250km Coast to Coast Expedition through Costa Rica

An amazing trip, one of many MBA trips I’ve been on, with loads of wildlife to be seen and a diverse range of landscapes. Sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, vultures, poison arrow frogs, crocodiles, capuchins, iguana and much more.

The campsites along the Pacuare River were delightful and the hotels were good. The food was delicious and plentiful. Our guide and support crew were spot on with everything running smoothly and to time. We were only a small group of 4 so there was no faffing about and we tended to get to camp in the early afternoon so had plenty of downtime to soak it all in.

The activities were all well judged. Although others have said that it’s tough, I found it all really easy - and that’s despite being a slightly overweight mid-50’s male having had some major health issues. It was nice steady hiking on easy tracks with only one or two steep sections and plenty of rest stops. The mountain biking was all on tarmac or well groomed gravel roads and at a very slow pace with plenty of time to complete the distances. The climbs were never steep, and nor were any of the descents. Slightly less traffic in some sections would have been nice, but it was never too bad. The rafting was just good fun, no fitness needed for that, just sit there, obey the instructions and enjoy the ride. The kayaking was an easy pootle along a calm river.

All in all an amazing trip through a spectacular country.

Absolutely amazing trip, guides were amazing food was superb too thx Memo, Carlos and Kely.

As advertised this trip isn't easy!, with early starts however you generally have most of the afternoon to relax.

If you haven't done much biking previously my recommendation would be to do some training beforehand (I did and this seemed to help), having a general fitness lifestyle does help also. Take plenty of electrolytes and breathable T-Shirts.

I would defiantly look at doing a MBA again.

My hubby and I just completed thd 10 day asventure trek with Coast to Coast, and it was a PHENOMENAL trip! Dani, our guide exceeded our expectations! He is passionate, charismatic, knowledgeable, flexible, talented, skilled at managing, organizing, creating psychological and physical safety, friendly and professional. And has alot of amazing stories to share! His cooking was superb, along with driver & chef, Memo. We ate such good food daily. Dani debriefed us so well each day. This trip, along with a group of strangers turned friends, was one of the mist memorable! It also requires you to be very fit, as it is physically demanding & challenging! We loved it!! Thank you to Dani and staff!!

Absolutely amazing trip with Much Better Adventures! Huge thanks to our incredible guides — Fez, Memo, Abel, and Douglas — who went above and beyond to support everyone and make the experience special.

One of the highlights was the food: everything was sourced locally from the market each day and the guides prepared all the meals themselves. It was fresh, delicious, and far beyond what I expected on a trip like this.

They also shared so much knowledge about nature and helped us spot many animals along the way. The whole trip had an amazing vibe, and you could really feel how much effort the team put into making it memorable for everyone.

I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and would highly recommend this adventure!

It's difficult to put into words how incredible this trip was. Our group of 5 solo travellers turned up, each looking to challenge ourselves physically but what we got, was so much more. I finished this trip feeling challenged, educated and inspired.

Danni was without doubt a top tier guide, we could not have asked for someone better to lead our group. His positivity, passion and knowledge is nothing short of inspiring. He made every day of the trip fun and interesting, sharing his passion for his home country and ecology.

The support provided by Jeffrey was also second to none, making each transition absolutely seamless and providing delicious snacks and refreshments.

A small blip in my journey lead me to an afternoon on an IV drip in a hospital. Danni and Jeffrey handled this incident incredibly well. Recognising that I required medical attention, they quickly organised an additional support vehicle which allowed the rest of the group to continue the journey as scheduled. They made contact with a local clinic, allowing me to been seen and treated very quickly. This quick intervention allowed me to recover and return to activities the following day. Having Jeffrey with me the entire time to translate for me made me feel more at ease in a scary situation.

The trip was in equal parts challenging and rewarding, each day I thought it couldn't get any better and each day I was proven wrong. Falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle is a memory which will stay with me forever.

If you've read this far, your either considering booking - in which case, just do it, you will not regret it!

