Online Travel Guide

Costa Rica is one of the few safe, democratic countries in Central America and is a perfect spot for guided tours.  Much of the country is designated as a national park area and visitors on guided tours can experience the unspoiled and pristine  natural sited the country has to offer.

Most guided tours of Costa Rica begin in San Jose, the largest city in Costa Rica.  From there, you can enjoy several guided tours of your own choosing.  Costa Rica is Spanish-speaking but many tourist areas have those who understand English and the accommodations are generally first-rate. Some guided tours will take you to the Heredia Highlands, the perfect spot to view the huge Poas Volcano and its nearly one mile wide steaming crater—the largest volcanic crater in the world.  Then you’ll spend some time on a naturalist-guided tour of the La Paz Waterfall Gardens with five waterfalls, an aviary and a butterfly garden. 

After an overnight stay in Arena, most guided tours of the area will take you on a hike over the beautiful Arenal Hanging Bridges.  Some visitors may instead elect to take a spa treatment or go on a canopy zipline tour—an adventurous way to spend the morning.  You can also take a walk around the town of La Fortuna and spend the afternoon relaxing at the Tabacon Hot Springs—and, yes, they’re really hot!  If you’re lucky, you can catch a glimpse of the smoldering lava flow of the Arenal Volcano at night. 

Next, you may wish to catch some waves at one of Costa Rica’s beaches.  Many guided tours of the area will allow you the opportunity to stop along the way at the Las Pumas Refuge, a hospital of sorts for injured large cats, monkeys and birds.  Another favorite spot on Costa Rica’s guided tours is the Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge.  This is the natural habitat of many species of birds, waterfowl and the howler monkey.  This is a tour done by boat and you’ll want to have your camera ready. As the refuge is near the beach, you can also schedule a fishing lesson, a surfing lesson or just hang out at the beach, soaking up the Costa Rican sunshine.

From the beach back to San Jose, many guided tours will take you to Guaitil, an artist’s colony of sorts, in which you can watch how the artisans make their distinctive pottery just like their ancestors did a thousand years ago.

 Another fun place is called Sarchi.  This little village is considered the craft capital of Costa Rica.  In Costa Rica, there are guided tours for everyone—not just for the nature minded.  You can take a cooking and spa guided tour that includes a visit to the hacienda of the Ortuno family where you can learn about growing sugar cane, coffee and macadamia nuts.  You can also learn about the medicinal uses for foods in the Latino culture. There are even guided tours of Costa Rica that involve those things related to black history and black heritage. Visitors will learn about their African roots and how Africans first came to Costa Rica in the 1800s to build the railways and to work on banana plantations.

There are truly guided tours for every taste and style in this beautiful country.  Explore the choices on the internet until you find one that fits your interests and fitness level.

Who hasn’t wanted to see the wondrous archeological sites and amazing artifacts to be found in Egypt—a land perfectly laid out for archeology buffs?  Now, guided tours of Egypt and all its splendor are available for travelers from all over the world to visit and explore.  Let’s take a look at what many guided tours have to offer. Most guided tours of Egypt begin in Cairo, where Egypt’s largest airport and biggest city are waiting to greet you.  While in Egypt, your guide may take you to the famous Egyptian Museum, where the treasures of Tutankhamen and other ancient artifacts are available for viewing.  You may take a drive to Old Cairo, the area where ancient Christians and Jews lived within the city.  Have fun shopping at the colorful Khan El Khalili Bazaar and don’t forget to bargain. One of the most beautiful sites on guided tours of Egypt is a visit to the pyramids and the great Sphinx of Giza, a five thousand year-old monument.  After taking as many pictures as you can, visit the nearby Solar Boat Museum and continue on to the ancient city of Memphis, the first capital city of United Upper and Lower Egypt, and see Sakkara, the site of the Step Pyramid of Zoser.

Longer guided tours of Egypt will fly you out of the area to Sharm El Sheikh, a city on the sea with lovely beaches, pure white sands and a chance to go diving in the Ras Mohammed Underwater Nature Reserve.  Another option is a walking tour to visit a Bedouin camp in the desert.  Other visits include the St. Catherine Monastery or night tours of Mount Sinai, where you can watch a gorgeous sunrise and visit the monastery located there. 

Next, some guided tours will take you on a flight to Luxor where you’ll take a fabulous cruise ship for an unforgettable experience on the Nile River. Cruise trips typically last five days and four nights.  You’ll visit the Luxor Temple that was originally dedicated to the God Amon-Ra. Karnak Temple is nearby as well.
Guided tours of the area will have you continue on your cruise ship and will take you to the famous Valley of the Kings and Queens, where you can see the Funerary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and numerous other archeological findings.  The cruise ship will be sailing upstream and will take you up to Edfu where you can visit the Edfu Temple, a famous part of Egyptian architecture.

Still on the cruise ship the next day, guided tours of the Nile will stop off at the Temple of Kom Ombo, another Egyptian archeological find and to the Nilometer, an amazing site built by the pharaohs of Egypt that was built to measure the height of the waters of the Nile River.  Next, guided tours along the Nile River will show you the amazing and famous Aswan High Dam, as well as the Philae Temple and the huge unfinished obelisk in the nearby granite quarry.  At this point, your cruise ship adventure is complete and you’ll fly back to the city of Cairo. 

Guided tours of Egypt, especially if they are comprehensive, will show you dozens of amazing archeological sites and will teach you the history of this fascinating part of the world.  You’ll see hundreds of ancient Egyptian artifacts and you’ll come away with a new appreciation of how the Ancient Egyptians lived and built their monuments.