 2018
Herzlichen Dank an Gecko Trail (Monika) für die perfekte Planung und Organisation unserer zweiwöchigen Costa Rica-Reise. Wir haben unvergessliche Tage erlebt, eine faszinierende Vielfalt an Pflanzen und Tieren gesehen, dank toller Tourguides (auch via Gecko Trail gebucht) viel Interessantes über das Land, dessen sanften Tourismus, die unterschiedlichen klimatischen Gebiete erfahren. Und letztendlich, wiederum dank einer von Gecko Trial gebuchten City-Tour haben wir sogar noch historisch Wissenswertes über die Hauptstadt San José und deren Kulturgüter, erfahren.
Monika von Gecko Trail war für uns jederzeit auch während unseres Aufenthaltes erreichbar. Vielen Dank!
Gecko Trail Costa Rica können wir allen Reisewilligen wärmstens empfehlen.
SueMarch 31, 2018
My friends and I LOVED our trip to Costa Rica!!! It was perfectly tailored, thanks to Irene, to meet our wishes and needs. I would use Gecko Trails again in a heartbeat!
john mcculloughMarch 21, 2018
Thank you Gecko Trail. We had a super holiday in Costa Rica 27 Feb-13 Mar 2018. Your arrangements were 100% successful.
Loved Costa Rica and its people. Beautiful country and so clean (very little litter). Very friendly people. How proud you must be. One area needs improving though – road signs! No names of settlements and few signs to confirm which road you are on. We don’t use SatNavs and so had several off route adventures – including missing the left turn at Paso Real off Route 2 to San Vito (en route to Wilson) and doing an extra 80km or so. Came back on the correct route and still didn’t spot Paso Real!!!
Loved Monteverde. Cala Lodge great – wonderful food, room, service, view, wildlife. But hairy driving to Monteverde on the steep, winding dirt roads (OK for me but not for nervous drivers). We got stopped for nearly 2 hours because of roadworks on the 606.
Loved Arenal. Observatory Lodge room/view/facilities/grounds/wildlife wonderful but food awful – felt it was living on its laurels.
Great day trip to Cano Negro if you like wildlife (my highlight for that) and don’t mind 5 hours in a bus.
Would recommend valley of San Gerardo de Dota in Los Quetzales NP to anyone who wants to see Quetzals and complexly out of the way Costa Rica. Dantica Lodge unique. Food great, service v good, views to die for. However, suggest you warn elderly visitors of the 400m or so walk from the reception/restaurant to your room. There are a few other hotels in the valley that might be more suitable for elderly visitors.
Wilson Botanical Station really interesting and great on-site tours. Very communal feel. Very healthy, well prepared canteen food – lovely atmosphere. Top notch for birdwatchers & gardeners.
Don’t visit Manuel Antonio if you don’t like crowds!!! Hotel Villa Bosque ideally situated if you do and lovely air conditioned rooms. If, like us, you don’t then drive 40-60km South and visit Hacienda Baru (read Monkeys are made of chocolate first) for the wildlife and no crowds. Also visit a beach or beaches of the Ballena Marine NP. We went to Playa Ballena. Endless sand, lovely shade, surf/swim heaven and never more than 10 people in total.
We spent our last morning at Hacienda Baru doing the2 km Mangrove Walk on our own – first time anywhere wildlife walk without a guide. saw Cappuchin Monkeys, large and baby Caimans, Coati, Iguanas, Lizards, black squirrels, leaf cutter ants, ‘helicopter’ dragonflies and lots of birds , including 3 Curasows in a tree above us and a blue heron with the adult Caimans.
Thank you Costa Rica & Gecko Trail!
Donna clarkFebruary 21, 2018
Our trip to Costa Rica was the best ever all made possible by Gecko trail tours. Every detail was done with caring and excellence. We were amazed how everything was so organized and timely and within our price range. Accommodations were great and
people were always happy and helpful. I Thank Monica for her patience kindness while planning this trip, as I knew very little about Costa Rica .
It was wonderful
Aravind ParameswaranFebruary 17, 2018
I chose Gecko Trail as my tour agency to arrange everything for my 2-week adventure trip in Costa Rica. The decision was easy considering the values you guys hold and the projects you are involved (animal rescue centers, ecotourism, LGBT friendly and more..). From the first communication, I had a great impression. I was extremely glad to have arranged the entire itinerary with Gecko. Everything was taken care of very well by Monika. I sincerely appreciate her patience in compiling an amazing itinerary through loads of E-mails; ultimately, I had my big wishes fulfilled in Costa Rica, thanks to Gecko Trail.
On ground, everything went as planned in Costa Rica. I had absolutely no big issues. All tour operators, guides, shuttle services were very very professional, in fact, so friendly, at times, I felt like, I was with a friend (truely Tico nature 🙂
Without any hesitation, I would be really glad to recommend Gecko trail to anyone and in fact, for my next Costa Rica visit, I know whom to approach!.
Heike & DetlefFebruary 7, 2018
Absolutely fantastic journey perfect travel planning and service and thank you so much !!!
We traveled to Cost Rica for the first time and used the service & support of Gecko Trail. The itinerary began with a short stay in San Jose, followed by a couple of days at the volcano area El Arenal and a multi-day visit to the Tortuguero National Park. Finally, we were allowed to enjoy a few days beach holiday nearby Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast. Each stop over was covered by outdoor activities such as e.g. zip lining, hiking, kayaking and riding tours enriched with impressive nature experiences. We have come to know the team of Gecko Trail as a perfect travel partner, characterized by friendliness, professional fast organization and very nice consultance. As well during the trip the tream responded flexibly to our needs and made possible all kinds of travel adaptations. The Hotels Presidente, Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs and Banana Azul hotels were individually chosen to meet our needs and desires. We can already say that this will not be the last trip to Costa Rica with your support !
David SheldonJanuary 30, 2018
Traveling overseas in foreign countries can always be an adventure. Our trip was certainly one. Yes, the unexpected bad weather canceled flights, tours, and the like, but Gecko took care of the aftermath. The staff, all of them, provided timely advice, helped with cancelling things that needed to be canceled, getting us booked anew and simply following up with us to make sure we were alright and our needs were being met. That is what you want from a guide company. I HIGHLY recommend Gecko!!!
DianaJanuary 19, 2018
Monika was super helpful and responsive. She helped us plan an itinerary that worked for our time constraints, budget and interests. All the buses were on time, hotels were beautiful, tours awesome. Thanks for a worry-free trip!
BenediktDecember 23, 2017
Gecko Trail made my vacations!!
These two weeks was an amazing adventure. I had a great time . The activities scheduled were so much fun. My favorites are Rafting on Rio Pacuare, the tour to Rio Celeste Waterfall and Zip Lining in Monteverde. Perfect choice of hotels. On time transportation. Nice and quick communication with Gecko Trail. They know what you are looking for. 🙂 I can highly recommend Gecko for unforgettable experiences in Costa Rica. PURA VIDAA! Feliz navidad a todos y un prospero año nuevo…
Carolyne PriceDecember 17, 2017
Highly recommend Gecko Trail for first class itinerary planning and fast response times. It was the first time I’d used an overseas agency for organising our whole trip (multiple transfers, accommodations & tours) and felt slightly nervous not being in full control. I needn’t have been. The whole experience was first class with not one single issue and it was so nice to have that stress taken away and managed by someone else. I would have no hesitation in recommending Gecko Trail and will entrust future trips to Costa Rica with them.
Stefanie KöhneSeptember 1, 2017
Ich möchte hier Geckotrail für Ihre super Organsiation und Unterstützung danken. Ich hatte meinen Sohn, 15 Jahre alt, alleine für zwei Monate nach Costa Rica geschickt. Er wollte dort in mehreren Freiwilligenprojekten mitarbeiten und längere Zeit bei einer Familie bei Puerto Viejo leben. Seine Fahrten in Costa Rica, seine Touren ( z.B. die Raftingtour im Pacuare River über Exploradores ) und seinen Hotelaufenhalt am Ende seiner Reise kurz vor dem Abflug hatte ich alles über Geckotrail (Nina ) gebucht. Nina hat mich zu allem super toll beraten und alles absolut zuverlässig organisiert, da ich natürlich schon Angst vor meinem eigenen Mut hatte, mein Kind alleine ein so fernes Land zu schicken. Ich hatte das Gefühl mein Kind bei Geckotrail in den besten Händen zu wissen und konnte mir sicher sein, dass die Empfehlungen von Nina genau zutrafen und für die Bedürfnisse meines Kindes super passten. Auch hatte Nina mehrere Überweisungen an Freiwilligenprojekte für meinen Sohn für mich übernommen und dazu mit den jeweiligen Ansprechpartnern vor Ort alles abgesprochen, so musste mein Kind nicht dauernd mit allzuviel Bargeld in Costa Rica unterwegs sein. Die gesamte Organisation hat seites Geckotrail absolut verlässlich funktioniert und mein Kind hatte dank Geckotrail in Costa Rica eine traumhaft schöne Zeit, von der er ganz begeistert nach Deutschland zurückgekehrt ist.
Marta from MadridAugust 16, 2017
Contactamos con Gecko por recomendación de una amiga que previamente visitó Costa Rica. No nos decepcionó en absoluto! Eramos 5 amigas y no queríamos estar precoupadas por conducir, por lo que contratamos los servicios de transporte de Gecko Lorena fue encantadora, respondió a todas las preguntas que le planteamos y nos ayudó mucho a trazar el itinerario que queríamos seguir. Los coches que nos recogieron estaban muy limpios, llegaban antes de la hora y los conductores eran muy atentos en todo momento. Todas coincidimos en que fue un acierto contactar con Gecko. Destacar su trato amable e incluso, como detalle, muchos coches tenían wifi. Recomiendo 100% y si volviese a Costa Rica, lo cogería de Nuevo sin pensarlo. Gracias Gecko.
Virginia McGeheeJuly 13, 2017
We had a great trip to Costa Rica arranged by Gecko. The Rio Celeste Hideaway was charming and comfortable. La Paloma Lodge was also lovely. The various adventures, including horseback riding, scuba diving, bird watching and hiking, were all terrific. It was a good idea to use the private air charter to get to and from Drake’s Bay, and that worked well. All in all, a really well planned and well executed trip.
Brian MilesMay 3, 2017
Initially, I was unsure if I would do business with this company. I ready good reviews, but I didn’t realize how many services they truly offered. Looking back, I can’t believe I even hesiststed to do business with this company. Everything went perfectly. Flawless trip. Every excursion was properly planned and on time down to the minute. The shuttles even had wifi, which was great. We enjoyed everything. I really appreciate the time the travel agent took to help me arrange the trip. This made me feel very comfortable and ultimately the deciding factor. I value excellent customer service. I highly recommend this company!!!
Jeanne HegelApril 20, 2017
I want to thank Monika and Gecko Trails for the awesome experience in Costa Rica. We planned a three day tour with Gecko upon arriving into San Jose. We toured Tortuguero and went river rafting down the Pacuere River. Our transportation, accommodations, guides, and food were all included. We booked our own accommodations in Playa Chiquita for eight nights after the tour. Then we booked transportation and accommodations with Gecko again from Playa Chiquita to Arenal/La Fortuna for one night before heading to Liberia for our flight back. Monika’s responses to our requests were always quick and she gave us good suggestions for tours that our group would be interested in. Our transportation was always on time, more than comfortable, professional, and the drivers were always safe and accommodating if we wanted to stop along the way. The accommodations were rustic, beautiful, and better than expected. The guides were all easy going, professional, English speaking and informative. And, all the food that was included on our tours were absolutely delicious. This made our trip the most memorable and we loved Costa Rica so much that we will be going back. Thank you again Monika and Gecko for everything.
Alicia OvermyerApril 4, 2017
Wow, What a great week. Loved all the activities Gecko scheduled. Everything ran on time.The hotels were perfect for our family! The whitewater rafting and the ziplines were the family favorites. The last hotel, La Mansion Inn was extremely friendly and family-like atmosphere They included all our needs on the itinerary from sunscreen to type of shoes. Really appreciated how they catered to our families wants and needs. Would totally recommend them to others. They came highly recommended to us!
JOEL GRONDINMarch 31, 2017
I wanted to take the time to thank GECKOTRAIL, especially Monika, and others that have assisted when she was not available, for 5 star service. This company went above and beyond to try and accommodate us before our trip and during our vacation. Everything went smoothly, and they were always there to answer any concerns or last minute changes if needed be. They were provided a list of excursions for our family and quickly responded with a detailed itinerary to accommodate our needs. Our family had an amazing time in Costa Rica and wish this company was world wide to take advantage of such great customer service in ease in our travels. Thank you Monika for an outstanding job! You are the best!
Alexis from Sydney, AustraliaMarch 29, 2017
I honestly cannot recommend this company enough. I have done a much more detailed review on Trip Advisor. You will be really missing out, and most likely adding stress to yourself and you wallet, if you do not use this company. Everything was seamless, every external company they used was the most highly rated for that activity. Thank you for the most incredible trip that gave me the autonomy I wanted but also the safety and diversity of experiences in a short amount of time. Thank you Nina!
Greg OvermyerMarch 22, 2017
The Gecko Trail people were excellent. The trip went exactly as planned. I really enjoyed never having to drive anywhere. The drivers were very courteous and knowledgeable. As well, it was great having everything prepaid so we could get going with the different activities, immediately. The recommendations were very good. The only thing that i would have appreciated, was a little more information on each event. I.E. you will be horseback riding for about an hour, then you will have an opportunity to change into your bathing suit and hike for another 1/2 hour until you ge to the waterfall, where you can swim.
Again, this was a fantastic trip that my wife, and kids really enjoyed and will never forget!!
John and Jackie fron London UKMarch 2, 2017
Used Gecko Trail for our transportation needs while on holiday in Costa Rica. All vehicles arrived on time,were clean and safe with friendly drivers.
Would definitely recommend ……Thank you Gecko Trail
john rohaleyMarch 1, 2017
This was a last minute trip and you guys were great setting everything up for me. All activities, hotel and transportation was right on time and organized.
Thanks John
Kathy MeyerJanuary 3, 2017
Dear Gecko staff,
You did an amazing job setting up our trip and assisting us while in Costa Rica. Thank you so much. All of the taxi drivers were punctual and helpful, the tours were fun and our lodging was great. I will be happy to recommend you to anyone I know interested in visiting Costa Rica. I just want to express my sincere thanks.
Best,
Kathy Meyer
John taylorDecember 10, 2016
We had a fantastic service from gecko travel. I had booked a tour over 16 days and booked four different hotels. I went to gecko for transportation between these hotels. They replied to e mails set up all the transfers and when our plans were disrupted by hurricane Otto they also responded quickly, changed our transport and got us on our way. I cannot speak more highly of their service.
kim alegadoNovember 28, 2016
A friend recommended Gecko Trails and I am happy that I used their services. They booked our hotel, transportation and adventures. Everything we wanted to do in a fixed day trip we were able to. The best feeling was the peace of mind we had and were able to enjoy our trip. Thank you to Nina and Monika.
John and LeaAnnOctober 9, 2016
We booked all our transportation to Bocus Del Toro and back to CR with Geko Trails as well as 3 days in Tourtaguero. We were truly impressed with how smoothly it all went. All the shuttles were on time or early and found us even in some not so easy to find places we stayed.
The assistance crossing the border into Panama getting to Bocas was fantastic and the Tourtaguero Lodge and tour was great. Only complaint was our tour guide was very knowledgeable but not very friendly at all. We never felt like anyone was comfortable asking him questions.
We would highly recommend Geko and will use them again if we get the chance to return.
GaelleOctober 3, 2016
I had an amazing time in Costa Rica thanks to Gecko Trail! I really want to thank the team, they are so nice! They planned my trip at the very last minute and everything was perfect! I didn’t have to worry about anything. From Arenal to Puerto Viejo passing by Tortuguero, i really enjoyed. They are so responsive, if you email them, they will respond as soon as possible. You can travel and simply enjoy your vacation! If i go back to Costa Rica I will contact them again 🙂
8 Happy CanadiansJuly 14, 2016
Dear Monika and other Gecko Trailers – wow is all we have to say. Thanks for looking after us.
For the information of others we have, posted below the (—–) line, the comments on Gecko Trail we posted on Trip Advisor.
Bottom line – this is a top notch company.
—————————————————–
We just returned from a trip to Costa Rica. Two families, with four boys aged 9-14. Initially, when planning the trip, we considered booking through a travel agent in our home country (Canada). Reviews of the major outfits were good…but we did wonder if a structured tour was the right fit for our boys. After a bit of digging and based on previous reviews, we decided to contact Gecko Trails.
Best decision ever!!! We worked (mostly) with Monika (but also with other agents from time to time). They were great. We explained our families, our likes and preferences, etc. They took care of the rest!
Monika put together a bomb proof itinerary that we fiddled with and, with her help, settled on a week in the mountains an a week on the Pacific coast (Samara). Gecko Trails arranged for our accommodations, transport (two couples, two weeks, four kids and no navigation required = still friends, still couples and still sane) and day trips.
All were perfectly suited to our families…sure, there were long drives over dodgy roads (without us doing the driving!!!)…but there was also ziplining, hundreds of dolphins, birds and butterflies everywhere, and four very happy boys. After booking a few extra trips for ourselves (which were good, but not great), we also realized that Gecko Trails picked the top notch companies/attractions to book us on. They also, during the trip, altered our itinerary and arranged for refunds (as applicable) when we decided to change things up a bit – on very short notice!!!!
Cannot say enough good things about them…and we unabashedly recommend them to all who are looking to have a good time in Costa Rica!
Have fun
Sincerely,
8 very happy Canadians
Karen PriceJune 8, 2016
We traveled to Costa Rica May 2016 with extended family ranging from 21 to 89 years. Gecko Trails customized our hotels in San Jose, ground transportation and tours in and around Arenal Volcano and Manuel Antonio. The arrangements were perfect and were executed flawlessly. The Gecko Trails staff were very professional, responsive and knowledgeable. We loved Costa Rica and highly recommend Gecko Trails. Pura Vida!.
RosmarieMay 17, 2016
Gecko Trail hat für uns die wunderschöne, zweiwöchige Rundreise organisiert, Transporte, Hotels, Touren. Alle Fahrer waren pünktlich, die Hotels gut und auch bei den geführten Touren hat alles geklappt.
herzlichen Dank an Gecko Trail. Falls wir wieder einmal nach Costa Rica kommen sollten werden wir gerne wieder eure Dienste in Anspruch nehmen und euch auch weiter empfehlen.
MelanieApril 27, 2016
Our trip to Costa Rica was absolutely magical! Gecko trail organized everything perfectly, and we loved every minute of our visit. The hotels were great, excursions were so much fun, and transportation picked us up without any problems. My friend and I felt safe and comfortable with the bilingual guides and all the tours that were organized. I would recommend Gecko Trail to everyone planning a visit to Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
Rosemarie LippmanApril 23, 2016
To all our friends at Gecko Trail,
Thank you so much for helping us plan the perfect trip through your beautiful country. Your website made it easy to plan our visit. The drivers were on time, courteous and knowledgeable. My grand daughter (aged 14) and I are not an experienced travelers, but with your professional help we felt like we had a personal tour guide all along the way. We felt safe and very well accommodated. I can’t thank you enough for making this “grandma and me trip” extra special. Pura Vida!
Chantale LauzonApril 22, 2016
First, I would like to apologize for not having put my comment before today. We returned from Costa Rica on February 15 last. WOW, great travel and country ! We are 4 friends from Quebec. We contacted Gecko Trail for car rental and hotels only. We had already made our itinerary and wanted a professional advice. We made more than 1,500km in 2 weeks. This is Lidieth who recommended us your agency for our bookings. We have only great comments about Gecko Trail. We were served by Monika and she perfectly met our needs. Always listening and attentive to our requests, the 5 hotels that she had recommended and reserved were just perfect. In no time we were disappointed, everything was up to our expectations. Email exchanges were fast and quality service was exceptional. I highly recommend Gecko Trail without hesitation. Thank you for allowing us to make a dream trip. We had chance to meet Lidieth during our trip. Hope the next time, we will be able to see Monika to thank her to help us in organizing our wonderful trip. Chantale, Lucien, Céline and Richard
STEVE MONAGHANApril 6, 2016
Gecko Trail booked our whole trip – we told them what we were looking for, gave them a budget and they had everything. lined. up. Saved so much time out of looking for yourself. From the hotels to the adventures, everything went like clockwork. Happy every step of the way! Thanks Irene!
Judy FeredayApril 1, 2016
Our trip was fantastic. All tour directors and transportation arrived before or on the scheduled time. The only exception to this was our arrival at San Jose airport. We waited an hour for our driver. Someone else showed up in the drivers place with our name on the sign, and then the driver showed up with our name on a sign. When we got in the van, the first person asked for a tip. This seemed a little fishy.
All tours were excellent, and hotels were excellent.
LouiseMarch 22, 2016
We love Gecko Trail! Every time we visit CR we book our hotel and transportation through Gecko Trail. Drivers are always on time, friendly and helpful. Accommodation is reasonably priced and unique, clean and usually very central. I recommend Gecko Trail to anyone visiting CR. They know the country well. They check out the hotels they represent and make sure that your itinerary is organized and confirmed. The Gecko agents are friendly and helpful. Everyone is there to make sure your trip is an excellent experience.
Laurie DenisonMarch 11, 2016
The trip was fantastic! Gecko did an incredible job arranging activities, accommodations, and transportation. It was the trip of a lifetime. I will review your service on trip advisor.
CinziaMarch 7, 2016
Great time! Two weeks full of adventure! 29.12.2015/12.01.2016
Monika was very kind and helpfull during the organization but also during the vacation!
We have done a very customized tour! Tortuguero- Arenal-Monteverde-Manuel Antonio with zip line, canyoning, horses … And a very special time in Cordovado!
Stefaan DeweerdtMarch 6, 2016
We booked a holiday for 2 weeks in this beatifull country. Gecko trail oranised everything ; hotels, pick ups, guiding tours and excusrions ; everything was perfectly organised, picks ups where Always strictly on time, in comfort vans. Hotels were from good choise. Support was Always available and quick. Tours and guides were good and intersting. We saw the most beatifull things and we had a good time. Gecko trail did for us a perfect job.
jan tynanFebruary 29, 2016
Had a lovely holiday in Costa Rica. Delighted with all the travel arrangements suggested and arranged for us. Everybody was courteous and the time keeping was very accurate. Impressed by efficiency and also speed in response to our questions. Found emails a very good way to communicate. Will happily recommend your team at the office and your operatives to all.
many thanks Jan and Paul
Daniela bucciFebruary 25, 2016
Ciao …il viaggio il costa Rica è. Andato benissimo….alberghi, orari, personale…tutto ok…grazie x la disponibilità e professionalità degli organizzato ri della agenzia Geko
Grace MerliniFebruary 22, 2016
I just came back from a 14 day visit to Costa Rica. My friend and I really enjoyed our trip , the hotels, tranfers and excursions were all well organized by Gecko Trail. We decided to go to this country last minute and Gecko Trail in a very short time put together a great itinerary suited for us. All went very smoothly, I’d like to thank Monica and Nina for their kindness and great help in making it possible.
Wolfgang RuebenachFebruary 17, 2016
Hi, I booked two tours with Gecko Trail. The service by Gecko Trail was absolutely superb. The tours were well organized and the hotels were great. On my next visit in Cost Rica Gecko Trail is back in any case. Thank you.
Torsten KummetzFebruary 14, 2016
Wir benötigten für unsere Reise einige Transfers von A nach B während unseres Costa Rica Urlaubs und fragten diese bei einigen Veranstaltern an. Lediglich Gecko Trail hat uns ein detailliertes Angebot vorlegt, welches wir dann auch zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit nutzen konnten. Die Autos waren pünktlich , einige Fahrer haben uns während der Fahrt wissenswertes über ihr Land erzählt und so waren das rundum gelungene Trips – bis auf die “Bumpy Roads” vielleicht hä, hä …
Fazit : sehr empfehlenswert.
Tatiana, PolandFebruary 10, 2016
I used Gecko Trail to plan and organize a trip through Costa Rica for 5 persons in January 2016. Everything was perfect and on time. Monika and all team were very helpful and flexible, especially when our flight to San Jose was delayed and we needed to re-organize our trip schedule, change some booking etc. Thanks a lot!
JP ShieldsFebruary 4, 2016
We had the best time! And it was all thanks to Gecko! Really great suggestions and accommodations throughout our journey to Costa Rica. The only mistake made was that I screwed up a departure time for a shuttle. Thanks again for all your help. Pura Vida!
Cala MillisJanuary 31, 2016
We booked our honeymoon through Gecko Trail, and were so impressed and happy that we did! They were so flexible with letting us customize things, everything was perfect. Everything was taken care of, from transfers to tours, and it was so nice to relax and not worry about details on an itinerary. Everyone we met through the tour companies were professional and very friendly, I would HIGHLY recommend using Gecko Trail to plan your trip! One of our tours got cancelled last minute, and they promptly contacted us and offered us a variety of replacement tours, as well as a reimbursement for the tour that was cancelled. They were absolutely wonderful to work with.