Or you're looking for kit list recommendations - previous reviews have been spot on. Bring a camping pillow, dry bags to separate wet and dry kit, lots of bug spray and a sports suncream that won't run into your eyes when you sweat! I wouldn't bother with a clothes line and card games are a must! I would also probably take my own immodium if I did it again🤣

A fantastic trip through the beauty of Costa Rica's rain & cloud forests, rivers, mountains & waterfalls! We all bonded within the different adventures and challenges of the trip with the expertise and guidance of our amazing guide Daniel!

I've been on a few MBA trips and they've all been impressive, this was no exception. It's starts with a few chilled days and then the adventure begins. As you've already read it is physically challenging, be prepared. Each of our group found different aspects more challenging but everyone supported each other through the ups and down (Costa Rican Flats!) and there was genuine happiness when each of us completed the next stage. The physical challenge was always rewarding. Exploring Costa Rica by human power was amazing and we saw and learnt so much about the country. This was in no small part down to our amazing guide Danny. His knowledge, enthusiasm and joviality was only surpassed by the 150% effort he gave at all times of the day. Whilst I know the coast to coast adventure would have been incredible whoever guided us I'm glad we all got to experience it with Danny. He was ably supported by Jeffery who kept us hydrated and fed and made sure we had the right gear for the next leg. Thanks to both of you. Definitely check people's kit list recommendations and definitely book the coast to coast adventure!!

Wow! I read all the reviews before I booked and they all said it was amasing! But this trip surpassed what I had expected! I have been on a few tours around the world but never had a trip that felt life changing before.

I can’t even put into words how incredible it was. We all thought everyday couldn’t get more beautiful and each day it did and more. Our guide Danny was absolutely amasing. His knowledge of conservation gave us fantastic insight into all the animals, plants and the local communities and made it so much more special. All the work from the entire team including our driver Jeffry was exceptional and all the food they prepared was extremely delicious!!

It is rated as challenging, which is correct even for relatively fit people. I would recommend people to look at not just the distances but the elevation over the distance listed to get an indication - as some of the climbs are steep - it does require a level of fitness. If you do regular biking or running I would 100% recommend this trip as an incredible experience. If you do an occasional walk on the weekend then you would need to train before you go or maybe look at the e-bike version of the trip. Cycling experience is required - there is a mix of road and gravel, which was great. I had no mountain bike experience so learnt a lot and actually like gravel as much as road now!

Some packing tips: The packing list they give is really good!

• Quick dry clothes and socks
• Can take a clothes line (but I never actually used mine as there are other lines around)
• I took my lightweight hiking boots, trainers for cycling/ evenings, and sandles (with good grip) for the water crossings, rafting and kayaking
• Cycling gloves (also used for kayaking)
• Compact umbrella for the day bag (for hot sun and for the odd rain storm - very handy)
• Factor 50 suncream and deet bug spray (apply regularly)
• Lots of electrolytes - I took some energy chews particularly for the first 3 days. I was so well fed that I didn’t need snacks but there are opportunities to stop for snacks during the trip.
• Bike bag - particularly for the top bar (so can put energy chews in - or phone)
• Binoculars (they are very handy for seeing animals hiding in the canopies)

If you love nature, like a challenge and have the fitness - do it!! You honestly won’t regret it! When we finished we all wanted to drive back to the pacific coast to do it all over again - which says it all really!

I'm glad it was Costa Rica, 250km and not the United States, 4000km plus!

The good points; Such excellent guides and support crew and logistics - thank you Josue, Enrique, Memo and Darwin. The route - follows much of the Camino de Costa Rica, a hiking trail established in 2019. The wildlife - soaring swallow tailed kites, turkey vultures, toucans, fireflies, monkeys and sloths. The food - hotels, local restaurants and campfire cooked meals - it's plentiful, and I love plantain in all of it's prepared forms. The local casado - rice and beans will fill you up. Local campsites will give you a sense of getting away from it all. Camping in the gym prevented tents getting saturated, and the glamping sites were tents covered by corrugated iron roofs to keep things dry. No punctures in our group of 12 for the whole trip. A great group of folks to share it with (unknown to me, 2 people from my running club booked on the trip too. Small world and all that) The sense of achievement when you see the breaking rollers of the Caribbean Sea on the kayak day.

