Independent tours

[CruisinFools]

Can anyone suggest good, reputable tour operators in Costa Rica. I hate paying the overpriced cruiseline shore excursions prices and have found that we get our money's worth from the locals. But we are wary (and not stupid). Can anyone suggest a good local tour operator? Thanks!

[sophiecruiser]

Feb. 22 our group of 29 was escorted by Charlie Soto [okeydokeytours@hotmail.com] on a private tour bus. Charlie was very helpful throughout the planning process. We knew we wanted to do the zip line, see theTortuguero canals by boat and buy coffee. We did all that plus stopped at a banana plantation and by the side of the road to hold a sloth - which was the highlight of our children's day.

 

He will answer your emails quickly and is very accommodating to your needs. We found him to be very honest also. He's a good man - I highly recommend him!

Sophie

[nana1902p]

:) Contact Dennis .... infoexploringtour.com :)

He took 4 of us for the day.. Great guy and will do whatever you want without all the crowds.

[springfire]

Charlie Soto is the way to go!

[Jdleong]

We just got home from the Legend, and our tour with Charlie Soto ( actually George) was great. He there when we came off the ship, we went Ziplinning,canals,beach,and to the store for coffee. George was very imformative and took great care of the 12 of us in his bus. My dad didn't zipline, and George made sure he had cool drinks and stayed out of the sun. Using a private operator is not only cost savings, but I think you get a better idea of the country and are taken better care of than ship tours.

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy yourself..

Cruisinfools...if you want a fantastic tour in Belize check out Smugglers run plantation under the Belize thread...it is the BEST!

[travelgirl87]

We used Euvangie (email is euvangie@hotmail.com) and our guide was great. We got tons more accomplished during our relatively short touring time than did the folks that took the ship's tour. We also avoided much of the large crowds and so got a more personalized, flexible tour. Highlights of our trip included the sloth sanctuary, the Del Monte banana packing plant/plantation, and a boat trip on the Tortuguero Canal (loads of birds and some wildlife). We also had several other stops, including one at a large local grocery chain to shop for coffee and other edible souvenirs.

[spicy1]

Feb. 22 our group of 29 was escorted by Charlie Soto [okeydokeytours@hotmail.com] on a private tour bus. Charlie was very helpful throughout the planning process. We knew we wanted to do the zip line, see theTortuguero canals by boat and buy coffee. We did all that plus stopped at a banana plantation and by the side of the road to hold a sloth - which was the highlight of our children's day.

 

He will answer your emails quickly and is very accommodating to your needs. We found him to be very honest also. He's a good man - I highly recommend him!

Sophie

 

Hi Sophie,

I'm very impressed by what you wrote about Soto. I too would like to book him for a group of 20 people, and take the exact tour you took. Would you mind telling me how much you paid for your tour per person? I too have young kids who would love this tour.

THanks.

[sophiecruiser]

The cost was $85pp - and only $45pp if you did not do the zip line.

 

Charlie met us at the pier - we boarded the bus and drove about 1/2 hour to Las Brisas zip line. On the ride, Charlie collected $40 each from those who wanted to do the zip line. There were 5 in our group who were too afraid - so they stayed with Charlie on the ground and took pictures of everyone. There are several opportunities for great action shots. As we completed the zip line, Charlie gave us fresh sliced fruit, bottled water, Imperial beer (the local beer), Lite Coke (diet coke).

 

We drove to the banana plantation, got off the bus. Charlie explained the entire growth process of the bananas; which the adults found interesting. The kids found some great bugs to entertain them - big spiders/webs, the longest row of ants you ever saw, etc......Then we stopped by the side of the road and saw the sloth. We tipped the kids with the sloth - a couple of American dollars from each of us.

 

Then onto Tortugeuro for the boat ride. These were operated by the locals. We were split up into two boats (nothing luxurious) they had outboard motors which were noisy, but the guide was extremely knowledgable and pointed out amazing wildlife that we would not have ever found with our own untrained eyes. We saw Jesus Lizards (the bright green lizards that 'walk' on water, crocodiles - or were they alligators(?) and many birds.... We also tipped our guides a couple of American dollars from each of us. I don't know how much Charlie paid them for the boat ride. We only tipped them.

