Skip to content
Costa Rica comme un Tico
Menu
Custom itinerary
The Orosi valley at dawn: rows of coffee plants, a river and misty mountains

Costa Rica,the Tico way.

Tell us about the trip you dream of: Raúl, a Tico from Cartago, plans it with you and answers you personally.

Create my itineraryExplore the map
Rated 5.0 out of 5, 47 reviews on Facebook

Your trip, your way

  • A hanging bridge leading into the Monteverde cloud forest, between moss-covered trees

    Custom itinerary

    You choose the regions, the pace and the budget. Raúl builds the trip with you.

    Create my itinerary
  • Arenal volcano capped by a cloud, above the rainforest and the lake

    Ready-to-go tours

    Don’t feel like planning it all? Start from a tour that’s already thought through, fitted to your dates.

    See the tours
  • A small mountain road between coffee farms, under ridges in the clouds

    Car rental

    Tell us your dates and your route: we arrange your car rental.

    Request a car

Here, people don’t thank an agency. They thank Raúl.

On his Facebook page, travelers don’t praise an organization: they thank Raúl, by name.

5.0out of 547 reviews on Facebook

Read the reviews(opens in a new tab)Leave a review(opens in a new tab)

  • « Merci beaucoup à Raul de m’avoir aider pour mon voyage. Pour ma famille avec deux enfants il nous as proposé un itinéraire adapté avec des choix d’activités qui ont été super intéressants. Il s’est même occupé de la réservation de l’auto avec une compagnie locale, de la réservation des activités. Je le recommande vraiment pour planifier votre voyage au Costa Rica. J’espère y retourner bientôt! »

    Translated from French: Many thanks to Raul for helping me with my trip. For my family with two children he suggested a suitable itinerary with activity choices that were really interesting. He even took care of booking the car with a local company, and of booking the activities. I really recommend him to plan your trip to Costa Rica. I hope to go back soon!

    David L.

  • « Pour notre 1 er voyage au Costa Rica Raul a été vraiment d’une aide précieuse. Il a su répondre à nos attentes et même plus! Il nous a indiqué des endroits magnifiques et il très réactif. Nous sommes partis pendant la saison des pluies et il nous a conseillé d’aller plutôt dans certaines régions où nous serons moins impactés par la pluie et heureusement que je lui ai fait confiance ! Merci encore d’avoir fait de ce voyage une si belle réussite. »

    Translated from French: For our first trip to Costa Rica, Raul was truly a great help. He met our expectations and more! He pointed us to magnificent places and he’s very responsive. We went during the rainy season and he advised us to go to certain regions where we’d be less affected by the rain, and luckily I trusted him! Thanks again for making this trip such a success.

    Audrey D.

  • « Raul est un excellent conseiller, réactif, disponible et généreux de son temps. Son aide a été précieuse avant et pendant le voyage, et nous a enlevé une charge sur les épaules en faisant des réservations pour nous! Merci pour tout »

    Translated from French: Raul is an excellent advisor: responsive, available and generous with his time. His help was invaluable before and during the trip, and took a weight off our shoulders by making bookings for us! Thanks for everything

    Gen D.

Tap a region, see what’s there

Volcanoes, cloud forest, Pacific or Caribbean beaches: add the regions that tempt you to your request, and the form fills itself in.

  • Arenal, La Fortuna & Río Celeste

    All year round; in the rainy season, mornings are often sunny and the shower comes in the afternoon.

  • South Caribbean (Puerto Viejo, Cahuita & Manzanillo)

    September and October, its driest and sunniest season; in July and August, it’s where it rains the most.

Explore the interactive map

Ready-to-go tours

Three classic trips published by Raúl, to discover the must-sees as a family or a couple without planning everything. Each tour is a starting point: he adapts it to your dates and what you love.

  • The turquoise water of the Río Celeste between moss-covered boulders
    Sample itinerary

    14 days

    Volcanoes, Río Celeste and Sámara

    Arenal volcano, the turquoise Río Celeste, the cloud forest, then the beach at Sámara.

    1. Alajuela
    2. La Fortuna
    3. Río Celeste
    4. Monteverde
    5. Sámara
    6. Poás
    See the tour
  • Punta Uvita’s “whale’s tail” seen from above, at low tide

    14 daysSample itinerary

    Volcanoes, whales and Manuel Antonio

    Arenal and Monteverde, then the Pacific: whales at Uvita and Manuel Antonio park.

    1. Alajuela
    2. La Fortuna
    3. Monteverde
    4. Uvita
    5. Manuel Antonio
    6. Poás
    See the tour
  • A long golden beach on the North Pacific, ringed by dry-forest hills

    14 daysSample itinerary

    Mountains and beach

    Poás and Arenal volcanoes, then Guanacaste’s beaches, from Tamarindo to Playas del Coco.

    1. Alajuela
    2. La Fortuna
    3. Tamarindo
    4. Playas del Coco
    5. San José
    See the tour

How it works

A tailor-made trip isn’t something you buy in one click. Here’s how we plan it together.

  1. You tell us about your trip

    On the map or in the form: your dates, what you love, the regions you dream of.

  2. Raúl answers you personally

    No bots, no automatic replies. He reads your request and writes back himself.

  3. You leave with an itinerary of your own

    A trip built for you, with advice from a Tico who lives here.

Join the community

Two Facebook groups run by Raúl, where French-speaking travelers ask questions, share discoveries and plan their trips together.

Follow the Facebook page(opens in a new tab)
The Pacuare river canyon near Turrialba, between forested slopes in the mist

A Tico in Cartago

Raúl is Costa Rican. He lives in Cartago, in the heart of the Central Valley, and plans trips for French-speaking travelers: from Québec, France, Belgium and Switzerland.

He works with certified French-speaking guides all over the country.

« I personally answer every comment and message I receive. »

Raúl, on his Facebook page

What if your trip started with a conversation?

Tell Raúl about your trip

Cartago