Unique and authentic experiences are now bookable through locals in Costa Rica, with Gunyah.com. Working with Green World Adventures a local company based in Cartago, Gunyah now offers a wide-range of short breaks in Costa Rica that are completely original and can’t be booked anywhere else.

“Our goal is not to offer a run-of-the-mill package holiday,” says CEO Luke Ford, “by working with a local operator in Costa Rica, we are able to bring something completely new and fresh to the travel industry, allowing independent travellers to book unique handcrafted experiences directly with locals.”

Perfect for independent travellers, families and small groups, all the packages listed on Gunyah.com are private experiences, not a join-in tour with set departure dates. Travellers are also able to customize a tailor-made itinerary directly with the local partner.

Says Product Manager Ashley Hiemenz, “Our experiences are not for travellers that want to hop on and off a bus snapping photos with heaps of other people. We work directly with locals to develop unique itineraries with an inside perspective. It doesn’t mean that our short breaks don’t include some of the major attractions- it just means that there is local insight in every facet of the itinerary offering intrinsically a better travel experience.”

One such experience, Highlights & Hidden Adventures offers the classic guidebook experience of Costa Rica with a twist. The action-packed tour is framed around four of Costa Rica’s most sought after travel destinations and activities — wandering the rainforests of Tortuguero Canals National park, hiking the perfect cone of Arenal Volcano, a mesmerizing canopy tour through Monteverde Cloud Forest, and lazing on the brilliant beaches of Guanacaste. However, the itinerary is made special through local encounters and small-town visits, allowing for a deeper and more local experience of each one, whether it’s dining with the locals in nearby villages or seeking out traditional plantation tours for a glimpse of Costa Rican farm life. 

Another trip, Pacure Rafting & Puerto Viejo includes two days of whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River before heading down to the South Caribbean coast, where travellers will have a chance to hike and snorkel in Cahuita National Park. Additionally, travellers will have the opportunity to try their hand at making Caribbean specialties with an intimate cooking lesson with a local as well as visiting the Bribri Indigenous Reserve, a small village located in Talamanca. Here travellers have the unique chance to learn about the cultural heritage from a group of local indigenous women and join them in making delicious homemade chocolate.

“Costa Rica is bursting at the seams with incredible travel destinations and experiences”, says Ford, “however, the tourism industry is such a fragmented market that small players like Green World Adventures have little access to bring these types of experiences to the global market. With Gunyah, we now allow small tour operators a chance to compete at the global level and allow travellers seeking an authentic travel experience a place to find their next meaningful holiday”.

Gunyah, Ltd is a Hong Kong registered company in collaboration between the WHL Group and a large number of small tour and package holiday operators around the world. For more information see here: www.gunyah.com