Epic trip that really was an ADVENTURE and physical challenge. Juan Carlos the guide was incredible and made this trip one never to be forgotten. You definitely need to put some serious hill training in beforehand for bike and hike components.

If you're debating joining this trip I would add my voice to the many already saying 'Do it!'. Why? Firstly: Costa Rica is an incredible country full of wonderfully proud and welcoming people. This trip really gets you away from tourists and immersed in the landscape, wildlife and culture. Secondly: The trip is hard, but in a really good way. The tough moments make the high points even more memorable. You'll find yourself working as a team and so the joint sense of achievement when you reach the Caribbean is incredible. Thirdly: JC and Memo (our guides) were without fault. Encouraging us, challenging us, keeping us fed (the food was incredible) and watered, and just being great people! In retrospect: I would have brought a camelback, lots of factor 50 and longer sleeves for evenings (read mosquitos) and hot days on the river. If you like active holidays, off the beaten track while really exploring a country this trip is for you!

This trip is wonderful! What an accomplishment! Know that it is not a race and even though the first day on the bikes was extremely fast, I chalk that up to adrenalin and lack of interesting scenery more than reflective of the pace that everyone actually wanted to do. Our group was just four people and two, including myself, were not heavy bikers. In fact, I did no bike training prior to this trip (but I had just finished training for a marathon). That said, I think you do have to be in decent shape to complete this trip as the days usually average like 6 - 8 hours of activities which are primarily hiking or biking. The guides are great and always give you options along the way so if you want to start a little earlier to get a head start or stop along a river to cool off, they will accommodate. They want you to finish this trip and go out of their way to make this happen. There were times when I felt like the slowest member of the group but no one else minds. Again, it’s not a race and the other like minded travelers are there for the adventure just like you. It was hot at times and rainy. Rain gear is useless as you’re going to get soaked no matter what. If you have quick drying clothes, you could get away with two pairs of everything and wear them on alternate days. All the campsites had dry areas so it’s not like you had to stay in your tent to avoid the rain. That said, camping was a bit harsh as it was warm some nights and sleeping on a pad wasn’t super comfy after a full day of activities. You will get bitten by various bugs and will get sunburn no matter how diligent you are applying sunscreen but it was just a wonderful overall experience. Oh, the food was great too. Can’t believe what these guys are able to whip up while supporting you on this journey!

This is such a cool trip, which leaves you thinking, why would you travel Costa Rica any other way?! It is a beautiful country with intriguing wildlife, smiling people, and great food. I found the hiking/biking/rafting/kayaking enjoyable and rewarding but this is of course dependent on your experience. But what I would say on this is that the guide Juan Carlos is fantastic at supporting people at what they want to do, and also supporting them to push outside of their comfort zones when they want to. If you are a road biker regularly cycling 30+ miles, a mountain biker of red routes, and having tried rafting and kayaking before then perhaps you will find this within your comfort zone, but this is not a prerequisite, Juan Carlos will support you with each activity (possibly to do more than you expect), and there are also alternatives of swapping biking for hiking, or joining the support vehicle (in more extreme circumstances). Juan Carlos and Memo are really masters of their craft: fonts of knowledge, endlessly positive, humble, and great to be around. You will eat like kings/queens/elected officials as Costa Rican food is home cooked and healthy with big portions; and Juan Carlos and Memo are great cooks too, providing regular snacks too, in between the meals! The accommodation is generally very good: comfortable hotels at the beginning and end of the trip, with homestays, glamping, and two nights camping in between. Kit list: I would add trinkets for local kids, and I would make long sleeve tops and legs essential for the rafting and kayaking to avoid sunburn. I would also suggest extending your trip by a few days in either Cahuita/Punta Cocles as there is plenty to experience on the Carribbean coast, and perhaps some surf to catch. I would also recommend a look around San Jose on day one.

This trip was absolutely amazing!! - it is one of the best things I've ever done! If you're on the fence as to whether to book this adventure then I'd definitely encourage you to go for it - you will have the time of your life! The guides - JC and Carlos -were absolutely fantastic in keeping us motivated and happy, getting us organised in the mornings and always keen to share their knowledge and passion for the wildlife, nature and culture that we experienced in Costa Rica. The food was also excellent and we were fed so well!! Lots of snacks, delicious fruit and hearty Costa Rican meals. The coast to coast challenge was tougher than I expected - it is definitely a challenge! But this made it even more rewarding when we made it to the end at the Carribbean Sea. I found the mountain biking descents particularly hard as I had no experience cycling off road, so having some experience on a mountain bike might be helpful for this trip - although I still made it and enjoyed it without this experience. So if you are someone with a reasonably good level of fitness, you will be able to do this trip. I was also lucky to have an amazing group to share this adventure with! It was awesome to have everyone wooping and cheering at the top of the hills and supporting eachother throughout. Some of my highlights were hiking through the misty cloud forest and arriving by raft to the picturesque river camp - our little patch of paradise! The trip included lots of swimming in waterfalls, breath-taking views and amazing wildlife! Things I would take if doing it again: hydration tablets - really good for doing excercise in the heat! A camelpack - for the cycling. Lots of suncream - you'll need to reapply a lot! Long leggings and top - for the rafting to stop you getting burnt. A blowup pillow - for the nights camping. Overall this was an incredible adventure I will never forget!

