I went on Ami's Costa Rica trip for Jewish young professionals in July 2016. I'd never been to…read moreCosta Rica before and it was an amazing adventure, full of new experiences and new friends.
Some people are commenting that it wasn't the "relaxing" vacation they were seeking. I'd suggest that if you want to lie on a beach having cocktails for a week, then you should just book a stay at an all-inclusive resort. I'm not saying that in a mean way - I can totally understand wanting to just chill out. But if you want an adventure with fun hikes and unique experiences, travel to Costa Rica with Ami! And, while you'll have adventures, you'll still stay in nice hotels and lodges, in both city and jungle. Some of the hotels have lovely swimming pools. And there will be breaks when you can hang at a beach, or go for a walk yourself in a little village, or relax in hot springs on a mountain. A few of us wound up in a bar one night and joined a salsa lesson. So the trip is a nice mix of hiking and relaxing.
But, like I said, this isn't just checking into fancy hotel and relaxing for a week. You'll be in remote locations, and you need to know some tips. I'll think of some tips to put here, but you can also contact me for more tips.
SLEEPING TIP: One night in the jungle, I didn't realize that you're supposed to leave your balcony door open to let air circulate. So I got really hot. But once I learned that trick, sleeping was fine.
EARLY MORNING WARNING: Mornings start pretty early, sometimes like 5 or 6am, so that you can get to locations and make the most of each day. I remember a particularly early morning before the white water rafting. But you can ask Ami what your particular trip schedule will be.
BUS RIDES: Like one review mentions, there are lots of van rides around the country. But they were comfy, and the guide tells stories about what you're passing. You can chat with your new friends, or listen to podcasts on your phone.
SUN PROTECTION: Especially when rafting, be like me and wear long sleeves, a hat, and sunscreen. Don't be like the pale girl who thought she could sit in the jungle sun all day without protection.
And here are some of the experiences:
FLOAT DOWN A RIVER: Toward the end of the rafting, we got to get out of the raft and float down the river with just out life jacket. That was an epic experience like nothing else I've ever done!
JUNGLE HIKES: The trip isn't full of gruelling physical challenges or anything. It's just like nice hikes through the jungle. One guide took us through a jungle and showed us plants and wildlife. Another guide took us through the jungle surrounding his resort, showing us all the medicinal plants he's growing. We walked up a path along a volcano and saw a great view of steam coming from the earth. We walked around an animal sanctuary and saw cute monkeys.
LOTS OF GREAT FOOD: We also had nice hearty dinners at delicious restaurants. Costa Rican food, Israeli food, a buffet at a jungle resort... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
TURTLES ON A BEACH AT NIGHT: We joined a tour to see turtles laying eggs in the darkness on a beach. You don't see that every day in your regular life!
Now, I'm sure every one of Ami's trips is different, and he's learning and changing things with each trip. So you can talk to him about what specifically your trip will contain. And, in addition to the group trips, he also plans custom trips for couples, families, etc.
It took me a few days to get into the rhythm of early mornings and hitting so many locations. But that might just be my personal rhythm - I might just be kinda lazy. I found the early mornings on a different company's Israel group trip tough to handle too. Also, I thought I'd have time to do my voice acting from my laptop or go to the gym. But this was not that kind of trip. Every day was full. So be ready to devote yourself to having a bunch of new adventures for the week.
By the end, I'd made a couple of loyal friends who came with me to help me find my iPhone which it turns out I'd dropped in a cab. And I'm glad I pushed myself to do all the adventures, even scary ones like floating in the river and zip-lining high above the jungle. I wouldn't have wanted to miss anything. I didn't have the guts to put a spider on my head or eat live bugs during a jungle hike, like one of the trip members did. But, I did get a video of him doing that.
By the end, I was enjoying Costa Rica so much, I didn't want the trip to end. So, at the end of the trip, I changed my flight to a few days later, and I hung out with Ami, checking out new hotels for future trips. Ami is very knowledgable about Costa Rica and he genuinely cares about you and wants you to have a great time.
Because every minute was filled with new experiences, I filmed so much that, 2 years later, I'm still editing it. But I'll be posting vlogs soon. So follow me at: http://facebook.com/joshrachlis
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http://youtube.com/joshrachlis
