• > How Strenuous are these Trips?
• > Group Participants and Tour Leader
• > Private Tours and Custom Dates
• > Local Transportation
• > Accommodations
• > Meals
• > Climate
• > Travel Documents
• > Flights
• > Airline Tickets
• > Money
• > Health
• > Luggage & Clothing
• > Resources
• > Communication

How Strenuous are these Trips?

Djoser participants enjoy an active style of travel. On a Djoser tour, we do lots of walking. There are hearty nature walks and more strenuous hikes for the more energetic travelers. You can also forgo these activities for a more leisurely activity. Our hotels are often located so that you can walk to the nearby sites. Once in a city, we will only take transport to sites that are far away.  You must be capable and willing to carry your own luggage from the bus to the hotel, as usually, there is no porter.

Group Participants and Tour Leader

 Please consider the descriptions below before booking a trip with an international group.
On these trips, you will travel with groups of 8 to 20 travelers, of all ages, mostly from Holland and Belgium. These trips are great for our more active, independent minded travelers who welcome the added element, and occasional challenges of cultural immersion. This adds another element to your international experience. There are usually only one to four North Americans on any trip. We found that an even split of Dutch and North Americans sometimes created a cultural divide, and our intention is to blend travelers and to maintain the European feeling of these trips. True to the European style of travel is a diversity of ages represented in our groups. These active  travelers blend well and participants of all ages take hearty hikes, bike rides and welcome independent explorations.
The Dutch are typically very social and have a great command of English. It is inevitable that the participants will lapse into Dutch from time to time at meals and on the bus, until they get to know you. The guide will help to integrate you, but you will enjoy this trip more if you are the type of person who is also comfortable initiating conversations, from time to time. If you have a travel partner, it will be easier to find your way into the conversations or at least to have a buffer during times when the group is chatting in Dutch. After a day or two, you will normally get your rhythm.  You can probably expect lively conversations about world politics, especially in today’s climate.  Depending on your personal politics, this can be lots of fun, or not. The Dutch tend to be fairly liberal minded.
If this description sounds daunting or unappealing, then these trips are probably not for you and you may wish to consider our private and semi-private journeys, instead. They  offer plenty of excitement without some of the challenges. Please call us with questions.  Over half of our travelers prefer to travel the “Dutch way” booking these programs again and again.

Guide
The Dutch guide (a logistics coordinator, not a lecturer) will address the group in both Dutch and English. You will hear more Dutch than English, but you will get the important information. Guides will organize and accompany some activities and meals, but not all. They will offer suggestions for you so that you can also explore and dine safely on your own. These groups welcome these opportunities.
Our guides go through a period of training at our headquarters office in the Netherlands. In each country, they are in close contact with our land agents. Most of our land agents have worked with Djoser for 10 or more years. Their staff is there to help and are on call in the event of an emergency.

Private Tours and Custom Dates

Custom dates can be arranged for your private group of 10 or more. Please inquire about discounts for larger groups.

Local Transportation

Costa Rica is a small country, so the travel distances and times on this trip are not far or long. The roads are not always great, for example when we have to travel the last miles to the rain forest of Monteverde over a dirt road. This road is purposely not paved to prevent mass tourism. The last part of the trajectory from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui to Tortuguero is traveled by motorboat which will take us about 2.5 hours. To and from Isla Colon we will make use of small local ferries. Within cities, we typically rely on the local forms of transport, cab, bus, or we walk to nearby sites. Use the following link to view slides of the transportation we use:
http://www.djoserusa.com/transportation

Accommodations

In almost all the places we visit we will spend the night in tourist class hotels. If we stay in a city or village the hotel is centrally located. The double rooms are equipped with a private bathroom with warm water. Where necessary the rooms are equipped with fans. Don’t expect luxuries like a wet bar or a color TV in your room. We select our hotels based on its character and the atmosphere the location radiates. Many accommodations have a colonial atmosphere and offer something extra, like a swimming pool or a nice garden with a patio. In Quepos and Boquete however, you should expect very simple hotels. In most hotels you can have your laundry done for you. Use the following link to view some of our lodgings:
http://www.djoserusa.com/hotels

If you are traveling alone you will be matched with a roommate of the same sex. Please note the cost of a single room listed in the cost descriptions. If you request a roommate, but we are unable to match you, there will be no penalty charge for the single room.