The less good; San Jose - I could have given that a miss (American chain restaurants and little of architectural merit) I wish I'd just gone straight to Quepos as I arrived early. Make sure you're a morning person. If not, become one as there a lot of early starts (4am the most testing. . ) Some of the roads are quite busy and the trucks don't always give a lot of room. Don't expect pristine rainforest all the way. Tracks run through banana and coffee plantations and there are occasional 4 by 4's to meet. The weather - expect it to be wet, there are opportunities to get clothes washed and dried. Sandals are your friend, footwear that will dry quickly. At the end, a 1 hour drive to Cahuita for 1 night, then drive back on the same road to go back to San Jose. Perhaps the national park close by was an attraction and Limon had little to offer?

So yes, this is a big challenge with a sense of acheivement at the end. You'll get to experince a few differnt climates and biomes along the way. The logistics of the trip are complicated and the team does a fantastic job of managing them and taking all around care of you.

But the downside is really the route you take. The whole journey (except the rafting, which may be cancelled due to weather) is on routes used by motor vehicles. For the bike sections, this means lots of asphalt, often pretty busy. The rest, cycling and hiking is a mixture of gravel roads and access tracks to houses and farms. You'll see a lot of the country but never really feel like you are getting in to the wilds. The first three days are the worst, grueling climbs on busy tarmac or repetetive coffee plantations, with things improlving as it goes on.

The challenge level of this trip is real, but if you reguarly cycle or hike up significant hills, you can do it. Focus on the amount of climbing and matching that, not the distances. Technical challenge for any of the sports is pretty absent, but do note that the cycling includes rough gravel roads at points. Bad weather (intense heat or heavy rain) are quite possible and would make things much more gruelling.

Food is overall good, but pretty variable. Highlights are some delcious local restaurants, lowlights are sandwiches of cheap bread and pre-sliced cheese.

There's also a lot of downtime in the schedule - the trip is 12 days/11 nights nominally, but there's only 7 days of activity. There's a lot of what feels like "padding" start and finish.

A trip like this needs 3 things- a good itinerary, a good guide and a great group of people to enjoy it with and this trip had all of those things in spades. Thanks Josué, Enrique, Darwin & Memo who worked so hard; Thanks MBA and Thank you to all adventurers for being great company and a great team. We smashed it😁 Some days were very hard (especially the hike on day 2) but everyone supported each other and it was a fantastic trip. Brilliant even. When I saw the route and the elevations I was concerned but I'm so glad I booked the trip as everything came together on the day. You can see from the pictures that we were smiling at the beginning, smiling at the end and actually all the way across too. Sign up today.

This was a fantastic trip. The physical challenge was much greater than I expected, but worth the effort even when I struggled.

The trip’s organization and its leadership both were stellar. Dani and Zoe did a fantastic job, coaching us, encouraging us, teaching us and feeding us. Their passion for their homeland and desire to make us successful were apparent and infectious.

This trip pushed me out of my comfort zone. And rewarded me in kind for the effort.

Just absolute fun and adventure from start to finish. I would thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone who reasonably fit and wants a very active experience in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

