I want to thank Varco Travel for helping us through this family trip...from the planning to the arrival at the airport for our departure back home. We had excellent service, good communication, and exciting adventures (middle-of-the-road adventures...we did have my two (2) 80 year old parents with mobility issue in the group). The drivers and guides were very knowledgeable, polite, and really showed pride in their country. We had an excellent time, and I think everyone in our group would gladly visit Costa Rica again, with the help and services of Varco Travel.

Cannot rate my Varco shared shuttle experience from Jaco to LaFortuna as anything other than mediocre. Based upon my trip, Varco appears to be a middleman setting up transportation with other companies. It was almost impossible to contact Varco up to the moment we were picked up. They do not answer the phone and did not respond to WhatsApp messages. They responded to emails sporadically and only after delays. I was most annoyed abut their schedule promises. We selected Varco owing to the website showing a 2 pm Jaco departure. After making a reservation they advised pickup would be at 3 pm. The day of the trip they emailed to advise of a 3:40 pm pickup but actually arrived an hour late at 4:40 pm. We had wanted to travel in daylight but that didn’t happen. The rides themselves were great and used RideCR vehicles and drivers. Both were excellent. We were only two people in a beautiful, brand new and very comfortable RideCR van for most of the trip. The drivers were courteous and professional.

The guides were good - knowledgable and seemed to know their horses well. The horses seemed well cared for. The scenery was very good - a nice view over La Fortuna & Arenal. The route: Probably the biggest disappointment was that 3/4 of the route was on a steep paved road with the occasional car or bus moving slowly past our group. I don’t think the horses were very happy about the steepness and some slipped a bit (horseshoes on pavement doesn’t offer good traction). But this was probably a safer descent than half of the way we went up: pretty steep jagged sharp rocks and other large stones that wouldn’t be pleasant or safe to fall on if tossed from an unruly horses (see next issue). The other candidate for “biggest disappointment” was my girlfriend's horse kicked me in the toe and kicked or bit at least 3 other horses/riders at other times during the journey. These two issues spoiled the ride for me. My girlfriend’s horse was also quite unruly - the guide admitted she (the mare, not my girlfriend, although also true) was a feisty one - well, if so, why is she still giving rides? Her difficult horse ruined my girlfriend’s day and we were both sore and grumpy from the experience that night. Other reviewers commented that this is not a beginner’s ride, and I fully agree. I took several years of horse ridding lessons as a kid, so I’m not a beginner, but I’m also way out of practice. This ride is too steep, has too many big rocks and tight passage areas and the horses are not docile enough for beginners. My girlfriend hated it (she was on the kicking/biting horse). Overall, this was the low point in an otherwise good time in Costa Rica.

This was challenging for me but I'm so glad I did it! There's so much to see on the drive to the Rio Celeste. There were a few parts that were challenging due to my bad knees but slow and steady got me there! Bring a swim suit and change of clothes if you feel like swimming at the end. The guides have a spot away from the park where folks can cool off.

I used Varco Travel to arrange all of my shuttle needs on my vacation. I pre-arranged before my vacation five different shuttle trips I would need. They picked me up at my hotel and dropped me off at my next destination. They were on time, friendly and helpful. I will definitely use them again on my next trip. It was so nice to enjoy the views from one destination to another. I didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Excellent experience for the whole family. This tour is owned by a local family. Our tour guide Jeffrey was very knowledgeable and pationate and took the time to explained about coffee, cocoa and sugar cane production. We close the tour by enjoying a good coffee and a sample of homemade local cuisine.

Santiago aka Tarzan was a great guide. Very educated and gave us so much information . Very polite and helpful . Thanks is was a breath of fresh air.

We spent a few hours on the Coffee/Chocolate tour with our guide Jeffery. You walk through a family owned property and learn about coffee and chocolate. From the types of coffee beans, to when and how they are picked, to how they are cleaned and roasted…this was a great tour. Jeffery also showed us how they process the sugar cane and we had the opportunity to mix and make our own block of sugar…it was delicious! The tour ends in their cafeteria where you can try home made lemonade, coffee and some of the cane sugar liquor (Guaro). Well worth the time to learn about the culture of coffee and chocolate in Costa Rica.

We did this tour as a family with teens. It was fun and we learned a fair amount. Well worth it if you have a free half- day. Good value

So glad I got to do this! It was truly a perfect day. A beautiful drive there. Stopped at a nice bakery and coffee shop on the way. The hike through Rio Celeste was beautiful. Especially for nature lovers. After the hike we had a delicious lunch. There was a nice area that we were able to swim in. Beautiful drive back with a surprise stop on the way.

We really enjoy this tour. We experienced way more than we expected and Daniel the tour guide was excellent. We recommend this tour 100 %

This approximately 6 km hike round trip if you included the Tenideros and the waterfall. You can hike just to the waterfall if you are not into a long walk. Going down to the waterfall is easy, but make sure to consider that you need to take the 255 steps up back to the trail. We saw poison snakes resting and camouflaged just by the side of the trail. Do not leave the trail ir touch anything. Stay in the trail. The waterfall is outstanding and beautiful. It took us 3 hours to complete the hike. Bring water in a reusable bottle. It is humid and hot. Take breaks and enjoy. We took a local guide with us. He was amazing. You pay parking at the entrance side. Beautiful parks. A place from heave.

We were planning on visiting differant areas of Costa Rica and reached out to Daniel (with Varco Travel) regarding our private transportation needs. He was responsive to our emails and patiently helped us build an itinerary for our vacation. We emailed regularly and spoke a couple times on the phone prior to our trip to ensure all the details were attended to. He even secured tickets for the activities we had wanted to do prior to our arrival, which eliminated stress from our vacation planning. Upon arrival, everything went so smoothly! Our driver Jairo was accommodating and always on time for all of our activities. He was very personable and a great travel companion!! We also interacted with Daniel, whom really helped put this trip all together for us. They went above and beyond to ensure our family had an amazing trip. They also provided recommendations along the way for us, all of which were fantastic! They were professional, kind and super helpful. I will be sure to use them again when we find our way back to Costa Rica. I would be glad to share our experience should anyone have questions!

Varco was awesome to work with! Every employee was personable and friendly! Very knowledgeable and helpful in finding places to eat and stay, and things to do! 100% would use again!

Excellent tour of Coffee, Cacoa, and Sugarcane. Lots of good information on the origin of the crops and production. The smells and tastings were the best part! The views from the farm were breathtaking.