Meals

During the trip you can decide for yourself where, what and with whom you want to eat. Of course you can eat with (a part of) the group, but you are also free to find your own restaurant somewhere. Meals are therefore not included in the tour price. At many hotels, besides a good breakfast, it is often also possible to have dinner. The tour guide can give you tips for good restaurants or nice cafés. Each country has its own national cuisine; besides unique dishes there are however also many similarities. In general the Central American cuisine is simple but surprisingly tasty. Besides the traditional “gallo pinto” (rice and beans) in most places you can also order a western breakfast, consisting of fresh fruit, juice and toast with preserves and eggs. Around noontime many local places will offer a cheap meal, “casado” or “menu del dia”. This meal in general consists of soup, bread, a main course, coffee or tea and often a simple dessert. The warm meal consists of tortillas, rice and beans and these are served in various combinations with chicken or meat. A popular dessert is fried bananas. At the coast you will mainly find fresh fish on the dinner menu; vegetarian meals are is also easy to find on this trip. Local meals may not always be gourmet creations, but eating at these local places is a nice way to get in touch with the local population. Because of the developed tourist infrastructure and the western influences you can also order typical American meals anywhere you go like pizzas, hamburgers, soups and meals with meat and fries. And of course the fruit in this tropical area is mouthwatering!

Climate

In tropical Central America, differences in climate mainly stem from the differences in altitude. Temperatures generally vary little throughout the year. In the lower situated areas the average day temperature is 86°F and the average night temperature is 65°F. In the mountainous areas the temperatures are a little lower and are similar to temperatures in European springtime. In the evenings it can be quite cool. Temperatures however rarely reach below 59°F. Costa Rica does not really have a winter or a summer. When Central Americans speak of winter they refer to the rainy season, which runs from April until November. The summer is the dry period from the end of December until the middle of April. In the rainy season it rains in heavy but predictable showers. However, throughout the entire year days without any sunshine are scarce. In the months September and October the chance of a tropical storm in the Caribbean is greater. It is possible to travel in Central America throughout the entire year.

Check the weather for your destination: Check temperature and rainfall for specific cities on your trip, during your month of travel at www.worldweather.org

Travel Documents

- You will need a passport that at departure is valid for at least for another 6 months.

In the event you would like to use a passport expediting service, we recommend “It’s Easy”. This company offers Djoser customers a 10% discount. Just identify DJOSER on your It’s Easy Forms as you referral source and they will take 10% off of the service portions of the passport and visa fees. (There is no discount over the government portions of the fees). For download forms and requirements you can visit their website: www.itseasypassport.com. For a higher fee they can process your passport in a few days.

It’s Easy  (Passport & Visa Expeditors)
Satellite Airline Terminal
125 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone - (212) 286-8500,
Fax (212)-490-3224
Website   www.itseasypassport.com
E-mail      mail@itseasypassport.com

Flights

We book our flights with top airlines. Most airlines will honor earned mileage. You will need to submit your mileage credit yourself upon receipt of your flight information. For airlines that allow advance seating reservations, we typically request aisle and adjoining seats unless otherwise instructed on your registration form. It is vital that you arrive at the airport early, according to the airline (often 3 hours prior to flight time). We do provide airport transfers (airport pick-up and drop off) in our destination country for those who book the Land/Air package. Flight times are subject to change. It is recommended that you book your domestic Add-on (connecting) flights through Djoser in association with the international flight. To avoid penalties for flight changes do not book your own domestic add-on (connecting flight) without first receiving a printed copy of your flight record from Djoser confirming your actual departure and return flight times. Below you will find the usual flight times for the airline indicated.

Sample flight with Continental

Depart MIAMI	Return MIAMI
4:55 PM	5:45 PM
Depart LAX	Return LAX
8:45 AM	10:05 PM

Usual times.  Subject to Change.

In Costa Rica there is a time difference of 1 hour behind East Coast time, 2 hours ahead of West Coast time. Panama is the same time zone as the East Coast and 3 hours ahead of the West Coast time.