Jay MonroeJanuary 26, 2016
Gecko Trail did a FANTASTIC job planning my vacation! I will definitely use them again!!
Ingrid WeimersJanuary 19, 2016
We are super happy with Gecko Travels. We wanted a real adventure in Costa Rica, but were also a bit overwhelmed at the amount of choice, and the travel cross country that we would have to do. Costa Rica’s coast-to-coast package was brilliant. It was completely customizable, and we ended up adding quite a few things to it. It meant that all transfers were taken care of the and the trip went off without a hitch. We had one issue, but that was dealt with very promptly by Gecko who seem to answer emails all hours of the day. Couldn’t recommend them more.
Jennifer LuJanuary 15, 2016
I had a great time between 12/17/2015 and 12/27/2015. I booked Tortuguero/Pacuare Combo Tour (3 day/2 night package) and all transportation with Gecko Trail. Geck Trail makes my 10-day trip very smooth, I highly recommend their service – responsive and considerate!
Tony HaydenJanuary 13, 2016
My fiance’ and I recently completed an 11 day trip to Costa Rica booked through Gecko Trail. We could not have been more pleased. We had a fairly complicated itinerary with several location changes and several excursions from San Jose to Quepos to Arenal to Puerta Viejo and back to San Jose. Everything went perfectly. Every scheduled pick up, whether for a transfer or an excursion, was right on time. Every reservation was made, every location was great, every person was amazong. I’m serious when I say there was NOT ONE SINGLE ISSUE in 11 days!! The logistics were complicated and I’m glad I didn’t have to do them. Do yourself a favor and let Gecko Trail arrange your trip.
silvia magnoniJanuary 10, 2016
We are back home…thinking about aour fantastic trip to Costa Rica!
the planning and organization of activities, hotels and shuttles was excellent. Nina, our counselor was really professional and patient, giving us many options and advice the hotel were all super, especially Hotel Mandarina in Manuel Antonio. There is a fantastic swimmingpool in tne middle of the raining forest and very confortable accomodation. The place was so special that my boyfriend chose it for asking to marry him!
we appreciate vey much the sailing tour in manuel ant., the sky trak..very scary! and the tour in the natural reserve (manuel and monteverde)
The hot spring at The spring resort was faboulous! just a pity that we spent there only few hours..i think it’s worth to spend the all day there..it’s very big to visit and it s plenty of activity to do. The place is very relaxing ! what we didn’t like very much was the dinner. the quantity was not enough and the dessert disgusting. We both left all the dessert. probably they give us the dessert of the day before..anyway It’s not the dinner you expect in a 5 stars hotel where a little bottle of water costs 8 dollars.
hanging bridge in arenal is nice, but there is also a good opportunity in monteverde, so that you can save time if you do it together with sky trek,
Shuttles and private cars are perfect. The organization about transport is very relaxing, because the drivers are very friendly and on time.
Gecko trails has got a good reputation in costa rica. I advice it very much! thanks Nina. We appreciate very much your support! We will go back for another vacation in the eastern coast of costa rica when we will be a family. the country is very safe and people friendly. with Gecko of course!
Best regards-
Silvia and Gabriel
Nina NeidhartJanuary 11, 2016
Dear Silvia and Gabriel
Wow, what great news! Congratulations to both of you! I am so glad that you had a fantastic time in Costa Rica and thank you very much for your lovely feedback. It has been a pleasure to assist you with your trip planning and should you come back to Costa Rica with your children, please let us know. It would be an honour to take care of your family vacation 🙂
All the best,
Nina
Helena und Nils , DeutschlandJanuary 8, 2016
Auf der Suche nach einer geeigneten Rundreise bin ich auf Gecko Trail gestoßen. Meine Anfrage wurde umgehend und ausführlich von Monika auf deutsch beantwortet. Wir haben dann Hotels, Shuttles und ein paar Ausflüge über Gecko trail gebucht. Die Hoteltipps waren alle super und sehr ordentlich. Wir haben keine schlechten ERfahrungen mit einem der Hotels gemacht. Die Shuttles waren immer alle pünkltich, die Fahrer nett und hilfsbereit. Alle Fragen, die ich im Vorfeld hatte, hat mir Monika immer zeitnah beantwortet und wenn sie mal frei hatte, hat mir Nina sofort zurückgeschrieben. Ein super Service, ich war echt begeistert! Auch Fragen generell zu Costa Rica wurden mir ausführlich und sehr freundlich von Monika beantwortet. Die gebuchten Ausflüge waren auch alle super organisiert und wir hatten jedesmal einen englisch-sprachigen Reiseführer. Am besten war der Tipp mit dem Kochkurs in La Fortuna, den kannten nichtmal die einheimischen Touragenturen 😉 Man bekommt hier also auch gute Touren angeboten, die nicht dem Standardprogramm entsprechen, das fand ich toll. Alles in allem hat sich Monika sehr viel Mühe gemacht, einen ausführlichen Plan für uns erstellt und war stets für Fragen da und sehr freundlich. Ich kann Gecko Trail nur weiterempfehlen und wir hatten dadurch eine wirklich wunderbare erste Reise nach Mittelamerika und würden auf jedenfall wiederkommen:-)
Heather Blevins from Vienna, USADecember 10, 2015
Top Notch Service
My family and I just returned from Costa Rica, and we chose Gecko Trail Adventures to assist us with our transport to and from San Jose Airport (to Punta Uva). We were traveling with a toddler, so it’s no easy feat! 😉 Gaelle, Lorena, and others at Gecko Trail provided TOP NOTCH service and were so incredibly helpful from the moment I contacted them. They seemed to be available ALL the time and responded to my inquiries so incredibly quickly -always answering the question I had. I can’t say enough good things about this company – I would use them again and again and again. And my husband and I will be recommending this company to all of our friends who plan on traveling to Costa Rica. You all provided THE BEST costumer service I have ever have – across the board. THANK YOU!
Joe from New York, USANovember 25, 2015
Costa Rica Honeymoon
We booked our honeymoon through Gecko Trail Costa Rica. We started off with their recommendation of Pacuare Lodge which was amazing and ended it with a great stay at The Springs Resort in Arenal. There was a hiccup in our trip since we booked a hotel that we didn’t like but Ernesto and Nina were FANTASTIC in helping us rebook our honeymoon. In a few hours they re-arranged our itinerary and recommended a beautiful resort that we loved. Their customer service is outstanding. We absolutely will work with them on our next visit!
Jane JohnsonNovember 23, 2015
We had a last-minute opportunity for a weekend getaway at the end of our Costa Rica trip and Gecko Trail were very helpful on live chat and responsive on email, speedily putting together a package of transfers to Monteverde, accommodation, zip lining, night and coffee tours. All went very smoothly, we would highly recommend Gecko Trail Adventures.
Jon Barbero from Marbella EspañaNovember 10, 2015
Contratamos con ellos un pack por toda Costa Rica durante 18 dias. Nos recomendaron a la perfección sobre los hoteles de cada lugar, transportes y todos los tours y opciones para hacar en cada destino. Tuvimos contacto en todo momento, rapidos en contestar cualquier duda. Fue fácil hablar con ellos via mail desde España y Costa Rica, teniendo en cuenta la diferencia horaria. Muy profesionales. Fue un viaje increíble, sin ningún retraso de ningún tipo. Una experiencia inolvidable. Queremos dar las gracias a todo el equipo de Gecko, que nos han facilitado tanto las cosas. Especialmente agradecidos a Monika y Lidieth que nos ayudaron hace 1 año a planificar todo, con la desgracia de tener q suspender el viaje por un problema familiar grave. Nos ayudaron con todas las cancelaciones y el consiguiente reembolso del viaje. De verdad agradecidos por todo. Finalmente retomamos el viaje para este año y pudimos contar también con la ayuda de Lorena y Ernesto. Igualmente de satisfactorio.
Un abrazo y todo el equipo se merecen lo mejor. 100 x 100 Recomendable
Kathryn from Washington, DCSeptember 9, 2015
A fantastic adventure!
We used Gecko to book our recent trip to the Caribbean coast, and it was wonderful! Every day was an amazing adventure, from zip lining to white water rafting to hiking in the rainforest. And it was so much less stressful knowing where we were being picked up, when, and what we had to wear. I highly recommend Gecko!
Bernd from DeustchlandSeptember 7, 2015
Ich hatte die Empfehlung über Gecko Trail unsere Costa Rica Reise ( 2 Wochen Rundreise; 1 Woche Playa Samara) im August 2015 zu buchen, von einer Arbeitskollegin erhalten. Ich muss sagen, zwischen der ersten Kontaktaufnahme im Januar 2015 bis zum Ende unserer Reise im August 2015 waren wir bestens von Monika von Gecko Trail beraten und betreut. Monika hatte uns den Transport, die Unterkünfte für uns ( 2 Erwachsene und 3 Jungs) genau nach unseren Vorstellungen ausgesucht, mit uns Rücksprache gehalten, Optionen aufgezeigt und dann zuverlässig gebucht. Alle Unterkünfte waren tiptop, die Transporte mit einem Minivan immer pünktlich und super organisiert. Der Kontakt ging meistens über e-mail und wir haben immer umgehend Antworten (in deutscher Sprache) auf unsere Fragen bekommen. Ich kann Gecko trail und insbesondere Monika sehr empfehlen. Schade, dass es zu einem gemeinsamen Kaffeeklatsch in Monteverde nicht geklappt hat :-). Vielen Dank nochmals für deine Mühe, Monika. Die Reise nach Costa Rica wird für uns 5 immer ein unvergessliches Erlebnis bleiben. Bernd
Kristen from Cherry Hill, USAJuly 19, 2015
We booked our honeymoon through gecko trail and had an INCREDIBLE trip. Everything went perfectly from all of the transports to all of the activities. We were in costa rica for 12 days, did an activity every single day and travelled around to 5 different places. We would absolutely recommend using gecko trail to anyone else planning on traveling to costa rica!
Jullisa from BahamasJune 14, 2015
Flawless
We booked most of our transportation and tours through Gecko and everything went flawless.
Eric Cavanagh from CanadaMay 11, 2015
Awesome vacation
I had an amazing time while in Costa Rica – Apr 19-28. It was great getting up and knowing that everything had been taken care of. the hotels were great, the transportation was good and the day trips were amazing. I can’t wait to come back and experience more of, what Costa Rica has to offer. I have recommended Costa Rica, and Gecko Trail Adventures to all my friends, and anyone else I talk to about my vacation. I have uploaded some,of my photos and am working on getting my zip line and river drift videos uploaded on my google drive. Here is the link.
Thanks again for an amazing vacation.
Maryellen from Southern California, USAMay 5, 2015
Great Experience
We worked with Gecko Trail Adventures for our spring break in March of 2015. They were fantastic. They helped us determine what adventures and excursions would best meet our needs. We were traveling with our six year old daughter and were concerned with the specifics of hikes, white water rafting,snorkeling and zip lining adventures. Gecko answered all our questions and put us completely at ease. Their drivers were always prompt and extremely helpful. We always felt very safe. The entire process was stress free and was handled and paid for before we left the US. At one point we determined we had overbooked the vacation and just needed a day to relax. I sent Ernesto an email (the day before the excursion) to cancel. I was fully prepared to pay the entire amount as I had broken the contract agreement. Ernesto and Gecko Trail advocated for us with the company and we received a 50% refund (which we didn’t even ask for). They went above and beyond. I would recommend this group to anyone traveling to Costa Rica.
Luc from UKMay 3, 2015
Many thanks to Ernesto who put together a great itinerary for us in a short time for our first visit to Costa Rica in March.
I found the online chat facility very useful and was impressed by how quickly Ernesto would get back to us.
Costa Rica did not disappoint at all.
Everything was easy,transport was on time (even early sometime!) Some of the transit vans could have been a bit more comfortable but we survived them ok! We went on many tours, highlights were the Monteverde Sky Walk, the horse riding to La Fortuna waterfall, seeing the quetzal in the Curi Cancha reserve.
Rafting down the Pacuare river was out of this world.
Can’t wait to return and explore other areas of CR.
Highly recommend Gecko Trail.
Alvin Leibel from CanadaApril 22, 2015
Gecko Trail Adventures!!
We booked our trip to Costa Rica in March 2015 for the second time with Gecko Trail. Both times the booking was very easy to do and we appreciated the attentiveness of Monika and Natalie!! All transportation from airport to hotel to puerto viejo etc was as expected and on time. Thanks for choosing Casa Renada for our stay in Puerto Viejo.(It was an awesome place!) Would definately recomend your service to anyone!! Thanks again!
Astrid from DeutschlandApril 16, 2015
2-Tagestrip nach Tortuguero
Der 2-Tagestrip von San Jose zum Tortuguero Nationalpark und danach Transfer von Tortuguero nach Puerto Viejo war sehr gut organisiert.
Wir wurden pünktlich in unserem Hotel in San Jose morgens abgeholt, die Busfahrt wurde durch eine Frühstückspause in einer privaten Farm unterbrochen, die sehr schön gelegen war, gutes Essen geboten hat und sehr sauber war. Der nette Gärtner zeigt den Gästen auch wilde Tiere, die sich auf der Farm aufhalten, z.B. hatte er einen Blue-Jeans-Frosch und ein Faultier entdeckt, während wir da waren.
Pünktlich geht die Fahrt weiter, der Reiseleiter erzählt viel über Land und Natur und informiert ausführlich über die Möglichkeiten im Tortuguero Nationalpark und das geplante Programm.
Die 1,5-stündige Bootsfahrt (inkl. Gepäck) durch die Flussarme bis zur Lodge ist großartig und man bekommt schon mal einen ersten Eindruck.
Die Aninga-Lodge ist ein absolutes Highlight! Die Zimmer sind sehr geschmackvoll eingerichtet, die Anlage wunderschön, das Essen lecker und geschmackvoll.
Auf der Bootsfahrt in den frühen Morgenstunden hat unser Guide ein gutes Auge für die Tiere im Urwald bewiesen und uns zahlreiche Vögel, Schildkröten, Affen und Kaimane gezeigt.
Nach dem ausführlichen Frühstück wurden wir wieder abgeholt und sind dann zunächste nach der Bootstour in einem großen “Sammelbus” wieder bis zu der Farm vom Hinweg gefahren, um dort Mittag zu essen (Buffet). Von dort ging es in einem kleineren Bus (9 Personen) mit 2 weiteren Mitreisenden nach Puerto Viejo. Unterwegs hat der Fahrer netterweise einen kurzen Fotostop am Containerhafen in Limon eingelegt.
Die gesamte Tour war super und wir würden jederzeit wieder mit Gecko-Tours reisen.
Sarah from CanadaApril 9, 2015
Our trip was amazing! Yeiling at Gecko was extremely helpful and flexible with our itinerary requests. All of our tours went off exactly as described and were on time with pick ups and drop offs. The tours were so much fun! I hope we find ourselves back in Costa Rica again, and when we do we will be calling Gecko!
Ami Argaman from Silver Spring, MarylandApril 7, 2015
More than satisfactory
Our decision to go with GECKO certainly paid off. Monika was extremely helpful and insightful in designing our itinerary, and was instrumental in rescheduling everything when on a very short notice we had to postpone it by six weeks. Our rides and tours came to pick us up (almost) on time as scheduled, the hotels were comfortable and everybody was friendly. Warmly recommended!
Jan SHarples from BrisbaneApril 1, 2015
Reply to Torrenguerro
The organisation of our trip by Gecko was fine and went well.
However we would not recommend to go to Torrengeurro. Firstly we were the only travellers who only took the correct weight and our boat on return was overloaded. We did not take our tripods which were necessary for a later part of our journey. No one worried about the luggage at all. Disappointing and spoilt by hundreds of tourists in boats up and down canals.
Tracy Armstrong from CanadaMarch 29, 2015
Gecko Travel more than met our expectations. Ernesto responded to emails and questions promptly and in great detail. We booked several transport options through them at what seems like a very reasonable fee. Playa Grande to Montevede to Arenal to Puerto Viejo to Tortuguero to San Jose. All worked smoothly and on time.
Two adventure transports…horse riding. from Monteverde to Arenal and rice rafting from Arenal to Puerto Viejo were highlights and recommended. We will be suggesting the use of this company to friends and family as it was seamless
Olivia Kulisz from Bloomfield, NJMarch 16, 2015
great trip
Thank you Gecko Trail. We had a good trip. All our transit and tours were on time. All drivers and tour guides were nice and friendly.
Kim W. from New York, USAMarch 16, 2015
Thank you Lideith, Ernesto, and a special thank you to Lorena for creating the PERFECT itinerary on such short notice! Everything went smoothly and the activities planned exceeded our expectations! We had an amazing time and Costa Rica is a beautiful country — we have YOU to thank for that! Our first trip is definitely not going to be the last! Pura Vida!
Christy from ColoradoMarch 3, 2015
Gecko Trails did a fantastic job with every aspect of our girl’s trip. All logistics were seamless and exceeded our expectations. Thanks to all of you for the great memories.
Claudia Kozicki from ArgentinaMarch 2, 2015
Viue ajamos en febrero de este año desde Argentina. Nos resultó una experiencia muy linda. Organizamos el viaje por mail , pudiendo elgir hoteles , itinerio etc, asesorados por Yeiling de Gecko. El presupuesto fue bastante accesible , hoteles , servicios y las excursiones que contratamos muy buenas. El servicio es confiable. Agradecemos la atención!Claudia y Aldo
Jesper Dall-Hansen from SwedenFebruary 26, 2015
I can only join the others in saying that our trip was perfect in so many ways. Thank you Ernesto and the others at the office that helped us plan the trip. Everything went smooth except from the last ride from Sierpe to San Jose. But all the others were right on time. Great hotels too. Pura vida!
Meghan from Chicago, IL, USAFebruary 17, 2015
We had a great honeymoon!
Yeiling at Gecko Trails was very helpful and responsive, helping to make our 13 day honeymoon a success! We were able to create a custom package with multiple transfers, and everything went smoothly! The shuttles were always on time, the hotels were well informed that it was our honeymoon (a nice surprise!), and Yeiling helped us to change our itinerary and book a short flight (in place of a shuttle) while we were already in the country. We highly recommend their services! We had a great experience with Gecko Trail. Pura Vida!
Philip Rohrbough from San FranciscoFebruary 2, 2015
Perfect vacation in paradise!
Hola Ernesto. We arrived in San Francisco last night after a great trip to Costa Rica. I just want to say that everything worked perfectly… The rides were on time, hotels very good (especially Villa Roca), tours excellent. It was a great way to see your country.. Lots of independence, but little hassle… Thanks for making this possible…
Philip Rohrbough and Mike Gorman
Joseph Zari from Boston, USAJanuary 30, 2015
Gecko ensured we enjoyed our visit to Costa Rica. Gecko facilitated by reserving most of our transfers and activity package. Monika and Nina were prompt and pleasant in their emails. Gecko were responsive to all questions we had and provided sufficient information to help us make our decision. Costa Rica is must visit!! Pura Vida!
IvonneJanuary 20, 2015
Viajé en shuttle desde Bocas hasta San José y quedé muy satisfecha con el servicio brindado. Los felicito y espero que continuen así.
Sarah from GermanyJanuary 20, 2015
Wir durften einen wunderschönen Traumurlaub in Costa Rica verbringen , der auch dank der großartigen Organisation von Gecko Trail unvergesslich war! Vielen Dank dafür- auch für die Geduld, nachdem wir mehrmals Änderungswünsche an der Reiseroute vorgenommen hatten.
Unsere Rundreise führte uns von Tortuguero ( Tortuga Lodge: das beste, schönste und serviceorientierteste Hotel welches ich je erlebt habe )über Cahuita ( unbedingt das Jaguar Rescue Centre in Puerto Viejo besuchen!!! ) , La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio zum Abschluss zur Drake Bay . Ich war zunächst etwas beunruhigt, ob alles inkl. Mietwagen, Inlandflügen und Transporten klappen würde wie geplant -aber alles verlief reibungslos!
Vielen Dank nochmal an die nette Unterstützung dieser Traumroute in einem Traumland- ihr seid die Besten und ich würde euch jederzeit weiterempfehlen!! 🙂
Paul from London, UKJanuary 13, 2015
Top bespoke tour from Gecko
An excellent bespoke tour designed for us who had no idea what the wonders of Costa Rica were. A balanced trip with all the main sights and not filled with unnecessary trips. From landing in San Jose and departing 14 days later, every meet, tour and stay operated like clock work. Ernesto is a top agent and if you are LGBT trvaller and looking for a real expert look no further than Gecko
Michael Trovela from New York, NY USADecember 15, 2014
Thank you Ernesto and the rest of the Gecko Team for putting together a fabulous itinerary!
The bookings, from hotels to flights between San Jose, Arenal and Manuel Antonio, were handled efficiently. We especially loved our stay at La Maison in Manuel Antonio and the Volcano Inn in Arenal. Hotel staff were friendly and the tour guides were knowledgeable of the beautiful ecosystem.
I would definitely book with you guys again!
Kate from New York CityDecember 10, 2014
Fantastic service and a great time!
Thank you so much for coordinating an amazing rafting trip and helping make our trip to Costa Rica a success.
Prior to contacting Gecko Trails I was struggling with how to get from Arenal to Tamarindo and was going to have to stay in San Jose for one night. Gecko Trails came to me with a suggestion and solution that allowed my husband and I to make the most of our time in CR by putting us in a different rafting trip that took us to Tamarindo from Arenal… no need for a wasted night in the city!
I will definitely use Gecko Trail again for my next trip!
Ashley Barber from USANovember 24, 2014
Gecko Trails is Amazing!
I couldn’t be happier with the prompt service I received from several staff members and their patience when I continued to change my mind throughout the whole planning process! Thank you for such a great experience!
Ryan PetersOctober 26, 2014
Robert C. McNair from Tampa, FLJanuary 20, 2015
GECKO – best staffing and planners
The reason I have traveled 4 times to Costa Rica with Gecko Trails.
Excellent people.
Pura vida.
Lidia from Málaga, SpainOctober 7, 2014
Thanks for the service and friendliness. It was a great trip thanks to you. We will recommend Gecko Trail Adventures!
Doris Pradieu from New York, USAOctober 7, 2014
Best team
I Can’t even begin to thank the staff at Gecko trails. Lideith, Monika and Ernesto went above and beyond to book our trip. I gave them less than 2 weeks and our interests to create an itinerary for a 7 day trip to Costa Rica, and I must say they pulled off the impossible. All the hotels recommended were great, the tours were all fun and exciting. They even booked our shuttles from San Jose to Peurto Viejo, PV to Arenal and Arenal to San Jose. I was able to request revision to the itinerary while I was on the trip and they still were accommodating. They indeed make visiting Costa Rica very easy. Pura Vida
Pilar from London, UKOctober 6, 2014
Eficiencia y amabilidad describen muy bien los servicios de Gecko.
Tengo que decir que antes de decidir utilizar los servicios de Gecko, contactamos con algunos otros tour operadores locales y…nada que ver con Gecko.
Alex Gorokhov from Maryland, USASeptember 23, 2014
Great Honeymoon!
So friendly and helpful! They really made our trip amazing.
Cyd from Toccoa, GeorgiaSeptember 8, 2014
best vacation ever
We called Gecko Trails 10 days out from booking our vacation and they pulled off a fantastic trip at the last minute for our family of four. They basically checked off all our boxes;
graduated trip (nice to great to awesome accomodations in that order), seamless logistics and travel, competitive pricing (cheapest agency for all that we wanted), reliable and dependable (so important in a foreign country!) As we stepped back into the USA, my husband said to me, “Did that vacation just happen? It all seems like a perfect dream right now.” And that is exactly how one should be ending their dream vacation. Thanks Nadiah!
Kevin from Washington, DC, USAJuly 20, 2014
We had Ernesto and he was fantastic in taking the ideas of what we wanted to do and the short time frame we had to do them and developing a plan for us to follow. Everything was organized for us and we have a clear itinerary to follow. We didn’t have to worry about anything on our trip. Transportation, food, hotel, adventures, all covered and planned. We only had one hiccup with a hotel wanting payment, but they made a quick call to Gecko and it was handled in less than a minute. We had an unbelievable time in Costa Rica and it was in large part to Gecko Trail Adventures and the trip they put together for us.
Candice Lamarche from San Francisco, CAJuly 3, 2014
We had an incredible experience working with Gecko. Their recommendations and their customer service were superb. Both my husband and I agree that out trip to Costa Rica was the best vacation we’ve ever been on and that has everything to do with Gecko. We were able to really relax knowing that our activities, lodging and transportation were all pre-booked and pre-paid. All of our hotels, tours and transportation were perfect. I’m so thankful to Gecko for the experience of a lifetime and look forward to working with them again in the future. Pura Vida! 🙂
Robert C. McNair from Tampa, FloridaOctober 7, 2014
So glad U loved Costa Rica
GECKO Trails is why I have been back 4 times.
