Costa Rica Sun Tours guide training

Recalling our superb experiences adventuring through Costa Rica with Costa Rica Sun Tours (CRST), we checked in with Ignacio to learn more about what makes their guides so exceptional. He shared the following behind-the-scenes information with us.

We provide in-house training for all of our guides. They go through a very intense initial training program, where they learn about our company, our core values and our partners.

We have created some important manuals and documents that are reviewed and studied with each guide:

• Operators Emergency Procedures or Manual de Atención de Emergencias – This is a 26-page document in Spanish that is examine with our guides and drivers and covers aspects on how to prepare for a tour, including instructions to clients and how to handle an emergency should one arise, basic first aid kit and emergency phone numbers.
• General Guide Manual or Manual General Guías and General Security Handbook or Manual General de Seguridad para guias – These are general guidelines we review with our guides on safety considerations to follow when conducting various activities like nature hikes, rafting, horseback riding and zip-line tours. 

Each of our guides have exceptional talents and knowledge and are naturally the kind of people we enjoy spending time with. Equally as important is guest comfort and safety; our guides share a number of key traits and professional credentials including: 

• A mindset focused on health and safety with know-how to minimize potential risks. 
• Natural charisma and genuine personalities that are adept at working with and welcoming a myriad of guests.  
• Excellent communication abilities when sharing the love for their country and when managing guest expectations alike.
• Loyal and diplomatic ambassadors for CRST and partners— the majority have been with us from 10 to 25 years!
• Experts in their field who love what they do and lead with autonomy to improvise as needed through a trip.
• All carry spotting scopes, binoculars, and nature field guides, and attend regular in-house training sessions.  
• All are Costa Rica Tourism Board certified.
• All attend our annual in-house training program. The objective is to ensure the safety of our clients (we provide first aid refresher courses, sessions on adventure tour equipment, etc), and from there it’s on to volcanology, botany and other natural history specialties. As an example, one year we brought in a professional photographer to train our guides on ways to help our guests bring home higher quality photos!
• Each one of our guides go through training programs (CPR, first aid, customer service and safety, among others).

An essential part of our tours is exposing the wonders of Costa Rica´s nature to the local people of the towns and villages that we visit. This kid (photo, right) was walking back in La Fortuna, and our guide called him over to show a sloth in a tree basking in the sun!

The aim of our guide training and exploratory trips is clear: to enhance our understanding and appreciation of Costa Rica’s remarkable ecosystems. Armed with this expertise, we aspire to enrich our guests’ experiences by delivering accurate and captivating narratives about the region’s natural history, local culture, and the intricate social and economic fabric that defines each area of our beautiful country – and to enable for them to experience the pura vida!