Costa Rica Travel Agents & Reviews

When my parents decided they wanted our entire family - 18 people total ranging in age from 7 to 80 - to go to Costa Rica as a belated celebration for their 50th wedding anniversary, I knew we would need help to make it happen. I reached out to a few different travel companies for quotes and to get more information, and we ultimately chose this one to help plan this trip of a lifetime.From the beginning, Pierre and the team at the travel agency offered great insight and advice, they asked lots of questions to make sure they met our needs, and with such a large group, there were many different things to take into consideration. They were also very good with working within our general budget, which ended up being approximately $1500 USD per person for the main part of the trip (10 days in La Fortuna, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio). We also added on a Tortuguero extension for 14 of us.Throughout the planning process, Pierre and the team were great at updating the itinerary and keeping us informed. We ended up adding on a few tours just a few weeks before the start of the trip, and they quickly worked to include those. (It is challenging to get 18 people together for a discussion, lol, so it took us a while to confirm some of the optional tours.)From day one, everything was very efficient and smooth. We had comfortable private transportation between destinations, and for all of our tours we had private transfers and guides, except for the Tortuguero extension. Pierre chose great hotels for us in terms of amenities, ambience, etc. though in hindsight, with 18 people, accommodations that are walking distance to town, restuarants, etc, would have made things easier.We also happened to celebrate three birthdays on this trip, including my husband's 50th. Pierre and his team surprised us by arranging a beautiful cake, balloons, and sparkling wine on his birthday!! That was incredibly thoughtful. Then they helped us arrange a cake at our resort in Tortuguero for my sister.Definitely a very memorable family trip with so many great moments! We saw so much wildlife and had many exciting experiences. Thank you! 

The travel agency (Rachel) gets a 5-star rating without qualification. Rachel was easy to communicate with and to work with. She was always very responsive. She listened carefully to what I was looking for in this first-time visit to Costa Rica (mainly a focus on experiencing the biodiversity of the country) and planned an itinerary for me and my daughter that matched exactly what I wanted. Our itinerary included visits to Tortuguero, Monteverde, the Osa Peninsula, and a coffee plantation outside San Jose. The tours and lodging she arranged were all outstanding. The sequence of the various places we visited and the pace of each day were perfect. Our guides were excellent. In-country transportation transfers occurred without a hitch. I highly recommend using this travel comapny when planning your trip to Costa Rica.   

We had a great trip.  There were 10 of us going on a milestone birthday trip and we had an excellent time. Everything went smoothly and it was tailored to our likes with a good mix of activities and downtime. All of our drivers and tour guides were awesome!

What a pleasure to work with Charlotte and the travel agency! From our first interaction, she listened to what I wanted, and created a custom trip that  incorporated the very different requests from each of my teenage kids and also met my needs for the trip.  It was so easy for me! Communication was easy and they were very responsive. And once in country, we communicated via WhatsApp, and she checked in to make sure everything was going smoothly.  I am so happy I used them for this trip!

Every single detail was perfect! Such a beautiful vacation. Alex even met us at the airport and introduced us to our driver. You can tell how much Alex loves his country. The hotel in Arenal and hot springs were absolutely incredible. All of the activities (zip lining, canyoneering, hanging bridges, whitewater rafting, cooking class) were exciting, safe, and had incredible guides. Our drivers were kind, knowledgeable, and welcoming. People told us not to go in the rainy season, but we had sun every day. The rain added to the rainforest feel of Costa Rica. We had a fantastic time and can see ourselves going back again one day.

Excellent trip, exactly what I wanted.  Top quality resorts, responsive service.

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. Muchisimas gracias to Sylvia, my travel consultant, who I think 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 seem 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. And 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 me even at risk of her sale. When I commented that I wanted to travel to an ecolodge but I 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 both her own 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 some 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 my driver and driven to Uvita in a huge van with passenger windows as big as the windshield which provided me 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 a personal afternoon tour of San Jose. Overall, this was one of my better trips and best experiences through Zicasso. 

We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica and feel that overall the travel agency did an amazing job accommodating the needs/interests of our group of 7 and finding fun and accessible excursions for us. All private transports were on time (or early) incredibly friendly.  The accommodations were very nice and the tours identified were fantastic.  We feel there was great value for the price we paid.  This was a trip of a lifetime!