About Us
Gary & Terri in La Paz
Pizotes Eco Adventure Tours officially began in 2005 as my partner, Gary, I, and our dog, Sydney, embarked on a new life chapter; leaving family, friends, an almost paid for home, and secure jobs behind to start a life in a remote jungle of Costa Rica. I began planning and offering group trips in 2003, making the first group tour to Costa Rica in 2004 for an ‘over 50’ travel group from a local bank in Oregon. The itinerary, Adventures in Nature, was so well received that we scheduled another, equally popular trip in 2005. From these humble beginnings, I realized a new passion for sharing my new home and have made it my latest career.
How did this happen? How does one decide to live in a jungle with monkeys, snakes, and pizotes. For me, it seems as if I’ve been preparing for this my entire life. My careers in the states included animal training (17 years) for the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Wildlife Safari in Oregon and managing waste reduction and recycling programs in Oregon (12 years). Working in these environmental education fields afforded me chances to better understand and appreciate the natural world and instilled a desire to experience it first-hand. My first trip to Costa Rica was a kayaking adventure in 1990 and I was completely enchanted! Gary and I returned many times for vacations and eventually we decided to buy a 42 acre piece of tropical forest on the remote Osa Peninsula. By 2005, we found it harder and harder to leave our second home at the end of our vacations so, we made it our ‘only’ home. We moved here permanently and have never looked back. It’s a life so very different from our comfortable, secure, and stressed life in the states. We’re amazed at just how different we live now. It isn’t always easy, but we love it and our blood pressures have plummeted! (You’re welcomed to read my ‘Jungle Update’ entries on Gary’s and my journey through this transition).
Terri in Corcovado National Park
Gary and I have traveled the four corners of Costa Rica and seen almost everything in between. We have enjoyed the most popular and most remote destinations, pristine natural beauty, culturally intact Costa Rican life, tranquil hideaways, and heart-pumping adventures. The flora and fauna of Costa Rica is like no other. A drive through the country seems like a drive through a wild animal park zoo. There’s so much to offer the visitor here. My biggest challenge is deciding what amazing destinations and how much fun I can fit into any given tour. Costa Rican tourism has developed into a thriving, attentive industry, with a strong foundation of small lodges, eco-adventures, and cultural experiences. Of course, the mega-development of grand scale hotels and Disney-like adventures also exist. But with Pizotes Adventure Tours, our goal is to provide the Costa Rican visitor with an experience of the real Costa Rica. I am proud to say our clients feel we’re accomplishing that.
As a Rotary Club member in the states, I learned the values and rewards of giving back or giving a hand. We’re all so blessed and it is natural we would want to offer assistance to a pueblo or child in need. So Pizotes’ tours are a little different. They are what we call ‘tours with a heart’ and include a hands-on community service project in the itinerary. Projects such as painting an elementary school or refurbishing a community playground have provided wonderful inter-cultural interactions and lots of smiles.
We hope you’ll allow Pizotes Eco Adventure Tours to plan your next adventure and make it a memorable one.