A great company and country.
Pura vida from Tampa, Florida
Fraser Valentine from Ottawa, CanadaJune 7, 2014
We used Gecko Trail to help us plan our first trip to Costa Rica. We chose the bi-coastal tour, and added a few extra days in the rain forest and on the beach on the Caribbean side of the country. It was great to spend about 10 days doing and seeing lots, and then hanging out in Puerto Viejo on the beautiful beach. We really enjoyed the bi-coastal tour, as you get a sense of the diversity of the country – the geography, the climate, and the people and architecture. Put simply, we had an amazing trip! Everything – and I mean everything – was perfect! Ernesto and his team pay attention to all the details; you arrive and the program just unfolds. Throughout our 15 days in Costa Rica, everything went off without any problems or issues – it was perfect. The country is beautiful, the people are friendly and warm, and the range of activities you can do is vast. It’s a great holiday. If Costa Rica is on your “bucket list;” make this the year you go, and make sure you book with Gecko. You’ll have a wonderful trip. We will be back for sure!!!
Robert from Tampa, FloridaJune 7, 2014
This was my 4 th trip with GECKO Trails.
Lidieth & Monika were exceptional at planning my 5th trip to Costa Rica.
Always, makes it so enjoyable with the help and planning with GECKO.
Hoping to return on my 6th trip in 2015 with the help of GECKO.
Thanks to GECKO Trails.
Scott from AtlantaMay 30, 2014
Sibylle&Nadia from SwitzerlandMay 26, 2014
Das Hotel Jinetes war sauber und die Betreiber waren super freundlich. Abends mit allen Gästen am grossen Tisch zu essen fanden wir klasse, jedoch stimmt Preis/Leistung für sEssen nicht wirklich.
Die Aussicht im El Castillo war unbezahlbar!! Die Zimmer schön eingerichtet, das Essen sensationell und der Service toll, wir wurden echt verwöhnt!
Die Orosi Lodge war klein aber mit viel Liebe eingerichtet, wir haben uns auf Anhieb wohlgefühlt und das Frühstück war absolut der burner!!!
In den Cabinas Yamann wurden wir freundlich empfangen, die Anlage wie auch die Bungalows waren sauber, sogar mit Kühlschrank:-) klein aber fein!
Über das Banana Azul müssen wir nicht sprechen, dies war sowieso SUUPER!!! Dank dem gratis Upgrade durften wir in Colins ex TreeHouseApartement hausen, was uns natürlich ‘uverschämt’ gut gefallen hat!!! Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm, so sassen wir um 6:30 mit Kaffee und einem spannenden Buch am Strand, total entspannter Start in den Tag. Das morgentliche ‘Grüezi’ von Nina, Nilo und den Hunden war natürlich ein richtiger Aufsteller:-)))
Last but not least, die Transfers inkl Inlandflug und Mietauto haben einwandfrei geklappt, ein grosses Dankeschön an Gecko Trail Adventures für die Organisation!
Jacqueline Balteau from the NetherlandsMay 18, 2014
holiday in Costa Rica
Gecko Trail Adventures, Ernesto, made a wonderful itinerary for a two week roundtrip in Costa Rica, for me and my Canadian friends. Everything was as expected and more. Highly recommended !! Thank you Ernesto, Jacqueline
Meghan and David from Baltimore, MDMay 16, 2014
Gecko was awesome from start to finish! They helped plan our entire 2 week vacation in Costa Rica and everyone was helpful, courteous, kind, and happy to answer any of our questions. They went above and beyond normal customer service in order to make sure we had a great time! We would recommend Gecko to anyone!
Hans-Juergen Heise from GermanyMay 13, 2014
Gecko Tours in Costa Rica: Absolut empfehlenswert
Mit der Hilfe von Gecko Tours haben wir, meine Frau und ich zusammen mit einem befreundeten Ehepaar eine wunderschoene und erlebnisreiche 15taegige Besichtigungstour Costa Ricas unternommen. Dank Gecko, vor allem Monika, brauchten wir uns waehrend der gesamten ausschliesslich fuer uns vier geplanten Rundreise weder um die gebuchten hervorragenden Unterkuenfte, noch um den besonders empfehlenswerten privaten Transport von Hotel zu Hotel kuemmern. Die von Gecko bei privaten Transportunternehmen gebuchten Vans waren geraeumig und immer auf die Minute puenktlich. Die einzelnen Fahrer waren alle sehr umsichtig und hilfsbereit und erzaehlten uns auch dank unserer Spanischkenntnisse viel ueber Land und Leute.
Unsere Rundreise fuehrte uns von San Jose zunaechst an die Karibikkueste in die Naehe von Puerto Viejo. Hier verbrachten wir vier Naechte im “Banana Azul”. Das Hotel zeichnet sich aus durch seine unmittelbare Lage am Strand und die traumhafte Gartenanlage, genauso wie durch seine hilfsbereiten Mitarbeiter. Karibikfeeling pur! Einen anschliessenden dreitaegigen Kurzabstecher in die Inselwelt Panamas nach Bocas del Toro fanden wir ebenfalls sehr erlebnisreich. Obwohl die Uhren in Bocas manchmal anders zu gehen scheinen, waren wir mit der Gecko Planung des Grenzuebertritts nach Panama, des Transports in Panama mit Taxen und Booten und unseres dortigen Aufenthalts angenehm ueberrascht. Wieder zurueck in Puerto Viejo ging es dann fuer uns weiter nach Tortuguero und in die Berg- und Nebelwaldregionen Costa Ricas. Wir verbrachten in den Regionen Arenal/La Fortuna und Monteverde weitere erlebnisreiche Tage mit vielen Ausfluegen, die Gecko vorher fuer uns gebucht hatte. Zu den Highlights zaehlten die “Haengenden Bruecken”, der Besuch des Tabacon Thermalbads mit anschliessendem sehr guten Abendbuffet, eine Abendwanderung im Nebelwald und weitere Spaziergaenge, um vor allem die Vogelwelt Costa Ricas zu erkunden. Zum Besuch des Tabacon Thermalbads sollte man viel Zeit mitbringen und auf jeden Fall nicht spaeter als 15 h dort eintreffen, um zum einen die wunderschoene tropische Anlage auch bei Tageslicht zu geniessen und im Bild festzuhalten und zum anderen nach Einbruch der Dunkelheit nicht von den zahlreichen hungrigen Stechmuecken aufgefressen zu werden. In Monteverde ist die kleine aber besonders feine Hotelanlage “Arco Iris Lodge” mit dem unserer Meinung nach besten Fruehstueck der gesamten Rundreise besonders zu erwaehnen. Alles in allem hatten wir dank Gecko eine traumhafte Reise. Nochmals danke Monika und Nina!
Emily, Nina, Teresa and TrishaApril 9, 2014
Lidieth helped us organize our two week Coast-to-Coast trip and it was one of the best experiences of our lives! They were great at answering all of our questions and replying right away. All of the hotels were beautiful, all of the activities were amazing and it was so nice having everything already set up before we left, all we had to do was show up and Gecko Trails took care of the rest! They were also really great at helping us organize activities not typically organized through Gecko Trails while we were at Banana Azul. Overall we can’t thank Gecko Trails enough for making this experience so incredible and we would definitely say anyone traveling to Costa Rica should definitely plan their trip with Gecko Trails!
Andrea & Pete from Cassville, NYApril 7, 2014
Pernilla Conde Hellman from StockholmMarch 30, 2014
Great help from Gecko Trail Adventures
Lidieth from Gecko Trail Adventures helped us with planning a three week roundtrip in Costa Rica and not one single thíng went wrong during the trip. Great help and friendly people at Gecko… would absolutely recommend them for quick help and big knowledge.
Lauren from Toronto, CanadaMarch 17, 2014
Nadieh, was a huge help with planning transportation and booking our needs through CR and getting in and out of Panama. Thanks Nadieh!! Will be sure to book again soon.
Maddox from Dallas, TX, USAMarch 9, 2014
Ernesto planned an absolutely fantastic 10 day trip to Costa Rica for me. I stayed in Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and La Fortuna. Each of the accommodations that he selected were just what I was hoping for. The tours that he suggested were excellent and overall, the trip was a DREAM VACATION! I can’t wait to go back! Thank you Ernesto
Margaret Curtin from Boston, Ma, USAMarch 9, 2014
Great, amazing trip to Costa Rica!
We traveled to Costa Rica from 02/15-02/21/14 as a couple taking our 15 and 16 year old niece and nephew.
Gecko Travel Adventures was great!
First, I would like to give a big kudos to Nadieh, for being one of the most thorough and patient travel agents on the planet. I had many questions and concerns,since I was taking my sister’s children, and she went above and beyond to address all of them.
Secondly, I would like to commend Jorge Barboza, our very competent, expert driver. He was more like a friendly guide to the country than just a driver. He went out of his way to make it an enjoyable and memorable experience.
I also was fortunate to discover the Kukula Lodge in the Puerto Viejo area and Nadieh included this into their custom tour.
I highly recommend this jungle lodge for getting into the natural beauty of the area. They have wonderful , friendly hosts and staff and go all out to make it a wonderful experience for everyone.
we enjoyed Harry of Harry’s Taxi and recommend him if you need transportation once in Puerto Viejo.
Finally, I highly recommend a trip to the Jaguar Rescue Center.
I cannot say enough about how lovely all these people were and how it has the potential to truly change your life, just to experience all this.
Thanks, Gecko, for facilitating such an amazing experience. Top notch!
Mark & Leslie from Decatur, GA USAMarch 4, 2014
Everything went very smoothly with the custom tour we booked with Gecko Trail Adventures. All of our accommodations were clean, comfortable, and very well-hosted. We especially liked Arco Iris Ecolodge in Monteverde — we stayed 3 nights in a little cabin set in a lush garden. We were picked up on time for tours, and guides were very informative and helpful. Rafting the Rio Balsa was something we’ll always remember fondly. We definitely look forward to visiting CR again, and certainly will look to Gecko Trail for guidance in the best way to do so.
Carol and Tyler from IndianaFebruary 24, 2014
Costa Rica is a wonderful place to travel, and I’m sure I would have been comfortable with anything I’d booked on my own. However, I’m so glad I booked the Coast to Coast with Gecko Trail. All the tours were on time and wonderful! all the transportation was on time, clean, comfortable and safe. All the hotels were exactly as represented. It was great to start with Adventure Inn, phone home and have breakfast. With a 12 hour weather delay in Atlanta, it was wonderful to know that Gecko Trails was communicating with all parties in San Jose. No Worries. Pura Vida.
spinelli guido from italiyFebruary 23, 2014
vacanza straordinaria perfettamente organizzata da monika della gecko traill adventure di porto viejo de limon
grazie
Jim and MargaretFebruary 21, 2014
We were very happy that we used Gecko Trail Adventures to help organise our recent visit to Costa Rica, enabling us to blend their tours, accommodation and transport with our own arrangements. They answered all our emails quickly and efficiently as we modified our itinerary and gave helpful advice, such as recommending the Curi Cancha reserve in Monte Verde, which was a highlight of the trip. When we were there all the bookings were spot on and we were impressed that the pick ups etc. were all prompt and well organised. We had a great trip. Thank you.
Twyla & Terry Bilida from Red Deer, Alberta CANADAFebruary 20, 2014
Remarkable “Coast to Coast with Mountains” package!!
February 2014 – My husband and I booked the “Coast to Coast with Mountains” package with Gecko Trail Adventures, and are we ever glad that we did!! Their professionalism and helpfulness right from the first e-mail was outstanding. The staff are very knowledagble and amazing and communicate promptly with you when you have a question/concern. We stayed in San Jose, Manuel Anonio, La Fortuna and suddenly decided to take a side trip to Pananma for 2 nights, and even with all those hotels, and all the transferring between the hotels and transfers to our booked tours, there was not one hitch! Everything was exactly how it was advertised that it would be, and pick-ups, drop-offs were always on time. All hotels that we stayed at were very clean and comfortable and the staff at each one were wonderful. We particularly loved the day that we went white water rafting, and the couple of days spent by Arenal Volcano. We highly recommend Gecko Trail Adventures to one and all.
Ray from WinnipegFebruary 11, 2014
We spent 17 days in Costa Rica in January 2014 but I was in contact with Gecko Trail Adventures well before that. Once I knew where we wanted to go and where we wanted to stay, I asked Gecko Trail Adventures to make the transportation and accommodation arrangements. This company provided a very efficient and professional service and when itinerary changes had to be made due to Air Canada cancelling certain flights, one phone call to Gecko and they made all our changes for us. All transportation arrived at least 10 minutes before they were due to arrive so there was no waiting around. I asked Gecko to try and reserve certain rooms for us at some of the lodges and they were successful in doing so.
Richard Daly from Newtown Square,Pa./USAJanuary 24, 2014
Thanks to Gecko Trail my trip to Costa Rica went smoothly. All pick ups and reservations were perfect, no hassles. It was convenient that they had an office at my hotel, Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo. Highly recommended!
Hannah Fowles from LondonJanuary 13, 2014
Thank you Gecko Trail Adventures
Gecko Trail Adventures were amazing from start to finish. They helped us plan what was one of the best trips I could have asked for; they listened to our needs, were flexible with our amends and just helpful with suggestions and advice throughout. When we actually arrived it Costa Rica, our experience far surpassed what we were expecting. The accommodation was incredible and the transfers were on time and on the whole comfortable! Thank you fr making our Costa Rica experience so fantastic…i will be back in touch when I plan my return.
Susan from Denver, CO USAJanuary 10, 2014
Peak Season Trip
Gecko knows their tours. I felt that each tour Gecko booked was the best of the area’s tours. Best zipline, best ATV, best hike guides, etc.
The tour planners couldn’t have been better. The responsiveness, patience, good humor, and competence were amazing.
We were there at peak season so you have to have some patience, but the tours didn’t always pick up on time which was annoying, but only about 15 minutes behind schedule. The one tour that was 45 minutes late, both Gecko and the tour operator called to let us know.
I think if it wasn’t Christmas week, it would have been smoother.
Beth Lynn from North CarolinaJanuary 9, 2014
Amazing Costa Rica trip
Had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica! Visited Arenal/La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio, and so glad we used Gecko to organize our trip! Hotel reservations, transportation, activities were all coordinated through Gecko & we couldn’t have been happier with the prompt professional service! Thanks, Gecko!
Alberto y Myriam from EspañaJanuary 6, 2014
A nuestra llegada a Costa Rica esperábamos un mail de respuesta de Gecko para la contratación de un paquete de 4 días: 2 por Tortuguero, uno de rafting en Pacuaré y otro de snorkel en Cahuita.
Por algún motivo, no habían recibido el mail y, al ponernos en contacto por teléfono con ellos, nos atendieron y nos ofrecieron la posibilidad de contratar en el momento lo que queríamos, con la excepción del snorkel (que nos desaconsejaron por no ser la mejor época para apreciar los fondos, por las recientes lluvias).
Todo estuvo perfectamente organizado, sin incidencias ni retrasos.
El personal es muy eficiente y las actividades que hicimos por medio de Exploradores Outdoors, fueron magníficas y gestionadas de manera muy profesional pero siempre divertida.Los alojamientos, estupendos!!
Hemos quedado muy contentos con los servicios de Geckotrail.
Es completamente recomendable!.
Jessie from LouisianaDecember 28, 2013
We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica! I was in constant contact with GECKO 2-3 months before we left asking all sorts of questions in preparation for our trip and they were always prompt, courteous and helpful. I’m so thankful we planned everything through GECKO because our trip was fun and uneventful. Highly recommend!
Rosemary Suarez from REDLANDS CA.October 17, 2013
Vacation
I had a great trip in Costa Rica, one of Gecko’s friendly staff (Ernesto) had everything planned from arriving at airport to my fantastic wonderful stay at Mother Dear, which had every thing I needed and more. The owners of Mother Dear made me feel so very welcomed and special. The view of the garden and the sounds of the waves from my balcony was amazing. My stay at all other locations was fabulous, the rooms, food and their transportation was always on time . I didn’t have to worry about how I was going from one destination to another, every thing was all planned to a tee, including places to go for very nice dinners, right up till time of departure to airport. Gecko really knows how to plan your vacation so that its a breeze and enjoyable for you. I highly recommend Gecko Trails for all your vacation needs. FYI Gecko Trail Adventures has a very warm, knowledgable staff that treat you like family.
Jennifer M. from Los Angeles, USASeptember 22, 2013
My mom and I traveled to Costa Rica for her 60th birthday. I wanted everything to be awesome and planned before I got there. Everything went as scheduled. We had fun on the activities- zip lining near Arenal Volcano, hiking near Arenal Volcano, Tabacan hot springs and the jungle hike in Limon. My mom had a blast on her 60th and thank you to Gecko Trail Adventures for making my life easier with planning this trip.
Hollie from Tampa, FLAugust 19, 2013
Great Honeymoon!
My new husband and I had nothing to stress about on our vacation, Gecko Trail arranged everything and it was so easy! There was only one pickup that was missed and we called them and they were there within 10 minutes and refunded us 50% of the cost of the excursion we were late for. The only other complaint that I had was that we went on a waterfall hike and I checked the “things to bring” list and it did not include a bathing suit so we didn’t bring them, then it turns out that you can swim right under this gorgeous waterfall and we missed out on that! Those were the only setbacks though and we stayed for a whole week so I’d say it was overall really great. The whole trip was a breeze and we would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you SO much Gecko Trail! We love you!
John & Joey from Los Angeles, USAJuly 25, 2013
Everything that Jason & Eric posted is exactly what we would have said! From being met at the airport that first day till being dropped off at the airport, the trip could NOT have been better planned or executed!!!! Last year we did an Alaska Cruise on Princess and the year before we did a Mexican train trip and thought they were great but Gecko Trail Adventures completely trumps them! Even before the trip, any question we had was answered almost immediately! It was almost scary how customer service oriented they were!!! We could easily see going back again to Costa Rica and OF COURSE only by going through Gecko!
Robert from Tampa, FloridaJuly 25, 2013
GECKO is great!
They are the reason I am going back for a 4th time this November 2013.
Lidieth & Monika always watch out for my travels and even get me out of uncomfortable situations pronto.
Can’t imagine traveling Costa Rica without GECKO Travel’s help.
Pura vida!
Jason and Eric from Los AngelesJuly 9, 2013
Kudos to Gecko Trails
I would like to say that our trip to Costa Rica could NOT have been as epic, adventures and; convenient without the assistant and support of Gecko Trail Adventures. Their staff was friendly, courteous and helpful… They answered all our questions and concerns and made sure we (six of us) were accommodated. They arrived on time EVERYTIME and answered all our questions or concerns. I would highly recommend booking thru them and you will be impressed too.
Lisa DiGiorgio-Haag from United StatesJuly 5, 2013
Review of Trip to Costa Rica
Dear Lidieth,
We just returned from our spectacular trip to Costa Rica at 10 pm last night. In between loads of laundry, I decided I must find the time to tell you how thrilled we are.
First of all, you were so helpful in planning our customized itinerary. Every question I had was answered completely. By the time we left I felt we had a personal friend and connection in Cost Rica!
Upon arrival we were met at the airport by Adventure Inn.
The transportation arrangements were seamless. Each ride arrived early, but always allowed us the few extra minutes we often needed to gather our teens and baggage. I could not believe that even on days when we took a private van to a bus to a boat (!) how it all occurred smoothly, everyone smiling, and on time. We usually had private transport so it did not feel like a “tour” and my husband did not have to drive and I didn’t have to navigate! We could both just sit back and relax.
The hotels were clean and nicely appointed; we always had plenty of room for ourselves and our three kids were never cramped sharing a room.
The guides and outings were exceptional, friendly, well informed and helpful. Each outing seemed super safe with lots of instruction to make sure there were no accidents.
Above all of the fun, wonderful guides, great hotels, was the opportunity my husband and I had to connect with our kids. It is hard to connect with teenagers in our busy lives. Our teenagers are a little tough, don’t always want to talk or tell us what they are up to. But, on this trip they were happy, appreciative and we had the time and space to have some wonderful talks and lots of fun together. This is a vacation I’m sure none of us will forget.
Thanks again for all of your assistance. I will try to write mentions of everything on trip advisor but especially wanted you to know how much we appreciated all of your help, kind concern, and AFFORDABILITY. We could never have planned this on our own. Thanks to everyone there.
Sincerely,
Lisa DiGiorgio-Haag
Gary Kukus from Oakland, CaliforniaJune 9, 2013
ROBERT from TAMPA, FLORIDAJune 9, 2013
Thank you, Gecko Trail Adventures for a 4th GREAT visit to CR
My planners, Lidieth & Monika, were so very patient and always helpful with my planning for this 4th visit to Costa Rica.From the south, Peninsula de Osa (so beautiful)to Dominical to Manuel Antonio to San Jose’ (Irazu volcanoe, Casa 69…)Will be attaching pics shortly to let U see the beauty of Costa Rica, that I saw. It is with “muchas gracias” to GECKO Trails for another wonderful visit. Pura vida!
Dennis & Paolo from Burlington, VTMay 4, 2013
We have used Gecko almost exclusively for all the major stuff we’ve done on three different trips to Costa Rica. They have always been right on – never let us down – never late. We recommend them to anyone who wants to visit Costa Rica. Just tell them what you are interested in and they’ll give you plenty of fantastic ideas for you to plan your own vacation…. or they’ll do it for you!
Robert from Tampa, FloridaMay 9, 2013
Ditto that.
GECKO hasn’t failed me yet and this is my 4th trip going, in May 2013.
They {Lidieth & Monika} are great, as I am sure all the others at GECKO.
Pura vida!
ShellyApril 21, 2013
We used Gecko for a 2 week holiday. they were amazing, helpful both before and during the trip. everything runs smoothly and on time. very flexible and service orientated. we actually had to postpone a trip for a year because of a health issue and they were amazing and generous with our rebooking. use gecko and tell your friends.
vincent from new york cityApril 16, 2013
Robert from Tampa, FloridaApril 16, 2013
SO glad you guys had a blast in Costa Rica
Was exposed to Costa Rica in July 2011 on a yoga retreat and now have been back for a 3rd time.
GECKO is great for all the plannig and bookings. Makes a vacation so much easier.
Hoping you return for another trip.
I thought Florida was tropical but nothing compared to Costa Rica.
Buena noches,
Robert C. McNair/Tampa, FL
Sylvia from CanadaApril 2, 2013
Gecko Tour package
We planned our first three week vacation in Costa Rica almost entirely through Gecko tours and everything was so well organized and efficient that I would highly recommend Gecko to others.
We didn’t want to rent a car or be dealing with booking tours and hotels while away so I did two full weeks through Gecko. We wanted a C.R. experience so we avoided any Americanized hotels or areas and we were pleased with the shuttles we used and the drivers generally we on time and we meet with many friendly other tourists as we went from one destination to another.
My only complaint/suggestion I would have is that the travel times between specific destinations should have been better spelled out for us. Even after reading tour books we had no idea that some of the shuttle rides would take countless hours to destinations that were not worth the time and agony of
going.
We spent over six hours to go to Monteverde for a zip line tour that was very good but not much else to do in the area to make it worth the drive. Had we known we may still have gone but would have split the drive into two separate drives and stayed overnight in between. In two specific cases I wished Gecko staff would have made the drive time very clear.
But other than that the hotels, shuttles and staff at Gecko were great.
Laura Nitsos from Albuquerque, USAMarch 18, 2013
Wonderful vacation!
Thanks to the Gecko Trail staff for helping us plan an amazing trip to Costa Rica! We stayed at beautiful hotels Si Como No in Manuel Antonio, Silencio del Campo in Fortuna/Arenal, and Shawandha Lodge in Puerto Viejo) and we had some wonderful adventures (boat and snorkel trip in Manuel Antonio area, ziplining near Arenal, hiking and Tabacon hot springs near Arenal, white water rafting). I highly recommend this travel agency! All communication was excellent and timely, and planned bus trips and tours all went exactly as scheduled. We had one tour cancellation due to weather, but thanks to Gecko, had advance notice so that we could make alternate plans. We will use Gecko Trail again if we decide to go back to Costa Rica!!!
Robert from Tampa, FloridaMarch 18, 2013
GECKO Travel has been the best for me, as well.
Going back to Costa Rica in May 2013 thru GECKO.
They are so patient with me in making plans to see as much of Costa Rica as possible.
They are great.
Have used them 2 times before. Pura vida!
Betty from Virginia, USAMarch 11, 2013
Great Trip
We spent a week in Costa Rica, and even though I wish it was 2 or 3 weeks, we had an AMAZING time! Thanks to Lidieth and GTA, all my questions about vaccinations, money, and what to bring before we left. Everything on the trip went smooth, from being picked up at the airport, to all the amazing adventures, travel between Puerto Viejo and San Jose, and everything in between. Our trip would not have been what it was without them! We will be back within the next two years, hopefully for a longer time with more locations next time!