I absolutely loved this trip. It was physically challenging (Costa Rica is not flat - more of it seems to go up than down somehow. . . ) but hugely rewarding because of it. We hiked past fields of banana and coffee plants, and cycled alongside miles of sugar cane being harvested by hand. The views were breath-taking, with huge colourful plants, flowers and trees. The wildlife was wonderful too - birds, frogs, lizards, monkeys, sloths, butterflies, a racoon and loads more. I fell in love with the hummingbirds with their super-fast wings and flashes of colour. (Try filming them in slo-mo to see them better. ) We tried lots of local foods and were very well fed throughout the trip. Try Memo's cassava chips if you get the chance. The rafting was great too and it was a great way to see the river and its wildlife. And the kayaking on the last day, although hard work, gave us the opportunity to see families of monkeys right above us in the trees over the river, which was magical. Accommodation is a mixture of camping and hotels. I enjoyed the variety but do be prepared for a couple of nights of very basic camping. The people of Costa Rica are incredibly friendly and welcoming, waving and honking their horns in encouragement as we battled steep hills on the bikes. I found it a really lovely aspect of the adventure, feeling like I was a welcome visitor and being able to exchange smiles and waves. Our guide was Josué and he is brilliant. He knows a huge amount about the country, the wildlife and pretty much anything you ask. He has a great sense of humour but is also a very grounded, responsible leader. I can't imagine the trip being as good as it was without him.

My packing tips:

• an inflatable sleeping mat to supplement the ones provided (which are quite thin)
• a travel pillow (or pillowcase you can stuff with clothes)
• a quick-dry microfibre changing robe (packs down just like a towel)
• flip flops / slides (for the showers)
• small handlebar bag for the bike (for phone, suncream, snack) I got one from Halfords which worked well
• something to read / play in the evenings
• water shoes (get some cheap ones if you don't have any - really useful for river dips & crossings etc. )

If you're thinking of doing this trip and are confident you're fit enough (or will be), my strong recommendation is to go for it. I can't imagine seeing such a stunning country in a better way.

Dani was an outstanding guide, assisted by his daughther Zoe. They did an outstanding job preparing the group for the different stages, organizing the flawless change overs from hiking, biking, rafting and kayaking and they were excellent guides through the amazing nature and landscapes of Costa Rica. Learned a lot and it was fun adventure.

Dani was an excellent guide. Extremely knowledgeable and informative, high energy and caring. Food and accommodation were great and in line with the adventure. The organization of buses, boats, bikes etc was first rate. The trip was definitely a grind but ultimately really rewarding.

Amazing adventure! The expedition totally lived up to the 5 star reviews I read. I was very lucky to part of a great group who were all inspiring, fun, fit from a wide variety of sports and looked out for each other (except when playing cards, nobody warned me about how many card sharks were coming on the trip!) Our guide Josué was an exceptional leader. His passion for nature and wildlife was infectious and we saw so much each day that we would have missed had it not been for his keen eye and enthusiasm to share his wealth of knowledge. The itinerary is certainly challenging but extremely well organised and Josué managed to make the most steep inclines feel doable (not an easy task when you’re at the bottom of a hill straining your neck looking up from the saddle of a mountain bike!). Memo was also great and with their teamwork we were always safe and well equipped with whatever we needed at each stage. The food was plentiful, delicious and always freshly prepared by Nemo and/ or Josué and each meal outdid the previous. I agree with the reviewer who preferred their cooking to the restaurants! The landscape is beautiful and the local people we encountered were really easy going and friendly. Trucks are big but motorists on the road sections always showed us courtesy and gave us plenty of space. Shout out to the rafting team who, despite weather conditions not going our way on one of the days, got us on the water both days. The tips and advice from previous reviews were accurate and very helpful, so well worth a read. I have so many memories from this trip that I’ll treasure so I would have no hesitation in recommending it:) Liz

As you round the final corner and see the Caribbean Sea from your kayak, this trip gives you a real sense of "we've done it. . . we've travelled from one coast to another by hiking, pedalling and paddling". . . and it feels really good. The journey along the way gives a great look at the interior of Costa Rica (though as the focus is getting from one side of the country to the other, you won't see what the average guidebook says are the 'highlights'). The challenge was just right. . . everyone in our group (of 7) was very fit and it brought us together and fostered a wonderful sense of camaraderie.

The trip is a genuine challenge though - a typical day at the start of the trip starts at 04:30 for a 5 hour hike over hilly/rough terrain in high heat and humidity and then switches to 3 hours on a bike.

