Costa Rica Travel Review: San Jose, Osa Peninsula, Uvita, Drake Bay, Nature, Whale Watching, Wildlife, Hiking, 6-Day Tour

I've worked through Zicasso for several years on multiple itineraries, including four just this summer, and I think I have to rank this travel agency as one of the best companies I've had the pleasure to experience. 

Muchísimas gracias to Sylvia, my travel consultant, who did a superb job from start to finish. She has a wonderfully charismatic personality that made our discussions over the phone, email, and WhatsApp a pleasure and effortless. When deciding between the two bidding companies, I was ultimately swayed by Sylvia due to several factors. 

First, Sylvia's planning conveyed original, authentic ideas that seemed genuinely tailored to match my personality and interests, not just some off-the-rack itinerary hurled at every customer. As a result, I ended up with an awesome scenic drive down the Pacific Coast straight from the airport to Uvita, where I got to fulfill a goal of seeing whales. After that, I got to travel to the Osa Peninsula where I had unbelievable luck in spotting dozens of species of flora and fauna, including two up-close encounters with tapirs (one in the forest and one, to everyone's astonished glee, inside my ecolodge!).

Second, Sylvia was fully transparent and honest in the advice she gave, even at the risk of her sale. When I commented that I wanted to travel to an ecolodge, but was fearful of spiders potentially entering my room, she immediately adopted the tone of a wise and straightforward auntie and told me that she couldn't guarantee that wouldn't happen and that such things were just a reality in tropical places like Costa Rica. But she also put the situation in context, explained how rare it was, the conditions under which it might happen, and steps I could take to protect myself just in case. She also frequently referenced her personal experiences and those of her niece when recommending ecolodges and describing the various places I expressed interest in traveling to. The fact that she herself had done what I sought to do lent her advice great credibility.

All of our communication was smooth and aside from a little hiccup with payment (we experienced a technical issue with their bank's transfer system), all planning and prep went well. 

Once on the ground, everything fell into place. I was greeted at the airport by my driver and driven to Uvita in a huge van with passenger windows as big as the windshield, which provided me with unobstructed views of the rolling green mountains and glistening sea along the way. My stays in Uvita and Drake Bay provided me the close encounters with nature I sought, along with effortless transportation between them by car, boat, and (tiny) airplane. My adventure was capped off by my guide, who provided me with a personal afternoon tour of San Jose. Overall, this was one of my better trips and best experiences through Zicasso.