Other Options...

[nemofans]

We stayed in Tortuguero on our Tauck Bridges tour and it was our favorite part of the trip. It was so cool staying in cabins surrounded by rainforest and we saw so many animals. Although we were tired each day due to being woken up by howler monkeys at 4:30 each morning, I still loved it. One morning, I got up and recorded the early morning sounds on my phone so I can remember it later.

 

[sayhello]

I think for us, the star of the trip was the itinerary. I was looking at the ABD Costa Rica tour the other day and see that it’s about 5x more expensive per day than what we paid. While people can spend their money how they want - what does strike me about the tour is the itinerary. If your priority is some outdoor adventure tourism followed by a bit of rest at the beach, it would be fine. I think that if your priority was like ours (wildlife), then the ABD itinerary simply wouldn’t fit the bill. It needs to swap either/both locations with the likes of Tortuguero or Manuel Antonio. Even the cloud forest of Monteverde had more fascinating wildlife (IMO) than Arenal as it’s where we saw all the coatimundi (so cute) and a stunning Resplendent Quetzal.

That’s just my 2 cents though as I realise that everyone’s reasons for travelling are different.

The Costa Rica ABD *used* to go to Tortuguero. I think it may have gone to Manuel Antonio, also, at one point. Over the years, those locations have been removed from the itinerary.

Sayhello

 

[WanderlustNZ]

The Costa Rica ABD *used* to go to Tortuguero. I think it may have gone to Manuel Antonio, also, at one point. Over the years, those locations have been removed from the itinerary.

Sayhello

It does seem a bit of a shame that it doesn’t go to either. Manuel Antonio offers a great balance between wildlife and beach, so it we be a good place to pair with Arenal.

Regarding Tortuguero though, I have to wonder if part of the reason Disney doesn’t go there anymore is due to the increase in crime targeting the buses and boats traveling into the area.
We were amongst the fortunate majority who have traveled into the area without hiccup and had an awesome time, but I do know that some tourists are beginning to second guess their decision to go there.

 

[distravel]

WonderlustNZ

Great Photos!!! Thanks for sharing. Such a great experience seeing these beautiful animals in their natural environment.

 

[carpenta]

We did Tauck Bridges a couple years ago and stayed in the jungle huts in Tortuguero also and was one of the best experiences we have had traveling. Between the rain sounds (occasional brief showers ) on the tin roofs and sounds of the wildlife it was amazing. Too bad the future ABD travelers won't get that experience.

 

[KEK1]

You’re welcome

Our whole vacation consisted of 3 main parts - a week in Orlando spilt between Universal and Disney, the Gate 1 Costa Rica tour, and 2 weeks on a Southern Caribbean cruise. While the cruise was the highlight for my son, Costa Rica was the highlight for my husband and I. I’m going through a small bout of post-vacation blues at present, and I keep looking at photos from CR wishing I was back there. It really was very special.

I think for us, the star of the trip was the itinerary. I was looking at the ABD Costa Rica tour the other day and see that it’s about 5x more expensive per day than what we paid. While people can spend their money how they want - what does strike me about the tour is the itinerary. If your priority is some outdoor adventure tourism followed by a bit of rest at the beach, it would be fine. I think that if your priority was like ours (wildlife), then the ABD itinerary simply wouldn’t fit the bill. It needs to swap either/both locations with the likes of Tortuguero or Manuel Antonio. Even the cloud forest of Monteverde had more fascinating wildlife (IMO) than Arenal as it’s where we saw all the coatimundi (so cute) and a stunning Resplendent Quetzal.

That’s just my 2 cents though as I realise that everyone’s reasons for travelling are different.

Some more pics incase anyone is interested (and because I’m reminiscing):

We were lucky witness 3 different Jesus Christ Lizards (including this beautiful Emerald Basilisk) actually run across the water.
View attachment 378323
Blue jeans poison dart frog. There were a lot of these gorgeous little creatures on the trees outside our cabin in Tortuguero. View attachment 378324
American crocodile. This guy was huge. 3-4 metres long. View attachment 378325
The Respeldent Quetzal. I wish I could have got a better pic, but with all the plant life in the foreground, it was really hard to focus on the bird. Google has better pics that showcase the quetzals glorious tail. View attachment 378326
Coatimundi. I love these animals so much. There was a whole family (including babies) roaming around the coffee, sugar and cacao plantation we visited in Monteverde. View attachment 378327
Red-eye tree frog. So beautiful. View attachment 378328
I loved that on this trip we were able to see 4 of the 6 species of Toucan present in Costa Rica.View attachment 378329
Seeing fur de lance on a private night tour was a little bit scary as they’re ground dwelling snakes, but we loved seeing all the aborreal snakes during the trip such as the boa-constrictor and many different coloured eyelash pit vipers. View attachment 378331
This is a 2 toed sloth. The last pic was a 3 toed. View attachment 378332
We saw 2 species of Macaw - the scarlet macaw and Great Green Macaw View attachment 378330

