A2 Canopy Tour

Anybody done the A2 Canopy tour in Limon with Okay Dokey Tours? 7 hour tour $89/pp.

We had a very poor experience with OkeyDokey and Mr. Soto.

My review here and at Trip Advisor will reflect that we were robbed during the tour with Mr. Sotos "representative". I do not blame him or his agent for the robbery although they were responsible for the choices in where to take us -- I do hold Soto responsible for his business failures in reimbursing our tour fees.

We would strongly encourage you to look at reviews here and at Trip Advisor ... and find a different guide company.

The review:

We were met by Mr. Soto, who was also boarding another tour for which he was the guide. Mr. Soto waited with my sister and I while we waited for his "helper for the day" to appear, and then waited while Mr. Soto organized the guide. Mr. Soto requested the our cash payment in advance in order to give money to the guide for admission fees. We were bundled into a taxi and headed for the zip line. In route, since it was still early, we stopped at a local fruit stand partaking of two types of very small bananas, a couple of bites of pineapple, and tasting a cocoa bean. Our guide presented us with a bottle of water as we left.

We went to "Jungle Breeze" zip line. Since it was just my sister and me, we were attached to a larger group from Greenway Tours. After getting our gear on and a safety demo, the Greenway Tour guide, and the non zipline riders from their group, joined the tractor driver for the ride to the 1st platform. The Greenway Tour guide had the tractor driver stop several times to explain the jungle eco system, floral and fauna, even digging into research books he’d brought in his backpack for information.

The zip line guides were impressively safety conscious -- no one, not even themselves, failed to be linked to the safety equipment, except for the short seconds between unlinking and linking again. They were hard workers, getting all of us hooked to the cable system and off the cable system ... sometimes even having to go "fetch" those zipline riders who braked too conscientiously and ended up stopping short of the platform!

There was a "tip jar" for the zip line guides to which we contributed. They worked for it; they were cute and funny and took care of us.

The zip line was 9 platforms. The Greenway Tours guide met the whole group, with the non zip line riders, at the last platform, taking pictures as we zipped to the ground.

That became the end of our A-2 tour due to the armed robbery that occurred in the banana grove which was our next stop.

Differences from advertised tour description:

Fruit stand stop -- the one we had was extremely limited and very uncomfortable. It was a local place with locals just sitting around staring at us; the owner seemed unprepared, abrupt and pretty rude. The fruit offered was very limited -- but did include the two major Costa Rican crops - bananas and pineapple.

Cold water, soda and beer -- we received a bottle of water at the fruit stand. We could have used some cold water at the end of the zip line. No additional water was offered. Perhaps the soda and beer would have been made available at a later point in the tour. We don't know -- our tour abruptly ended.

13 platform zip line -- There were 9 platforms for the zip line -- less than 70% of what was advertised.

Notable for us - We like lots of information with our tours; we like a real guide showing us and telling us about their country. Our guide, who did not seem to be an actual employee of Mr. Soto, but more like someone he found for the day, was more a cab driver than an informational guide. He was very NICE; he was supportive and did what had to be done after the robbery (though there was quite a lot of dithering -- but he seemed upset and confused about the robbery) finally getting us to the municipal police station to make a report, helping with translation while there, and finally getting us back to the ship.

I have since learned that Mr. Soto, owner of OkeyDokeyTours, “sub contracts everything and owns only a cell phone.” (Information received from a certified ICT travel agent and guide). Okey Dokey Tours is not really even found on Trip Advisor but appears on Cruise Critic and offers the Cruise Critic discount (which is also offered by Greenway Tours).

Mr. Soto, in an email to me, asserted "i toll him that, i never stop there, there is no people, or a security guard, i tell him everytime we better take our people to the Packing plant there is all the people". Frankly, it didn't seem that Mr Soto had that extensive a conversation with the driver while he "organized" the tour details, (particularly since Soto had another tour already boarded and waiting for him to begin), but I don't speak the language well enough to say whether or not that statement is true. If true, then, our guide took us to a place with known "no security" and where he was directed to not take us. If not true, then Mr. Soto, is willing to throw his hired help "under the bus".

Mr. Soto has, since December 22, 2012, agreed to refund our cash payment – but has continuously failed to do so though I’ve suggested many different avenues in which to effect the remittance. His latest promise is for payment January 2, 2013.

My family used Okey Dokey tours in December, we had the most fabulous tour ever. We are very experienced travelers and it takes alot for me to really impressed. Charlie Soto wow'd us. He stayed with us every minute, answered all questions, even let me take a ride on the banana cable :) I asked him alot about how the locals lived and he asked if i wanted to have coffee at his sisters house. What an experience, they don't have coffee pots like we do, it was an experience I will never forget, and the coffee was amazing. Charlies sister welcomed us in as if she knew us, and even made us lunch, which was also amazing. Don't hesitate to use OKEY Dokey tours, he's amazing, honest sincere etc etc..