Robert from Tampa, FloridaMarch 12, 2013
One of the many reasons I keep returning to Costa Rica.
GECKO has always been an excellent company to work with in my travels.
Lidieth has been excellent and always patient and helpful with my plans and change in plans.
Pic of Irazu volcano.
Pura vida to all.
Larisa Leonova from Victoria BC, CanadaMarch 6, 2013
However, my story is not only about absolutely amazing wild nature, beaches or weather that you can meet in Costa Rica, my story is about costa rican people. During the rafting on the Pacuare river at Arenal Volcano I fell down and broke my leg in two spots. That wasn’t somebody’s fault, that was an accident, because the rafting itself provided by Exploradores Outdoors was well organized. When it happened with me it became a huge problem to get me out from the boat in the middle of jungles and to bring me to the hospital. I was very scared, shocked and in pain. Staff was very helpful and efficient. They phoned to the centre and a car was sent to pick me up; a mountain road was almost impassable, but a driver did a miracle and safely got me to the closest hospital in Siquirres. It was Saturday, and X-Ray didn’t work there. Local doctor, a nice lady, didn’t want to put me at risk and arranged an ambulance and sent me to another city – Limon that was about 60 km away from Siquirres. In Limon I got X-Ray, but to get a proper treatment I had to wait for a specialist who was called out from his home on weekend just for me. I am really appreciate everything what Dr. Tony Facio Castro and nurse Ines Cortes did for me in the Caja Costarricense De Seguro Social Hospital, it let me came back to Canada safely. I have to say thank you to the company that provided the rafting, they patiently waited for me and arranged a special transportation from the hospital to Talamanca, our next destination. Also, I have a hearty thanks for our guide Andreas, he got off with us in jungles and accompanied the rest of the day everywhere; without his help it would be hard for us to communicate and understand specialists because we knew only one Spanish word “gracias”. The most pleasantly surprising thing was that NOBODY and NOWHERE in Costa Rica asked me about money for a medical assistance even though I was a foreigner there and had a travel insurance. (You could compare what would be with you in USA or even Canada in case like that, how many papers and problems!). In Costa Rica the only thing I had pay for were my crutches.
Gecko Travel was immediately informed about what happened with me, they didn’t leave us alone, and showed a real concern for me; moreover, they cancelled the rest of our activities and returned money. That was our first time in CR, but looking forward, I will definitely have deals with Gecko and recommend it to all my friends.
In spite of that accident, we enjoyed our trip to Costa Rica, and think about going there again.
Scott WalterMarch 3, 2013
Trip Coordination
A trip begins nice in new country when you are meet at the airport with sign with your name on it. No waiting and hopped into the van to the hotel. The hotel and excursions booked through Gecko went smooth.
Gavin Perryman from Victoria, CanadaFebruary 23, 2013
Shuttle Bus Bookings and Help at All Times
Joan and I have been travelling in Costa Rica since the middle of December, 2012. We have relied on Gecko and Nadieh to book all of our shuttle bus travels from Manzanillo to Fortuna, to Santa Elena, to Libreria, to Samara, and back to San Jose. Everything worked out perfectly, as planned and scheduled, with no worries.
Along the way we have peppered Nadieh with many different questions about arts and culture, new community possiiblities (she recommended Samara and Carrillo), bus information, … In each moment, she has been friendly and supportive, whether or not she could find the information we were looking for.
We would recommend Gecko to anyone. Gecko is lucky to have staff like Nadieh.
Christine from Albany, NYFebruary 21, 2013
Totally Awesome Adventures with Gecko Trail!
My three friends and I recently booked two separate outings with Gecko Trail — the Cahuita snorkeling/hiking and the Punta Uva river/sea kayaking and hike. Both were incredible adventures in every way, and they far exceeded our expectations! Our guide Fernando was wonderful — very knowledegable, pleasant, funny, and eager to teach us as much as he could about the incredible beauty all around us. We learned so much about various animals, plants, the Costa Rican culture, etc. Our adventures with Gecko Trail have left us with amazing, lifelong memories to cherish. Thank you Fernando and Gecko Trail!! If you are reading this and thinking of booking an outing with Gecko Trail, do not hesitate! You will NOT regret it!
Ernie Ewasiuk & Jim Scott from The Pas, MB., CanadaFebruary 11, 2013
“The Vacation made of Gold”
david and donna miller from Titusville, FL USAFebruary 1, 2013
Our family travelled to Costa Rica over the holidays, Dec 26th – Jan 3rd. Best family trip ever!!! Gecko Trail Adventures arranged the entire trip for us, which consisted of a Coast to Coast Adventure Tour. The hotels were excellent, and the activities were great. We especially enjoyed the whitewater rafting and ziplining. We were very impressed with how well organized everything was. For each hotel, tour, etc our drivers were always on time. There were no glitches at all. We loved the entire trip and would definitely use Gecko Trail Adventures again!!! With them handling all of the details we had nothing to do but show up and enjoy ourselves. Thanks so much!!!
David and Donna Miller
Joanne Ardron from Burlington, Ontario, CANADAJanuary 31, 2013
A wonderful trip!
Thank you to Monika who customized our family trip to a few different areas in Costa Rica. What a beautiful country and great people! We loved Rancho Margot and Pacuare Lodge…and all the fresh fruit! One of the best trips of our lives!!!
Sarah Rogers from Greensboro, NCJanuary 27, 2013
Thank you Gecko Trail Adventures!
Thank you especially to Lidieth and everyone at GTA for an incredible Costa Rican vacation. We had the greatest time. You did so much to accommodate us. Every detail was covered. You were quick to respond to questions and present us with a final itinerary. We will always use your agency for our vacations to Costa Rica!
Georgina from CanadaDecember 20, 2012
Gecko Travel was great to work with. From the initial planning and throughout. They answered all my questions – and I had alot – and made alterations as I requested til we got it just right. While in CR I checked to see if I could have saved money by booking myself and NO it would not have. I also got some immediate help while there that happened on part of the trip I had hoped to ‘wing’ while there. So I am comfortable to say Gecko is a great service that operates with the client’s best interest in mind and does so with professional integrity. Thank you.
Tamara Laken from CanadaDecember 14, 2012
Outstanding Service!
I cannot say enough about how GREAT all our other transfers and tours were! The Costa Ricans go above and beyond to provide OUTSTANDING service and every adventure we booked (with the exception of the Panama outing) exceeded our expectations by far!! I would recommend each and every one of the hotels, shuttles, and tour operators that you booked for us. Thank you so much for making our trip absolutely fantastic! I am so glad I discovered Gecko Travel and will recommend to anyone thinking about a trip to Central America that they book through you – time and again, I told my daughter I was so glad I did not attempt to drive or take public transports – you made our trip seamless and perfect!
I also wanted to leave feedback about the Bocas One Day tour, which was not very much like advertised: “Breakfast” on the boat was a mushy sandwich, apple, and juice box bought by the Panama driver (who did not explain that this was the breakfast) from a local market on our way to the dinghy that took us out looking for dolphins – didn’t explain there would be no restrooms for about 2 hours so if anyone needed to change, they would need to do it before we shoved off as the snorkeling portion would commence about 20 minutes after the dolphin ride and entailed just jumping out of the dinghy. Fortunately, my daughter and I were prepared and had our suits under our clothes – three of the other passengers did not so they didn’t go in the water at all.
The meal at Red Frog Beach was excellent, but the experience was so rushed that swimming at the beach was limited to 30 minutes. This is the only adventure we booked that was less than satisfactory – I am only telling you because you might want to find another company to work with for a Day at Boccas which I do highly recommend – just not that one as it was not the quality that all your others were and I would not want anyone to assume that this was a Gecko tour (some folks might not realize that each operator is independent and you just facilitate).
Nina Neidhart from Gecko Trail AdventuresDecember 14, 2012
Dear Tamara
This is Nina, the owner of Gecko Trail Adventures. First of all thank you very much for your lovely but also very valuable feedback! I do agree with you that the Bocas One day tour has not the same quality as the ones in Costa Rica. We have been trying to find alternative providers for a while but it is unfortunately not easy. We are also constantly giving feedback to the existing provider so they can imporve their service. We have also sent your feedback to them as we have had complaints about the breakfast part before. I hope the provider is going to at least start to inform people better whilst on the tour.
Thank you again and all the best,
Nina
Janice from Montreal, CanadaDecember 13, 2012
Gecko Trail Adventures Rules!
Just got back from a 2-week stay in Costa Rica. The first 10 days was spent on an escorted tour, but then I spent 5 days on my own. I had arranged transportation from San Jose to Cahuita through Gecko, and the shuttle (Interbus) picked me up at exactly the arranged time, delivering me to my destination (The Sloth Sanctuary) ahead of my tour time. I then went on to Puerto Viejo and booked 2 tours through Gecko: Combo Jaguar Rescue Center, Bribri Chocolate, and Waterfalls. Again, pick up time was respected, and our guide, Manuel, was professional, courteous, knowledgeable, never rushed us, and did everything he could to make sure we had a great time-mission accomplished!. My last tour with them was white water rafting the Pacuare. It was a first for me, and I was a bit leary, but the guides are very safety conscious, and really have your back. It was an amazing experience, pure adrenaline. You have an option as to where you’re dropped off after the rafting, so I chose my next destination, Alajuela where I wiould spend my last 2 nights in CR. It was like getting my return transportation for free. From start to finish, Gecko was an invaluable resource. My e-mails were always answered promptly, and I just feel they go above and beyond. I can’t wait for my return visit and I will definitely use Gecko again. All I can say about my entire Costa Rican experience is – PURA VIDA!
MarkusNovember 27, 2012
Oct 2012 Vacation to Costa Rica
We had a great trip thanks to Gecko Trail Adventures, from San Jose, through Arenal, white water rafting on Rio Pacuare and going to Quepos/Manuel Antonio, they arranged transfers, hotels and excursions very efficiently. Thoroughly recommended. Markus, Fort Lauderdale
Flory and Russ from Toronto, CanadaNovember 26, 2012
Costa Rica made easy with Gecko Trails Adventures!
We found using Gecko Trails Adventures made our trip very easy. They arrange all our accommodations, Interbus connections and our day trips. All of our arrangements went perfectly. I would definitely use Gecko Trails again.
Angie & Bruce from Lancaster PAOctober 28, 2012
Thank you for arranging a wonderul 10 day vacation for us to Costa Rica. Everything was absolutely perfect. Your staff is superb !
Robert from TAMPA, FL (USA)October 28, 2012
Hoping to go back to CR next year. Will definitely use GECKOTRAVEL for my plans.
Whatever I needed or changes made, they were most accommodating in the choices I made for seeing more beauty of CR. I have recommended GECKO to my friends. I truly appreciate their efforts to make my visits the very best possible. Monteverde is one of the most beautiful spots in CR.(pic=sunset)
Grace Cabuay from Vancouver, BCOctober 21, 2012
Tortuguero, La Fortuna, Cahuita, San Jose – Sept 7-21, 2012
Hello Monika,
We had a great time and everything went smoothly!
The accommodations were perfect for us, as well as the tours, even the weather cooperated.
Also, the transfers were all on time and comfortable.
I am a certified travel counselor and own a home-based travel business with an online website http://www.amazingracevacations.com . I’ll be posting some reviews on tripadvisor shortly as well as on my facebook page and will surely contact and book my clients through you.
Thank you for all your help and quick response to my many questions. You’ve really made our trip a very memorable adventure!
Nathaniel Chambers from United StatesSeptember 17, 2012
Amazing Group!
These guys are legit! They are responsive, full of knowledge, extremely helpful and has one goal in mind… and that’s for everyone to have an amazing time in Costa Rica. This is my second time booking my entire trip, from start to finish, with Gecko Trails. Yetty, Ernesto, Aston and Lidieth are some amazing set of people. Thank you all for another amazing trip!
Michelle Birschbach from Cleveland, Wisconsin , USASeptember 16, 2012
My husband and I traveled with Gecko Trail Adventures in February 2012. We had a wonderful time! Every hotel, tour, transfer, etc. was top notch! Gecko Trail customized packages for us, made everything really easy, and their pricing was very competitive! We definitely plan on going back to beautiful Costa Rica and when we do, we absolutley will work with Gecko Trail Adventures again! Thanks for one of the best trips we have every taken!
Joe from Boise USASeptember 11, 2012
Gecko Trails
My wife and I traveled to Costa Rica in April of 2012 and booked our entire trip except air travel through Gecko. As we were departing Idaho our first flight was canceled and would arrive in Costa Rica a day late. I had hotel and a river trip booked for arrival day. I called Gecko and Ernesto answered the phone. After an explanation of my dilemma, Ernesto said that I was on vacation and he would take care of everything. Ernesto moved my river trip and got a refund for my hotel. This all happened before my flight landed. Ernesto, Gecko Trails, and Costa Rica exceeded all of my expectations. I hope to return soon.
Francesca and Andrea from ItalySeptember 11, 2012
We booked with Gecko trail adventures a 4 days adventure trip with horse riding and canopy in Arenal, rafting on pacure river and relax in port vejo and we had a really great time,thank to lidieth for the perfect organization, we hope to come back soon!!!
Leigh Meadows & Family from Toronto, CanadaSeptember 7, 2012
Trip of a lifetime made possible by Gecko
This was an amazing trip, 2 weeks of fun and action with everything expertly handled by Gecko, from airport transfer, hotels, excursions, absolutely everything and all went without any problems at all, every trip/excursion was exactly what we wanted, each hotel was perfect, seemless, smooth and absolutely fabulous
Maureen Harris from Cody, WY USASeptember 7, 2012
Gecko
The gang at Gecko Trail Adventures made my stay in Costa Rica flawless….they took care of a custom itinerary and all the arrangements after that and there wasn’t a hitch in anything! I had the most wonderful time on my vacation and it’s all thanks to them! I’ll be back!
Kathy Arboleda & Fram Roekthanom from New York, NYSeptember 5, 2012
Monika, Ernesto and the Gecko Trail Crew,
This was truly one of the best vacations we’ve taken in a long time! We stayed in 4 different hotels with transfers and excursions included and absolutely everything went smooth. We have no complaints about anything and we are definitely using Gecko Trails for our future Costa Rican vacations! Thank you so much for making this vacation one of the best!!!
Ken from NYC, USASeptember 3, 2012
without a doubt, gecko trail adventures planned an amazing, custom trip for me and my partner. We started our planning a few months before our trip in may, our trip was in August. We worked directly with Ernesto who was nothing short of amazing in response and suggestions. He made everything so easy via email catering to all our questions and whim. It definitely helped that he was american and had that perspective as he definitely knew what we would like and what we wouldn’t. When it came down to the actual trip, everything went down absolutely flawless from start to finish. Every single tour, bus, transport that was scheduled picked us up right on time! As a seasoned traveler that has been around the world, I have always been skeptical of working with travel agencies but Gecko definitely impressed me which says a lot! One of the things that impressed us the most was when we were on our actual trip and wanted to make adjustments, all we did was email them and they responded with the adjustments in a prompt manner, easy!
Our trip path was:
San Jose-Manuel Antonio-Monteverde-Arenal-Tortuguero-Pecuare-Puerto Viejo
See pics here.
We ended our trip in Puerto Viejo were Gecko is based and we were so happy to meet the amazing and friendly staff (especially Ernesto, as he helped us the whole time) and thank them for the amazing trip so far!!! Thanks Gecko, will definitely be booking with you again soon!!!
Pura Vida!
Cheryl Cummings from Dallas, TX, USASeptember 2, 2012
First Trip to Costa Rica
Thanks for a fabulous vacation! From the airport transfers, 3 different hotels with transfers in between and the various excursions, everything was flawless. I was very impressed with the level of service received and the organization of all. I was able to relax and just enjoy the trip.
Mike Bauer from Naples, Florida USAAugust 23, 2012
Monika, Ernesto, and the Gecko Team,
I’ve been meaning to write a note to tell you how fantastic our trip was. It was our third time to Costa Rica, and the best. Besides everything going like clockwork, we had some nice adventures. I think the horseback trip was the highlight. After riding for an hour or more on horses that were in great shape, we came to and incredible waterfall. Then, our guide had us walk to the base of the falls over a bridge right out of Indiana Jones. Finally, a stop at the longhouse of the indigenous people of the region just topped it off. Riding he buses was fun, and they were all on time. We expected Las Orchideas at Monteverde to be a tiny run-down hotel, but it was a beautiful, family-run place with monkeys outside our room’s window. Incredible. My wife gave the hostess one of her hand-made dream catchers, and the hostess responded with a bag of coffee from her own farm.
Thanks for arranging such a wonderful trip.
Chris MacNultyJuly 14, 2012
Yetty,
It has been a very busy few days since we returned from Costa Rica and my ” must do pile” is just about complete and I have a few minutes to catch up on things i have been wanting to do.
To keep it simple, In baseball terms, you hit a grand slam home run to win the game. There was not one thing that went wrong during the vacation that you put together with a bunch of emails and one or two phone calls. Each of the tours and hotels that you set up was prefect and everyone had a lot of fun. We will be talking about our trip to Costa Rica for years to come. I am hoping that when we take our next vacation, we will be going back to Costa Rica and have another great time with your help! In the mean time when I hear that someone is considering a trip to Costa Rica, I will be happy to tell them to contact Yetty at Gecko Trail Adventures.
I hope that you share this note with you supervisor so that they have an chance to see what a great job you did and have a very happy client.
Thank you again
The MacNulty family
Lisa CareauJuly 14, 2012
Dear Monika,
We just returned from our trip to your beautiful country. Thank you for everything. The tours, tour guides, accomodations, etc were great. We had a wonderfully memorable time. Special thanks and hats off to our tour guide and boat captain Laura and Jonathan for Tourtugera. They were both friendly, helpful, informative and funny. They took very good care of us.
Sincerely,
Lisa Careau
Charlotte PerriamJune 19, 2012
Monika, just want to thank you for the good connections you made for us . Everything went extremely well & we were very impressed with all our transfers taxis & tours. It was all on time & a very very interesting country were everyone was most helpful -informative & we had a fantastic time.
Thank you again.
Charlotte
Andrea & Cyrus from Alexandria, VA USAJune 11, 2012
Maythe helped us plan our destination wedding in Costa Rica. Any by helped, I mean that she did everything. She was a pleasure to work with and everything far exceeded our expectation. We had a perfect day that we’ll always remember.
I highly recommend Gecko Trail and especially Maythe for help in planning anything in that area.
Lori & SethMay 26, 2012
Hi!
It is wonderful to hear from everyone at Gecko Trails! Although it feels like forever ago since Seth and I were in Costa Rica, I can close my eyes and take myself right back to the beach. Our trip from the minute we landed at the airport to the sad moment we had to leave, everything was perfect. Our itinerary was incredible, we absolutely loved each day. All of our drivers were on time, professional and friendly. The vans were comfortable and clean. The group trips that we went on were a blast. I can not say enough about Gecko Trails and our once in a lifetime trip to Costa Rica.
Seth and I both hope to make it back to Costa Rica soon.
Pura Vida!
Nancy from NY, USAMay 14, 2012
From the moment we contacted Gecko right to the very end of our trip – we were provided with excellent service. We missed a connecting flight coming in – mechanical problems – and called Gecko to let them know. They wer enot only able to cancel the driver meeting us but sent him back the next day to pick us up. When they gave us a pick up time – they were extremely precise. Everything went flawless. The drivers were professional and courteous and if I may throw out that Jorge on the trip to Arenal was so much fun. He stopped to show us things (coffee beans, sloths and a beautiful humming bird garden), I would highly recommend you use this company. They know everything you need to know for a wonderful trip to Costa Rica.
Kent from Barrie, Ontario, CanadaMay 10, 2012
Fantastic Trip to Costa Rica
I needed to plan a trip for my wife birthday and decided to go to Costa Rica with the family. I did a little research and decided to try Gecko. All I can say from the time I contacted them by email to finalizing the trip it was a pleasure. The trip has now just passed and everything went so smooth. My family had the best time and all the suggestions Gecko made were excellent. We thank you for all your help. We hope to return again soon.
Rob and Lauren from VancouverApril 9, 2012
I had dreamed of travelling Costa Rica for most of my life, and when my fiance and I decided to make it happen- we placed all our trust into Gecko Trail Adventures. The trip was a dream come true all because of the organizing that Gecko put into the vacation and we could not have asked for a more trustworthy/ organized/ friendly company!! Thank you so much for the trip of a life time!!
elysia from denver, coloradoApril 3, 2012
Great Customer Service
Gecko was accommodating – I waited until much too late to book – they found a driver for me with little notice and I was off and running. After taking a red eye and traveling with kids by car 6 hours, the driver made it simple and painless from point a to b. I was so exhausted, I paid him in cash when I had already pre paid. 2 weeks after I returned, Gecko was amazingly honest and refunded my money previously paid with a note stating I had overpaid. I would have never remembered this and I so appreciate the honesty. This is a company I will plan to use again when I return. Thanks so much.
Mani from San Diego, CA USAMarch 31, 2012
Rainforest: coast to coast
This trip was our first to Costa Rica and, although we had many friends who have visited the country, we were not sure exactly how to set up the best tours. I found Gecko through another tour site and decided to go with them because they were much more responsive to our questions and concerns. Our adventure was incredible. We wanted to see as much of the rain forests of Coast Rica as possible, and Gecko set up our excursions coast to coast. First we adventured into the Caribbean coast where we were delighted to explore Tortuguero. There we encountered caiman crocodiles, toucans, turtles, iguanas, geckos, and a variety of water animals on a relaxing boat ride through the canals. Then we experienced the excitement of the zip lines in Arenal while staying at the luxurious Observatory Lodge. Our room had an incredible view of Mt. Arenal as well as the gorgeous plants and trees of the facility. Then off we went to Monteverde and explored the beauty and mysteries of the cloud forest through the suspension bridges and forest hike. Lastly, we relaxed on the beautiful beaches of Manual Antonio and were enthralled by a beautiful sunset off a catamaran ride after snorkeling in the warm ocean waters of the Pacific. The trip was marvelous and one we will never forget. Much of it was due to the experienced organization of Gecko Trails. We had many adventurous days interspersed with relaxation. Just what we wanted and enjoyed.
Lori and Bernard Raghubeer from Toronto, CanadaMarch 31, 2012
recent trip to Costa Rica
Had a great time in Arenal,Monteverde and Manuel Antonio.Everything that we wanted to do was perfectly organized and the tour guides were great.Added some horseback riding with Las Brisas in Monteverde.My husband loved the zip lining with Sky Trek and the Cloud Forest Reserve was amazing.Check out Alternative souvenirs in Santa Elena/Monteverde and the Orchid coffee shop. Also,Meli Melo store in Quepos.We look forward to going back again and will be recommending Gecko Trail Adventures to anyone we know that wants to go to Costa Rica.Beautiful country and people.Thanks again for a great experience.
Dennis Borton from Roxboro, NC, USAMarch 12, 2012
Excellent Vacation
Our party had 4 adults and two children ages 2 and 5. We had a somewhat complex schedule and everything went very well. Had 5 locations and 5 pick-ups and all were on time with vans that were the perfect size for us. Each location was at least as good and usually better than we expected. All of the drivers and guides were great so we relaxed on the beach, took a boat tour on the Tortuguero Canal, saw many sloths, monkeys, reptiles, birds, butterflies etc. A great trip overall. Just two suggestions for improvement. We had asked about having car seats for the little girls and most vans didn’t have them, so fortuneately we brought ours along. And it would be best to tell clients that children are not allowed in the pool at the Hotel Banana Azul. But these are very minor points and we thought Gecko Trail Adventures arranged a great trip.
Stephen Moore from Milwaukee, WI USAFebruary 12, 2012
Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge Jungle Hike
Incredible! Ricky was very knowledgeable, informative, and fun. Sloths, toucans, monkeys, spiders, ants, birds, butterflies, plants and trees. We had such a great time. Definitely worth every penny. Keep up the good work.
Tim Love from EnglandFebruary 6, 2012
Hi Guys 2 days a go I was ziplining through the Costa Rican rain forrest now I’m home and it’s snowing sucks! Had an amazing trek Coast to Coast with the Fire Fighters charity finshing with the canopy tour I took 15 others along and the afternoon went so smothly you have all been so much help, excellent service all round highly recommended! Thanks again guys you have a beautiful country! Tim Love UK FireFighter
Charleen GustafsonFebruary 4, 2012
Dear Yetti,
WOW!
We just had the best trip we have ever had.
Thank you for helping us. I cannot tell you how many times I was grateful that you helped organize this for us. It was such a relief to know that whomever we were going with was a reputable business, and the hotels you chose were beautiful.
Thanks for taking care of us when MV Experts forgot us. That was the only company that we were disappointed with. First they forgot to pick us up, then at the other side of the lake, instead of a jeep which was on our itinerary we ended up in the back of a very crowded van with no air conditioning so we spit dust for the whole trip. I don’t mind the adventure, but if we paid for a jeep and got a cramped, shabby, crowded van with no air they should not charge us for a jeep.
