It started in 2006. when Andrea got the possibility to go to Mexico as a tour guide, she was an official guide already and she has been several times in Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile…and other Latin American countries. Her work was at the travel agency where she worked as a tour operator to organise tours to Latin America, check out places, hotels, make contracts, so travel quite a lot and sometimes take people as well.. She always had in her blood since very young, that she loves traveling, loves languages -she can talk Italian, English, some Spanish a bit of French- and she loves talking and sharing her knowledge, so maybe being a tour guide can be a good job option for her.

We say it in Hungarian -because we are Hungarians- that this job, you have to have it in your blood, because lead people is always a big responsability and it can be really difficult to deal with many people, all different, so this job is for people, that are really these types, it is a wonderful job, but not for everyone, you have to love it, you have to love people and being far away from home for even long times.. It is not easy at all, however some people beleives, that well, you got a great job, you are lucky.. And yes, those guides are lucky, that this job is in their blood, if they do it from their heart and with all their passion.. Well, this is Andrea, full with passion for her job. She also loves photography, since her childhood she had cameras in her hands, beacuse her father was an amateur photographer, he had several exhibitians of his photos and he teached Andrea and her sister since little girls to take photos. From him she got her first russian camera -at that time there were not too many other possibilities or very expensive- and started to take photos with that... Since then things has changed in Hungary and in the world as well, it is much easier to get even professional cameras, lenses, so everybody has the chance to choose the right option for her/himself. So, now she is a keen photographer of birds, butterflies, landsacpe and basically anything she likes..:-)

Andrea also had the passion for Latin America, the indigenous cultures. She was amazed by these people and their history, languages.. She studied linguistics, so she was always curious to learn about for ex. the mayan people, their language and their history in Mexico. And then came the possibility to start a company and work with mostly Hungarian people as a tour guide in Mexico’s Yucatan. But not alone, she would have not done this alone, she had Gabor and they were/are very much into the same interest and also a couple who loved each-other. So, Andrea had to “convince” Gabor, that somehow they should change their lives and do something different, not having the everyday life that everybody has. Well, it was not too difficult to “convince” Gabor, however he had his company already-Ecotours- in Hungary, so they just had to think about how to manage the company from Mexico. So, decision was made and in November 2006 they were in the Yucatan and start a new life..:-)

   13half years spent there, taking hundreds, if not thousands of people on tours. First every day tours to usual places that everybody wanted to see, Chichen Itza, Tulum.., famous mayan archeological sites and some other incredible sites. Then they decided, that they will do something different, because they wanted to be different form all those tour providers.. And they had a speciality that the local ones did not have. Gabor, who is a zoologist, however he is also an official tour guide for history and culture, but his real love is for nature and photography. So they started to offer tours Culture and Nature hand in hand, mostly circuit tours in the Yucatan and Chiapas state in Mexico, but soon after also in other countries of mayan-culture like Belize, Guatemala, Honduras.. This was perfect match, since Gabor was the main guide for birdwatchers and Andrea the “cherry on cake” with her knowledge about the mayas and other culture, history in Mexico. And when they had Hungarians who were interested in a bit more culture, then Andrea was the main guide and Gabor the “cherry on cake" with showing some beautiful birds, butterflies or other wildlife..:-) This went on for years and years and really well.. many tours and many satisfied people!! They loved Mexico and its culture and nature and this became their passion… had more and more tours specially for nature lovers and they after some years knew the Yucatan and Chiapas states as their palms..:-)

In meantime they also discovered more and more countries in the area and one of them became soon a favourite.. The first visit to Cost Rica was in 2005, but since living in Mexico they had more chance to go and even take tours and they fall in love with this little lovely country which has the most biodiversity on Earth!! 6% of the total is in Costa Rica, which is amazing, if we think about that this country is tiny. 

Years passed in Mexico for Andrea and Gabor and however Mexico was never the safest country in the world, but the Yucatan and the village where they lived was a safe heaven.. Until…. the problems started seriously in Mexico and now being involved almost the whole country. Gabor and Andrea still did not give up this amazing country, it was deep in their heart and they cried with its people for the change, but… safety is a key question when you take people on tours and it is your responsibility as well. They could not tell anymore to their clients that ooh, just relax, those problems in Mexico are far away, in the other part of Mexico, thousands of kms away.., because they were not faraway anymore.. they were close and they were everywhere and the safe heaven has changed dramatically. Gabor and Andrea started not to feel the same as before.. they started to feel the need to change.. change life again after 13years..

But this change was not only because the crime in Mexico, this was part of it.. but the other reason, maybe even the main reason was, that they wanted to change, because THEY HAD A DREAM.. A BIG DREAM.., which they wanted to realise until being youngish..:-)

   They already had their lodge in Hungary, which has a long story as well…:-) They turned this place since 2008 -when they bought it- into a birding and photography center, they made ponds, hides and it is a real lovely place to stay if you want to get known the until that time not so well-known Kiskunsag National park (however by Gabor and Andrea started to become a quite requested area)

   So, the dream for them was having a lodge in a rain- or cloud forest, the only question was where…??? And this was not an easy one…They were thinking about Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Costa Rica.. Both of them had their favourite and had kind of fights between, that whoch country should be the winner.. They asked people's opinion, because that is also important to know, what our guests, friends think about these countries, whih one they would visit first, where they would return, which one they would avoid and why why why...:-) So, at the Birdfair last yer-2018- where they are always exhibitors now for 20years!!- they started to ask their former and new guests, friends, partners.... And they had a quite interesting "statistics.".:-)

Finally in 2018 the decision was made after some more research and traveling and trying to figure out the best options for themselves.. they decided, that COSTA RICA WILL BE THE DREAM COUNTRY FOR THEM CONSIDERING BIODIVERSITY, ECOTOURISM, ECO-FRIENDLINESS, SUSTAINABILITY  SAFETY AS MAIN CONDITIONS..

After having done at the begening of the winter season, by December 2018 2 tours in Brazil’s Pantanal and Atlantic forest, then a tour in Mexico’s Yucatan and Belize they decided that this is the time, now or never, they have to make the step… 2more weeks in Yucatan in their little village where they spent so much time, get together all their stuff and mid December ready to go TO COSTA RICA AND FIND THEIR DREAM… It was still not easy at all.., a lot of search, traveling (which actually was already started with a short visit in April 2018 to see CR with the eye of living there and already see some properties..) and of course money and finally in January 2019 THEY FOUND IT!!! THEY FOUND THE DREAM PLACE.., However it was not how they imagined, but their hearts were beating strong when they were there and when they went on the trails and when they heard and seen the wildlife there, the toucans, guans, parrots, oropendolas, hummingbirds... and more and they FELT AND KNEW, THAT THIS IS THE PLACE!:-) They both felt the same thing and this was very important, there were no questions, just how to continue…

After a lot of difficulties finally they became the owners and started to work on the property to change it a bit to their taste. It was already perfect, but still some changes were important to make.

THEY NAMED THE PLACE AFTER THE TOUCANS. WHY??: because there were/are so many toucans around, it is absolutely clear that this is their home as well and will be always…:-)