The Osa Peninsula is a precious jumble of wild beaches, tropical islands, primary and secondary rainforest and mangroves.

There are no volcanoes or cloud forests here and it's not a place for Amazon-style wetland exploration, as is the norm in Tortuguero. Of course, we can expand the scope of your trip to include these areas if any are a priority. Otherwise, simply enjoy being in the most biodiverse, nature-rich part of Costa Rica.

Most of Costa Rica's iconic wildlife can be seen across the country. Sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, capuchins, tree frogs, snakes, caiman, coati and morpho butterflies are all fairly common in lowland areas on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. In theory, you could also see a jaguar pretty much anywhere, but you'd have to be owed an awful lot of karma for that to happen. So we're not putting that in bold...

Monkeys are everywhere, except the little squirrel monkeys that are only found on the southern half of the Pacific coast. You will have a good chance to see them when you visit the Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula.

Tapir and anteaters are even less widespread, and really, you are only likely to see them during your visit to the Corcovado National Park. Seeing a tapir is a red-letter moment, not guaranteed by any means, but it's fairly common to find them cooling off in swampy, shaded water close to the beach.

Humpback whales have two migration windows when they can be seen off the southern Pacific coast (Uvita and Osa Peninsula). The first coincides with the dry season, particularly from December through February, as the first groups come down from the coast of California. The second arrival is from the south, as pods migrate from Antarctica to give birth between July and October. Dolphins are commonly seen on boat trips into the Golfo Dulce all year round.

Scarlet macaws are restricted to the southern coast around the Osa Peninsula and Uvita-Dominical, with another stronghold at Carara National Park. You'll certainly see them, and hear their loud squawks and squabbles.

Broadly speaking, Costa Rica has a tropical climate, so it is warm and humid year-round, and every day is likely to feature some rain downpours and some sun. The weather in Costa Rica is often described and defined by the dry season (December - April) and the green season (May - November). Green season is tourist board-speak for wet season.

On the Pacific side of the country, it will typically be sunny, hot and dry from December through April, rainier in the transitional months of May and June, a drier patch in July then wetter in August to a peak in September/October. The driest months have 50mm of rain, the wettest 850mm.

As a comparison, London averages around 80mm of rain in the wettest months and 40mm in the driest. The difference is that the rain in Costa Rica is warm. It also tends to rain heavily when it rains - no day long drizzle here. It's either raining, or it's not. The pattern tends to be that rains come later in the day, so dry mornings, wet afternoons.

Overall, we don't sweat the weather too much. It will be what it will be and rarely impacts your travels to a great extent. We advise against travel to the Pacific side in late September through to early November. Otherwise, go prepared and just enjoy whatever comes your way.

Christmas and New Year are peak season for travellers, getting quieter again in January to pick up in February and March, usually through to Easter time. After that point, things are fairly steady.

It should be said that the types of places we visit do not tend to get busy. However, the places we stay are small so it doesn't take much to fill them up.

This is somewhat dependent upon when you want to travel but for this trip, there are several key properties which make it highly vulnerable, so six to 12 months is normal.

Absolutely, this would be a great trip for a group of friends traveling together.

This vacationis intended to balance activities with wildlife, people and places.

As such, this is not a particularly high-impact trip - think walking through the forests and snorkeling in the sea, more than throwing yourself down zip lines or hurtling down rapids. Of course, the heat of the jungle means that walks are more demanding than your average park stroll, but drink plenty of water and go at a sensible pace and you'll be fine. Your guide is usually with you to help keep you healthy and happy.

If you do want more adrenaline, we can discuss this and potentially include other activities. Bear in mind that we also provide you with a detailed Vacation Guide so you can read our tips and advice and sort out additional activities as you go.

In Costa Rica particularly, we choose our accommodation very carefully since we want you to both be comfortable and get a sense of the country hosting you. Rest assured that wherever you unpack, a wild beach or rainforest trail is never far away.

Down on the Osa Peninsula you stay in a beautiful secluded cabin above Drake Bay and a wildlife eco-retreat on the southern shores of the peninsula.

At the other end of the scale is the night spent in the Corcovado Ranger Station, where you are in a bunk bedded dorm with shared facilities. After all, you are staying in the heart of the rainforest. Anything more would be out of place.

Absolutely, yes. Even with such a strong focus on the natural world, this trip is underpinned by the character of the people you meet.

Because you are going off the beaten track, you will be seeing life as lived by Ticos throughout this trip. Between guides, hosts, chance encounters and our top tips for where to go and what to eat, you should leave Costa Rica with a proper sense of the people.

There's a general and infectious sense of joie de vivre, Pura Vida, in Costa Rica.

Too many vacations to Costa Rica focus entirely on the wildlife with a bit of beach and activity thrown in. That's totally unfair to the people who live here and give it all color - and who take such pride in their environment. It's not always obvious given the ramshackle appearance of many towns and villages but the environmental education and messaging here is remarkable and people are generally very proud of the lead their country takes in matters ecological.

But really, it's the day to day people watching that too many people miss. Lunch at a roadside 'soda' is an opportunity to see all of society eating side by side, doctors to farm labourers. Eating ceviche whilst watching the fishermen haul in their catch. Tucking into a huge plate of plantains, rice and beans as a pickup truck with a huge speaker strapped in the back goes up and down the street, blaring out the latest special offer at 'MEESTER CHICKEN!!!'

It's a fun, and funny, place.

Absolutely. We can tailor your trip in any number of ways. If you have specific activities or wildlife events you want to see then we can arrange the trip to include those.

The next step is to simply send an inquiry using the big green button up there, or give us a call if you prefer to chat things through. We will then send you the full proposal for the trip, including the places you stay and all the bright and beautiful photography you can handle.

Suitably seduced, we then tweak things to fit your exact dates and we are happy to go back and forth to tailor any detail so that it's just right for you. We then start to check availability with our local partners and then present a final itinerary for you to book.

We take a 20% deposit to secure your vacation and confirm all services, with the remainder due eight weeks before your departure.

Your money is 100% protected through our ATOL licence if your trip includes a flight booked through us, or through our ABTOT bond if it does not. Either way, this protection provides a cast-iron financial guarantee and helps you book with complete peace of mind. Because the contract between us exists here in the UK, you get this protection regardless of where you live.