Under30Experiences — Attraction in Austin

Costa Rica Adventure This review is about the Costa Rica Adventure trip. There's a lot to say about Costa Rica and this specific tour so I'll simplify it by mentioning a pro and con!

Pro: Tour Leader: Reynier "Rey" Cascante Hernandez! He is AMAZING. So well educated and was so informative throughout the trip. There are guides who will just point out sloths, snakes, etc but Rey really goes above and beyond to give you an understanding of the habitat around them, their function in nature, and so much more. I feel like I got so much more out of this trip because of Rey, so thank you! I will definitely book another trip with U30X with Rey as my TL! (Also, we had an amazing driver - Alex!) Action packed: This was a main reason for doing this tour specifically! I love a good adrenaline rush so 2-day white water rafting, ziplining, waterfall rappelling, and a hike at the national park (unfortunately it was a short hike due to the terrain not being cleared by the rangers). Accommodations: They were pretty nice hotels. My favorite was the Eco Lodge. No service, no electricity (outside the common area) but a great way to disconnect with the outside world and be in nature. Only wish it was 2 nights here.

Now to speak on some of the cons. To preface, this is my experience as someone who has traveled with multiple tour groups.

Cons: "Included Meals" - It felt a bit deceiving. Yes, the breakfast at the hotels were free. But when it came to the 3 lunches and 5 dinners it was not 'included'. We were given a 'credit' towards our meal, in the amount of $6500 CR Colon. This equals about $12 USD, which is Costa Rica barely covers a meal, and definitely doesn't include a drink. I also felt bad for our Tour Leader and the restaurants as this seemed to be time consuming and a bit frustrating on our end. (Recommendation: Charge $100-$200 more so the meals are actually included with a drink. Or have a pre-set menu at restaurants like our pizza night where it was a la carte and drinks included) Coffee Tour: This was honestly a bit underwhelming. We did this tour right after ziplining and water rappelling, so we were all exhausted and the tour was too long and I could of done without it. (Recommendation: Drive a few hours back to San Jose and visit the Arenal volcano. Then stay the night in San Jose and depart the next day) Optional Activities: There was absolutely no time for bike ride, surf lessons or the Jaguar Rescue Center. Granted, the surf was not realistic due to the weather. Communication: After booking the trip online, we were sent an email from U30X informing us to not book our flights until the 'flight email goes out' which is sent out about 3 months prior. Plan ahead and arrive early just to be safe because if you miss the shuttle, well… that’s an unfortunate event that happened to some travelers. Also, I wish they would mention that when we land in San Jose, we would hop on a shuttle for a 5 hour ride to Puerto Viejo. I don’t mind a long car ride but I would have planned to bring snacks/drinks/etc for the long drive. Luckily, our amazing driver Alex and Rey let us stop for restrooms and snacks. My recommendation overall: 2 nights in Puerto Viejo, 2 nights at the Eco Lodge, 2 nights in Turrialba, and 1 night San Jose.

Overall, I had a fantastic time on my CR Adventure trip! Met some incredible people and memories I will remember forever. I can confidently say this will not be my last U30X tour, but I hope they take some of the recommendations into consideration for future travelers to make this tour an even more ...

5/2018- Just got back from the 10 day Peru trip...we visited everywhere.. and did EVERYTHING imaginable...every single day was jam packed and I couldn't even begin to tell you the beauty we experienced...our tour guides Ruty and Rolando were AMAZING...so personable and knowledgeable, but most importantly PASSIONATE beyond belief about Peru...we did a 1 day hike through the Inca Trail TO Macchu Picchu and then returned the next day (well rested and energized) to really experience Macchu Picchu, and I really appreciated doing it this way because I got 2 days of MP..1 working towards it and 1 reaping the benefits :-) Rainbow Mountain was unbelievable and the Amazon was something else entirely.. I can't say enough about this company...they get it right EVERY TIME and I think this is highly dependent on 2 things - the itinerary and the tour guides. The itinerary hits the things you want to do and see, but also the things you would never imagine seeing and doing...which is HUGE

I just got back from the Costa Rica Extended trip and had a wonderful time!

The Good: First off, I got SO lucky to be with an incredible group! They really made the trip for me and compared to other groups I’ve traveled with, the ratio of guys to girls was almost even, which made for a really fun group dynamic. Additionally, this is one of the only group tours I could find that went to multiple spots in Costa Rica, which makes it special. The accommodations are above the 2-and-3 Stars advertised, which was a pleasant surprise, and having airport pickup/drop off and transportation included made this such a smooth journey.

What Needs Improvement: All that being said, the itinerary needs major improvements. It isn’t up-to-date with what the group actually does—for example there’s an empanada cooking class included that isn’t in the itinerary, which was a pleasant surprise, but also experiences like a waterfall hike that’s listed as free but actually $18 or the $8 hot springs were $38. Another aspect of the itinerary is that nearly every activity is listed as optional but in truth the trip leader recommends an activity for the day and the group is meant to go along with that activity and pay for it. If you don’t want to do the activity, there are very few other options given that many of the hotels are in remote locations. I’d really make sure you want to do white water rafting, zip lining, and rappelling before signing up for this, and that you’re prepared to pay $75 dollars for the first activity and $90-something for the second. The hotel at the first location is able to arrange a few alternate activities but the hotel at the second location is not, so unless you’re proactive and use the limited free time to research and book an alternative, be prepared for these activities and costs even though the itinerary makes it seem like a choose-your-own-adventure trip. A last comment on costs is that most of the included meals are through the hotel and those that are included outside the hotel are also either through the optional activities or there is $13 designated for individuals to spend on dinners. I didn’t love most of the meals on this trip and felt like $13 in Costa Rica didn’t go far. As a foodie this was a bit disappointing, especially as other group tours I’ve traveled with have much more included in group meals (wine for the table, apps, dessert). Our final group dinner was very nice but it would have been nice to have a few more like those included where we could dress up and take some time with our meals or just have a little more included than just an entree.

Overall, I definitely recommend this trip, but suggest that U30X update the hidden costs associated with the itinerary. I wound up spending more than planned because the itinerary hasn’t been updated to reflect current costs. That being said, it sounds like most other trips with U30X don’t have as many optional activities as this one and I’m excited to travel with them to...