Willy:

Jim; I really enjoyed the trip to Costa Rica. Now that I've learned to pronounce the name of the country, I'm really enjoying it. The food was great. The birds, bats, flowers, orchids, herps, insects, fish and the friendly people all combined to make me want to retire there when I grow up. Thanks for inviting me.

Willy Poddick

Steve:

It’s a great pleasure recommending Jim Kavney's Hiss 'n' Things Herping Adventures in Costa Rica, I do with fond memories! First just a little about Jim. He has been an ardent herper and breeder from his early teens and is one of the most knowledgeable snake breeders I know. Jim shares his knowledge and experience in a way that is most beneficial and informative to novice and serious herpers alike. In other words you will learn and enjoy your trip. Now, about the trip. There are not enough adjectives in my vocabulary to adequately describe all the flora and fauna of the Costa Rica Rain Forest. We encountered 18 species of snakes with a lot of redundancy in most species, plus crocodiles, ctenosaurs, iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards, geckos, anoles, lizards, frogs, toads and turtles. Also many of Costa Rica's numerous mammals were sighted.

There is plenty to do for the non-herpers also. Costa Rica is an ornithological smorgasbord with 830 species of birds. Fishing is great, snook right from the beach! Hiking, swimming, horseback riding, sightseeing, Carara National Park, Villa Lapas Skyway, Water Falls, etc. and souvenir shopping in the great little surfing town of Jaco', about 15 minutes by car.

Villa Lapas is an ecological and all-inclusive resort on the Tarcolitos River. The rooms and grounds are very neat and clean. There is a pool with a Jacuzzi, mini-golf, game room, butterfly garden and more. The food was out standing, fresh fruit every day and your choice from a nicely varied menu. The fish is excellent! The bar with its fresh fruit drinks is a cozy spot to relax anytime or to pick up a drink and head for the pool.

Please feel free to call or email me. I spent 31 years traveling all over the world. I highly recommend this trip.

Steve Brito
(305) 852-5445
smjbrito@webtv.net

Laurie:

Dear Jim and Helen,
It's been 2 days since we talked and I JUST now plugged the computer in!! So here goes my version: The first thing you notice is the heat-it's incredibly hot, but after the first day it doesn't matter anymore- You're too busy being awed by the country. After spending the first night in the city (San Jose), we took the rental cars over the mountains to the Pacific shore. The beauty of the countryside on the trip down was second only to our home for the next 6 days, a lovely little all-inclusive resort nestled in the middle of a rainforest! All the food we could eat, drinks we could drink (and the bartenders thought nothing of concocting ANY strange combination we came up with!), and all the Iggys we could play with! The iguanas are used to humans and are really little beggars-we had to get extra from the buffet just to satisfy them! The trails to walk on, the beautiful rocky stream running alongside the hotel and the chance encounters with the native fauna were incredible. Everything came together beautifully for an enchanting trip. The climax of the trip for me was something I have only dreamed of doing-I went on the horseback trip down the side of the mountain to see the grandeur of the waterfall in its entirety. It was incredible, exciting, scary, and I would do it every day if I could! The guide understood my limits (sedentary, non-exercising lifestyle) and gave encouragement the whole way. It was a 45 minute horseback ride, then we left the horses tied at a little covered area and continued on foot 2000 feet down-and I do mean DOWN; then, of course we had to come back UP 2000 feet. There were moments when I thought, I couldn't move one more step, but Victor, my guide would tell me about his 5 day old baby girl, or tell me a joke, or tell me one of the many legends his people have about the mountain and before I knew it we had gotten back to the horses. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything and can't wait to go back and do it again-maybe next time I can talk everyone else into having the experience of a lifetime!

Laurie Livingston,
Middleburg, Fl.

Sorry Jim-I got a little carried away-the place is wonderful!!!
Laurie

Matt:

I have to say that the trip was everything I was hoping it would be. Everything went as smooth as possible. We saw so much in the time that we were there that I can’t wait to go back. The snakes, crocodiles, birds, monkeys, etc., were amazing. I saw things that I would normally have to go to a zoo to see. I could not have picked a better group of people to go with. We all had different backgrounds and different levels of interest in reptiles and wildlife. We had a blast. We almost always ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner together and shared stories of what we did the night before or earlier that day. I have not stopped talking about this trip to my family and friends since I got back. They are all ready to put me back on the plane. I have never done a trip like this before where I didn't know the people I was going with. The first time I met everyone was at the airport. I would tell anyone that is considering going on a trip like this to go for it. This was an awesome experience that my words just can't do it justice.

Matthew J Giandonato -Chicago

Fran:

The highlight of my week in Costa Rica came with our decision to do the skyway canopy walk. I had previously heard of others visiting the Costa Rican rain forest and taking in a tour of the forest canopy, but my only concept of how in fact this was actually accomplished came from having seen the movie The Medicine Man, with little rope slings that one would pull on or release to ascend or descend on rope trails slung through the tree tops. I was firmly convinced that the only canopy that I was likely to see would be that pulled down around me if someone actually thought that it was feasible to pull my 300 pound frame any height up into a tree. Then Eduardo, the resorts resident eco-biologist, informed us that there was no need for concern as he had been successful in taking an 86 year-old woman on that very tour the week before. Well, that was it right there, I was more than willing to pluck down my twenty dollars just to see how these folks accomplished the task of getting an 86 year old over one hundred feet into the air amongst the tree tops. Never would I have believed what we were about to embark upon without seeing it myself. As our bus approached the entryway to the skyway, we were able to see a large, tall metal structure erected amongst the trees. The pessimist that I am, now my concern turned to how they expected to get this height fearing fool to climb that tower. After a few stops to gaze off the mountain side over the seaside vistas, we began a march out across five amazingly crafted metal grate suspension bridges that zigzagged back and forth between adjacent mountain sides, over ravines of thick forest, at one point 135 feet above the bottom of the ravine below. With visions of helicopters dangling large pieces of support towers and miles of steel cable, it wasn't long before Eduardo set us straight and informed us of the sixty men who spent six months hauling all of the materials and constructing all of this on site on the hillsides. The running commentary and first hand observations of this remarkable biodiversity, both plant and animal, made this an experience that I will not soon forget...

Fran

Bob:

The first Costa Rican experience was a great trip. I was a little leery of traveling and spending a week coupled up with people that I have not met before but all my fears were gone within the first few minutes with "the group". Herping was great and lots of new species to add to my life's list. You wouldn't have to even be interested in herps to enjoy yourself. The lodge setting is magnificent and even if you never left it, you would have a great time. During our trip, the insects were much less bothersome than the mosquitoes in my backyard in Georgia. I highly recommend this trip to everyone who has wanted to do it but just haven't gotten around to it. DO IT!

Bob Herrington
Professor of Biology
Georgia Southwestern State Univ.
Americus, GA

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Last Updated August 10, 2001

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