 

Then we stopped at the grocery store to buy coffee. Charlie went in with us and showed us which kind to buy. The kids bought a box of Fruit Loops because they thought it was neat that all the words were in Spanish. A couple of us bought t-shirts for $5 - $10 each. The coffee was SO inexpensive! We bought the large bags of whole beans for less than 4 american dollars each. Don't buy it from the ship!

 

We then drove up a big hill that overlooked the ocean and could see our ship docked. It was beautiful. Then it was back to the pier. At that time, we paid Charlie $45pp American dollars. We included extra $$ for a tip for Charlie and also tipped the driver separate from Charlie.

 

So with all the tipping, it ended up costing us about $100 pp. Be sure to bring small Amercian bills with you - nothing larger than a $20 for the grocery store - and smaller bills for tipping. I also brought him post cards of New Hampshire (where we live) so he could see our snow covered mountains and maple syrup and maple candies for his family. He was very appreciative.

 

You will really enjoy your day with Charlie. He's a great guy!

 

Sophie

[kmdress]

Another vote for Charlie Soto. He was at the end of the pier holding a paper with our name as soon as we got off the ship. You can pick the tour with or without the ziplining. We picked A1, no zipping. We stopped at a local house, ate bananas, a fresh cocoa pod, fresh coconut and some other fruit. Stopped for sloth pictures and a family of monkeys. Went to the DelMonte banana plantation, the canals, beach, and local market for coffee. We had both Carlos and Charlie and they were wonderful. Charlie made sure evenone had fried plantains at the beach/dinner stop. We reserved our excursion about a month before leaving. Charlie responded immediately to my email and answered any and all questions quickly. Would go with him again in a heartbeat!!!

[fierball]

I have used a man and his name is Augustas Beckford three or four times when I have been to Pureto Limon. I have just got back from a trip to the canal and to Costa Rica. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge and he is great. He knows where to take you to see the things that you will want to see. He is also a former employee from a cruise ship.

 

Augustasbeckford@yahoo.com

Augustasbeckford@gmail.com

 

Thanks for giving him a try !

[damman]

We're just back from Costa Rica, and took the tour with Euvangie on April 11. Eugene was waiting for us at the pier with a sign with our name on it when we arrived.

 

First we went ZipLining through the tropical rain forrest. Eugene got us there first thing in the morning, so that we where the only two people on the zip lines, and we could enjoy the scenery and wildlife without the pressure of a line of people behind us.

 

Then it was then on to the Tortuguero canal tour, where again we where the only 2 people in the boat which Eugene had chartered for us, while other boats chock full of cruise ship passengers sailed by.

 

And then on to a beautiful local beach. We didn't get to do much swimming as the rain started but scenic none the less.

 

We then went to an animal sanctuary where we were able to see the local wildlife up close.

 

 

Eugene then took us to a local store where we were able to buy Coffee, Real Vanilla Extract, and Liquor at prices much cheaper then what was being charged near the cruise dock.

 

Eugene then dropped us off at the ship with plenty of time to share.

 

We found Eugene to be professional, informative and reliable. We were transported in a late model air-conditioned sedan. Eugene gladly supplied the cold water, soda, local beer, and fresh fruit.

 

 

 

Euvangie gets my highest recommendation!

[snoe]

I vote for Oscar. He was great. You can see two videos of Oscar on my website www.mydatalion.com plus a couple of the banana plantation he takes you to. The photos of the sloths and monkey are at the amimal re-hab center that he takes you to. He also dropped us off for a jungle river excursion. His sister Carol Brown handles the reservations and can be contacted at limonense03@yahoo.com........be careful of the white face monkey at the animal rehab center. It will take your camera right out of your hand if you get too close to the cage. If you not believe me watch the video on website. Apparently she was successful taking a camera from a lady the other day with her tail. She took the camera, smelled it and decided it was not food and through it on the ground inside the cage. Ha Ha

[bell2]