[A word on fitness: it would be a shame if you did not do this trip because you thought you weren't fit enough; similarly, doing the trip having overestimated your fitness would be miserable. I'm a 52 year old guy and I routinely run about 35 miles a week and have a respectable half marathon time. The physical requirements were tough (I pushed the bike a couple of times) but within my grasp and nowhere near enough to ever spoil the trip. If you are much younger and run marathons for fun, this trip will be comfortable for you. If your exercise does not go past a few miles walking in the countryside at the weekend, you'll want to think again before booking or have a serious exercise regime for a few months ahead of the trip]

The accommodation is very basic for a couple of nights, but generally you'll be 'glamping' or in a hotel.

Some stuff to take that I don't recall seeing on the packing list:

• A deck of cards (one of the highlights of the trip for me was no internet and the laughter you can have in a card game. . . remember that from the days before you were tied to Insta or TikTok?)
• A camping clothes line and pegs (as other reviewers have said, it's near impossible to dry things out)

Some shout outs to the MBA team:

Rosa - who deals with admin ahead of the trip is super responsive and helpful and probably doesn't get enough recognition for the fact Memo - our support guy - was the unsung hero of the trip. . . just there at every transition with a smile and just what you needed when you needed it. He was the cook for much of the trip and what he can conjure from a camp kitchen was impressive Josue - the tour leader and an absolute legend. Always smiling, impressively fit, knowledgeable, helpful, flexible and cooked some of the best food on the trip (at silly hours of the morning or after a long day while the rest of us were resting). Anyone that greets me with 'tea?' at 05:00 (when the rest of the group drank coffee) is a friend for life!

Be prepared for variable weather - this isn't a trip to think "I'm sure I won't need a fleece", "I'm sure I'll be ok in jeans" or "that cotton t-shirt will dry out ok" - an investment in technical fabrics will be money well spent. For example, after 6 days of sunshine, it rained so long and so hard that our rafting was cancelled due to flash floods (a shame but MBA can hardly control the weather and they clearly put safety first).

Overall, this was a brilliant trip - one of the best of this type that I've done. I think we got lucky with the weather (floods aside) and the group size of 7 (I note that these tours typically fill up to 16 and, honestly, I think that is too many to keep a really good group dynamic, but MBA need to make money). Admin, support and tour leader were all first rate. I'll be travelling with MBA again.

I had so much fun and the entire trip was so well organised and run from start to finish. Great food! Great mixture and quality of accommodation! Fez and the Coast to Coast team are just fab, I always felt safe and looked after. It's such a great way to see Costa Rica and challenge yourself physically along the way. Highly highly recommend

A truly amazing experience that was made infinitely better by Fez!!

What an incredible trip across Costa Rica. Every day was an adventure. Fez (Christopher) was the most fantastic leader. Each day he described in great detail what to expect in terms of physical exertion, what to pack for our transition bags, time expectations and what food/drinks we should carry. I found it very helpful knowing what climbs to expect when cycling. I possessed moderate fitness for the trip and found some parts difficult - particulalry the 14km 800m climb up to the Continental Divide. I felt very much supported by Fez - he exudes great positive energy. On more than one occasion I had to get off my bike and walk - but with Fez's support I completed the trip and it was amazing and somewhat emotional to arrive at the Caribbean Sea!

A nice trip, well organised across a beautiful country

Just returned from completing the last Coast to Coast trip of 2025! An amazing trip with awesome guides and like-minded group of adventurers. Christopher (Fez) and Memo were great throughout the trek ensuring everyone was prepared for the challenges of the day and keeping the group together - while allowing us to go at our own pace and, keeping us well fed! All of the provided equipment (mountain bikes, tents, rafts, etc. ) were high quality and we never had any issues.

One only gets to experience the full beauty and culture of the people and country by doing this type of adventure. Cannot say enough about the people we encountered and their commitment to ensuring our experience fulfilled the promise of pura vida.