Airline Tickets

You will receive your tickets or E-tickets 10-12 days prior to your departure date.
In case the airline uses E-tickets you will receive two documents:

•    A document that shows the E-ticket number & flight itinerary (sent by email & mail).
•    A receipt of the E-ticket (sent by mail).

The first document listed is needed to check in at the Automated kiosks. If you check in at the
E-ticket desk you don’t need any of the provided documents, you can simply show your passport and you’re good to go. Both the automated kiosk and the e-ticket desk insure a much faster check in than at the regular check in desks. It is important to hold on to your e-ticket receipt, as you might need it to claim your mileage credits (if the airline awards mileage for this particular flight).

Money

Please refer to www.exchangerate.com  for current exchange rates.
The different currencies are:
Costa Rica: the Colon is worth  $ 0.024.
Panama: the Balboa is $1. Dollars are easily spent here.
For one Dollar you will respectively get:  411 Colon and $1 Balboa.
You may use your bank card with PIN number: you will find ATMs almost everywhere.
Cash: dollars.
Credit cards: accepted in many places.
Traveler’s checks: in dollars.
As an indication for expenses that are not included in the cost of the tour, like meals, entrance fees, voluntary excursions and personal expenses we recommend bringing a minimum of $350 per person per week. This should also cover your entrance fees for the National Parks in Costa Rica, which add up to about $75. In San Jose we have to pay a departure tax of $26. It is common to tip for services. To avoid having to keep tipping we will put together a tip jar from which the (collective) tips for bus drivers, guides, hotel staff etc. will be paid.

Tipping
At the beginning of your trip, your tour leader will collect a “tip pot” of approximately $2 per land day, per person. So that you will not be burdened with tipping those who assist you along the way, this sum will dispersed by the tour leader as tips for the driver, local guides and hotel staff. The tip pot does not include the tip for the tour leader. A typical guideline for an American tip would be $2-$3 per day but the amount is at your discretion and should be based on his/her efforts and your satisfaction level. Dutch tipping habits are different than North American guidelines. You may feel more comfortable tipping your guide privately to avoid the great cultural tipping debate. However, it’s up to you! We take pride in our Djoser guides who do their utmost to make your experience great. We do ask that you bear in mind their extra challenge of a dual language group.

Health

For these tours the following are recommended:
- Vaccinations against DTP and Hepatitis A.
Definitely check with your doctor or your local health facility, who are informed of the latest developments. We also recommend you bring a small medical kit with for example aspirin and medication against digestive problems. The tour guide is also equipped with a medical kit by the way, which includes sterile medical first aid materials.

For information on vaccinations and other health precautions, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747); fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299), or via the CDC's Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, please consult the World Health Organization's website at http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.

Luggage & Clothing

Bring a travel bag or a frameless backpack and limit weight to 30 pounds, as luggage storage space in the bus is not very generous. In many hotels on the way you can have your clothes washed. On our trip we will not only traverse the tropical hot lowlands, but also the highlands where the temperatures are cooler during the days and where it even gets rather cold at night. Therefore do not just bring light summer clothing, but also bring at least a fleece sweater for the highlands. Definitely bring a rain jacket, just like you should bring sturdy walking boots with a well-profiled sole. A small flashlight and an alarm clock can come in very handy too.
Voltage: 110 V
Electrical plugs: with two prongs, of the American type.

Resources

Communication

Phones: available everywhere.
Internet Cafes: available in most places.
Mobile phones: limited coverage. Ask your provider.The programs

On our trips there is no rigidly planned travel schedule. The travel days are determined in advance of course, but the group and the tour guides will decide together, on the spot, how the program will be filled in. On most days the tour guides will suggest a program. You are definitely not obliged to participate in these excursions. Those travelers who would rather venture out by themselves are free to do so. That is after all the best way to get to know a country. Entry fees are not included in the price of the trip.

In the following itineraries, you will find the days numbered as they are in the Djoser, Netherlands program, departing from Amsterdam. We will also denote travel days to and from the United States, which will make your trip 1 day shorter than the Dutch trip. This will insure that you are on the “same page” as your fellow travelers when determining your daily schedule.