The Origins of Boyero Tours - Part 2 of 2

The overall result that we saw was uninspired and mediocre, resulting in burnt out employees and oblivious tourists. Julio and I started dreaming about a different way of doing tourism and what had been the most gratifying parts of our own travels throughout Costa Rica, Latin America, and beyond. We had had such adventurous travels and connected so deeply with the local people and abundant nature that we couldn't help feel that there was a space for us to bridge the gap between standard tours and off the beaten path travel, truly curated adventure travel.

This is how Boyero Tours (now Boyero Travel) came about! We decided to commit to ensuring that every trip we planned offered genuine insight into Costa Rican culture and a connection with people who are passionate about sharing their heritage. As we have continued to hone and guide the trajectory of our company, we have really focused on the heart of what curated adventure travel means to us.

Our journey took a pivotal turn when we relocated to the Central Valley, closer to Julio's family (which became mine!) We met some great people, who later became friends, who needed our help with student travel. That connection was a serendipitous one that allowed us to really build relationships with local families in rural communities. That work with student groups became our “bread and butter” while also helping to cement what we already knew in our hearts - that opening up opportunities for cultural exchange was key to bringing about a better tourism model with completely custom itineraries depending on the needs of each traveler.

We have now worked for a decade and a half consistently in student travel, which has resulted in well over a thousand students and teachers from the US and Canada, as well as families in a dozen local communities experiencing life differently due to the intercultural experiences that we arranged for them. These individuals have traveled to Costa Rica with high school and university groups doing a combination of off the beaten path activities and popular adventure activities.

We have learned so much from their positive feedback that we are excited to now be able to personalize that experience for families and friend groups. A cooking class making a tortilla aliñada (hand formed cheesy tortilla) with a local family, learning how to milk a cow on a rural farm, or painting a mask with an indigenous artist in Boruca; these are just a handful of experiences that have become core memories for travelers to reminisce about for years to come.

Our Founding Vision

When I first made a life in Costa Rica in 2005, I landed in the cloud forest of Monteverde, lush with plants and full of wildlife. It was also my first home with my partner Julio (now my husband!) Julio worked for an adventure park with a famous zipline canopy tour and I worked at a busy Internet café. Why, yes, an Internet café! Those were the days when tourists would pay 1,000 colones (around two US dollars today) to log in to your Yahoo email or dial up on Skype to talk to your mom from a shared computer. We did not have 24/7 access in the palm of our hands like we do today! The location for this particular Internet café was actually very special - the shopping center where it was located was built around an enormous fig tree, so I felt like I spent my days in a tree house!

Julio and I both had front row seats to the cattle car type tour mentality that was typical at the time. Many tourists we met were taking the same repetitive, uninspired circuit and experiencing the same Costa Rica highlights day after day, week after week. Most people went ziplining, did a coffee tour, visited the volcano, and stayed in the same hotels.

Bridging Cultures, Creating Memories

Personalized Excellence

When I recap after a trip with the people who have chosen to trust us as their one stop Costa Rica vacation solution, they all have good memories of their zipline tour, time relaxing on the beach and the nature hikes. But usually what they go on and on about are the tortillas aliñadas they made in Sandra's kitchen, their private driver Frank who would sing ballads to them and make them laugh, the indigenous legends they learned while painting a mask in Boruca with Pedro’s family, or dining in the unique Costa Rican restaurant with ancestral food.

It always fills our hearts to see the completely custom itinerary that was once only a dream born in our imagination come to life and become a memorable experience. Crafting a personalized itinerary for Costa Rica is no simple task, and we're deeply committed to ensuring that each curated travel adventure not only meets but exceeds their expectations. In some cases, this means combining popular activities like ziplining and wildlife hikes with off the beaten path activities like personalized rural community visits that many adventurers don’t know are possible.

A Lasting Impression

In fact, many of our clients become our friends after feeling so supported before, during and after their trip to Costa Rica. They often decide to come back to Costa Rica for another vacation or plan additional vacations abroad that include human cultural connection, continuing this ripple effect and a better tourism model worldwide!

Each itinerary truly is unique: combining standard hotel stays, rural community homestays and secluded lodge experiences. But one thing is for sure: after experiencing authentic Costa Rica and all its magic, our clients and friends simply are not satisfied with a standard itinerary ever again!

So join us and embark on a journey where every moment is crafted with care, where the path less traveled becomes your route to discovery. Let us show you the magic of Costa Rica, where dreams become custom itineraries and clients become cherished friends. Experience travel as it should be—unforgettable, enriching, and deeply personal.

In 2017 we finally went back to Sarchi, this time with our two children.

Julio showing -to my parents Krispi & Craig- the secrets of the rainforest during their first trip to Costa Rica in 2005

2007 Julio and me on our first visit to Sarchi, where the tradition of elaborated painted oxcart wheels still survives.

2005 in our first appartment in Monteverde