We just got back from our cruise and used Danilo Hall (adventure_caribbean@yahoo.com) in Puerto Limon. He and his assistant, Dayana were genuinely nice people, who really seemed to enjoy sharing their knowledge of the area with us, and our group of 7 ranging from age 12 to 82 had a great tour with him. Even though it was a holiday week, so unfortunately the banana plantation and animal sanctuary we were going to were closed, he still took us by the bananas and was able to tell us info about them, and the kids got to hold a baby monkey a man had there. He knew a place we could spot howler monkeys, and there were a lot of them to see. We enjoyed the Canal tour, too, and saw more sloths, iguanas, birds, some kids holding a baby cayman, etc. Took us to a grocery store at the end so I could get coffee and didn't rush us when we wanted to look around it a bit, even tho it was the end of the tour.

Our family likes to try different foods, so he would even stop the van when he saw something we might like to try, such as a cashew fruit, mountain apple, etc.

 

Though it sounds like there are many good independent operators we highly recommend Danilo.

 

P.S. He drives very safely around all those terrific Costa Rican potholes.

[worldover]

What is ziplinning?:confused:

[captainron]

Hi,

This great experience is...being slung in a harness from a pulley attached to a cable and flying across and through the canopy of the rain forest. Line lengths vary from the short 20 ft trainer to some of the longest at 650-700 feet.

You are provided with hard hats, and thick gloves which you use on the cable for brakes. Even if you end up going too fast, the spotters catch you at the other end.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[trcori]

My review of our recent tour from him was removed (I personally think that rule, which I hadn't heard about before taking the time to write the review in hopes of helping people, is a shame; you can tell the difference between a review from a first-time poster who might be the guide him/herself, and a veteran board participant, but it's not my sandbox) -- anyway, we enjoyed our half-day to Cahuita National Park with him two weeks ago. Best swimming of our entire cruise, in fact, and best wildlife sightings too -- TR

[fallriver_ns]

Hi...I agree with ..TRICORI .. I feel if not for the reviews posted on this site we would never have experienced Costa Rica the way we so enjoyed it.. Charlie Soto and his drivers and guides present their country as true Ambassador's and professional guides that love their Country...If I were browsing this site today for the first time I would have missed his name ..Kevin

[PharmacyRx]

Just returned 4/23/06 from cruise that we booked thru Euvangie@hotmail.com.

 

Euvangie met us at the pier holding a sign with our names on it, and our guide/ driver, was a native gentleman named Mario. He, and the places, he took us was the highlight of the cruise for us!

 

Very relaxed, leisurely pace without having to share a bus with 60 other people. Toured Del Monte Banana Planatation where Mario used to work;(he put his daughter thru medical school by working there and she is now a dr.)and with him being a former employee we were able to go in areas where the "regular" tour was not. Took a river ride and saw crocs,monkeys, sloths, fruit bats. Mario knocked some coconuts out of a tree for us and we drank coconut water. Very tasty!

 

Took us about to places off the "tourist" path and was a wealth of knowledge about the people, fauna, flora and lifestysle of the people there.

 

Very safe, private, AIR CONDITIONED vehicle and I would recommend this

tour! When you arrive at Limon walk all the way off the pier and Euvangie will be right in front of you. Look for a sign with your name! Happy journeys!

[Driftwoodgal]

snoe,

 

What a great website!!! We have used Oscar Brown two times now and he really does go beyond the normal tour operator. I was so pleased to see that he has expanded his business so that more people can enjoy his country. We first used him when he had just started his business several years ago. Everyone on our cruise thanked me for talking them into taking his tour as you really do have a magical day with him. From the posts that I have read he has contined the same great service with others that are now working for him.

 

We didn't get to zipline this time as it was pouring rain when we got to Las Brisas. Since we had already ziplined at Almonds and Corals I didn't want to do it again if I was soaking wet. I do think Oscars choice of using the closer zipline is a smart choice. The roads weren't really great getting to A & C and I wouldn't want to chance a mechanical break down and not be on a ships tour. Oscar was on his cell phone trying to help us dodge the rain but heah they don't call it a Rain Forest because it is dry. :cool:

 

We missed the animal rehab, I would have loved to be able to see all of the animals. I can't believe the monkey stole a camera. When we first used him we stopped at a place that I got to let hold a monkey and she crawled on top of my head...... that was a hoot!!

