Carla Vargas is our General Manager or in-house "rock-star" overseeing the entire Desafio operation and managing employees.

With a background in Business Administration and Human Resources along with 8 years of experience in tourism under her belt, it's only fitting that she's the General Manager of one of the largest tour companies in Costa Rica.

When asked HOW she does what she does, she replies "I'm a super disciplined and organized person. I am also very helpful and friendly and have a strong will. This is necessary for my job, because I sometimes have to deal with stressful situations."

Working with a tour company has its bonuses, especially for Carla as she is a keen traveler and loves exploring Costa Rica on the weekends. Her favorite place to travel is in the province of Guanacaste because it offers a good mix of National Parks and white-sand beaches.

Her favorite part of working with Desafio is connecting with fellow employees and forming lasting bonds throughout the years.

We consider Christine the Community Collaborator of Desafio. Suresh and Christine both agree that he is the thinker and she is the doer -- she takes Suresh's big ideas and carries them into reality. Christine is also at the heart of all of the community outreach activities like the "Reto Reciclaje" or Desafio Recycling Challenge and the annual Easter Egg Hunt called the "Busqueda de Tesoros" for the community and regularly helps out with local schools. Here is an interview that outlines how Christine got to be where she is now:

Tell us about your background-education and experiences that have lead you to where you are now:

From a very young age, I always dreamed of living and working outside of the United States -- not that I necessarily had a game plan, I think I just wanted to be different. I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and I would respond "An International Diplomat..."

It sounded so exotic to be "international."

So, I guess it's not surprising I ended up in Costa Rica. And helping run a business in a foreign country is all about diplomacy - both my husband Suresh and I work hard to understand and embrace the culture we live in. And it takes quite a lot of diplomacy to navegate the sometimes challenging rules the Costa Rican government sets forth for doing business and making sure our employees are safe and happy.

What personal characteristics do you have that have made you successful?

Is luck a characteristic? I was lucky to have found Suresh and to have been in the right place at the right time. The Arenal Volcano was in the process of becoming an important place to visit in Costa Rica so Desafio just started to grow along with the town. But overall, I owe my success to having parents who encouraged me to pursue my dreams and to my husband who has the vision to keep the company moving forward.

Why adventure tourism?

I grew up in a very active community near Madison, Wisconsin called Waunakee -- 'The Only Waunakee in the World!' We have lakes, rivers, hills and it is said more bicycles per capita than anywhere else in the United States! My father started an ice hockey league when I was young and I later went on to play ice hockey for many years -- I was the only girl on the team! I am very competitive by nature and have always enjoyed a variety of outdoors activities.

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and won my election to the Madison City Council, served one term and focused my time in office on community development issues. I then lost my second election by 11 votes and was very disheartened by politics. I was then lucky enough to be hired for a job working as a guide for a pioneering adventure travel company called TrekAmerica and began taking my groups on thrilling whitewater rafting and mountain biking tours throughout the Americas before these activities where readily accepted as mainstream adventure activities fit for the whole family. It was a natural transition to be interested in Adventure Tourism in Costa Rica.

What is the best part about your job?

The people. We have an amazing group of people working for us. They are like family. And being able to create new and exciting adventures for clients and seeing that our clients come away satisfied is highly gratifying. After all, we are in the "happiness business." The coolest thing is hearing our clients say that they had a 'life-changing experience' on one of our tours.

What is the most-challenging part about running Desafio?

The Costa Rican government rules change often and the playing field is not always very level. As a responsible company, we make sure we have highly-trained, professional staff and that all of our employees have all of the benefits as required by law. In addition we have a high-level of insurance for our activities and safe, well-practiced logistics in case of emergency. We also pride ourselves on high-quality gear and modern transportation -- all of this can be very expensive and sometimes puts us at a disadvantage compared to other outfitters who don't follow the same rules.

What sets Desafio apart from the other tour companies?

Experience makes the difference. We are the pioneering adventure company here and have been doing this for over 20 years now and Suresh and I both come from adventure backgrounds. We are integrally involved in the daily operation of our company -- Suresh and I breathe, eat, sleep Desafio... We wouldn't have it any other way!

Where do you see Desafio 5 years from now?

We hope to continue having a safe operation and keep reinvesting in our staff and our infrastructure.

What to you is a perfect day in Arenal?

A perfect day is when everyone gets back from their tours and transportation safe and happy. There is nothing more-fulfilling than that!

Daisy grew up in Francia, a tiny town near Siquirres, Limon on the Caribbean Coast. She currently lives in La Fortuna but frequently goes home to Limon to visit because she loves being on the calm beaches, especially during sunset. Her favorite part about working for Desafio is helping clients plan fun vacations and hearing about their experiences when they return!

If you had a tourist visit you at your home, what would you do for them?

