PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

Photo gallery of pictures from our ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND adventure vacation
Iguana Jan 2010
Travelling on two wheels is a great way to meet the locals and slow down to smell the coffee.

MEET OUR GUIDES:

ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND adventure travel guide
Yohn Grajeda
"Yohn is the best! A stellar individual with the utmost integrity."
Virginia Guilfoile (Chapel Hill,North Carolina,United States Jun 09 Jaguar
News Clips and Reviews
Finding the Real Gold in Costa Rica
by Linda Ballou

After nine days of non-stop fun on a multi-sport adventure with Active South America in Costa Rica, floating belly-up in a secluded cove at Playa Coyote gave me a chance to savor the journey. A morning swim in placid waters beneath pastel pink heavens soothed muscles put to tests that included mountain biking, white water rafting, pony trekking, hiking in rain forests, kayaking across blue-green depths to a picnic on a palm-studded island, and a night patrol with turtle conservationists along a strand of deserted beach. These were just a few of the high points of this holiday designed for those who want to breathe deeply of the landscape. Read more...

Find the real gold in Costa Rica
"The Tortuga trip met all of my expectations. I can't wait to return. After speaking to people on other Galapagos trips I feel spoiled by the diversity of this trip. It was so much more interactive and fun with the outdoor orientation. I was really satisfied with the entire trip. I will definitely recommend your company to others."

Lindsay Kalan (Alberta, Canada) Sep 2006 Tortuga
ACCOMMODATION:
The Iguana is an active adventure-oriented trip around Costa Rica. As with all ACTIVE trips, we’ve chosen accommodations for their comfort and cleanliness – not the number of channels available on the television! The places we stay are off the beaten track and truly spectacular. For example, at Tanga’s Beach Camp, we camp on the beach, which is often the highlight of the trip, but the facilities are quite basic. Other places, such as Hotel Celaje and Cabinas Los Guayabos, are more comfortable with a higher level of facilities. Accommodations are twin-share with single rooms available in most locations. Occasionally it may be necessary to have more than two people per room in one or two of the places where we stay.

RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS:
You can fly into San José any time on the first day of the trip, but we recommend you arrive before noon. On the last day of your trip you can fly out at any time. If you want to arrive earlier or leave later, we’re happy to help out booking extra hotel accommodation for you.

TRIP START:
If you arrive on the first day of your trip, an ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA representative will meet you at the airport at 2pm and take you to your accommodation – you’ll have the rest of the afternoon to explore San José. If you’re already in San José, you’ll meet your trip leader and the rest of your group in the lobby of the Fleur de Lys Hotel at 6pm.

TRIP END:
You’ll wake up just outside San José on the last day of your trip, so you can book a flight home departing any time that day – we’ll be happy to drop you off at the airport any time before noon.

FITNESS:
You need a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy yourself on the Iguana trip. You don’t have to be young or extremely fit (although if you are, you won’t be bored) but you should be in the habit of doing at least some regular exercise. Age and experience are not important. We would rather have an older person with a good attitude than a 22-year-old couch potato!

EXPERIENCE:
You don’t have to have any outdoor experience to do one of our trips. We offer trips that enable you to make the most of Latin America's awesome outdoor environment, culture and history. Our trip leaders are highly trained and experienced outdoor guides, and they’ll look after you! You don’t need any experience in snorkelling, rafting or sea kayaking on the Iguana. All you need is to be energetic and in reasonable shape and you'll have a wonderful time. We manage the level of commitment to suit your experience, and we have an impeccable safety record.

FLEXIBILITY:
Costa Rica is in a developing part of the world, and we can’t tell you that everything runs like clockwork in Latin America. What we can tell you is that we are experienced adventure travel leaders, and we know how to keep things operating as smoothly as possible, even when conditions are challenging. That’s why we’re here! If you bring flexibility, an open mind and a sense of humour you’ll find your trip goes even smoother!

INCLUDED:
The trip fare is US$2799. The trip fare includes just about everything, specifically:
• All guiding services. We always have an experienced trip leader with every trip and will have a local guide on many of our excursions for extra local knowledge.
• All ground transportation.
• Comfortable accommodation for your entire trip. We can also book pre- and post-trip accommodation for you if required.
• All your meals.
• All drinking water. Alcohol and other drinks are not included – although we’ve been known to spring for a few drinks here and there!
• All snorkelling, rafting, sea kayaking, hiking and biking as described in the itinerary, excluding optional activities as noted. None of the activities are compulsory, so if you prefer to sit some of them out and just have a ‘down day’ hanging out with a book and a hammock, then that’s fine by us. This is your vacation after all!
• Tips for local activity guides and drivers are taken care of by us.

NOT INCLUDED:
This is your holiday, and we are serious about not nickel-and-diming you! You’ll have a few drinks to cover, extra activities if you choose them, and you’ll probably feel like tipping your guide at the end of a fabulous time, but you won’t be pulling out your wallet every few minutes on your ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA trip!

GEAR LIST:
Click here to see a copy of the Iguana Gear List

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