Everything else was fantastic. We loved Exploradores, and Disafico. The guides were fabulous.
I loved the hotel Don Taco. It was my favourite. And the Samara Inn was beautiful. Aranjuez was interesting and quaint.
The entire trip was perfectly suited to us.
Thanks again.
Amanda P from Raeford, North CarolinaJanuary 29, 2012
Vacation of a Lifetime
I contacted Gecko Trail Adventures, to help me plan not only our trip to Costa Rica but to help me plan the wedding we never had. Maythe & Nina pulled it all together! From hotel reservation to a cake for our ceremony, they planned it all! Maythe found a photographer, bakery, champagne, officiant and flowers. All I had to provide was me and my husband! Our cake was from a local bakery, Bread and Chocolate, our flowers were from the gardens of hour hotel, the Banana Azul. The location was perfect under the almond trees on the beach =) We couldn’t have asked for more! The rest our vacation was just as wonderful! All of the activities we planned, flowed nicely. We had enough time to enjoy the area itself and everything Costa Rica has to offer without being extremely overwheled! We didn’t want to leave!!! I would recommend Gecko Trail Adventures to everyone!
Molly & Jason from Cambridge, USAJanuary 27, 2012
When planning our honeymoon to Costa Rica, we had a good idea of where we wanted to go and a few hotels we wanted to stay at, but didn’t know the best way to put the 15 day trip together. We are independent travelers and had never used a tour company before. On a whim, we contacted Gecko Trails for a quote and they responded in record time with a complete custom itinerary that was well within our budget (and far cheaper than we could have ever expected).
The reps were incredibly responsive by email, usually responding to questions or requested changes on the same business day, and they finalized our itinerary in a matter of days, making all the changes we requested, booking our preferred hotels and transfers, and suggesting tours along the way. Paying cash upfront for all our transfers, hotels and tours was a little scary, but the good reputation of Gecko Trails on the internet gave us the faith that it would be fine (which it was). By having them facilitate the cash payments to hotels and transport vendors, we saved a fortune in fees and hassles and didn’t have to worry about having much cash on hand during our trip.
Every part of our trip went smoothly, from the pick up at the airport to our various tours and all our transfers. The drivers were all kind and professional and the vehicles in good repair. The hotels we chose were lovely, and there was never a question about payment being expected (i.e. Gecko had pre-paid everything before we even arrived).
The few times we ran into issues, Gecko sorted things out immediately. One hotel had 2 reservations from the same company for the same night and had only booked a single room. One phone call and it was sorted. We had a change in pickup time one day (45 minutes earlier than scheduled) and Gecko called the hotel to notify us and sent an email (we didn’t get the message, but that wasn’t their fault). And finally, our snorkel trip was cancelled for poor weather and we were able to receive a full cash refund in person in their office on the very same day.
We are thankful to Gecko Trails for their kind staff and excellent service that made our honeymoon as wonderful (and affordable!) as we could have ever imagined. Their relationships with the local vendors and small, family hotels that we stayed in really made things easy for us. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this company, and will use them again in the future when we go back to Costa Rica (which we definitely will do).
[*Note: we also left this review on Trip Advisor]
Paul KochJanuary 22, 2012
We are home from our trip and I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know how much we appreciated our driver for our two van trips. The driver was prompt and a pleasure to ride with. The trip back to San Jose was a difficult one with long delays but the driver was great and we really appreciated having him do the driving instead of us. Please pass along our thanks to him.
Claudia Pettersson from SueciaJanuary 21, 2012
Costa Rica
Desde Suecia estabamos plnificando nuestro viaje somos 16 personas toda la grande familia y necesitabamos una agencia que nos ayudara con esto,encontramos a Gecko y decidimos de contratarlos,me contacte con Mauricio mi salvador durante todos esos meses de planear hoteles,transportes,tours y todo lo que significa de hacer un viaje tan lejos y para tanta gente!pero todo salio genial y fue un viaje lleno de muchos lindos recuerdos gracias por la ayuda de Gecko y Mauricio todo congino estupendo y todos los transportes fueron muy puntuales,gracias a toda la gente costariquense tuvimos unas vacaciones inolvidables!!!!de todo el grupo sueco un millon de gracias!!!
Norman Jalbuena from Dubai, UAENovember 6, 2011
Great trip
Just wanted to say I had a good trip. Everything I wanted to do happened and what was stated in the itinerary met up to the expectations. Thanks and look forward to booking with you again in the future. The drivers and excursion companies used were professional, punctual and friendly. Definitely go with this travel company again.
erika rentas from puerto ricoOctober 18, 2011
Great Vacations
I just came from Vacation On Costa Rica using Gecko and the planning, the timing and the organization was perfect. Everything runned exactly as the schedule said by the minute.This pepole know what they are doing. It is sad that they only work in one country..
Bob and Suzanne from Portland, USAOctober 16, 2011
The Gecko is The One!
Our 2 week Costa Rica adventure was saved by Gecko Trail. We started planning with another large “reputable” agency, but their response times were slow and prices were crazy. On investigation, we found they were charging a 30% premium! We switched to Gecko who responded quickly, recommended more reasonable tours and accommodations and overall saved us thousands.
A week before our trip was to begin, the couple we had planned to travel with had a family emergency. Gecko totally came through and was able to get refunds on all their reservations while keeping ours intact. Amazing! When we finally got to Puerto Viejo we were personally greeted by Nina, the owner, and always made to feel welcome.
When we go back to Costa Rica, we’ll definitely go with Gecko.
Silvana Lewis from Frauenfeld, SchweizOctober 9, 2011
Wir waren Juli/August in Puerto Viejo und haben alles was wir unternehmen wollten und auch unsere Unterkunft über Gecko Trail Adventures gebucht!
Alles hat reibungslos geklappt, wir mussten uns um nichts kümmern! Der Abholdienst vom Flughafen hat geklappt, das Hotel war in San José für die erste Nacht gebucht Die Touren waren allesamt der Hammer, die Empfehlungen des Teams trafen voll ins Schwarze! Das Team ist sehr kompetent, zuvorkommend und freundlich! Sehr empfehlenswert!!!!
Sylvia from SwitzerlandOctober 8, 2011
Tim & Dave from El Cerrito, CaOctober 5, 2011
We worked a couple of months with Ernesto – Gecko Travel’s Rep. He was very patient with us as we worked through all alternatives for the locations we *thought* we wanted to travel to and the various adventures offerred at each location. We were very concerned about the methods of traveling (intracountry buses and taxi’s) and about actually having people meeting us when they said they’d be there. Rest assured – it was incredibly smooth. Every time someone was to meet us they were there – on time or even early a couple of times! There is “system” they use specifcially set up for us tourists and worked incredibly well.
As far as what we did, liked, etc: — we were in the country for 12 days:
San Jose : The Poas Vocano, Dakota Coffee Plantation, and la Paz Waterfall park — This really was a wonderful excursion. It takes all day after being picked up at 7:30 AM. There were only 6 of us & the Guide (who was with us the entire day & spoke perfect English). We hit the Poas Volcano on a beautiful clear day – unusual according to the guide, or more like “lucky”. It was awesome — and actually much much better than Arenal. You hike to the rim of the crater and peer down into its bubbling green lake. The Dakota coffee plantation was a nice stop along the way before the volcano. We got a (free) decent breakfast & wonderful coffee and learnt how coffee is harvested. The La Paz Waterfall park was equally awesome – a must do if you stay in San Jose and have a full day. Really beautiful wildlife and the climax of some really beautiful waterfalls — which you cannot swim in; only pictures.
The next day we set off for the 2-day Pacquare River Rafting trip. This turned out to be the highlight of the trip … and only because we did the 2-day trip which includes an overnight stay at a (upscale) Tent Camp. Being the off season, we were the only 2 on this guided trip; so we were basically 1 on 1 with the main Guide (Puluche), his guide-in-training (Gabby), and the out-in-front in-case-of-emergency Kayaker (Kenneth – who spoke English). The drive to the launching area was an even longer drive than what the 1-dayer’s did because they only do about 17 miles whereas the overnighters do 22 miles of river — class 4 rapids. The long 1-hour drive DOWN into the Canyon was potentially a scene out of a Horror movie (e.g., 2 tourists in an old beat-up 4×4 with 1 person who spoke English drigin for 1.5 hours down a dirt road behind multiple gates. lol.) After 2-3 hours of rafting, we of course stopped at the tent camp and assisted in hauling the provisions up to the camp (food, drinks, linens, our overnight stuff, etc.). PS – by RAFTING I mean WE ALL DO THE WORK. WE ALL PADDLE AS THE GUIDE BARKS INSTRUCTIONS. We had the camp to ourself and our tent overlooked the river, which was a soothing sound at night for sleeping. We saw Fireflies (luciernagas). Geckos. Beautful flowering plants. All tents are raised platforms & have actual beds with mattresses and linens and pillows. Not the best – but hey, it worked fine. The guides did all the cooking – lunch upon arrival, and AWESOME dinner (fresh sea bass & chicken) & Wine, and the typical breakfast (eggs, fruit, sausages, beans & rice, juice.) Then we hauled everything back down to the raft and we were off for the 2nd day. We were on a timeline to meet up with that day’s 1-day rafting groups for a group lunch. So after like 2+ hours of rafting & stopping at secret waterfalls & large pools of water to swim in we met the “groups”. Ugh, 8 people in a raft with a Guide? Uh, no thanks .. glad there was only 4 of us in our raft. After lunch and another 2 hours of rapids we were back at the Exploradades Center to pick up our luggage, which was secured overnight.
Then off via a small bus to Puerto Viejo – stayed at Banana Azul. This is on the Caribean coast, right on the ocean, and was very HOT (September). A really nice place, albeit very open and a bit “noisy” if you have “active” neighbirs to your room … which we did .. up and walking around all night, sitting on their balcony smoking at night, etc. They were probably the worst part of our stay. They have a very nice restaurant on-site with a different menu each night – for $14 each. We did the Kayaking trip through the jungle which was very fun. It’s on a 2-person Kayak and we saw lots of jungle life — including a Sloth that actually came down out of the tree. We sat there for 10 mins., snapping pics & video. Downtown Puerto Viejo is just a small town with a lot of tourist traps. We heard about a restauraunt called “Bread & Chocolate” and wanted to give it a try, but were unable to make it in for breakfast or lunch given our schedule. We also did the “3 in 1” tour: Animal Rescue, Chocolate Farm, and Waterfall – frankly, this was a bust after everything we did to this point. The Animal Rescue is really just a small ZOO. Too much emphasis in things that were disinteresting to us; yea we saw a couple of howler monkeys in the trees. Being in the cage WITH the monkeys was a treat. But for 1.5 hours it was really not worth the HEAT. Then the journey to the Waterfall was long and the hike DOWN into the canyon was LONG & difficult & slippery in spots. The Waterfall is realtively small and very difficult to get into the pool to swim — and at this point we had been in really wonderful waterfalls and pools (see above). So we would pass on this excursion if we had it to do again given what we had already done. In town we ate at the red neon upstairs restaurant (Rios something) which was a BUST. The food really sucked. The “fried Calamari” was a rubber dish of tasteless goo and inedible. Each of our main dishes were pretty bad as well. The only thing going for it was a nice view of the street life and they had 2 for 1 drink specials.
Then we were off to La Fortuna (Arenal) – stayed at Los Lagos. A pretentious up-scale resort with a lot of swimming pools & hot springs. we stayed at the very top of the hill — the “view rooms”. Heads up: They are too far away from the main part of the resort to WALK. They have 2 Shuttles that basically run 24×7 to pick you up and bring you to wherever you are trying to get to in the resort .. like the swimming area, dining area, etc. They can sometimes take 15 mins. to pick you up … if not require a 2nd phone call to the desk. Frankly, it would have been better to stay downtown some place and not in this sterile and snooty environment. the loud & “bad spanish singing” by the bartenders at the pool-side bar was enough to chase away anyone. I didn’t get the point; maybe they were trying to make it Disneyland-esq? We did the Arenal Volcano “tour” & Tabcon Hot Springs on the 2nd day here. It was also a BUST. It POURED on us. The operators refused to cancel the tour. After getting there we couldn’t see the Volcano the entire trip for all the fog & rain. I was miserable and damp; even with the rain gear. After we hiked in the dark back to the van, they dropped us off at the Tabacon Hot Springs. This was kinda nice, but being dark, we couldn’t see much as we strolled around the warm (not HOT) freshwater pools. Would probably be nice to see it during the day. Included was a really nice Buffett – finally some food different than what we had been eating the previous week. This was the only trip with any “confusion” – and it had to do with being “handed off” to another driver. But it worked out as we got back to our room around 10 PM and exhausted — only to be kept awake by a group of 8 or 10 Asian guys who decided their world was more important than our sleep! I asked them nicely to quiet down. Nada. They were LOUD until 2 AM. I even called the front desk pleading for “help” … the front desk could do nothing for us. Glad to check out of that hole the next morning.
Then off on a long bus ride to Manuel Antonio – stayed at Villa Roca, which is about 4 miles outside Quepos, so it is dead in this area. This was a really nice (Gay) resort, but only 3 rooms filled. Beautiful infinity pool to sit by over a beer. And Joseph was really a sweetheart. We chatted with him most of the 2 days we were by the pool or bar. We did the Snorkeling excursion which turned out much better than we had anticpated. We were grouped with about 20 Dutch tourists which made it really fun. We saw some really cool fish and saw Whales breach and porpois. It included a really nice lunch and all the beer you wanted. We met the 1 guide named Miner. He was pretty funny and personable. The only other thing we “tried” to do was take a bus and go into the National Parque (Jungle) by ourself — without prearranging it. It was a total Bust and I don’t recommend trying it. There are a ton of “local” scammers that will accost you outside the park and demand that you pay them to be your “GUIDE” … even if you simply want to go in by yourself. It was very intimidating – we walked away and never saw the park.
Then it was a small plane ride from Quepos back to a final night in San Jose. This was very cool to see the area from above. 30 mins. later we arrived in San Jose and hired a Taxi to get us to Casa 69; downtown San Jose. It cost us $20 for the Taxi. That night we ventured out to walk around and find a couple of (gay) bars. We went to Avispa, which was OK .. but not much of an American Dance Club given its size. And it was ear-splitting LOUD! The few people dancing on the floor were “partner dancing” to Latin music. Then to Bochinches – but they wanted $4 each to get in and we had not planned to stay long; so passed. There is also Puchas in the same area – which we assume is some sort of Gay strip club. The streets felt very safe to walk around – especially given the various “warnings” about not going out alone at night. We saw Police everywhere and never felt threatened. Oh, and Casa 69 – well, very very noisy due to the Trains that run right in front of it from 7 AM to 7 PM (or so). The “free/included” breakfast was NOT included contrary to what our travel documents said. But being under new ownership there was probably miscommunication what WAS included (continental only).
So to recap, great trip and very friendly people.
– Do use Gecko Travel !! Trust them. They were awesome.
– Do the Poas & la Paz Waterfall park
– Do the 2 day raft trip & tent camp (not the 1 day)
– Do Banana Azul, but try for Room #1 if possible. While there, do the River Kayaking but skip the 3 in 1 Waterfall, Animal Rescue, Chocolate place.
– If you wish to save $$ on accomodations in Puerto Viejo, there are MANY MANY choices to stay at just outside town. We saw places as cheap as $15/night on the south end of town.
– If you actually see Poas on a clear day, skip Arenal altogether … probably shrowded, very hot and probably rain – or just do a DAY trip to Tabacon .. or even just stay THERE.
– Definitely do both: Bus ride between towns and a plane ride back to San Jose for your final.
– Take a bunch of $1 bills for tipping. Every tour will “nag” you for tips at the end of the excursion – and they do deserve a couple of $$. Don’t tip in restaurants – tips are already included. (unless you get special service).
– And you don’t have to pre-book the excursions during the off-season. All of the resorts/hotels have the same “packages” that you can arrange when you get there. That way if you’re tired or the weather doesn’t suit the excursion (e.g., RAINING), you don’t have to waste the money.
– They all advertise “free WiFi” at the hotels/resorts … but it is spotty at times, but overall was there for my use on a cell phone.
– The mosquitos were nowhere NEAR as bad as we had anticipated. One of us got like 8 bites over the 12 days, I got 3 … Just use the netting over the beds when it’s available.
I’ll put my reviews on TripAdvisor.com for the specific places we stayed if you wish to search the place over there.
Pura Vida !!
Melissa from Boston, MASeptember 27, 2011
Hi Gecko Trail
I had an absolutely wonderful trip and can’t
wait to come back again sometime soon.
Everything went perfectly with the airport pick-up/bus ticket. The man who picked us up was
wonderful, kind, and very helpful. We both really liked him. I really was as pleased as can be about the service, and would be happy to recommend you to anyone.
One thing you might think about doing is explaining how the border crossing works to new tourists. It’s just an “extra,” but we did find
that process to be confusing and a little bit challenging, and I think it’d be something tourists would greatly appreciate. How much you’ll
pay at the border crossing and to who, how long it usually takes, what you’re supposed to do when you get there, etc.
But like I said, everything went great and I appreciated your help!
Best,
Melissa
ZaidaSeptember 23, 2011
Hola!
El servicio proporcionado por su agencia, fue muy bueno, en un principio tuvimos un poco de dudas ya que cambiamos fechas y actividades pero con la información que nos enviaron, todo salió de maravilla
Yo trabajo para una aerolínea y realmente quede muy contenta con el servicio al cliente proporcionado. Además he escrito un artículo para la revista de la oficina, con todas las actividades que realizamos, y por mi parte están totalmente recomendados.
Muchas gracias, por la experiencia. Y espero en un futuro regresar a CR y poder contactarlos.
Saludos, Zaida
Tatiana BonillaSeptember 13, 2011
We just returned from our trip to Costa Rica and everything was absolutely perfect! Thank you so much, especially to Guadalupe, for making sure all of our tours, transportation, hotels, etc. were taken care of. We did not have to worry about a thing and had a wonderful time. I’m already recommending you to everybody that wants to make a trip to Costa Rica. Also, the tour companies that you use, such as Sky Adventures, Exploradores Outdoors and Pura Vida, were excellent, excellent! They took wonderful care of us! I’m certainly coming back again soon and will definitely use Gecko Trail again!
Richard Garnett from EnglandAugust 30, 2011
Thanks so much for looking after us so brilliantly. Your service was faultless and we would very much like to come back next year!
Best wishes, Richard
Jen from San FranciscoAugust 29, 2011
Thank you
Dear Gecko Trail Adventures,
Thank you for making our trip so easy. I was a bit hesitant to cross the boarder with two children in tow, but you put us at ease and ensured that we reached our destination safely.
Best,
Jen
Carol Bauer from Kennesaw, GA USAAugust 24, 2011
Fabulous Trip to Costa Rica
Spent 10 glorious and fun filled days in Costa Rica with peace of mind thanks to Gecko Trail. Throughout the planning process I had MANY questions about things to do, where to stay, difficulty of activity,and all the way to what kind of power outlet we would find in Costa Rica. The staff at Gecko Trail were informative and ever patient including sending a picture of an outlet for my peace of mind. They even arranged travel for us on one leg of our trip that they had nothing to do with. Everything they booked went smoothly from drivers to accomodations to outings. Since I am not a seasoned travelor I relied heavily on them for advice and they came through in every way. Thank you Gecko Trail Adventure! Pura Vida!
Ramzi Aniba from Washington, DC, USAAugust 22, 2011
Magic Moon Rocks!
We stayed Aug 10-13th at the Magic Moon House! The property was very nice, we utilized both levels (2 bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs). The layout of the house was great, a nice open kitchen, the outdoor space on the 2nd level is wonderful, my brother and cousins used the hammocks to relax a lot and you can see the ocean right in front of you. The rooms are very spacious and we appreciated the way the house was functional for us. The house grounds are really nice, it’s like you’re in your own oasis. We opened up the house doors and windows as much as possible….we even noticed a horse farm behind one of the bedroom windows that had live cattle, kind of cool for all the cows to do an about face and stare at us. The house does not have have AC, it has fans throughout the house but, honestly we were on the beach so, we felt the breeze…no need for AC. I will tell you that you will need bug spray and ant spray….the caribbean side is the natural side of costa rica so, you’re living the simple life.
We basically had our own private beach and we had a rental jeep so, we drove down to punta uva and manzanillo. Johnnys and Mangos are the best bars in Puerto Viejo. For food, we liked Mare Nostrum, Lydia’s Place and Koki Beach. A lot of people recommended Tamares, do not order the chicken sandwich or burgers, definitely not a fan. Kind of dumb of us to order that anyway…fish with rice and beans is the way to go, costa rica does not really have a specialized cuisine. We went to the supermarket and bought food since the house came with a fridge, oven/stove and microwave. The rocky road leading to Magic Moon and Banana Azul is a bit rough, we were definitely isolated from the center town of puerto viejo but, it’s only a 5 mins drive or 10 mins walk on the beach. If I come back to Puerto Veijo, you better believe I’m staying at Magic Moon again….we were really not impressed with any of the other hotels we saw in town and on the beach, most of them are rundown or just plain jane.
Also, if you want to do ziplining, jungle tours, white water rafting, snorkeling or scuba diving, the Banana Azul hotel, where we had to pick up the house key, is a few doors down and offers Gecko Trail Adventures, great times! The best in costa rica hands down. Aaron and Pablo our guides were great. Ashton who arranged everything is very cool. Best time to go to Costa Rica is nov – feb and with that said, it was 80 degrees in august! We would have loved to have more sun but, we ovbiously understood we were in their winter season….there were still a lot of people at the bars though, especially after midnight….late crowds. Go to Mangos first or another bar on the small main road then venture off to Johnnys on the water, you’re sure to have a good time. Also, for those who are interested, follow the smell of ganj, it’s openly smoked outside by the locals, especially at the bars….the cops don’t really hound folks, when locals see cops coming they just put their joints behind their backs until the cops roll past….so seamless. Our time at Magic Moon was very laidback and relaxing, we went to the Pacific coast afterwards, Jaco and Manuel Antonio and we preferred the Caribbean side the best even though they were not as advanced as the Pacific side. I believe the Caribbean side got electricity in 1986.
We didn’t get a chance to see Samara, Mal Pais or Montezuma on the west pacific coast, must go by ferry from puntareanas which is 30mins from Jaco ….but, maybe next time. But, with that said, If I were you, I would check out both coasts…Jaco is packed in January (probably a good home base) which from a tourist perspective might work out better but, the Caribbean vibe had us wanting to go back to Puerto Viejo even when we were in Jaco. Puerto Viejo is about a 4 hour drive…if you don’t get lost from San Jose. Jaco is about an hour half from San Jose so, plan accordingly. The rental car from Natcar.com helped us a lot to explore the country. Stay at least 3-4 days in Puerto Viejo and 3-4 days in Jaco to truly experience the fun. If you don’t have a car….it won’t be the same experience to get up and go see and do whatever you want. Stay at Magic Moon in Puerto Veijo and any Daystar property in Jaco. Have fun!
Ramzi Aniba from Washington DC, USAAugust 22, 2011
Good Times!
Zipling tour was the best! Aaron and Pablo our guides were great. If you can’t do the all day jungle tour, which is highly recommended, the canopy and zipline tour is hands down the best zipling you’ll do in CR.
Caitlin from Boston, MAAugust 17, 2011
AMAZING!!!
Gecko Trail Adventures did an amazing job planning our 16-day Costa Rican Adventure tour. There was not a single glitch in our itinerary. I will definitely use Gecko again for my next vacation. It really was a relaxing vacation with the help of Yetty and Gecko Trail Adventures.
Brian Weston from Orlando, FL USAJuly 6, 2011
I cannot say enough good things!
We stayed in Magic Moon house a few weeks ago. The house was tremendous. What a fantastic place to stay. Couple that with the best customer service experience provided by Gecko and you have the formula for a perfect vacation.
Every adventure Gecko arranged for us was top notch and well worth the money. We did numerous trips including Cahuita snorkleing, chocolate making, waterfall climb, jungle hike, spa day and surf lessons. We loved every single one!
Thanks especially to Ashton for making our trip a huge success!
John and David from Austin, TXJune 16, 2011
Wouldn’t travel with anyone else
We can’t say enough great things about Gecko Trails! Your office was efficient in helping us to plan our customized trip to CR. From the time we arrived in San Jose until we arrived back at the airport, everything ran as smoothly as it could possibly run. Van drivers, excursion personnel, and hotel staff were uniformly well informed, on time, efficient, and a joy to work with. We’ve already highly recommended your services to all of our traveling friends and family. We’ll definitely be using you again! Thanks for helping to make our trip exceptional!
SteveJune 15, 2011
I would highly recommend Gecko Trail Adventures to anybody looking ot travel to Costa Rica. They helped us with everything from itinerary planning, transportation, and hotels. The service was always quick and friendly and all of the vendors they booked with were reliable.
