So You Want to Explore?

We found the Explore Tikizia website in November 2021, when we finally decided to buy tickets and go to Costa Rica - it was only 10 days before departure. It was such a pleasure that Rodrigo helped us plan our trip! He listened to our interests, was always helpful and caring and he stayed in touch during our whole journey. And he wrote so many practical information in an amazing planning app so we sould just click and see. We could really enjoy our holliday without stress - it is great to know that you have someone in Costa Rica who cares if everything is okay. We would definitely recommend their service to everyone, because they can make your itinerary effective according to your priorities. Thank you, Explore Tikizia!

We were able to visit Tamarindo Costa Rica with only a few days notice and Ligia was such a huge help for us. We needed a hotel room, help with our health pass, things to do for a bridal party, and restaurant recommendations within a 48 hour period and she helped us with ALL of it. AND she was available during our whole trip!! Highly recommend Explore Tikizia if you are traveling to Costa Rica!

Los mejores guias del mundo. Estamos muy agradecidos por su ayuda durante nuestro viaje en Costa Rica.

I’ve visited Costa Rica for 2 month during the pandemic and came back to my country with a lot of wonderful memories and the gift of having met an amazing costa rican couple - Ligia and Rodrigo and of course their little son! As my decision to travel to Costa Rica was quiet a spontaneous act, I didn’t have much time to plan my trip in advance. So I started googling to see if I could find a local organisation or local tour operator who is specialized in sustainable and ecological tourism. I was looking for something special, something less touristy but more authentic – So I came across the website “Explore Tikizia” and I have to say: This is the best that could have happened to me! As I didn’t exactly know, how to start my journey: Where to go first? How to get there? ( I didn’t have a car and I was travelling on my own) What kind of activities I could do there? I reached out for help and contacted Rodrigo and Ligia via WhatsApp- Video Call  Both of them were very professional and really listened to what I was saying and asked me what I was looking for. They didn’t suggest me any “prefabricated-tours” but took the time to write down a personal itinerary with different options, so I could still choose, what I wanted to do. They gave me very useful addresses of transfer companies and accommodations....authentic and local places where you feel part of costa rican life and get the chance to talk to local people and get to know them better! As Ligia and Rodrigo are from Costa Rica they have a lot of connections and know many places that normally are not listed in every travel book –so that’s a huge advantage and makes your trip even more special! The two of them were always very concerned if the suggestions they gave me were good, if I liked the hotels, hostels....so they really care about your experience and they also care a lot about supporting the local communities. That’s what I admire about their work! So I can highly recommend you planning a trip to this beautiful country with the help of Ligia and Rodrigo. They are an honest, lovely and fun couple, who are very passionate about their service and will help you plan an unforgettable trip to Costa Rica!

My wife & I were in Costa Rica for a month Feb/19 and spent 3 different days with Rodrigo as our tour guide. One day we went searching for Quetzals in a local reserve close to San Ramon. What he was able to show us hiding in the forest was amazing and we did indeed see a pair of Quetzals! This man knows his birds and made our whole day absolutely unforgettable! The 2nd day he drove us from San Ramon up to Poasito and we spent many hours in Bajos del Toro, hiking the waterfalls & finding the most amazing hummingbirds! Our 3rd day was from Sarapiqui to San Gerardo, we stopped at another private reserve and saw the most incredible rare birds, including a white-tipped Sickle-bill, a very rare hummingbird. Every trip we took he drove and yet was eagle eye to the sky, we missed nothing! Falcons, rare Toucans, rare Hummers to name a few! The birds and places Rodrigo showed us would not be on a tourist route and the knowledge he has of CR and the incredible forests and wildlife is second to none! We learnt so very much while at the same time had a blast! Rodrigo is also a camera buff and provided invaluable tips for using our gear. We can't say enough about our experience & only wished we had know ahead of time so we could have planned more of our time with him! Next time Rod! Thanks again for taking up so much Baby time!! Wendy & Jim Thompson

If you are looking for a traveler planner Rodrigo is your guy! We used Rodrigo for an 11 day trip out to Costa Rica and Rodrigo was great getting everything set up. He does an amazing job on recommending activities and places to see, while also connecting you with great tour guides. He is quick to respond over WhatApps which makes it great if anything comes up as your traveling, which there will be. If you plan to travel to different cities and need a ride would highly recommend paying the extra cost to ride with Rodrigo. He knows a ton of great local restaurants and local areas to take you to on your drive. Also it was great talking with him about Costa Rica and learning more about the Country. This was definitely one of the best things we did on our trip. I would highly recommend doing research first on things you want to do or places you want to go as it helps make the planning easier. Also there may be some activities you would want to do that Rodrigo hasn't heard of before. One thing we had to do on our own was finding restaurants in Costa Rica, which wasn't too hard. The google reviews for a majority of the restaurants are spot on and it's easy to find them through that. Lastly one of the best things of leveraging Rodrigo, is he becomes a great friend after the trip. The experience doesn't end after the trip and he is someone who you can continue to stay in contact with after the trip. I hope to again come back to Costa Rica to visit this amazing country. To give you an idea of our trip here's the places we went to and saw Monteverde - Ziplining - Exploring the Cloud Forest (great for bird watching) La Fortuna - El Celestre River (high recommend seeing this) - La Fortuna Waterfall - White Water Rafting - Scooter Rental to Explore the City - Arenal Volcano National Park - Tabacon Hot Springs (highly recommend doing this with dinner included) Manuel Antonio - Favorite place we went to - Surfing - Paddle 9 (Great for people looking to find locals water falls and cliff jumping) - Fishing - Manuel Antonio National Park

My friends and I recently used Rodrigo for our 11 day trip through Costa Rica. We wanted to go and do as much as we could in those days and Rodrigo did not disappoint. We saw Monteverde, La Fortuna, and Manuel Antonio and did amazing adventures in all of them! I highly recommend Rodrigo for any trip planned in the country of Costa Rica!!!! A++++++++++

Rodrigo was an amazing tour guide!! He helped us plan our trip from start to finish! There is not a better guide in Costa Rica when it comes to spotting wildlife and his excitement is contagious. We loved our time in Arenal with him. We highly recommend Explore Tikizia for planning the best adventure in Costa Rica!! Bill Sally and Caroline Wilber

Experiences are made of people, cultures, nature and journeys. Thanks to Ligia and Rodrigo my 2 day weekend was an incredibly fulling experience. From the pre-trip, to on-trip, to post- trip experience, they were professional, knowledgeable, and a sincere pleasure to spend time with. Their love for nature (and each other) is demonstrated in their knowledge and expertise of the diverse flora, fauna, and landscape. Always attentive to creating a personalized experience, they listen and adapt to your needs and provide valuable advice based on the season. I highly recommend them... and look forward to seeing them again on my next trip to Costa Rica. Thank you Ligia and Rodrigo!! Pura Vida!

We worked with ExploreTikizia to help us plan our 20th anniversary trip. We chose Costa Rica because we love the mountains, the greenery and the people. But, we didn’t know where to start, nor do we have time to plan such a trip with our busy work schedule. Rodrigo and team at ExploreTikizia did a wonderful job of capturing what experiences we wanted to have by having us fill out a questionnaire and then built a trip just for us, based on that info. The outcome was better than we could have imagined! We got to do so much in only nine days! We were in up the country, went up to the volcano and experienced the natural hot springs and then finished the trip by the beach and mountains. It was incredible!!! We could’ve never had done all they did to plan such a perfect trip! We loved every minute of it and we have ExploreTikizia to thank for it! Highly recommend.