I highly recommend this adventure. Ensure your legs are in shape as there is a lot of elevation on the bikes!

Kevin (Dec 2025)

An incredible adventure of a lifetime! There's time of extreme workouts and extreme relaxation. The food is amazing. Fez and Memo are awesome together. The accommodations are humbling, charming, and relaxing. Such a nice mix of everything, and packed with so many small surprises! I want to do it again!

This is really good trip that will test you at some point, both physically and mentally!

The combination of hiking, biking, rafting and kayaking makes it tough, especially when you do two different activities in one day. The "Day 5" cycle over the Continental Divide is a real challenge, so if you're not a regular cyclist then I'd recommend doing some training beforehand to help you enjoy it more.

The highlight was definitely the two nights spent by the river at El Nido del Tigre where you can relax in the hammocks or catch up on rest on the comfortable memory foam mattresses. Plus the wildlife - we saw a puma!

Activity wise, I really enjoyed the downhill biking and the early hiking sections. Confidence on loose gravel tracks will help you enjoy the biking more - drop your saddle down to gain more control.

Our lead guide was Josué, supported by Sebastian. Memo and Mau were on logistics. The whole team were fantastic! Everything is very well organised and efficient. The meals prepared by the guide team were all delicious, far better than what you eat out in a restaurant.

My tips & advice:

• Take a small packable poncho that goes over you and your rucksack.
• Definitely take a camping pillow!
• Take electrolyte & vitamin tablets, e. g. Phizz.
• For the cycling, a small saddle/crossbar/handlebar bag is useful for sun cream, snacks, phone etc.
• The bikes have space for two cycling water bottles.
• If you use them at home, take your own SPD/clipless pedals and shoes. Waaaay more efficient on the uphills and secure on the downhills.
• The bike saddles are OK, but a gel cover will help, or take your own.
• Ear plugs and an eye mask are essential!
• I took lightweight hiking boots and these kept my feet dry and meant I could walk across streams/rivers fine.
• Take playing cards / card games for the evenings and rest day.
• I enjoyed having flapjack/cereal bars from home.

Overall, this is another great MBA trip which I highly recommend! Just don't underestimate the challenge.

Definitely read other people's reviews - there's some great advice in then regarding kit and conditions you might encounter. Hiking is mostly on gravelly hardpack, but the hills are plentiful and incredibly steep. Cycling wise, I was lucky as I do a decent amount of mountain biking and had a fair idea of what I was likely in for when I saw the distances and elevations in the itinerary, but I think it's worth re-iterating that this part of the trip is tough. You either need a good level of bike fitness, or good general fitness level and a willingness to really slog and suffer through the biking sections.

We got pretty lucky with the weather, it was rainy for a fair portion of it with the group looking more like a summer hiking expedition in the Brecon Beacons than the shorts and vest tropical hiking experience I'd pictured when booking, but this actually really worked in our favour as there are some sections that would be pretty punishing in full sunlight, particularly kayaking where there isn't much in the way of tree cover at the end. I think the best advice is to be prepared for anything.

The rest day felt really well earned even if we did swap our waterfall hike for watching the rain hammer down while we played cards and lounged in hammocks, but it's a truly wonderful spot.

Josue and his team were exemplary - the logistics and the organisation of the trip was flawless throughout, all the meals they cooked at the campsites were top notch as well. There were a couple of changes to the published itinerary due to conditions and safety and fully warranted and well communicated on both occasions. I really can't say enough good things about the guiding on this trip.

The rafting at the end of the trip was amazing fun and really felt like a reward for all our hard work up those hills and to finish the trip we seemed

I was also lucky enough to share this trip with a great group of investing, fun people (and one puma, spotted on the first day) - which made it even better

Overall, a brilliantly organised and challenging adventure.

I wanted to do a challenge to mark my upcoming 50th birthday. Josue and Sebastian (and Memo and Mau) were absolutely outstanding and we couldn’t have been in better hands.