Andreas from Frankfurt am Main / GermanyMay 29, 2011
Excellent experience
Dear friends at Gecko,
thanks to your appreciated warm and professional contribution and the perfect organizational skills of Anja during the planning stage, I was touring through Costa Rica from Easter Sunday to May 4th 2011. – What a wonderful country! – And what a smooth and convenient travel experience! I did Monteverde – Arenal – Cahuita – Puerto Vieho packed with lots of outdoor activity! It was awesome!
So I definitely will come back and of course I will rely on your services again! Then I will travel the Pacific coast!
So thanks again and hope to meet you soon again!
Many regards
Andreas
Steve & Phil from Florida USAMay 14, 2011
Aaron King & Sara Zolman King from May 12, 2011
Hi Gecko Trail!
Just wanted to give a huge thank you to Yetty for planning a WONDERFUL vacation for us the week of April 16th-23rd. We had an amazing time with a week full of once in a lifetime adventures! Everything went smoothly and we had amazing resorts, excursions, drivers and guides! I couldn’t even pick what would have been my favorite from Sky Trek zipline, Exploradores overnight rafting and from volcano to ocean views. It was all magnificent!
Pura Vida, Aaron & Sara
Kerry and René from Montreal, CanadaMay 8, 2011
Gecko Trail Adventures, and Maythe in particular, put together a Costa Rican honeymoon for us that met or surpassed all our expectations … one of our best trips ever! Highlights included the Monteverde area cloud forests, zip-lining, waterfall walks/swims and of course the three-day Pacuare River rafting adventure (honeymoon package). Everything went super smoothly, hotels were gay-friendly and Maythe was very helpful and pleasant to deal with, despite our hundreds of questions. We highly recommend Gecko for anyone else heading to Costa Rica!
Carina BorchertMay 2, 2011
Liebe Anja,
Costa Rica war super!! Ich muss zugeben, ich war schon ein bisschen nervös, als ich in Quepos auf den Grayline-Bus gewartet habe – aber es hat alles wunderbar geklappt. Die Fahrer waren alle überpünktlich und sehr hilfsbereit, besonders die von Sky-Trek und von Exploradores. Das Cloud Forest Reserve war spannend, und den freien Nachmittag am ersten Tag habe ich genutzt, um die Ranaria in St. Elena anzuschauen. Hat sich gelohnt, besonders auch für Familien mit Kindern zu empfehlen. Das Hotel war gemütlich. In Arenal habe ich genossen, dass das Hotel so mitten im Zentrum war, es gab allerdings ein kleines Ameisenproblem – hat mich jetzt nicht so sehr gestört, aber das würden einige Leute anders sehen, denke ich. Die Canopy Tour war unglaublich, und die Leute so professionell, dass ich mich von Anfang an sicher gefühlt habe. Am Nachmittag wurde es leider sehr heiß, was für die Hot Springs nicht so passend ist – vielleicht eher eine Aktivität für abends. Das Essen da war aber sehr gut, besonders der Nachtisch…
Am dritten Tag dann die Rafting-Tour, ich war sehr beeindruckt. Hätte mir das nicht so aufregend vorgestellt, und gleichzeitig gab es dann immer wieder schöne ruhige Stellen…danke, dass du mich dazu “überredet” hast!! Brillenträger sollten allerdings unbedingt Kontaktlinsen tragen… 😉
Das Casa 69 fand ich von den drei Hotels am schönsten, die Zimmer sind sehr liebevoll und individuell eingerichtet. Morgens hat mich Manuel abgeholt, pünktlich wie ich das schon gewohnt war, und am Flughafen hatte ich deswegen überhaupt keinen Stress.
Also – ich hatte vier perfekte Tage, GANZ VIELEN DANK!! Du wirst bestimmt nochmal von mir hören…ich will diese perfekten Tage wiederholen! 😉
Benjamin TrunkApril 18, 2011
Hi Maythe!
We are back in Germany, and I wanted to write to you to thank you for
your hard work. We really had a great time in Costa Rica and
everything you planed worked out perfectly! Thank you very much!
Just 2 little suggestions (maybe for our next trip) or to make you guys at Gecko even better (if that is possible):
The trip from Monteverde to Arenal with Grayline is really annoying, we had to switch buses and it took nearly all day. While we were there, we heard of the jeep-boat-jep transfer, which is not only cheaper, but also a lot quicker and supposed to have some great views.
And while the hike-dinner-and spa trip on our last evening in Arenal was one of the best activities we had, the hike took so long that we had to eat rather quick and still had only about one hour left in the spa. It was totally worth it, but if we had known we would surely have visited one of the many other spas before.
The only time we were disappointed was in Cahuita at the Magellan Inn,
which we picked by ourselves. Not only were they really far off (which
would have been fine), but contrary to their homepage they didn’t have
a restaurant or the promised TVs (which was really sad because it was
the only time we actually wanted one to watch the Oscar-Night…). And
although the breakfast was technically included, it only consisted of
bread and jam, and for luxuries like “jamon y ceso” or fried eggs it
was another 5$ or 3$…
But we don’t want to complain, it was an amazing trip and we will
always be happy about our time in Costa Rica!
Thank you very much,
Kathy and Ben
Stephan Wininger from Nashville, TN USAApril 18, 2011
Don’t hesitate to utilize Gecko Trail’s talented and professional staff to plan every detail of your Costa Rican vacation!
Everything went flawlessly and I could not be happier with all they did on my behalf to ensure a wonderful vacation. I highly doubt any other agency could be more informed or helpful.
Ernesto’s patience and prompt responses to each and every question during the planning phase of my two week vacation was comforting and most reassuring.
Once I arrived in San José, I immediately took a regional Nature Air flight to San Manuel/Quepos for a week at the beach.
Then a second Nature Air flight to La Fortuna to visit Arenal Volcano and Tabacón Thermal Springs Resort and Spa. Finally a third flight Nature Air flight back to San José where I enjoyed the last few nights of my Costa Rican vacation.
Gecko Trail’s staff’s attention to detail ensured each and every connection was perfectly choreographed and each hotel reservation perfect. Ernesto even had cabs waiting for me when appropriate. How nice not have to worry about any details!
On my next trip to Costa Rica, I will definitely be using Gecko Trail Adventures again. Soon, very soon!
Thanks again Gecko Trail Adventures!
Sarah Haynes from Scottsdale, AZApril 1, 2011
Gecko Trail Adventures made the arrangements for me to visit Puerto Viejo. I traveled by Interbus. Unfortunately, I left my computer charger at the B&B. Through Gecko’s persistence the charger was relayed to the Interbus main office in San Pedro where I was able to recover it. They went above and beyond the call of duty! I highly recommend their services!
Joe from Coeur dAlene, IDMarch 24, 2011
We scheduled our entire trip through Gecko Trail Adventures and things went off perfectly! We made changes to our plans up to last week before our trip and Gecko Trail helped make all our reservations work out for us.
If you have any hesitations about trusting folks located in Costa Ricato help you with your travels rather than a local agent…have no worries! They are great at what they do, their staff is wonderful, helpful and understanding, and prices are great.
THANKS AGAIN GECKO TRAIL ADVENTURES.
Brian from ChicagoMarch 15, 2011
CR Trip with Gecko
I arranged my entire trip through Gecko based on feedback from friends that had used them before. It took about a month of working with them, looking into their advice and some research on my own but I basically had my entire trip booked via Gecko before I went. Everything was as smooth as could be and I enjoyed the trip immensely.
Some MUSTS are Tabacon if you are in Fortuna and the zip line canopy tour in Monteverde. Relaxing on the beach in Manuel Antonio was also very nice.
I only had 1 small problem on the trip with confusion at one hotel whether breakfast was included. It only took one quick email to Gecko and they resolved it with the hotel. It was the hotel’s mistake.
Highly recommend Gecko to help plan a fun trip to CR!!
Mark Catalina & Megan Ebbrecht from March 12, 2011
Recognition for the devotion to your country
Dear Maythe, Karen and Gecko Employees,
We have just returned to the US after an 8 day trip to Costa Rica. Our visit to your country greatly surpassed any of our previous experiences to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Haiti and Bonaire. Participating in the Arenal Volcano hike and Tabacon Hot Springs while staying at San Bosco in LaFortuna, Rafting down the Pacuare River, and Full day Canopy tour, zip line, waterfall and quads were the finest adventures we have ever been on. On the flight back home I thought to myself that when I get there I will write one of the best reviews that has ever been done for Gecko Trail Adventures, Banana Azul, and Costa Rica in general, but unfortunately so many past customers have beaten me to it!
Some of the important things that mattered to us, may not matter to everyone else. Many of your employees may not even realize this, since many have not travelled abroad or been dropped into unfamiliar surroundings. But, when arriving in a strange land (especially in the dark)where cultures and habitat are so different than you have ever experienced and communication skills are so limited (we speak no Spanish), it is so reassuring to meet that ‘local’ person, have them smile at you, try to understand your needs and concerns, reassure you that you are in the right place and that your schedule is in their hands and they are there ready to guide you throughout your stay. They are there for you.
We did not stay at the Banana Azul because they didn’t have any vacancy. Online, while at home, we rented a studio apartment nearby. We were dropped off at Azul in the dark after an extended ride through Limon due to an accident on RT 32 which halted traffic for more than an hour, not knowing exactly where are lodging was located. Our luggage in hand and driver gone, we approached Kristiam at Azul and asked for direction. We were so unprepared, with no address in hand, not even considering that no one would have heard of the place we were to stay. Kristiam jumped online to locate information, make a call to our destination, welcome us to Costa Rica and offer us all the amenities that would be available to us as if we were guests at their resort.
I cannot say enough about the way we were treated at Banana Azul. David, Kristiam, Frederik, and all the staff were wonderful to us. They listened to us when we needed to talk and shared with us some of their experiences from the US to Costa Rica. We were welcomed at their meals, to rent their equipment, to enjoy their beach and lounges and better yet… their guests. As much as we were looking to be away from other tourists and enjoy Costa Rican’s, it was even better to share our new experiences with other travellers like ourselves and immerse ourselves in the new found joys of a beautiful country.
Let me start now with Maythe. She was our first contact with Gecko once we arrived in Costa Rica and welcomed us. She was also the first to listen to our concerns about our living arrangements while visiting. She assured us that we were on schedule, going to live (inside joke), and with that beautiful smile convinced us that we would love our visit to her country. How could you not believe this beautiful smile! Well, she was right! Although she had very tough competition because every Gecko employee we met and spoke with gave us the same treatment. They were courteous, reassuring and were willing to manipulate your schedule at the drop of a hat. They never tried to sell us product, but always there to answer any question about the adventures and life in Costa Rica.
If you have been able to stay with me thus far, I will tell you the most important factor that made this trip the most enjoyable. The tour guides that accompanied us on these excursions were unsurpassed by any in the world. I will most likely be misspelling their names, which is a shame because they clearly deserve to be recognized by Gecko, their employers and explicitly by fellow Costa Ricans. The volcano hike – Jobi, the Pacuare rafting – Ricky & Yuda, the canopy tour – Edgar. Each one of these men were incredible guides. If everyone in all countries had just a small percentage of their character, we would have a perfect world!
All of the guides and drivers that participated in our excursions were excellent, but it just happened that these 4 men were the ones that we were able to discover and converse more personally with and/or placed with us during the events. Jobi, Ricky and Edgar you are some of the finest people found anywhere on Earth. Their love for their country is radiant. They were excellent at articulating their knowledge of the soils, trees, bugs, volcanic evolution, indigenous peoples, animals and anything else that was asked of them. They displayed and preached about the importance of a clean environment, limiting and eliminating hazardous insecticides, cleansers and litter. They were adamant about their respect of their land and countryside and the beauty that surrounded us at every turn. They made us feel welcome in their country and showed us how proud they were of it. That is something that has been missing here in the US for me, for some time.
These men and similar fellow Costa Ricans should be recognized by your government and compensated. They make the tourism industry special and help us all to realize how valuable our natural resources are and how important the message that they send to us visitors is, in regards to the health of their country, economy and the tourism industry. It is these attributes that will bring us back to Costa Rica and direct our friends and acquaintances your way for a wonderful vacation.
We have travelled to other countries that have the potential that still exists in Costa Rica, but found that they have been tainted by under-educated, environmentally-bliss peoples, litter strewn mountains, streets and streams. The fact that other countries are ‘laid – back’, or ‘chillin’ should not be the excuse for laziness or the lack of understanding the extreme importance of our impact on the environment and the balance of industry and tourism in a region.
All of the other countries we have visited, we were bombarded by time-share ‘thieves’, beggars and solicitors. All of which probably exist in Costa Rica, but we never once encountered. We spent 5 nights on the Caribbean coast near the town of Puerto Viejo in a rented apartment, rented bicycles for travel and ate mostly at local sodas while enjoying the beautiful turquois beaches at Playa Negra. Visits to Cocles, Punta Uva, and Manzanillo strengthened our love for the people of Costa Rica and your country. Sad to have departed, our hats go off to Gecko and all the others that we had contact with for the tremendous support and fun we had during our stay.
Love to all of you,
Mark & Megan
M Waugh from CanadaMarch 7, 2011
So helpful.
We used Gecko to help plan our trip. We provided them with the places we wanted to go and what we wanted to see ….. we had a hassle free vacation and amazing two weeks in Costa Rica. I have already recommended this firm to others. Thanks guys for making our vacation so special.
Brian from New JerseyMarch 7, 2011
Our 10 night custom vacation was spectacular thanks to Ernesto at Gecko putting it all together. Out trip included 4 cities: San Jose, Manuel Antonio, Arenal and Santa Ana. We had a mix of active days and others for relaxation so we reutrned home refreshed. The only suggestion I would make for those who can pack light (<40 lbs) and afford it is to fly between destinations rather than take the tourist vans. These trips can be between 4 and 5 hours with air taking about 30 minutes.
fabian from australiaMarch 4, 2011
the perfect way to enjoy a holiday!
I’m super glad that we chose Gecko Trail Adventures when planning our trip to Costa Rica. Everything was easy and we didn’t have to do any of our own research in order to see all of the best attractions in Costa Rica. The Gecko staff were friendly and helpful and our holiday was perfect! I couldn’t imagine an easier way to travel!
IngeFebruary 26, 2011
danke für die tolle planung!!
Hat alles super geklappt und ich hatte 3 schöne und abwechslungsreiche wochen in costa rica!! besonders in herz geschlossen habe ich manuel, den taxifahrer! absolut nett und zuverlässig!! hat am abend vor meinem frühen abflug sogar angerufen und war morgens schon 15 minuten vor der eigentlichen zeit da!
puerto viejo fand ich total klasse !! hab mir 2mal ein rad gemietet und bin bis kurz vor manzanillo gefahren!! war an den stränden und habe faultiere , brüllaffen und iguanas gesehen!! mit dem bus war ich im cahuita nationalpark und in gandocca habe ich mich einer kleinen gruppe angeschlossen und eine tour gemacht!
alle interbusverbindungen haben reibungslos geklappt und machmal war die fahrt schon wie eine ” ausflug ” — die fahrer waren sehr freundlich und sind bis auf die letzte fahrt von samara nach san jose perfekt gefahren!!
sehr gut gefallen haben mir das casa 69!!– das hotel san bosco!! und die palm lodge!! das guarana fand ich nicht so doll– ist aber meine persönliches empfinden!
David from Winnipeg, CanadaFebruary 22, 2011
Thanks to Ernesto and Gecko Trail Adventures!
My trip went really well. All the details planned by you at Gecko went flawlessly. A couple comments to keep in mind when you are dealing with other tourists follow:
1. The Arenal Volcano area is quite beautiful with great hiking and other activities available, but don’t expect to see the top of the volcano as it is almost always cloud covered.
2. Of my two excursions on my full day in the Arenal area, the first one (the horseback ride to the La Paz Waterful operated by Desafio) was very scenic and nice, but I was the only English speaking person on the three-person tour so the guide primarily spoke Spanish. In fact he really only spoke to one person so it didn’t seem he was telling us much of anything about the nature and scenery we were passing. The second excursion (the Arenal Volcano Hike operated by PVT) was excellent. The guide was amazing at pointing out and explaining so much. Our group members were also quite fit so he took us on a longer more challenging hike. I gave him a big tip!
3. In Manuel Antonio National Park, a lot of the trails are closed so if somebody wants to do lot of hiking they have to go around the barricades and hike the closed trails themselves (that’s what I did). Manuel Antonio is beautiful.
4. Colours Oasis Resort is nice and a good gay place to stay in San Jose. It is easy to meet people there (especially as a solo traveller) so you can go with people on excursions into the city. I’m not sure I would have wanted to do too much in the city by myself … at least not at night. Breakfasts were very good. Other food and drink was excellent but a bit pricey.
5. Hotel Mandarina is a nice place to say. It is gay-friendly but definitely not gay … but that’s good too. The people working there were really friendly and knowledgeable about the area whether it was the park, the beach, the clubs (including gay ones), etc. The room I had in the Hotel Mandarina was so beautifully decorated (somewhat modernist) that it was a real pleasure to stay there. There are no views from the rooms, but that’s fine, you can just walk across the street. The breakfasts were excellent.
Overall the trip was excellent. I really enjoyed everything. I would definitely recommend Manuel Antonio as an area to visit. On a previous trip I went to Playa Grande and it was great too. The Arenal Volcano was alright to visit as long as you can accept you won’t see the top of the volcano or any eruptions. I’m glad I went to Manuel Antonio on your recommendation instead of the cloud forest (there were enough clouds on the way to the volcano from San Jose and at the volcano).
Thank you for arranging everything. I would definitely use your services again.
Dave Westhouse from London, EnglandFebruary 22, 2011
I would like to thank the staff at Gecko Trail Adventures for doing such a wonderful job with taking care of the details of our vacation and allowing us (two couples) to enjoy a seamless vacation without having to worry about transportation and other STUFF. They got us to and from the airport, in hotels in San Jose and La Fortuna. We …enjoyed the whitewater rafting, the 3-in-1 tour, and the zip-ling. The whitewater rafting was incredible and I am glad of hints to do it first to take advantage of transport from Costa Rica to Puerto Viejo. It was so nice to have the tour desk at Banana Azul and to have met the many faces who emailed us beforehand. We traveled from Feb 5-14, 2011.
Thank you once again. We truly appreciated your work.
Beatrice from Toronto, CanadaFebruary 22, 2011
Thanks to Yetty and Gecko Trail for helping make our trip the best we’ve ever had. Yetty was extremely helpful and patient with me as I had many questions, but she organized everything so well, and we had a wonderful trip.
Our favorite part was the white water rafting and fishing trips. Exploredores is very professional and really made it exciting. “Ricky” was the best guide, very outgoing and I had fun joking around with him.
The fishing trip was amazing, we caught 5 big yellow fin tuna and took one to eat, yummmm!
Thanks again Gecko Trail and of course Yetty, for making this experience a GREAT one.
We will be back.
Peggy from Toronto, CanadaFebruary 17, 2011
Thanks to Yetty and Gecko for organizing an amazing vacation. Everything ran so smoothly. My sister and I did the “Volcano, Beach and Jungle” trip with an extra two nights in Tortuguero. The hotels were all wonderful and reasonably priced. Each one (Arenal Green, La Kukula, Rana Roja and Casa 69) was unique and had a different type of charm, but my favorite place was Rana Roja in Ttortugeruo. This lodge is not listed on tripadvisor so i was a little worried but it was so beautiful. The cabins are contructed so that you feel connected to the sights and sounds of the jungle. The food was excellent and there was a beautiful pool and shared bar. We also did several trips with Gecko’s partner Exploradores and they were incredibly professional and fun. This trip was also a great value.
Hans Nijholt from Amsterdam, The NetherlandsFebruary 15, 2011
A big thank you to Mauricio who did a fabulous job in preparing our itinerary in Costa Rica in January 2011. We first emailed about our favorite things to do in a holiday and he came up with some suggestions on what to do. He finally arranged all our hotels, excursions and transport. Everything was very good organized. The transport came always on time and the excursions were great. We first stayed in Manuel Antonio and from there we did Monteverde, La Fortuna and Puerto Viejo. We really liked the Wildwater rafting and the Canopy tour. I can really recommend Gecko Trail if you need a travel agency in Costa Rica.
Thanks again!
Hans and Marcel
Cathy Geard from Ontario, CanadaJanuary 18, 2011
Thank you
Thank you to Maythe for making my son’s and my trip through Costa Rica safe and enjoyable. Your hardwork, patience and understanding our situation was greatly appreciated. Everywhere you booked us was exceptional, our transport worked out perfectly. I felt safe and happy travelling on my own with a 12 year old son.
Arenal was fantastic both the hotels and volcanoe tours. The boat-jeep ride fun and a exceptionally beautiful hotel in Monteverde. The towns and people both friendly and safe.
We are back now in Canada and would like to thank you for your time and hardwork putting together a wonderful package for us. The last week of our trip turned out amazing and fun, leaving us with great memories of Costa Rica.
Thank you,
Cathy Geard and Mike
Daryl and Tessa GottliebJanuary 10, 2011
The staff at Gecko Trails, especially Nina, were truly a gift from God. My wife and I were planning our wedding in Puerto Viejo from the United States, so, as you can imagine, there were countless issues regarding transportation for ourselves and our guests, not to mention the task of organizing our rehearsal meal and multiple excursions.
I can’t say enough about Nina. We exchanged well over 100 emails, and engaged in multiple skype conversations, in the months leading up to our New Year’s Eve wedding. She was not just responsive to my questions, but alwasy quick to offer suggestions or input regarding our plans. She was our “boots on the ground,” as it were, and I can confidently say that our trip, and those of our family members, would not have been the success it was but for the professional and caring assistance of Nina.
We also had the opportunity to honeymoon at Banana Azul, where Gecko Trail has a kiosk set up. The staff members there were awesome as well, always willing to provide restaurant suggections, input on excursions, and even their weather predictions.
This is an honest company, and run like a well-oiled machinge, from top to bottom. Trust them with your plans, and you will not go wrong.
Pura Vida!
Ed from St. Louis, MO USAJanuary 7, 2011
Incredible service by Mauricio
Found Gecko Trail Adventures through a Google search for gay-friendly travel. Any reservations I had about booking every aspect of my travel in Costa Rica with a company I was not familiar with was immediately put aside. Mauricio was my agent at Gecko and did an amazing job of recommending various hotels and activities. Considering how many times I had to change my itinerary in the months before my trip, I am indebted to him for 1) keeping me organized 2) making all the hotel, transport and activity arrangements for me 3) being incredibly responsive to my questions. My transports included private driver in San Jose (airport to hotel) as well as the Interbus shuttle system (shared shuttle with ~7 other people). Be forewarned that car travel in parts of CR can be rough/bumpy, since the road system is not as well-developed as in the States. Shared shuttle is a nice, cheap way to go, plus gives you the opportunity of meeting some other adventuresome travelers (in my case, mostly students, Europeans, those wanting to save a little money).
Things that I would highly recommend that were suggested by Gecko/Mauricio: 1) splurging for a stay at the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort (http://www.tabacon.com/). The incredible service at the resort and the hot springs are not to be missed. None of the other hotels in the area can boast as large a variety of hot springs (most only had 1 or 2 hot spring pools, Tabacon has easily over 15 hot spring pools to lounge in). However, it’s a tough hotel to get into, so plan at least 6 months in advance. There is also a nice buffet dinner at Tabacon, which is nice to do after a couple hours in the springs. But put your reservation in for dinner early, it’s a pretty place. The spa is also very nice. I slurged on a 1.5 deep tissue massage, which was conducted outside in a private cabana surrounded by the hot springs. 2) White water rafting through Desafio (http://www.desafiocostarica.com/). Highly experienced guides who were very much into our safety on a class 3-4 river. Travel and a nice, picnic-style meal to match the rugged activity afterwards. 3) Sky Tram/Sky Trek (zip line) through Sky Adventures (http://www.skyadventures.travel/index/index.html). I wish I would have known beforehand that there was a tree-top restaurant at this place, so that I would have scheduled more time afterwards to enjoy it. But the zip lines were long, fast, and unlike other companies, you don’t have to do any braking, the zip guides do the braking for you. 4) Hike through Manuel Antonio National Park. Pay the fee for a professional guide, they will notice wild animals and flora that you would easily miss if you did this hike without a guide. Unfortunately, because of the recent rains in the area, did not get to see all the trails that were available.
Things that weren’t as nice about my stay: The California Hotel (http://www.hotel-california.com/) was a little disappointing. It was more rustic and a bit run down, though fine for spending time just hanging out at the beach. Unfortunately, it’s a little bit further out from the beach than some of the other hotels of its type in the city of Manuel Antonio. I had ordered a king sized bed. What I got was a kingsize bed frame with a queen mattress on it. In addition, there is desk clerk between 10pm and 6am, so guests are pretty much on their own (e.g., if locked out of room, etc.). Otherwise, the desk staff were helpful and breakfast buffet was included and reasonable (fresh fruit, eggs to order, toast, juice, coffee). If you’re looking for higher end accommodations, it looked like the Parador (http://www.hotelparador.com/) was the nicest in this town (didn’t stay there, but got to see it when my shuttle bus stopped there before the Manuel Antonio nature hike). If you do plan to stay in Manuel Antonio, I would recommend staying closer to the beach. There is one bus line that goes between MA and Quepos. Small hotels, shops and restaurants line the single main road between the two villages.
