Naturalist Guides

Meet some of our guides… We are proud to work with guides who are locals here in Costa Rica. To a person, they love to share their country and meet new friends in our clients. 

Lisseth

Lisseth has worked with CRA as a guide for 4 years. She loves to educate others about the environment and loves to share her perspective that “happiness is in the small things.” She loves working with CRA because she feels it gives her the opportunity to change others’ lives and because it allows her to just be herself! Her favorite part of a tour is the Diamante Waterfall, because it is a unique and peaceful place where she feels close to nature. Lisseth is from a big family, with two sisters, two brothers, and a nephew, and she lives in Sarapiqui, in Heredia Province. She is currently studying Sustainable Tourism at UNED and she volunteers at the Red Cross.

Hurben

Hurben chooses to guide because he appreciates the opportunity to teach and share. His favorite topic to touch on with students is how any ONE person can make the difference no matter his/her age, money, color, etc. Hurben particularly loves the second half of the trips because at that point, you start seeing the results of the pura vida philosophy and expedition mentality. Hurben loves music and sports, so he tries to incorporate both during each of his trips, as doing so makes him feel he is giving a part of himself.

Monica

Monica loves working with CRA because she feels it has taught her to be a better person and a better mom. Between community service, sharing with indigenous populations, taking better care of the environment, and living a simpler life without worry about material things; Monica is learning that she can always give more, “there’s always something more to do!” One of her favorite activities is visiting Petronila's house, “I like to see how this lady and her daughter are so proud of themselves and proud to tell about the story of the bribri. And both of them speak Bribri, Spanish, and English!! Amazing!” Monica’s passion is her family: her husband and their three children, and she loves the time she shares with them.

Ana

What guide, Ana, likes the most about working with CRA is that “we get to share with not only a different culture, but a new generation. This means that we have the rare opportunity to be able to influence their perspective about a lot of things that are happening in the world, and that they might actually be willing to make a change.” Her aim is to do her job well, and to allow her travelers to take something they learn and apply it to their lives at home, This is where she feels she can make an impact. Ana speaks French, as she went to a French high school; then studied geography. She is now working on a degree in management of natural resources. She is a mom to one little boy.

Chino

Chino feels that “being a guide at CRA, is more than just traveling, assisting, guiding and orienting a group of students or regular clients.  It is being a teacher and becoming a friend.” His favorite part of a trip is midway, when there is confidence, friendship, understanding and all are open to listen, learn, teach and give an opinion. He loves his country and is proud to teach any topic about Costa Rica and the world, such as history, natural history, geology, culture, biodiversity, social development and current problems. “My goal is that this trip will be truly an experience that goes beyond a vacation.” Roberto loves his wife and 3 kids and he enjoys biking and soccer.

Quique

For Quique the most important fact about working with CRA is the connection in between friends–students–nature. He likes that at the end of a trip, it has turned into a life changing experience. By this time, he adds, “you feel like you're working with your family.” Teaching about natural history of wildlife and other environmental issues is one of his passions. “My favorite part is when you are able to make a connection with the group, because when the tourist opens up the group for the guide, is when you step in a create the lifetime experience.”

Aura

What Aura likes the most about working with CRA is the fact that she can experience Costa Rica with foreign students from many places, and every time they end up loving the country. Her favorite topic is always nature, and Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity. Her favorite part in the tour is the moment when she just stops and sees everybody enjoying the moment, as they forget about their worries back home and revel in their time in Costa Rica. Her hobbies include bird watching, for that special feeling of finding a species that is new to you. When Aura is not working she is studying at Costa Rica’s National University.

Andy

Andy likes working with CRA because the company has ethics: “We do what we do for more than just the money, we are out to make the world a better place for the future generations.” Andy loves teaching and showing people his country. “I also like demonstrating that there is a better way to co exist with our world, in other words ‘walk the walk not just talk the talk.’” Andy enjoys woodworking, using fallen trees from his family farm, and can be found climbing trees at any time!

Carlos

Carlos enjoys meeting new people and showing the best aspects of his country, especially showing that Costa Rica is “not only the forest and animals—it is a small country with so much to see and experience.” He likes finding out about other cultures, and “sharing good and bad things about our cultures.” For Carlos, guiding is not “just work or a job—it’s my lifestyle.” He loves adventure and loves to visit the different areas in his country. Carlos is also a rafting guide. He likes surfing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family, especially his four-year-old son, Santiago.

Jayne

Ever since Jayne was a kid, she worked as a guide on her family’s farm and the trails around it for people who visited. Her main interests are botany, nature, wildlife, and plants. She feels that guiding is a logical way to be able to share that, especially with young people who come from a city and may not be able to see those things all the time. “Maybe some of those kids will take a grain—a good grain—from what I show them, and they can do something with that grain.” Jayne likes the trips because “I don’t get out a whole lot from my life at home—(this way) I get to see the country. Then I like coming back home at the end.” Jayne enjoys cooking and working with animals, hiking, and being out in the woods. Making jewelry is her main artistic hobby at present.

Martha

Martha has been a guide for 13 years. She loves guiding because she loves to “open up my country to (visitors) through my eyes. For me that is the most rewarding.” She hopes that at least one thing she has taught them or showed them will stick with them as they go through life. Martha says that by the last day of the trip, the group has become her life. “My world becomes my tour, my students become my family—and there is such a sense of loss when they go.” Martha has a teenage daughter and says that her life is a combination of being a mom to a 16 year old and being a guide: a combination she loves.

Adrian

What Adrian likes most about being a guide for CRA is the commitment to the environment and learning opportunities for all people, including himself. He enjoys the constant personal growth that comes from traveling all over CR, meeting people and experiencing different places. Adrian says “I’m a person who likes to be honest, fun and very active, I like nature and long walks. I enjoy all kind of music and movies and I love to learn new vocabulary from it. I love games and making people laugh.”

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