Costa Rica was breathtakingly beautiful. This trip was everything I wanted it to be and so much more than I could have imagined. We were lucky with the weather and saw incredible wildlife including a puma(!), sloths, toucans and capuchin monkeys.

I read the reviews over and over before booking this trip as I wasn’t sure if I was fit enough, so this review will help you if in a similar spot.

You need to be fit physically AND mentally. Everyone in our group said it was the toughest cycling they’ve ever done. One day a section was 3 hours hiking uphill, another day a section was cycling 2-3 hours uphill. So if you have the grit and decent fitness, you'll get there. I was slow, got off the bike a lot and walked, but kept going without breaks and it was great. If in doubt, book the e-bike version. It was worth training hard and being off the booze for a couple of months beforehand.

Off-roading gravel cycling experience is useful. Most of the cycling is asphalt, but there are some sections that you should know how to navigate downhill on loose gravel.

The rafting is SUPER FUN. I was worried about that and didn't need to be. Kayaking, sure, watch some YouTube videos on technique and make sure you have some upper body strength.

The MBA packing list is really excellent. My advice would be to pack lighter than you think. You have cheap laundry (priced by kg not by items) on about Day 4 and also at the end. Every day you're staying in a new place and moving on so don’t overpack.

Useful items:

• Take a magazine or newspaper. You can walk through creeks and scrunching up a few pages at the end of the day and stuffing them in your shoes will dry them out by morning.
• Good quality ear plugs are essential. Village dogs/ motorbikes/ snoring neighbouring campers/ loud rain/ noisy air con. I needed them every night.
• Didn’t need a fan (December trip)
• I feel the cold, so needed warmer clothes than just ‘a sweater’. A lightweight gilet/ warm socks was needed
• Got a spare rain poncho? Take it. Nothing dries, so rain jackets can still be wet the next day
• Sarong isn’t optional. Take one
• Water bottles (2 max needed), make them as lightweight as possible for the bike. Had metal, wish I took plastic.
• I bought a small handlebar bag (waterproof) for phone/ snack/ sunscreen which was brilliant
• Walking poles were essential for me
• A pack of playing cards is great for evenings/ rest day (which is in paradise, you’ll love it!)
• Finally, if you’re blister prone, a combo of Compeed Anti Blister Stick and (USA brand) Wright socks Coolmesh II Tab Anti Blister System socks was a winning combo for zero blisters.

All in all, highly recommend. A truly EPIC trip. One for the memory bank. Thank you MBA.

Well organized. Very challenging.

This trip is No Joke! But if you can put one foot in front of the other, you can do it. The first three days were by far the hardest. These climbs are tough. I mean real tough.

We had great esprit de corps, due to good luck, Carlos' leadership, and Mimo's cooking. You really get a feel for the land and its people, especially the coffee workers. The bikes were in great shape. I mostly got by carrying 1L of water, as there were freqent opportunities to refill. I would pack a clothes line next time. I was glad I packed my own inflatable mattress and pillow. There were lots of opportunities for laundry. You only need a 4 day supply. I packed hiking shoes, not boots, as well as hiking sandals, which came in handy. It was good to have long pants to go on the water all day. I overate like crazy. Toilets were readily available throughout. Sunglasses straps were a plus.

The poisonous frogs, venomous skakes, tarantulas, spiders, crocodiles, ants, pumas, sharks? Ah, don't worry about it. Pura Vida!

A fantastic experience, which was physically and mentally challenging (and wet!). More biking than I had registered- probably should have done a bit of training. The Coast to Coast team were superlative. Fez was our lead guide: experienced, flexible and fortunately had a great sense of humour, which he needed as we were a mixed ability group. The group was a mixture of solo travellers, couples and one small friend group, and gelled quickly. Lots of laughs and some tears! Supportive, friendly, just a great group of people who I'm really pleased to have experienced Costa Rica with. Costa Rica itself is breathtaking beautiful.

If you like a challenge, and LOTS of elevation, with amazing views and wildlife to distract you from another uphill, this is the trip for you.

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