About Us
Several
years ago, Costa Rica’s tropical whitewater rivers and pristine beaches lured
Shannon Freix and Scott Samelson from the United States. Both lived
and worked in Costa Rica, traversing the land, paddling its rivers, enjoying
its beaches
and exploring the nooks and crannies of a
small country with a diversity of topography. After more than a year
of planning, Sol Encounter, S.A. was formed with the idea of sharing
what we love most about Costa Rica with other people.
The
mission of Sol Encounter is to provide a high quality trip offering unique
options not found elsewhere. While many tour agencies provide rooms at nice
hotels, Sol Encounter believes that a high quality hotel should also be situated
in a culturally rich area. Instead of staying
at a chain hotel near the airport, you may find yourself at a smaller,
individually run colonial hotel in the heart of downtown San Jose. Similarly,
we visit areas a little off the “tourist trail”, making up for the little extra effort with unfathomable beauty and adventure.
After living in Costa Rica for years, we have found many hidden waterfalls, the best lookouts to view the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, and other
less-traversed haunts.
One of our principal goals is to incorporate the amazing natural wonders of Costa Rica with its people, who refer to themselves as “ticos.”
Admiring the beauty of a country is easy, but to love it, you must know the people. And ticos are some of the friendliest people in the world.
A common greeting heard anywhere in the country is “pura vida” which translates to pure life, a sentiment not taken for granted. All adventures
and excursions will be led by bilingual guides from the US and at times accompanied by local Costa Rican guides to create a bi-cultural experience.
Finally, we hope to impart a little knowledge along with your adventure about the biodiversity (the land, plants and animals) that Costa Rica has to offer. After spending countless hours traveling the roads, rivers, beaches and trails, we have studied and seen first-hand much of the natural history, biology and the diversity of life in the tropics. We are also committed to offering a trip that uses ecologically friendly partners and minimizes our impact on the land to preserve it and educate others about it.
Above all, we want you to enjoy Costa Rica a country renowned for its beauty, diversity, people, and, just as important, for the addictive adventure.