Oooh you are really tempting me to look at Costa Rica!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

We stayed in Tortuguero on our Tauck Bridges tour and it was our favorite part of the trip. It was so cool staying in cabins surrounded by rainforest and we saw so many animals. Although we were tired each day due to being woken up by howler monkeys at 4:30 each morning, I still loved it. One morning, I got up and recorded the early morning sounds on my phone so I can remember it later.

We did Tauck Bridges a couple years ago and stayed in the jungle huts in Tortuguero also and was one of the best experiences we have had traveling. Between the rain sounds (occasional brief showers ) on the tin roofs and sounds of the wildlife it was amazing. Too bad the future ABD travelers won't get that experience.

Both of your posts are really making me reminisce. It really is such a special place. The noise of the jungle is so loud in those little cabins (whether it be the rain at night, Howler monkeys and frogs in the early morning, or the birds during the day), and yet I wouldn’t have turned down the volume even if I could have. It’s such a magical immersive noise.

I also loved swimming in the pool watching colourful butterflies and green Macaw flying overhead and capuchin playing in the trees. Or standing on the beach watching baby turtles rush from their nest to the ocean.

Take me back ...

 

[WanderlustNZ]

WonderlustNZ

Great Photos!!! Thanks for sharing. Such a great experience seeing these beautiful animals in their natural environment.

Thank you

Oooh you are really tempting me to look at Costa Rica!

Yes, do!

 

[nemofans]

Those were the cabins! We had a sloth in a nearby tree the whole time we stayed there. My son is a huge sloth lover and he was thrilled to have one right there to watch every day. We also had a basilisk lizard at the pool. Then all the amazing animals we saw on the boat rides through the canals. The coolest experience ever!

 

[Ava]

You all are making me want to book a trip to Costa Rica right now! I’ve never been anywhere like that and it sounds amazing. It also seems to be one of the more affordable destinations offered by a lot of group tour operators.

 

[TXTransplant]

Any suggestions for the Jasper/Banff/Lake Louise area? I'm planning a trip on our own. After two fantastic ABD trips, we did Hawaii two summers in a row on our own (using a lot of the suggestions given to me here, many pages back). I sort of used the ABD "model" of booking with independent tour operators for fun excursions/activities, and we had some absolutely awesome experiences. Both trips were just amazing, so now I'm trying my hand at planning my own international trip.

After looking at two of the Tauck options and the ABD option for the Canadian Rockies, I came to the conclusion that I can do a longer trip for at least the same cost (if not less).

I've got our plane tickets, a rental car, and rooms at the Fairmont Banff and Fairmont Lake Louise (we aren't staying at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge - I just couldn't justify the price, but I did find an adorable place called the Tekarra Lodge and snagged a cabin for about $300 Canadian/night).

We are doing a 10-night trip - the first night will be in Calgary (we arrive on a late flight), and then three nights each at Tekarra Lodge, the Fairmont Banff, and the Fairmont Lake Louise (in that order).

My travel dates were restricted by my son's schedule, so I put Lake Louise at the end of the itinerary to try and make sure we see the lake after it's melted (travel dates are May 30-June 9).

For anyone that's curious, I'm sitting at $534/day for two people (including airfare and rental car but excluding food and excursions, obviously). And that's for 9 FULL days of sightseeing, 11 days total (days 1 and 10 are travel days).

The Tauck trips (7-8 days) range from $1177-$1316 per day for two people, when I factor in what I paid for airfare (and days 1 and 7/8 are almost exclusively travel days with no/limited sightseeing).

ABD (7 days) is $1876 per day for two people, also factoring in airfare (and days 1 and 7 are almost exclusively travel days with no/limited sightseeing).