This trip surpassed all my expectations in every sense. The difficulty was a lot harder than I anticipated (so be prepared for some really challenging days) however, the environment and views made it all worth it. Not only that but the exceptional guides who made an effort with everything they did with such enthusiasm too, when you were struggling they still just had a smile on their face telling you how easy it was! The accommodation and the food was out of this world, I loved the river camp. It was our own little part of paradise. The guides were so knowledgeable about the area and were always on the look out for animals/plants to show you, and the routes were mainly off the beaten track so you felt like you were on your own personal adventure. Key things I would suggest and include are a camelback makes it easy for the hikes and bikes. Hydration tablets as Costa Rica is hot without the exercise. A pack of cards, we had so much fun playing cards every night. A small travel pillow for the camping nights to add a little comfort. Water shoes, as this will make it so much easier on the water days and also when visiting the waterfalls so not to get your trainers wet and protect your feet from the rocks. Thin long layers for the rafting days so not to get sunburnt as we were all a little crisp! And if you're wanting souvenirs there are more shops on the pacific coast before you start than on the Caribbean coast. I am a fairly fit individual completing a couple of ironman's and I found the first few days significantly challenging so make sure you're prepared, the fitter the group the less you'll wait and the more enjoyable you'll find the trip rather than it being a painful challenge. On that note, don't let it scare you or put you off, after travelling alot of the world this trip has 100% been up there as one of the best experiences of my life!!!!

Let others know about your experience: I booked this trip with a little bit of hesitancy - would it be too hard? Would I enjoy it? It ended up being one of the best trips I have ever done. The guides (JC and Carlos) were superb and the general organisation was brilliant. I was blessed with an awesome group of people to enjoy it with too. The expedition itself was tough but I would say manageable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Having said that, some of the bike rides up hills were brutal, but in a good way! The feeling of achievement in completing them and the sense of camaraderie in the group made it all worthwhile. The food was very good (far better than I thought it would be), the accommodation was great - one of the ‘glamping’ campsites on the river was pretty close to paradise. You get a much needed rest day there too! I would recommend this trip very strongly and can’t fault a thing. One of the best things I have ever done.

This is an amazing trip with awesome guides. You will absolutely not regret booking this trip. From the moment you meet your guides through to the second you have to say goodbye they are incredible. The trip is perfectly organised with the guides ensuring you always know where to stock up on beer for your next night camping or recommendations for where to go when staying in town. The two nights you spend at the river camp are amazing, they have found a little piece of paradise and set a beautiful campsite up there. Take a camelbak instead of bottles for you water, this will make your life so much easier and take some running legging or similar to protect your legs from the sun when rafting. If i were to do this again I would arrive a couple of days early and leave a couple of days later. You'll need the time to get used to the heat and then you won't want to leave the amazing friends you make on the trip. This was the best trip of my life, do not hesitate to book yourself onto this one.

Difficult to know where to start. Genuinely the best holiday I've ever had - trip of a lifetime stuff! Never done anything so challenging but the rewards along the way are well worth it, as you get to see this amazing country from a perspective few do (and hitting the Carribean coast on the other side was an awesome feeling). It is tough going, espcially in March where we experienced consistent 32+ degree direct sun but the amazing guides were so supportive (kit list doesn't mention leggings - a must for rafting and kayaking to avoid red knees). On the guides, I cannot speak highly enough of them; friendly, motivating, inspiring and you always felt in safe, experienced hands. Two men with a passion for their country's culture and wildlife who always take time to share their knowledge. Great bonding experience with the others in our group who I will certainly stay in touch with. MBA - I will be coming back for more!

The coast to coast was an epic adventure I'll never forget. The scenery was beautiful and varied and in Juan Carlos and Carlos we had two excellent guides who were very hardworking, patient and understanding throughout. JC's enthusiasm was infectious and it was very cool to see them involved socially with the group too. The logistics were brilliant - the trip ran seemlessly. We were fortunate to have a wonderful group who all got on and were all fit - we never waited more than 10 minutes or so at any stop. I've done a dozen or so group trips like this and I'm in good shape for my 41 years - I'm not carrying any weight, I've done a fair bit of mountain biking and I trained for this trip. Despite that it was a really tough trip especially given the heat (mid 30's in Celsius). The hiking is very steep, there's long uphill and long steep downhill stretches on the bike (on road and off) some at decent altitude and the kyakking on the last day was a slog. Most days it's at least 2 activities, some days it's 3 so it's intense. Overall I really enjoyed the challenge but it was tougher than I expected. I found other reviews were misleading in that sense. A few tips: 1) Bring a full length lycra top and bottoms for the rafting/kayaking to avoid sunburn - the sun is vicious and most of our group got badly burnt for our trip in the 2nd half of March. 2) For that reason sun block and lots of suncream are essential. 3) Water shoes are also essential too for swimming in waterfalls/rivers and rafting/kyakking - it's very rocky in places 4) Electrolytes are also very important if you sweat a lot - it's hard not too with the humidity. 5) Cycling gloves are great for blister prevention on the cycling and the rafting/kyakking 6) The rain is biblical when it comes and nothing dries in the humidity unless it's sunny so worth having a couple of pairs of trainers for cyling and hiking. Overall I'd highly recommend the trip for anyone who's in good shape and possesses an adventurous spirit. Just make sure you're ready!