Hi, all - just curious if anyone has used Costa Rica Expeditions for rafting the Pacuare or going to Tortuguero? Any good or bad experiences out there? I think I've read good things. I like the looks of the Tortuga Lodge. Any experiences with that?

CRE is one of the country's best tour operators. I'd have no qualms about arranging any type of expedition with them. I think their own lodgings tend to be a bit more expensive than some other options, but you're getting great service with them.

Thanks, Jeff - I'm glad to hear good things.

I looked into CRE for our Tortuguero portion of our last trip. The communication with them was very fast, very efficient and very clear. However for what we wanted to do, which was to do the boat into Tortuguero and fly back to San Jose, they were much more expensive than the Watsons were. Actually they're more expensive overall I believe. I'm not sure how large their group would be once you're there, but I would look into that as well - meaning on the boat rides into the canals, how many people are there? That would be the only real consideration I'd have. Based on their reputation and the communications I had with them, if price wasn't a concern, I'd have no hesitation in booking with them.

Also, if you're looking at different places, Laguna Lodge was very nice for a Tortuguero lodge. They're rustic, but their pool was nice, they're right on the beach - you can't swim there, but it's nice to walk on. The rooms are very clean and big enough - they have porches with rocking chairs on them. A small butterfly area and tree frog area where the frogs come out at night. I'd recommend it.

Thanks, Shell - I've read that CRE has a much smaller tour group and lots of personalized service, so I thought that was a plus. I haven't checked the prices yet. Laguna Lodge was another one I was looking at, seems like a lot of people stay there as well. I remember you saying Modesto was very quiet - did anyone ever figure out why that was? I remember shillmac having a great experience, and it seems like yours was a little different.

Is the beach really turbulent, or is it a problem with sharks? I remember reading that you can't go into the water. I bet it looks so tempting!

Yep, we used them for rafting the Pacuare in Nov. of 2007. They did a great job but so do the other primary operators. Hotel Grano de Oro made our reservations the first year (Nov 06) and we ended up doing the trip with whoever had openings. If one company finds they can't accommodate you after all, you get moved to another. The primary companies are all good and they do things very much the same. We paid $95/each both years.

It is really a blast when the water is high and running fast.

vg- I don't know what the deal with Modesto was, but I wouldn't sway that against using them for the tour. It was still a good time, if for no other reason than the small size of our group and the great price. However, I do feel that he did not do a great job "spotting" wildlife or engaging in conversation - maybe it was our group or something else. AND he left us stranded at Laguna Lodge the morning of our flight - never came to pick us up to take us to the airstrip! Which is very out of character as I understand from here and from the staff at Laguna - I never followed up with him to find out why, it doesn't really matter, we got to the airstrip and all worked out. I really enjoyed Tortuguero - but if you tire of being on the canals, it can be a bit much. I know a few people we met skipped some of the boat rides - enough is enough they felt! I don't think I'd go back if it wasn't turtle nesting season, that to me was amazing.

As for the beach, I do believe most of the issue is sharks, but it also looked quite rough, similar to the BDC water roughness on the Pacific trail, but the beach was all sand. My kids had a blast collecting coconunts and trying to crack them open - no luck much to thier dismay though! I think they say you can go out to your ankles in the water!

We are going with the Watsons in four weeks, will let you know how the tour goes.

If you are looking for something upscale, Laguna Lodge probably isn't it. Several postings on T/A describe it as "basic, rustic summer camp with private bathroom" type of lodge.

That's fine by us, we spend very little time in a hotel room, but others may be looking for nicer rooms. I hear Tortuga Lodge is nicer than Laguna.

Thanks for all the info.!

Hi - not sure if this is helpful or not but I recently wrote a blog post for work where I interviewed a colleague who recently returned from Costa Rica, and I thought she had some great travel tips, including some advice about expeditions. You can read it here if you're interested:
http://blog.tripit.com/2008/12/andreas-costa-r.html

angie, I'm confused. Is this an advertisement?