I'm looking for suggestions for day trips/excursions (with tour company names). We will have a rental car. We enjoy hiking, sightseeing, kayaking, zip lining, and pretty much anything else. The gondola rides are a must, as is time at the spa at the Fairmont Banff and afternoon tea at the Fairmont Lake Louise. I've looked at the itineraries for the Tauck and ABD trips, and I will likely try to replicate those excursions, but it would be good to know what companies to book with (or any other tips from people who have experience). I won't say that money is no object, but I am more than willing to pay for Tauck/ABD-quality excursions (especially considering where we are on budget).

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I'm looking for suggestions for day trips/excursions (with tour company names). We will have a rental car. We enjoy hiking, sightseeing, kayaking, zip lining, and pretty much anything else. The gondola rides are a must, as is time at the spa at the Fairmont Banff and afternoon tea at the Fairmont Lake Louise. I've looked at the itineraries for the Tauck and ABD trips, and I will likely try to replicate those excursions, but it would be good to know what companies to book with (or any other tips from people who have experience). I won't say that money is no object, but I am more than willing to pay for Tauck/ABD-quality excursions (especially considering where we are on budget).

I can't help you with specifics, but Austin Adventures also has a trip to Banff/Jasper. Their itineraries may give you some different ideas for excursions. Good luck planning! It's definitely a trip on our (very long) list.

 

[Calfan]

We just received a couple of options for dates for our 2020 Japan trip with Thomson Family Adventures. So exciting! Thomson also put together a Hiroshima extension for us to add at the end of the trip. They are also working on options for Mt. Fuji for our Tokyo pre-days. We also plan to do Tokyo Disney on our pre-days. Current plan is to use Hilton points for hotel nights at the Hilton Tokyo Bay.

 

[Lulu27]

Those of you who did Tauck Bridges Costa Rica - how many were in your group? What month did you go? Any other info you can share regarding the experience?

 

[Cousin Orville]

@TXTransplant I’d be interested in what you decide to do in Banff/Lake Louise. We’re also planning a trip on our own albeit more of a long weekend in July. We’re staying at the Fairmont Lake Louise. We’ll probably look into some family hikes and just taking in the beauty. Very excited about my first trip there.

 

[BluesTraveler]

We just received a couple of options for dates for our 2020 Japan trip with Thomson Family Adventures. So exciting! Thomson also put together a Hiroshima extension for us to add at the end of the trip. They are also working on options for Mt. Fuji for our Tokyo pre-days. We also plan to do Tokyo Disney on our pre-days. Current plan is to use Hilton points for hotel nights at the Hilton Tokyo Bay.

That's exciting. Are you affected at all by the Olympics, or avoiding that time altogether? So wish Thomson would take credit cards (without a surcharge).

 

[laceltris3]

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[TXTransplant]

@TXTransplant I’d be interested in what you decide to do in Banff/Lake Louise. We’re also planning a trip on our own albeit more of a long weekend in July. We’re staying at the Fairmont Lake Louise. We’ll probably look into some family hikes and just taking in the beauty. Very excited about my first trip there.

I will be happy to share! I actually found you on Instagram and am following you. If you want to follow back, I'll post about our trip there. Otherwise, as I book and after we travel, I'll try to remember to come back here and post our intinerary.

 

[Calfan]

That's exciting. Are you affected at all by the Olympics, or avoiding that time altogether? So wish Thomson would take credit cards (without a surcharge).

The two sets of dates Thomson offered us are both before the Olympics start, so pretty much avoiding it, especially since we'll be doing Tokyo at the beginning of the trip. Looks like the Olympics start July 24, and the latest we would be in Tokyo is about July 6. Plus we're leaning toward June dates. When we first planned this trip, I had thoughts about dovetailing it with the Olympics, but now I am in avoidance mode, lol. Totally agree about Thomson and ccs. In this case, I'll probably pay the surcharge since the 2017 rates we are paying for this trip are well below ABD and likely other 2020 offerings (even with a cc surcharge).

 

[Cousin Orville]

I will be happy to share! I actually found you on Instagram and am following you. If you want to follow back, I'll post about our trip there. Otherwise, as I book and after we travel, I'll try to remember to come back here and post our intinerary.

Sure, what's your instagram name or feel free to send me a PM? I'd love to hear what you're planning. Other then Air/Room/Car I haven't prepared anything. We'll be at Lake Louise for 4 days. It's not a lot of time, but hopefully enough to see some of the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.