Holden Ketchum

We just came back from a fantastic week in Costa Rica.
Holden was very helpful in organizing it. He carefully listened to our wishes and expectations and proposed us a complete itinerary. We then adjusted it through various iterations and he was very flexible all the way.
Once we arrived, we were put in touch with the local contact that helped us navigate a few questions and changes. He also kept checking with us to make sure that everything was going according to expectations. We felt pampered!
I highly recommend KimKim and their local partner Serendipity!

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is overall a bit old so the rooms are quite noisy. But they are very big and comfortable otherwise

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ecocentro Danaus Guided Rainforest Walk (without Transportation)

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lookout Tram, Ziplines, & Hanging Bridges Combination Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My trip to Costa Rica with my two sons (10 and 12 years old) was magical! Every place we stayed (recommended by Holden at Serendipity Adventures) was perfect for us and we enjoyed every activity they planned for us. We saw so many animals, connected over fun adventures and enjoyed amazing views and food. I can't recommend the Serendipity Adventures team (Holden, Nancy and Wilman) enough!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ficus

Monteverde Costa Rica

This hotel is located on a ridge with wonderful views of Monteverde. Our room was spacious and comfortable with panoramic views and the hotel is in walking distance of the main town center (although down a little hill).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tulemar Resort

Manuel Antonio

We loved our bungalow (number 121) at Tulemar. We had our own balcony with views of the jungle and the Pacific ocean and lots of wildlife. I told our travel planner (Holden at Serendipity Adventures) that I wanted to see wildlife from our room and he found us the best room in the whole resort (in my opinion). Our balcony was on the feeding route of different monkey troops and so every day between 3 and 4 pm monkeys would climb trees right next to our balcony. One day 10 squirrel monkeys even climbed onto the balcony right next to us and wrestled and played with each other while we looked on! It was truly magical! We had our own concierge (Miguel) who was available via WhatsApp to answer questions and book reservations for us. Since the phone in our room wasn't working he also called shuttles for us and placed room service orders for us. He was extremely responsive. The service was excellent!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Our guide was enthusiastic and so knowledgeable. He was able to help both the 77-year-old avid photographer and the 10-year-old boy in our group spot, photograph and learn interesting facts about the flora and fauna in the park. We saw everything from grasshoppers and spiders to rare coatimundis, sloths and howler monkeys.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

This tour was fun and educational. We all enjoyed learning the details of how chocolate is made (and the history of how it became the sweet we know today) and about how sugar cane is turned into sugar (and sugar cane juice, which we all got to drink). The last part of the tour covered coffee (at which point my youngest got a little antsy) but it too was interesting without being too lengthy and didactic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Our guide was great and found a family of coatimundis for us to observe. Watching the mothers and babies climb trees and walk across the path right in front of us was a highlight of this hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day at Selvatura including Hanging Bridges and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

We had a wonderful time and the staff was so helpful and accommodating. When my youngest froze on top of the ziplining platform and refused to continue (even though his older brother had already gone and was fine), they helped me get back to the base lodge with him and gave us a refund, radioed ahead so the staff could tell my older son what happened and help him continue on the course, and showed us where to wait at the end of the course for my older son to arrive. My older son said the ziplining was beautiful and exhilarating. We all enjoyed the views from the hanging bridges, the beautiful butterflies and the sloth sanctuary. Seeing sloths up close was really amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Savegre Whitewater Rafting

Costa Rica

We had a wonderful time! The river was exciting but not too scary and the views from the raft were amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback Riding through the Jungle from Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio

The ride through the rainforest was beautiful and so fun. It poured rain on us, but because it was so hot, it was actually really refreshing. The horses were well-trained and gentle and they matched the people well to the horses.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family adventure:Arenal/La Fortuna, Golf of Papagayo. This was relatively last minute trip with one adult (me) & 2 kids. It was a week filled with zip lining , nature walks, snorkeling and good ol ‘beach time. First time for all 3 of us in Costa Rica and I think we all are a little bit in love. Wilman picked us up from our hotel in San Jose in his nice clean car & drove us to Arenal. Wow what a beautiful place. Hotel room is on the foot of the volcano with our private hot spring. Mistico Park hike: so many hanging bridges through pristine jungle: it’s hot, loud and beaming with life: toucans, sloths, all kids of insects. Mundo Aventura zip lining was combination of adrenaline rush and amazement of zipping thought forest canopy. Staff were all so nice to my 9 and 14 yo sons. Night hike at wild frog sanctuary did not disappoint either, but we were really tired at this point:so many tiny frogs, huge spiders, sloth, and snakes. Next day we were picked up by Alex who drive us to Golf of Papagayo with a stop at Danaus eco park and butterfly garden. We saw crocodiles and more rainforest frogs. We arrived late in evening at our beachfront hotel just in time for quick swim before sunset: sun sets at 6: then pitch dark night.(which was amazing to us, boom, lights out) Next day Snorkeling with Pacific coast dive center was probably the top highlight in an action packed week. This was really unforgettable. Last day we enjoyed the beach and pool at Bahia del Sol, which was perfect. Transfer to Liberia airport was with Genaro who took different route:main road was flooded (rainy season). Big thank you, he knows how to navigate those muddy hills. When we could, we tried to eat at Sodas: family run restaurants serving Costa Rican dishes. I can’t really describe how beautiful Costa Rica is without mentioning the immense kindness and warmth of all the people we met during our trip. I feel very grateful I was able to experience this with my two kids. Thanks so much🙏I sincerely hope to be back and see more

We recently had the pleasure of working with Holden and his team to plan a trip to Costa Rica, and we cannot speak highly enough of the experience. From start to finish, Holden provided exceptional service, attention to detail, and a deep knowledge of the destination that made our trip truly unforgettable.

First and foremost, Holden took the time to understand our interests and preferences, ensuring that every aspect of our itinerary was tailored to our needs. We had a good idea of where we wanted to visit and what we wanted to do. However it was Holden’s recommendations of lodging accommodations and activities we had not even thought of that made the trip extra amazing.

Holden and his team’s expertise was evident in the seamless coordination of all our trip arrangements, from accommodations and excursions, to even arranging the rental car to be dropped off and picked up from our hotel. Throughout the planning process, Holden was always available to answer our questions, provide valuable insights, and make adjustments to our itinerary as needed. We had several changes in our itinerary over the few months prior to finalizing our trip, and each time the charges were made without hesitation.

Whether it was recommending the best lodge for hot springs near the volcano, arranging thrilling adventure activities like zip-lining and ocean kayaking, or suggesting serene beaches for relaxation, Holden had us covered. Our group of five included two almost-adult kids and Holden found the perfect accommodations that provided us just the right amount of privacy and togetherness.

We were particularly impressed with the local guides and tour operators they connected us with, who were not only knowledgeable but also passionate about sharing the beauty and culture of Costa Rica.

One highlight of our trip was the personalized wildlife Safari Float tour in La Fortuna, where we had the chance to see an incredible array of animals, including sloths, monkeys, crocodiles, a porcupine and tropical birds. Thanks to Holden’s recommendation, we also enjoyed a top notch hike through the Monteverde Cloudforest and were lucky enough to see not one but two of the elusive Quetzal birds.

While we were in Costa Rica, Holden checked in with us a few times to make sure everything was going well and his colleague, Wellman, reached out multiple times to prepare us for the next day’s adventure.

I wholeheartedly recommend Holden to anyone looking to plan a trip to Costa Rica or any other destination. His personalized service, extensive knowledge, and genuine passion for travel made our adventure extraordinary.