My one and only trip to Costa Rica was a 50th birthday gift to myself. I designed the trip as a way of snubbing my nose at the aging process and planned a number of "scary" activities. In addition to planning to travel solo, staying in a tent camp far removed from civilization, being hoisted up to a platform in the canopy of the rainforest and zip lining, one of my biggest accomplishments was flying in one of these planes - not once but twice!!! I knew in advance how small they were. I knew in advance that they had propellers. I knew in advance that the "runway" at Corcovado was an unpaved strip next to the beach. I acknowledged in advance that I was scared to death to fly in small planes, especially in bad weather. So there I am in Tortuguero, taking the boat across to the "airport" in the rain (and fog, no less). I was quaking in my boots but determined to do it. With lots of deep breathing and conscious relaxation, we took off. Not 5 minutes out of Tortuguero, the rain vanished, the sun came out and the most beautiful rainbow appeared. I took the rainbow as a sign and immediately calmed right down. I actually enjoyed the rest of that flight. Changing planes in San Jose, I found myself looking forward to the adventure of flying to Corcovado and was rewarded with the most beautiful views of Costa Rica and its coastline that I could ever imagine. That flight was one of the highlights of my trip. ps thanks for the referrals to the San Juan Island. I've sent an email.

@Cheryl Shnider: Great Cheryl, Your request gave me an excuse to call some old friends. Bill and Colleen Wright are owners of San Juan Safaris, a wonderful whale watching operation on San Juan Island. They do not provide all the services you are asking about, but they are very knowledgeable about the area and nature tourism in general. They are also wonderful folks to know. They’d be happy to steer you in the right (no pun intended) direction. They leave for Hawaii for a couple of weeks on March 8, so contact them before or after. Email: fun@sanjuansafaris.com. Tel: 800-450-6858 Another good friend Marc Telio owner of Entrée Destinations, based in Vancouver BC specializes in Canada and Alaska, but may also be able to help. At the moment he is maxed out with the Winter Olympics. I’ll call him as soon as he has had a chance to recover.