Drew White from Washington, DCJanuary 6, 2011
< img src="https://dohmedia.com/uploads/comp_mMmJy2.jpg" style="float:right">Many Thanks
When the impossible needs to be done, I will be turning to Gecko yet again. They were able to get me a last minute room in Puerto Viejo on New Years Eve thanks to knowing of a cancellation within minutes after it happened. Booked the room from a pay phone in Bocas Del Toro and they made it seemless. They were also able to arrange transportation across the country. Strongly recommend to make you trip and life easier.
Liz Hirsch and James Hetherington from January 5, 2011
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you who helped us put together-and save-our trip to Costa Rica. You are the best!
Thank you for setting us up with Exploradores. They were awesome. Can’t think of a better guide than Laura. Our jungle experience was so interesting, full of fun and great adventure. Can’t believe the number of animals we saw at the RanaRojo and on our boat trips. Special thanks to Laura for getting us included on another trip through the jungle after she returned to the base camp with the others in our initial group. Will never forget cruising down the canals sneaking up on caymans and crocs and watching the kingfishers dive-bomb for fish.
The one booking that I made for myself was an absolute disaster……bungalo suggested by the management of Banana Azul because their place was full. It was so awful that we decided to leave after just one night. Our entire time in the area would have been horrible if not for Gecko Trail. I forget the name of the wonderful woman who was at the Gecko Trail kiosk at Banana Azul who witnessed my “melt down”. She totally saved the day by finding us rooms at the Namuwoki!!! It is enchanting! Wish we could have spent more time there. Loved the setting, staff and almost every second we spent there. Playa Chiquita and surrounds are so much more our style than Puerto Viejo. We met delightful people, saw amazing animals from our porch and on the four hour jungle tour you arranged for us. Ricky, the tour guide, was one of the high points of our trip.
Feel free to use me as a reference for anyone who asks. We love Gecko Trail Adventures.
Tammy Matthews from USAJanuary 4, 2011
Costa Rica Tours
I booked a whitewater rafting trip, hoseback riding on the beach and Zipline/canopy tour. All were fabulous!
All my guides were very professional, punctual and always put my safety first. I have already recommended Gecko to friends and I have only been back 4 days!
Lydia Fourmy from San Francisco, USAJanuary 4, 2011
Karen from Gecko Trail Adventures was our helpful assistant in booking a trip to Costa Rica. Gecko Trail Adventures employes “travel agents” who can assist you with planning your entire trip or a portion of it, depending on what you want to do and where you want to stay. A fee is not charged for the service provided as the agents make their commission from the hotels and tour companies with whom their company partners. It is a carefree way to do business and to create a travel experience to suit your specific needs. I highly recommend Gecko Trail Adventures.
My significant other actually came across Banana Azul online and that is how we found Gecko Trail Adventures. All of our communication with Karen was via email and she was always quick to reply to our queries. If she was not available, someone else would reply that he or she could assist or let us know when Karen would be back in the office. Karen was efficient and concise in her communication. She would break down the prices for us per activity and hotel and would suggest alternates as she saw fit. For example, she suggested rather than stay in San Jose the first few nights, to take a shuttle from San Jose to Manual Antonio to start our adventure there and spend the last couple of days in the city. Great idea! We took her up on that.
It rained so much when we were there that complications arose due to the weather. The shuttle service, Interbus, that was contracted for us was excellent, always there for us when we needed them, even if a bit delayed from the rain. One of our drivers had to park his van and walk to get us because of a sink hole, but there he was, smiling and laughing and helping us with our bags, but this is for another review. I simply want to emphasize that Gecko Trail Adventures has excellent business partners. Due to the rain, we had to rebook our river rafting trip. Our calls and emails were always answered professionally and promptly and a sense of enthusiasm was displayed to help us. As a result, our rafting trip was cut to one day and we spent an extra day in the Caribbean, and the refund for the difference was completed no questions asked.
Again, I highly recommend Gecko Trail Adventures as a means of planning your trip to Costa Rica. I will be using this service again when I return to South America.
Lydia Fourmy
Jim Hobson from San Francisco, USADecember 22, 2010
Gecko saved my butt!
When I shattered my collarbonein a freak accident halfway through my trip, Maythe at Gecko arranged transportation halfway across the country to the main hospital in San Jose, as well as accommodations until I could return home. Not only did they do this for no extra charge, but I even got a small refund for the part of the tour I couldn’t finish. Hands down, Gecko is the best!
Shams from Chicago, ILNovember 16, 2010
We went to puerto viejo for our honeymoon and Gecko made the trip easy and smooth…which is exactly what you want during a honeymoon. I had to make some changes after I got there due to an injury and they made it very simple and where understanding. They even set up a pick up from a friends house, and where very accommodating. I’m the type of person that usually likes to do everything on my own, but I booked through Gecko because I was busy wedding planning. After using them once I would definitely book through them again just to make my life easier.
jadesmithOctober 31, 2010
Cahuita National Park was truly fabulous. Fewer people and more wildlife at this park. The trail was easy and well shaded. We saw many sloths, monkeys, snakes, turtles, lizards, bats, King Fishers, hummingbirds, insects, crabs, and more.
DesiSeptember 21, 2010
Gecko made traveling in Costa Rica so easy and accessible. I was incredibly impressed with how flexible Gecko was with our requests; we changed a few items from the package with no problem. Also, I felt that they were fair and honest in terms of quality of accommodations, which can be a rarity among travel agent-type organizations. Thank you for all of your help and for making my Costa Rica travels so wonderful. I definitely would use your services again!
JohnAugust 13, 2010
Thanks for helping us put together an amazing and memorable honeymoon. We tried to work with many agencies and they kept wanting to much $ and were limiting in where we could stay. You helped us plan right down to each ride, activity and the type of place we wanted to stay and helped us stay on our budget and make things incredible. We have recommended your agency to all our friends. Keep up the good work! Thanks again! If anyone wants information on how to plan a coast to coast honeymoon, romantic trip and need ideas feel free to contact us through a response to this comment.
dianaAugust 12, 2010
amazing service!!! i really didnt want to go around booking with lots of places… or spending lots of time looking for the best rates and such…. so when i found gecko and realized that their service and prices were great looking i handed them over my whole week trip – and wow!!! THANK YOU GECKO! YOU ROCK!! (i actually dont know how make money…. hmm… but youre the best!!)
Barb and Scott from Middleton WI, USAAugust 11, 2010
Awesome Experienc
We used Gecko Trails to book our rafting trip, lodging in La Fortuna, and transportation between Puerto Viejo, La Fortuna and San Jose. Nina patiently answered my many many questions and helped us work out a plan that met all of our travel wishes and stayed within our budget. We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica and really appreciated all of the help we got from Gecko Trail Adventures.
Shayne Hilburn from Dallas TexasAugust 10, 2010
BEST PEOPLE EVER!!!!
Gecko Trail booked all our trips while in costa rica and every one of them was great!! Mauricio helped me every step from picking a trip to payment. Mauricio was AWESOME and I still owe him a beer. With all the hiking, rafting, chocolate tour I never got to see him and thank him. THANK YOU Mauricio…YOU ROCK!!!
-Shayne
Megan LowrieAugust 6, 2010
I just wanted to send you an e-mail to say GRACIAS!!! Our trip was great! We had an amazing time and saw a lot of the country! We loved Monte Verde and La Fortuna….We were very very happy with the Boat Tour as we got to see Monkeys!! :o) Made me very happy! The hotels were great as well…we LOVED the Montana Monteverde..we had a beautiful room with a beautiful view! Loved it!!
We have told my Mom and Step Dad and they are still going to book with you (Kelly Berry is my mom). I think they are even more excited now! I hope you can plan something for them that is as great as what you planned for us!!
thank you thank you!
Kevin & Rob from Trinidad & TobagoJuly 14, 2010
Outstanding Company
Without a doubt I would highly recommend this company! From my very first inquiry to when my Itinerary was sent to me Karen and Nina have been exceptional, professional and efficient!!!
Thank you all for an amazingly well co-ordinated vacation package; and for a totally worry free vacation!!!
Kate Luhr from Los Angeles, USAJuly 13, 2010
I cannot recommend this company highly enough. We pre-booked almost all of our vacation activities through them, and from their prompt and couteous responses before we ever left the states to the wonderful service they provided in country, we have no complaints. The tours they offer are wonderful. One of our tours had to be cancelled due to recent heavy rains, and they replaced it with another tour that turned out to be one of the best we did. I cannot say enough about the ease of transportation thanks to Gecko. Shuttles were on time, clean, and got us where we needed to go no matter where we were, and were much more affordable than some other companies’ transpotation services. Gecko made everything so easy, all we had to do was sit back, relax and enjoy one of the greatest vacations we’ve ever had.
Robert Fildes from EnglandJuly 9, 2010
Dear Anja:
Just a brief note to thank you for your efforts. We had a wonderful holiday and were very impressed at the efficiency of all the connections as well as the quality of hotels, hospitality etc.
Thanks again, best wishes, Robert and Sue, pp Peter and Kathy.
Mari from OklahomaJune 30, 2010
My husband and I were in Costa Rica in March. Everything was wonderful thanks to Gecko Trail. We had no waiting and last minute requests granted. Thanks to everyone at Bananza Azul and Gecko. Pura Vida!
Donna from Mesquite txJune 12, 2010
Our trip was outstanding. Mathye with Gecko was great. She went above and beyond to accommodate our wants. Everything was well planned and always on time. The people are sweet and very smart and fun to be with. I would highly recommend this beautiful country to anyone. We spent our whole trip on the Caribbean side. Banana Azul is lovely and the trip to Tortuguero was awesome.
Joanna Train from San Diego, CA, USAJune 3, 2010
Costa Rica Trip
Our group of 4 returned from Costa Rica about a month ago, and we all agreed that it was one of the best vacations we’d ever been on. We had the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation! Gecko Trails booked all of our accommodations and tours, including a zipline tour, white water rafting, and volcano tour. All of the tours were amazing, and our guides were awesome! The hotels were also top-notch…we stayed at the Arenal Manoa in La Fortuna, then at Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo. We can’t wait to go back, and we would definitely use Gecko Trails again.
Nicole from London, EnglandJune 2, 2010
Delightful
The people at Gecko were nothing but delightful to work with: patient, friendly and accomodating. Would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to spend some time in Costa Rica.
Billy from Bryan, Texas USAMay 28, 2010
Professionals
Working with Gecko Trail Adventures and Karenh in San Jose was nothing short of wonderful! Karen took care of all my travel needs while in Costa Rica. I plan on going back, and when I do, she’ll be at the top of list for making travel plans. Excellent jb, Karen!
Carol Hayes from East Dundee, USAMay 24, 2010
Costa Rica Trip
Nina helped us plan a wonderul week in Costa Rica. We did rafting, zip lining, biking and hiking. Everything went soooo smoothly – we had a great, memorable time and will surely return. Thanks Nina!
Novid & MattMay 17, 2010
Thanks to Gecko Trail Adventures, my partner and I had a wonderful, worry-free week in Costa Rica. We simply sent Gecko Trail an e-mail describing the kind of vacation and activities we wanted (both adventurous and relaxing), and Nina set up everything: the hotels, the tours, the shuttle vans. She responded to all our e-mailed questions promptly, thoroughly and kindly. The shuttle vans always arrived right on time, and without fail the tour guides—whether for the hike around Arenal Volcano, the rain-forest hike to Rio Celeste, whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River or snorkeling in the Caribbean—were knowledgeable, friendly and eager to ensure we had a great time. In La Fortuna, the lovely, immaculately landscaped hotel El Silencio del Campo is a gem; each room is its own cabin, with a picture-book view of the volcano. And in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean, Banana Azul hotel is another terrific find: a 12-room B&B on well-tailored grounds with a
pool, open-air bar/restaurant and other amenities, all a stone’s throw from the ocean. Gecko Trail helped us experience so many of the wonders of this beautiful country without having to handle any hassles.
Stacey KiefferMay 14, 2010
planning a trip
Hello!
We have booked a multi-day trip through Gecko Trail Adventures, and we were wondering if anyone had advice on what type of luggage to bring? Thanks!
SalimahApril 22, 2010
My Costa Rica Trip with Gecko Trail Adventures…
Yetty helped me with all the details for a 9 day Coast to Coast Trip between 4/9/10 and 4/18/10. Though we had one issue with one hotel (their air-conditioning/lights were not dependable, both of which we had said were an absolute must) and we had to switch hotels, Yetty helped us get our money refunded for the other nights. We are incredibly grateful to her and Gecko Trail for helping us with that. Everything else was perfection, in fact beyond our wildest imagination!
The rest of the hotels were great: San Bosco had a great view of the Arenal volcano; La Isla, in Puerto Viejo, on the Carribean side, had wonderful owners who when my mom hurt her toe, referred her to the best and nicest and closest doctor, and they had great breakfast ond lunches, and beautiful rooms right across the beach, and again, I cannot say enough about how kind and concerned about our comfort the owner Petra was to us; Adventure Inn in San Jose had a great huge room with a cool look and yummy breakfast.
The guides for our tours were excellent, absolutely amazing! We had a wonderful guides for Manuel Antonio Park and Damas Mangrove Sanctuary on the Pacific side—we were able to see so many animals, either up close or through a telescope that allowed us to feel upclose (white-faced capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, two-towed and three-towed sloths, iguanas, basilisks, the ferdilance snake, red-eyed green leaf frog, etc.)! The Toboccan Springs were unreal–being there felt and looked like heaven–and to top it off, we saw lava going down the volacano from there! We had a great Scuba Diving guide on the Carribean coast and I was able to see a huge spotted eagle ray! Our guides for the night Leatherback Turtle Laying Tour was beyond our wildest expectation–we were right next to the 5 foot turtle and saw and heard the whole process!!!! Our guide for Manzanillo-Gandaco Wildlife Refuge went out of his way to find the best place for spotting Spider Monkeys and Toucans, exactly what we had asked to see!
And our tranzportation was airconditioned, safe, dependable and comfy—they had shuttles with drivers who were friendly and accomodating!
This was my first vacation and I am so lucky that Gecko Trail, and especially Yetty, helped me make my family’s and my dreams come true!!!! Thank you so much for all your effort Yetty–I am so grateful for your help and effort!!!!!!
D, Lis, KJ, KimApril 20, 2010
Our trip to Costa Rica
We had an OUTSTANDING trip in Costa Rica and loved, loved, loved the itinerary you put together for us, the quality of the activities, the people we met along the way, the country, the places we stayed, and we would not change a thing. It was exactly the adventure we were seeking and you made our dreams possible! Everything went without a problem. We have each traveled extensively and usually book our own itinerary, but the package you put together was very authentic and it seemed that it was our own customized work. Gracias, gracias, gracias!
Alejandro Barrozo from Ushuaia , ArgentinaApril 11, 2010
Hola Maythe:
Ya he regresado a mi ciudad (Ushuaia en Argentina) y te escribo para agradecerte por el fantástico viaje que he realizado. Todo ha sido perfecto (la puntualidad de los transfers y tours, la atención y hospitalidad en los lugares en que me alojé, la calidad de las comidas, etc.), mejor aún de lo que podría haber soñado previamente. Tan bueno ha sido todo que en mis tours de pesca, cuyo servicio no fue contratado con ustedes, no pesqué nada ¡y no me importa!. Te cuento que pude ver el volcán Arenal despejado ¡¡¡desde la ventana de la habitación que me habías seleccionado en el Observatory Lodge!!!. También vi muchos animales y disfruté de las fantásticas playas de Manuel Antonio y Tamarindo.
He encontrado su empresa en el facebook y me agregaré a sus contactos, y con tiempo en las semanas siguientes comenzaré a subir mis fotos.
Espero volver algún día (no muy lejano) con mi esposa y familia.
Gracias!!!!!! He tenido una gran dosis de PURA VIDA.
Alejandro.
Familie Müller und Ludewig from GermanyApril 11, 2010
Wir möchten uns ganz herzlich für den tollen Urlaub bedanken, den wir in der Zeit vom 16.-30.3.2010 in Costa Rica verbringen konnten. Die atemberaubenden Naturerlebnisse und die außergewöhnlichen Touren(Canopy; Rafting..)werden uns lange in Erinnerung bleiben. Die Auswahl der Hotels und Lodges, die Tourenplanung und Organisation ließ keine Wünsche offen. Dass dieser erlebnissreiche Urlaub auch Raum ließ für Erholung und Entspanung ist der durchdachten Planung und Organisation von Gecko Trail Adventures zu verdanken. Danke an alle Beteiligten und weiterhin gue Ideen und zufriedene Kunden !
Robert from EnglandMarch 30, 2010
Congratulations
Dear Gecko,
Congratulations, our trip went exactly to plan-no problems whatsoever.
We didn’t have to think about a thing and had a wonderfull time-we can’t praise you enough.
We’ve been travelling for over 35 years- in fact I had a travel book published worldwide a number of years ago-so I figure I’m in a good position to recognise a class travel company when I deal with one.
If we plan a return next year, you will be the first to know.
Wishing you all the best for the future
Rob And Morag
Shelly Steckhahn from Milwaukee, WisconsinMarch 14, 2010
Great Shuttle Page
Hi,
I have been traveling throughout Costa Rica for many years and I really like your shared shuttle ride page on your website I recently found. I usually take interbus everywhere and I was aware of grayline, but I didn’t really know about the other companies that provide an alternative to the public bus or private transfer. I will definitely be using this page in future travels.
Thanks Again!
Shelly
Natalie Sholer from LondonMarch 14, 2010
Gecko trail organised our 2 week holiday in Costa Rica and everything went really smoothly which saved us a lot of time and hassle trying to sort things out for ourselves. we were pleased with all of the hotels we stayed at and all of the trips that we booked were great. Overall I would highly recommend their service.
Keith from Boston USAMarch 13, 2010
great trip
We took the “Coast-to-coast: Pacific & Caribbean plus Mountains” trip and added a few days.
It was an excellent way of getting an overview of Costa Rica. We originally were going to rent a car and do something similar ourselves but then we found Gecko / Nina and are very glad we did they offer an excellent service and were very efficient and professional. The travel always arrived on time and the hotels were all good. Their recommendations for alternatives … were all-good. We would unconditionally recommend booking through Gecko.
Tim from Cork, IrelandMarch 8, 2010
Just a quick note to say thanks to Maythe and all at Gecko for organising all our activites, tranfers etc. during our recent trip to Costa Rica. Everything went like clockwork and their knowhow enabled us to make the most of our time. Thanks Guys!
Joanna and Jon from Rehoboth, MAFebruary 10, 2010
Stress-free traveling!
Hi there! Just a quick note to thank you for all your help arranging transportation for us for our 12-day honeymoon. With it being our first time visiting Costa Rica, we thought it would be a little too stressful trying to rent a car and find a way around. The cabs and busses that you booked for us were all on time and our drivers were all very professional. And the white water rafting trip from Puerto Viejo to Arenal was one of the biggest highlights of our trip! We LOVED our tour. Thank you so much! Cheers!
Amber from CanadaFebruary 8, 2010
All of our bookings with Gecko Trail were great. Nina found us ideal accommodation that was our style and within our budget range at the last minute both in Monte Verde and on the Caribbean coast. We were grateful to have booked our night hike, guided trek and hanging bridges tours in Monte Verde through these travel specialists – they have good, reliable contacts, making this portion of our trip smooth and fun.
We miss Costa Rica and all the Pura Vida! Hope to be back soon. Muchas gracias Gecko!
Cynthia KannerJanuary 26, 2010
I just wanted to say thank you for handling some of our arrangements on our Christmas trip to Costa Rica!! We loved your country and were so happy that everything went so smoothly. We really enjoyed our bus trip from San Jose to Cahuita and Javier did a wonderful job with our snorkeling adventure during our stay there.
Thank you again for everything – this was a very special first overseas trip for us as a family!!
Lindsey Wadsworth from Portsmouth, EnglandJanuary 17, 2010
Great trip
We recently enjoyed a fabulous holiday in Costa Rica organised by Kikki and Nina at Gecko. The whole holiday was absolutely brilliant. The staff at Gecko helped us figure out what we wanted to do, incorporated it all in the timescale we wanted, recommended alternative hotels and organised the whole lot so every day went perfectly. All out pick-ups were on time, with door-to-door service and friendly drivers and a great way to meet other travellers and share experiences.
We did the ATV tour, 2 day white-water rafting trip, horse-riding, La Fortuna waterfall, Arenal volcano and Tabacon hot springs and ziplining and Monteverde cloud forest.
The ATV tour was a brilliant, laid-back intorduction to Costa Rica with a lovely, genuine guide who knew masses about all the wildlife and area.
The white-water rafting was one of the best experiences we have ever had. Staying in the camp overnight was unbelieveable – the perfect way to get away from everything – and our guides Michael and Leo were great hosts and great cooks! We would recommend 2 days instead of one to everyone!
All the other trips were great, and I even got to video all the way down one of the wires on the canopy tour – what a fantastic souvenir!
All of our hotels were as described. All clean, with good facilities and friendly owners/staff. We particularly liked Trapp Family Lodge in Monteverde, Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo and Hotel Flores in Tamarindo.
Our experience of Costa Rica was unforgettable. Everyone was helpful and friendly and we will continue to recommend Costa Rica and Gecko Trails to everyone we know!
Dennis and Rona True from Post Fallis, IdahoJanuary 17, 2010
Thank you Gecko and Maythe, for an amazing trip at a great price. All of our connections were perfect. Every single shuttle was on time and extremely friendly and helpful. We loved all of our accomodations except one. Caribe Town was a total disappointment. We had hoped to finish our trip at a really nice resort, and it was definitely not that at all. When our taxi arrived, there was no one there to let us in. We pounded on the gate and were finally let in by a friend of the owners, who was there with his family. We had no hot water which my husband tried to fix several times and there were no amenities as described on the brochure. The place looked pretty shut down. Apparently Caribe Town is for sale, and the owners have kind of written it off. I would not recommend this place to others. That being said, the entire rest of the trip was fantastic. Arco Iris Lodge in Monteverde was beautiful, sustainable, and the buffet breakfast was great, especially the monkeys outside the window for entertainment. The canopy and zipline were wonderful and words don’t describe how fabulous this place is.
Our stay in La Fortuna was great too. Campo Verde was just outside of town and was also beautiful with a terrific view of Mt. Arenal. Our hike and visit to Tabacon were superb. Hotel Jacaranda in Puerto Viejo was such a great stop for us. Located in town, it was quiet, yet close to everything. The gardens, yoga, friendly staff, and community kitchen were just perfect. It was just the right blend of service and privacy. I had a really bad case of laryngitis when I was there and Vera, the owner made me a nice drink of brandy and honey. That’s what I call personal service.
Rafting the Pacuare was wonderful. We had actually requested the Reventazon, but wound up on the Pacuare. I was worried about my back, but it was great and I would recommend it to anyone who is afraid it might be to much for them. Don’t miss out!
One last thing. We had heard several horror stories about robberies while traveling in Costa Rica. Our total experience was that Costa Rica is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I left my camera behind at one of our stops. When I realized it was missing several hours later, the restaurant where we were eating helped us locate the correct number and made the call for us. When I got there, the people behind the desk had held it for me. So much for the horror stories. There are more good people in the world than bad. Pure Vida!
Nina from Gecko Trail AdventuresAugust 1, 2010
Thanks Dennis and Rona for your comments. We appreciate you letting us know about your problems at Caribe Town and we apologize for your troubles. Since this event, the ownership has indeed changed. I have met the new owners and toured the property and I feel very confident now in recommending Caribe Town to our clients. The new owners Jessica and Kyle have done a great renovation of the property and everything looks fresh and inviting now! And the feedback we’ve gotten since the change is 100% positive.
Jill Fish from Santa Clarita, CAJanuary 17, 2010
Rafting
We booked our Exploradora trip thru Gecko Trail Adventures. We were upgraded to a harder and longer trip at no extra charge. One of our most fun experiences. Despite a problem with Paypal, Grecko took care of making it right. We would definitly use them to book future trips.
Bethany from Augusta, GAJanuary 17, 2010
Wonderful!!
Maythe was wonderful from beginning to end. She set up all of our tours, transportation to/from San Jose to Puerto Viejo and the hotel stays the night we flew in and the night before we flew back.
The prices on the tours were more then reasonable and everything we did was a blast. She even helped accommodate a last minute surfing lesson.
I would, and do, highly recommend both Maythe and Gecko Trail Adventures to anyone wanting to do anything or stay anywhere in Costa Rica.
