Central America Vacations & Tours

Very informative, quick response, details over the top, nicely planned vacation! The Zicasso travel specialists seemed like one of the family!!!!

Our Zicasso travel company was fantastic. They planned an exceptional trip for our multi-generational family, ages 7 to 74. We visited three main areas of Costa Rica: Arenal (La Fortuna), the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and Tamarindo on the Pacific Coast.

The activities were thoughtfully curated to appeal to all of us, regardless of age, and included nature preserve tours, hanging bridges tours, cloud forest tours, river wildlife safaris, and estuary tours with incredible naturalists. Our coffee and cacao farm tour was terrific and very interactive, and we made our own chocolate bonbons. And the ziplining was so much fun, even in a tropical storm downpour.

Our lodging was outstanding and provided pools for afternoon breaks and swimming for the grandchildren. And every transfer between locations and adventures went off without a hitch.

The travel company was so attentive to our needs and questions before and during the travel. They were available 24/7 while on the trip and were excellent at adjusting things as unseasonable storms caused some changes. We felt like we were in excellent hands.

Our drivers and guides were so knowledgeable, attentive, and kind. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They know what they are doing, their service is top-notch, and their subcontractors were excellent. My goal was for us to experience the rainforest and see birds and animals, and we did.

The greatest testimonials are from the grandchildren, ages 7-12. I asked them to keep a journal of our adventures. They could write or illustrate their entries. I never had to beg them to make their entry journals (I couldn't believe it!). Every night, they enthusiastically recorded their impressions with colorful drawings and statements.

This Costa Rica experience is something they, and we, will remember forever. I'm grateful to the travel company for making it happen. And grateful to Zicasso for connecting us to another tremendous travel company.

Trip went perfectly. Zicasso’s travel specialist did an amazing job compiling and tweaking an itinerary for us after hearing all the places we wanted to visit. All scheduled connecting transfers and in-country flights were on schedule and all the hotels selected were amazing. We couldn't have had a better two weeks in Costa Rica. Highly recommend booking with her.

Everything was excellent. I'd recommend a couple of things. First, either pick up later or let clients know they will arrive at the next hotel several hours before check-in. Suggest ways to fill that time as the client will be surprised and not have planned anything, as was the case with us at La Fortuna and Playa Hermosa.

Directions were unclear once we got off the boat heading to La Fortuna. Expected someone to be holding a sign or looking for us specifically. Instead, we had to frantically search for the hotel name and ask a bus driver if he was supposed to take us there.

Zicasso’s travel specialist was a delight to deal with. From the first contact to the last, she was responsive, listened to what we wanted, and smoothed our path completely. I started arranging something like this last year and gave up because it was complicated – transits, arrivals, tours, guides, the whole thing was overwhelming. But not this time. And we really appreciate all her efforts to tailor the trip to our interests and style.

The accommodation was almost over the top, but much enjoyed. We toured two Mayan ruin sites, Tikal and Caracol, and the contrast was just what we were curious about. They are very different, but both gave us an overview of Mayan history. Our guides and drivers were fantastic. We did bird watching, a cooking class, and had great food at our lodge. We then transferred to Ambergris Caye and she included everything from a golf cart to fishing and diving. Wherever we went, people were friendly, and helpful.

Before we went, we were a little concerned about mosquitoes in the tropics and we came prepared, but I think we saw two the entire trip. In short, we loved Belize.

As a further recommendation, my husband was thoroughly impressed with the fishing charter company. The guide was a true expert, showing him how to catch an unfamiliar species and taking him to just the right spots. The dive company was similarly professional and a pleasure to work with.

The only thing I might have changed was where we were on Ambergris Caye. Sargassum is a real problem in the Caribbean and has been for a few years. Our lodge on Ambergris Caye, though lovely accommodation, was on the windward side of the island and so had a blanket of rotting weed on the shore. There is little the resort can do about this, but staying on the leeward shore would minimize this problem.

The trip and the service from this travel company were perfect. The whole family enjoyed every part!

I would highly recommend this travel company for your Costa Rica adventure and Zicasso for anywhere else in the world.