[travel-kat]

Charlie Soto is great. We had just 4 people in our group. Someone who had not booked tried to join us on the pier. I explained to Charlie that although I knew it meant more money to him, I did not want to let someone join us. (My parents were with us and I wasn't sure they wouldn't tire out before the day was over. I had talked to Charlie in advance about this and he assured me we would be able to take them back to the ship if they tired and continue doing other stuff. I didn't want to mess that up with someone else). Charlie was great about it and that meant a lot to me. I hope we tipped him well enough for a perfect day.

[Diane F]

For those of you who made so many great suggestions for tour guides would you mind sharing the costs per person and if any of them let you book them without giving a deposit beforehand? It seems that there are many good tour guides available.

[travel-kat]

For those of you who made so many great suggestions for tour guides would you mind sharing the costs per person and if any of them let you book them without giving a deposit beforehand? It seems that there are many good tour guides available.

 

 

Charlie Soto was our guide from Puerto Quetzal this past April. Charlie charged us $45/person. He responded quickly to my first email and all subsequent ones. He gave me the prices for everything he thought we might do. We ended up taking just the river cruise $35 and having lunch. We paid for our own tickets on the river cruise (it was the best!) and our lunch. We chose to buy lunch for Charlie and his trainee because we asked them to join us. I thought the lunch was probably overpriced, but worth every cent.

 

Charlie met us with the van at the pier (close to the ship), holding a sign with our names. We had complete flexibility in our day (had covered that with him in advance and there were only 4 in our group). We paid him (plus tip) when he took us back to the ship, on time, at the end of a perfect day.

 

We didn't get a lot of tour guide info on the area from Charlie, but I think that is because we didn't really want it. We had all been to Costa Rica before so we just asked any specific questions we had and were more interested in talking to Charlie and his trainee on a personal basis.

[cruisersnorkler]

aurora@geoexpediciones.com

Subject: RE: Shore Excursion - Crazy Monkey Canopy Tour Reservation @

geoexpediciones.com

 

Aurora Gamez with geoexpedicions was wonderful. We went zip linning on the Crazy Monkey Canopy Tour. It was wonderful and very safe. On the way he took us to a banna plantation. Then it was zip linning. We had fresh fruit and drinks. The resort where we were at was very nice. Then we went shopping at a little town. The prices back at the pier shopping was better. Then he took us snorkling at a black sand beach. The waves were a little rough. My husband loved it! I snorkled with my younger son. The coral was all over and we saw kinds we had not seen before. Then it was back to the ship. We still had time for shopping at th pier. We could of ate lunch in the small town, but we passed. We wanted to do snorkling more than lunch. This man was very professional and kind. He stopped along side of the road where we saw and heard hollowering monkeys. We were in a very nice van with 3 other couples. He would take us whereever we wanted. The price was a little less than the ships zip linning and we saw and experienced so much more. We cannot recomend this man enough.

[palolake]

I keep reading not to do the ziplining at Almonds and Coral because it's much farther away and the roads are so bad. Did you sign up for the ziplining and the guide just took you to the other places?

[cruisersnorkler]

The cruise ship, RCCL--Brillance; also showed up there with a bus load. We were able to zip line before them. We asked via E-mail if he would take us snorkling. We wanted to snorkle in every port. He also suggested shopping. Really, it wasn't any problem and the roads were not that bad. Most of the drive was on pavement. AG would tell you if the roads are now a problem. It was the best ziplining. We got back in plenty of time to shop at the pier. We could of asked to do other things after ziplining, but snorkling was what we were interested in. He mentioned a native village he would take us to?, but we decided to save that until next time.stopping along the way at the bannana plantation was interesting and he saw and stopped to look at the monkeys a couple of times. It is a little farther than the other one, but after doing plenty of research, we decided it was worth it. And it was. This guide is the best.