Thanks for everything Maythe! Hope we get to cross paths again sometime in the future.
glenda smelt from Thunder Bay, CanadaJanuary 17, 2010
Costa Ric trip
We were in Costa Rica for 9 days in December. Our trip was awesome. We did several adventures, and all were excellent, even though the zip-lining scared the —- out of me. Our favourite was the white-water rafting, somehting neither of us had ever done. I was a bit nervous, but the confidence and humour of the guide on the raft made the entire 4 hours very fun.
Every guide was friendly and helpful, and encouraging and comical. We found all the guides knowledgable about the country and very proud to teach about it.
Every pick-up was on time, which was very comforting when you are in another country and there is somewhat of a language barrier.
We were disappointed in having to cancel the snorkelling due to unsafe water conditions, but we much enjoyed the kayak/hiking trip that replaced it.
We Thank you Yetty for setting it all up, and for recommending the hotels in San Jose, and for your guidance in how to get a taxi from the airport to the Adventure Inn. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
We have already recommended you guys to several friends, and so hopefully you will see some more folks from here in the great white north of Thunder Bay soon.
Thanx again….
glenda smelt
Charles Sanders from Palm Desert, CaliforniaJanuary 17, 2010
Gecko Trail Adventures
We want to thank you for setting up our Wet & Wild November, 2009 vacation. Maythe did a great job with the arrangements and kept us fully informed from start to finish. She provide the personal touch that is often missing in vacation planning.
The Pacuare River rafting trip was personally challenging, the zip line canopy tour was exciting and physically exhausting, but worth every minute! The trip to Tortuguero National Park was filled with wildlife, and the rain forest and sea turtle preserve were awe inspiring!
Our lodging at Casa 69 in San Jose, at Azania Bungalows in Puerto Viejo, and the Lodge at Tortuguero all met our expectations for excellence and great service.
Thank you for making our first Costa Rica vacation a memorable one. We will definitely be back.
leylen from argentinaJanuary 2, 2010
alojamiento y transporte en puerto viejo
hola, soy de argentina y viajo a pto viejo el 19 de enero.
quisiera recomendacion sobre el hospedaje, busco algo bueno, bonito y barato.
tambien sobre el traslado desde el aeropuerto hacia la terminal caribe, aunque ya tengo toda la informacion, no tengo exactamente cual es la linea de autobus quehace el traslado directo.
mi viaje no es solo de turista, mi idea es quedarme un tiempo por alli.
es un cambio de aire.
gracias
espero alguna respuesta, y cualquier otro consejo que puedan decirme.
hello, I’m from Argentina and traveled to Pto Viejo on January 19.
I would like recommendation on lodging, look for something good, nice and cheap.
Also on the transfer from the airport to the terminal of the Caribbean, even if it has all the information, I do not understand exactly where the bus line direct transfer task.
my trip is not only a tourist, my idea is to stay a while in there.
It is a change of air.
thanks
I expect an answer, and any other advice I can say.
I expect an answer, and any other advice I can say.
Annika Anderson from New YorkNovember 30, 2009
Hello again,
I am now home from my trip to Costa Rica and I wanted to say thanks for all your help planning my transportation in Costa Rica. Thank you for answering all of my many questions and I will definitely recommend your company to my friends and family when they come to Costa Rica.
Thanks, Annika Anderson from New York
Annette L SmithNovember 12, 2009
Maythe, helped me personalize my trip and changed my itinerary multiple times without any problems. I had been looking for a very specific itinerary and what would have cost me close to $4000 cost me less than a third going through Gecko Trail Adventures.
I was amazed at how all the transport appeared on time without any hitches. I would not hesitate to use Gecko again and I would recommend them to anyone.
Recommended trips:
Sky Tram Arenal/Zipo Lining
Pacuare River Rafting
Desafio Canyoneering
Zip Lining Caribbean
Jaguar Sanctuary Caribbean
Tortuguero
Tabacon Hot Springs was fabulous for the evening and staying at Banana Azul was so relaxing after alot of active trips and tours. I loved Costa Rica and Maythe made it so easy for me to enjoy the country and I would go back in a second and will be using Gecko again to help me find my way around. Thank you so much.
Beth from San Francisco, USANovember 2, 2009
Nina booked a 10 day trip for our party of 6 in August 2009 and she ROCKS! Gecko was wonderful. She had lots of suggestions and took our feedback about what we wanted (cheaper accomodations, surfing, etc.) and made it all work. Her knowledge of the county and what there was to do was great. Favs would be Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo, such a wonderful, laid back and beautiful place! LOVED Tabacon Hot Springs… expensive but worth it. Costa Rica — Pura Vida!
Paddy and Kevin from Vancouver, CanadaOctober 31, 2009
Best trip we ever had
We had an itinerary booked for us by Gecko trail (in April of this year). Our trip was similar to the package here.
The Tabacon Hot Springs are absolutely amazing.
We did the horseback ride up to the waterfall in La Fortuna, and would highly recommend it.
We opted for a TWO day rafting trip which included an overnight in a very remote site (with sleeping huts).
Our last several days were spent at Banana Azul….loved the atmosphere there. Very warm and laid back.
At first we weren’t sure about not having a car for the two weeks, but the transportation worked out well (flawlessly) and a car would have been inconvenient. All our transportation showed up on time and knew exactly where we we supposed to go, taking us door to door.
This was the best and easiest trip we have ever done. It was so nice to have Gecko trails work out ALL the details so we just had to show up at the airport!
Sharon from SwitzerlandOctober 27, 2009
to Nina: es isch so brutal de hammer gsi!!! ich han no nie i so kurzer ziit so viel über es land erfahre und so viel gseh wi in Costa Rica! Mir hend gar nüm wele gah das hend eus den au eusi Körper zrugzahlt…mir sind grad krank worde womer dihei acho sind:-D! du bisch eifach genial!!! Danke danke danke viel viel viel mal!! Mir freued eus dich und din Maa scho bald bi eus ide schwiiz z ha…den zeigemer ihm eusi schöne LIECHT kalte berge:-P
To all Ladies at gecko trail: you’re beautiful:-)
Pilar from RIOctober 25, 2009
Gecko services
I was impressed on how we were picked up on time for every activity we booked for. Everyone was very friendly and pleasant.
Paula ThomaOctober 6, 2009
I just wanted to thank you for all of your time and dedicated efforts on our behalf. We had a fabulous vacation that exceeded our expectations in every way. The accommodations, the time spent at each location, the transportation, and the activities were all perfect. My husband had a hard time relaxing the first 2 days as he wasn’t used to having someone else take care of the driving and tours, but once he saw that we were going to be well-taken care of, he let go and got 100% into the vacation groove. This allowed us just to relax and concentrate on being together and maximizing each glorious day. It was just what we needed and he said he had one of the best birthdays of his life.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and expertise – I knew immediately we were in the best of hands. We are already thinking about our return trip (we loved the Puerto Viejo area) and we’ll make sure to contact you again for your help and guidance.
Beth Villegas from Orange County, CASeptember 29, 2009
Shuttle to Cahuita
This was our second time to use Gecko Trail Adventures for transportation to and from the airport to Cahuita. We couldn’t have asked for better service. Maythe answered all of my e-mails promptly and Jeremy was a courteous and knowlegable driver, pointing out places of interest as he drove. We will definitely use Gecko Trail Adventures again, and will recommend them highly to family and friends.
Stephanie and Eric from Long Island, NYSeptember 21, 2009
Thanks to the Gecko Trail Adventures crew, my boyfriend and I had an AMAZING trip to Costa Rica. We stayed at Azania Bungalows and were very pleased. We loved the privacy of the bungalows other hotels didn’t have. Each bungalow had their own hammock which was my boyfriend’s favorite part! The tour guides were always on time for our pick ups. All the tours were everything I imagined and more! We went on the volcano tour and were able to see and hear lava rocks coming down the Arenal Volcano. We went with Tabacon Hot Springs, its totally worth the extra bucks. The horseback ride to a waterfall tour was lots of fun. It was about a 40 minute horseback ride followed by a small hike through the forest to get to the waterfall. The zipline tour was absolutely breathtaking.I highly recommend organizing tours with Gecko Trails. They just made planning our trip so easy! On our next trip to Costa Rica, we will be calling Gecko Trails Adventures. Thanks again!
David + Mary W. and Friends from San Diego, CASeptember 21, 2009
River Rafting Rio Pacuare + Tortugero
We used Gecko Trails to book our river rafting tour, trip to Tortuguero and hotel in San Jose. They were efficient and very easy to work with. All our trips and accomodations were very nice. We did river rafting on the Pacuare a few years back through Rios Tropicales –we contacted them for river rafting on this last trip but they never returned emails…bad service and I would never use Rios Tropicales again. So we got in touch with Gecko Trails and they took care of everything and it did not cost us anymore than what was published on the river rafting outfit company’s website…I forgot the outfitter’s name but its supposedly the best one in the country. Overall, we were very satisfied with Gecko Trail Adventures’ service and we would use them again and have already recommended them to our family and friends.
Susan Seeley from Piedmont, California USASeptember 16, 2009
Our recent trip
Gecko Trail Adventures was a great choice for us older folks. They were prompt and the arrangements were terrific. We especially enjoyed the hotel in Monteverde. The tours and the guides were all very knowledgable and excellent. We managed to do Hanging Bridges and loved the river rafting. Thanks for making the trip fun. We would not choose Bannana Azul again but were happy at Caribe Blue!
Nassim, Stephanie, & Kristi from Los Angeles, CAAugust 17, 2009
We recently spent a week in Costa Rica and had a wonderful experience. Kikki was so helpful with creating an itinerary for us and answering all my questions. We went rafting, hiking, ziplining, horseback riding, and on ATVs. It was definitely a fun and worthwhile experience and Gecko Adventures did a great job in helping us with all our tours and accommodations.
Andrew & Octavio from Ft LauderdaleAugust 17, 2009
Gecko Tours makes planning a trip to Costa Rica so easy & fun
We had such an amazing trip to Costa Rica this month. Maythe and the team at Gecko Tours took care of all the arrangements and tours for us. It was so easy and non stressful. Everything went off without one hitch. Costa Ricans are an extremely punctual group. They arrived for all our tours exactly when they said they would. Changes were easy before we left the states. White water rafting on the Pacure is a must with Exploradora tours. Ask for Ricky Bobby as your rafting guide. All the tours were excellently staffed and we just can’t say enough good things about our trip. We can’t wait to go back. We highly recommend Gecko Tours to help plan one of your most amazing vacations. If you are adventurous type, book the Full Day Jungle adventure. It is for the extreme outdoors person. Lots of fun and very exhillerating. Have fun… Drew & Octavio
Julie, Jenny & Chris from Ft Calhoun, NE, USAAugust 13, 2009
Can’t say enough good things about all the wonderful arrangements that Gecko Tours (and particularly Kikki) did for us. We were very impressed with the top quality of all the tours and the lodging accomodations were great. The Costa Rica people really know tourism and we felt we got a fantastic deal for our vacation dollars. Thank you Gecko!
Clare from Brooklyn, NYAugust 12, 2009
Special Memories
Thanks to the Gecko team for ensuring our trip was packed (and I mean Packed!) with memorable activities from start to finish. Our itinerary was complex and we couldn’t have managed the logistics without Nina’s help. I often book my excursions through tour operators on my trips, but the personalized service and follow up with gecko are unsurpassed.
Emily Donelan from Ramsey, NJ USAJuly 20, 2009
Thank you so much for an amazing trip. Everything went exactly as planned. I was very nervous about everything working out but things just seemed to fall into place. Everyone showed up on time, we were picked up and dropped off exactly where we wanted. And Maythe, thank you especially for being so helpful and responding to my emails so quickly. You made everything easier, especially when our plans were so up in the air for a while. Thanks Gecko!!!
Bethany from Augusta, GAJuly 16, 2009
I just wanted to say thanks from the bottom of my heart. Maythe has been nothing less then amazing from the very first email. She has been there to offer tour suggestions, hotels, and general advice whenever requested. She has really gone above and beyond.
Now I just need to get there to enjoy the fun!!!
Thanks guys!!
Megan, Dan, Ryan, Kate from PAJuly 6, 2009
I can’t even begin to describe how amazing our time in Costa Rica was…and it would not have been half as great if it weren’t for Nina and Gecko Trail Adventures. Everything was like clockwork and all the hotels we stayed in were beyond awesome. I can’t say enough about the team at Gecko Trail. Don’t Costa Rica without them! 🙂
Charlene & Owen from Dublin, IrelandJuly 4, 2009
We used Gecko Trail Adventures to book a whitewater rafting trip including transport from San Jose to Puerto Viejo the day before travel – so impressed we went on to stay with them at their wonderful hotel in Puerto Viejo (Banana Azul) and book two more excellent trips with them (sloth sanctuary and Tortuguero). Highly recommended, fantastic staff!
Rachael from Baltimore, MDJuly 3, 2009
Great Trip all around!
My new husband and I used Gecko Trails to book excursions for our Honeymoon in June. Nina was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable in helping us book everything we needed. All the companies we went with for excursions were professional and safe, not to mention a blast! Our favorite was the Canopy Ziplining tour, the guides were so friendly and fun. We highly recomend using this company, you will not be dissapointed!
Rickey Broussard from Ingleside TXJuly 3, 2009
My second trip to Costa Rica was better than the first. I stayed at Banana Azul again and Colin and Roberto were welcoming us home. Nina, our tour operator with Gecko Trail was fantastic this year just as she was last year. I will be back within the next year to spend my time in Peurto Viejo.
Clark from Ogden, UtahJuly 3, 2009
My family used Gecko Trails for our trip in June of 2009. One of the places we were staying cancelled on us last minute and we really had to scramble to change our tour pick ups and drop offs. They did not miss a beat. Very helpful and kind. I have nothing but praise for Gecko Trails. Thanks for a great time!
Amanda Casali from Buffalo, NYJune 18, 2009
Perfect Trip!
I used Gecko Trail Adventures for my trip in late May 2009. The trip was flawless! Every pick up was on time, every guide was amazingly nice and every adventure was awesome! Worth Every penny and more! I went with my husband and his family and everyone was extremely nice to us! I would recommend them to anyone who is going to CR! Pura Vida!
Tara Grieb-ReidJune 16, 2009
Just wanted to drop you a line to say “Thank You” for all you did to set-up our transportation from the airport when we arrived and the flawless trip up to the Arenal area with this trip. It was a great experience I only regret I did not have more time up in La Fortuna. Thank you again for making all the arrangements, I will certainly recommend your company to all that plan a
trip to Costa Rica.
Chris and Elliot from Boston, USAJune 12, 2009
Gecko Trail Adventures was a godsend! We wanted to stay at Banana Azul and they directed me to Nina for our travel and tour needs. She booked everything for us from Arenal to Puerto Viejo. Everything worked out well and, amazingly, every Interbus shuttle was on time to get us. We wanted this to be a relaxing vacation where we didn’t have to figure out every detail on our own and it was that. Nina was knowledgeable and able to remedy any issue. We won’t plan another trip to CR without her!
Diane DuffJune 11, 2009
Katia, Kikki, Maythe and Nina:
Thank you for your follow-up note. I can’t tell you how much fun we had on our Costa Rica trip. All of the activities and hotels your team put together were wonderful, scheduled perfectly, nicely located, etc. The Tabacon Spa was a special treat. The food everywhere was terrific. I particularly want to note how impressed I was with the safety consciousness of the adventure activities—zip line, white water rafting especially. I felt like I was truly in the hands of professionals. Thanks for all of your efforts, and I hope to visit your lovely country again.
Tina & Dennis from Austin, TXJune 11, 2009
I found out about Gecko Trail Adventures through a link on Banana Azul’s website. Once the decision was made to stay at Banana Azul, it was with pure relief and excitement that we learned about Gecko Trail Adventures. I worked very closely with Nina to book the Romance & Adventure package with two extra nights in San Jose (Casa 69: Two thumbs up). I agree with everyone else’s reviews: the scheduling, personal attention, and drive to satisfy are unparalled. The partnerships that Gecko Trail has built with all of the participating hospitality companies is amazing. I felt like a princess the entire time! My ONLY (mild) complaint was with the “Romantic Dinner for Two.” I wasn’t 100% happy with the dinner, but I feel I might be alone on this, as I can see that El Loco Natural is a very popular dinner destination in Puerto Viejo.
A huge thank you to Nina and everyone at Gecko Trail for orchestrating a perfect symphony of romance and adventure (hence the aptly named vacation package)for an unforgettable trip to the most beautiful place in the world!
Kele & Matt from Santa Monica, USAJune 9, 2009
Gecko Trail Adventures organized a wonderful vacation for my boyfriend and I. Everything was organized and on time – we never had to worry about any of our plans so the entire vacation was stress-free! Maythe was especially wonderful and I owe the return of my digital camera to her (for her unlimited kindness and patience). I strongly recommend booking your Costa Rican Adventure through this fantastic company.
Lucy & Rosie from Pasadena, CAJune 8, 2009
Just took a trip to Costa Rica, it was so pleasant to have Mayte with Gecko Trail Adventures book the whole trip. Everyday was action packed and worth the physical exhaustion. We white water rafted, hiked, zip lined and went horseback riding! All in 4 1/2 days! Next time i will be sure to make it at least 1 week and allow for some down time in between. Pura Vida!
Laia from SpainJune 5, 2009
We just came back from Costa Rica and we had a really really nice time touring the Caribbean side of the country. We booked a two days tour to Tortuguero with Maythe from gecko trails that we enjoyed a lot. The guides were really knowledgeable and experienced and we learned and enjoyed a lot. We got Maythe’s help in every moment explaining in detailed all the tour and answering very nicely and fast silly questions like how is the weather in there and which clothes should we bring. We really appreciate her help along the way. I strongly recommend a visit to Costa Rica. One of the best trips I’ve ever made.
margaret from Raleigh, NC, USAApril 27, 2009
Thank you, Nina!
My friend and I had a little bit of a stutter getting down to Costa Rica, but Nina was there every step of the way and put together a wonderful vacation for us.
On our 2 nights in San Jose, we stayed with Kurt at Casa 69, and it was absolutely wonderful – a relaxing and comfortable oasis in the middle of the city. His hospitality is outstanding, and you cannot go wrong staying there. We cannot wait to see Kurt again on our next trip there.
While in Puerto Viejo, we were fortunate enough to stay at Casa Las Brisas with the wonderful Michel. Staying at Las Brisas was like spending the week with a good friend, comfortable and warm. We miss you, Michel!!
The tours we booked were: Rafting, Canopy/Zipline, and Snorkel and Hike in Cahuita Nat’l Park. On our free days, Nina helped us arrange trips to the BriBri Chocolate Lady and La Casa de Serpiente, where we held the most precious baby sloth!
My only regret is that we did not do the 2-day rafting trip; something we will correct next time.
I cannot say enough about Nina – She is so knowledgeable and knows exactly what will make your vacation to Costa Rica all it can be. We enjoyed working with her as well as being able to put a face to the name when we arrived. You made our trip so special and are a big part of why we felt so comfortable and fell in love with Costa Rica. Thank you for everything you did for and with us. We cannot wait to see you again next year!
Tracy from Raleigh, NCApril 7, 2009
A friend and I visited Costa Rica back in mid-March and we had an amazing time. Nina did an exceptional job at organizing and planning everything for us so we were able to just sit back and enjoy. She handled everything from room accomodations, transportation, and tours.
Our stays at Casa 69 and Las Brisas were OUTSTANDING! The hospitality we received from both Kurt and Michel were some of the best we’ve ever had. I would highly recommend both B&B’s.
The tours we did were: Rafting, Canopy/Zipline, and Snorkel and Hike in Cahuita Nat’l Park. Nina also led us to the Chocolate Lady and La Casa de Serpiente. The Rafting was by far our favorite: exciting, thrilling, and the guides were wonderful, funny, and outgoing. The only downside was we wish we did the 2 day trip. Rafting is a must! The canopy tour was also a ton of fun and again the guides play a huge role in this. The views and adventure were breathtaking. The snorkel/hike was also nice but I definitely preferred the hike over the snorkel – the water is a bit silty. The Chocolate Lady (Petronila) was really interesting and it was so nice to learn about the BriBri history and get to taste some amazing chocolate. Finally La Casa de Serpiente was a ton of fun. Where else can you get up close and personal with monkeys, sloths, and ocelots. Being the animal lover I am I was in heaven.
Thank you Nina for helping to make this such a memorable trip. Your professionalism and guidance are truly appreciated. Nina is a wealth of knowledge and I have already been recommending her to family and friends back here in the states. When we return to Costa Rica we will definitely look to Nina to help us plan our adventures!
Banu Syvertsen & Roy Thorvaldsen from Norfolk, VirginiaApril 3, 2009
Tusen takk, Tesekkur ederiz and Merci!
We just returned from Costa Rica and I wanted to give you feedback and thank you for a good job. Tusen takk, Tesekkur ederiz and Merci! all of them for you Nina!
The country is very beautiful and we are hapy that we had the chance of checking out most of its beauties. People were kind and eager to communicate and understand the French words I used instead of Spanish! .. We did not have any problems of what so ever.. Connections and people who received us or gave us to the other tour operator was smooth/good.
Most liked:
1-Totugero and Evergreens’ cabins and Jungle Tom as guide are top of the list
2-Fortuna, Arenal beautiful and relaxed atmosphere, nice small “city”, a good serious young guy as our guide (don’t know the name) He was very conscious about ecology and volcano & very knowledgable…
2 again-Banan Azul and Casa 69 and their owners, beautiful, beautiful places and geniously good people as their owners. Real gems.
3-Rafting team. Those boys, Exploradores were good organized, had humor and good skills. I was impressed how they dashed out lunch for 80 people in 15 minutes. Bravo!
4-Riding and hiking to waterfalls was a good day too. But riding guide (and a guide named Laura who did the first part of Tortugero) were hmmmmmmm.. a bit…. hmmm unmatured… yet… They need to develop in order to put the visitor to the first and not so self centered. Not bad at all but needs improvement.
5-Jacko Beach, touristy, nothing to write home about… But we had very good people at the Hotel Canciones del Mare which made the place loveable..
6-Casa Rio Blanco. I know that it was a last minute solution and we did not spend more time than sleeping there, people who own it were interesting to talk and nice to know but the cabin we stayed was a bit too rustic for me.
That’s all I can come up right now Nina. We must thank you once more to arrange this for us.
With our best wishes
Banu G. Syvertsen and Roy Thorvaldsen
Amanda and Darren from New York, NYMarch 31, 2009
Magical Costa Rican Trip
Gecko Trails and Nina truly made a wonderful experience for us form start to finish. We did the Wet n Wild tour, stayed at the fab Banana Azul, transportation was imeccable, great service, nice people. Thanks!!!!
Jesse and Michaela from Boston, MassMarch 30, 2009
Spending two weeks in Costa Rica was breathtaking, but the trip was totally stress-free thanks to Nina with Gecko Trail Adventures. We didn’t have to worry about booking any of our hotels or transportation and on top of that we got to enjoy several really cool tours! It took any and all anxiety out of vacation planning and allowed us to truly relax. Thanks!
Jessica and Josh from montanaMarch 30, 2009
PERFECT
We spent 2 weeks in CR. our 5 days at banana azul were great. Nina at Gecko Trails set everything up for us from san jose to the caribean to tortuguero and then on to la fortuna. Everything was PERFECT shuttles were always right on time and really nice. Our favorite part was the OVERNIGHT white water rafting trip that NINA set up for us.
just be careful of the rip tides
truly professional service
Claire and Alan from France and ScotlandMarch 11, 2009
Package to Tortuguero
After spending a wonderful two weeks trip to Costa Rica and in the particularly wonderul stay at Banana Azul, we booked a package to the National parc of Tortuguero. It was fantastic and the best place in the whole country to spot wildlife !! We saw crocodiles, caymans, turtles, sloths, monkeys… and the hotel was very good as well, with a great swimming pool 🙂
Tey from FloridaMarch 7, 2009
Maythe, as well as the rest of Gecko Trail staff, were nothing short of wonderful and helpful during the whole booking process and helping me find the trips/itinerary which I was exactly looking for. I will certainly be recommending them to anyone I know who is interested in taking a vacation to Costa Rica.
Emily and Colin from New YorkFebruary 23, 2009
We just got back last night from CR and we had a wonderful time. We used Gecko Trail Adventures to plan our trip and all their arrangements went like clockwork and the guides/drivers were great, especially Ivan on the rafting. We did the canopy ride in Monte Verde, by the way. Well worth the extra. As you know, the weather wasn’t exactly dry for our last days in P Viejo/Cocles, but hey we caught up on our naps and still got to wander around.
Tamara from New JerseyDecember 28, 2008
Thank you Gecko Trails!
Agustin –
I left a note for you at Banana Azul – but just wanted to make sure you knew how much I appreciated your help. My trip to Costa Rica was amazing… and after friends saw my pics I think I’ll be “selling” my itinerary to others and sending them your way. Thanks again – happy holidays to everyone that helped or I met (Kurt, Colin, Roberto, Doug)