I would prepare Costa Rican food for them for example:

Gallo Pinto (Rice & Beans), Arroz con Pollo (Rice and chicken with vegetable) and other dishes.

What is your all time favorite acivity at Desafio? Why?

My favorite tour at desafio is rafting because I can be in contact with nature, have lots of fun, and get my adrenaline pumping!

If you went traveling abroad, what do you think you you would miss the most about Costa Rica?

Definitely my family and my mother's Caribbean Rice and Beans!

David grew up in the small town of San Gerardo, Cuidad Quesada but has been living in La Fortuna and working for Desafio for many years. He believes the best things in life are free and that includes enjoying the beautiful nature that Costa Rica is gifted with. He always has new photos and stories to tell about his own Costa Rican forest adventures! Give him a call and he can recommend the best FREE things to do in and around town.

What is your favorite place in Costa Rica?

The town where I grew up. It's full of cool places like swimming holes, fresh water rivers, soccer field and a lot of kids. Families are very friendly and are humble with customs and values. I love spending my days off there.

What do you do when you are not working?

When I'm not working I like go out with my 2 dogs and explore rivers, waterfalls and new places around the rain forest. I also love to play soccer and hang out with my friends.

Rocio is originally  from the chilly mountains of Cartago but its currently loving life in La Fortuna. "It is very calm, the people are very friendly, and we are blessed with a beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano and Cerro Chato."
While Rocio was studying accounting in high school, she came to Desafio to do a 2 month long internship and never left. When the general manager asked her to stay, she recalls jumping up and down in excitement! I love working here - the environment, the people, my job itself, and the owners, Christine and Suresh are very "Pura Vida".
When she gets time off work, she loves to explore Costa Rica, especially the Guanacaste beaches. Playa Hermosa is one of her favorite beaches because of the natural beauty, the mountains, and the tranquil but touristic vibe.  When asked what are the best things to do in Costa Rica, she replied "I once had an American stay with me for two months and we did so many fun things: Hikes on the hanging bridges and Volcano National Park, and boat cruises on Lake Arenal and Cano Negro. I also showed her the Costa Rican culture, like how to make tortillas by hand!"

Suresh Krishnan started Desafio Adventure Company over 20 years ago after falling in love with the Arenal region's many rivers. Here is an up-close look at his journey to owning one of the best tour companies in Costa Rica.

What is your background-education and experiences that have lead you to where you are now?
I was born in the Southern part of India in the State of Kerala and my father moved our family to Ohio in the United States when I was 7 years old to start a Montessori school. He then moved us out to Pasadena, California when I started high school. I barely finished high school and really wanted to pursue a running career at Stanford, but I didn't have good enough grades to get into the university.

The best option for me was to join the US military and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I loved the discipline and the leadership skills I acquired. I made it on the US Army boxing team and trained hard and was later sent to Panama for Jungle Warfare School. Because of my athletic abilities, I was placed on a US Army Relay Team to run the full distance of the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. While I was in the US Army, they had me jumping out of airplanes, rappelling out of helicopters, hiking through dense forests and much more.
I was doing ROTC at UCLA and preparing myself to be an officer while attending classes on Anthropology at Long Beach State University. On the side, I taught sea kayaking lessons at a local kayak shop. One day a Costa Rican walked in to buy some rafting equipment to start up a rafting company on Costa Rica's famous Pacuare River. He asked me if I wanted to be a raft guide in Costa Rica and that's when my love affair with Costa Rica began - more than 20 years ago!
I started working on the Pacuare River, but the company I was working for didn't work out for me, so I thought I could start my own rafting company on the Pacuare based out of San Jose. But competition was very difficult and I wasn't doing very well. I then met a Swedish girl who was living near the Arenal Volcano and she invited me to visit her. It took me over eight hours on public buses to get to the rain forests of the La Fortuna area and when I got here I said to myself "there's got to be some amazing rivers around here!" I set out to do the first descents of all of the rivers within one hour of the Arenal Volcano.
But it wasn't easy to start my business on my own. I had to ask my mom for money to fly back to California, but I was determined to make it back to Costa Rica, so I worked as many jobs as I could to save some money, buy some rafting equipment and go back to Costa Rica. I've ran out of working capital a few times and made some bad business decisions along the way, but I really wanted to keep my business going and here I am today after more than 20 years - still learning about Costa Rica and how to run a business!

What personal characteristics do you have that have made you so successful?
People call me a Serial Entrepreneur - I'm always dreaming up new business ideas. I'm also tenacious about my business culture based on honesty and loyalty - those are some of the most-important things I learned to appreciate in the military.

Why adventure tourism?
It seemed like the right thing for me - I used to think I? become a stock-broker and work on Wall Street - but nowadays I can't imagine myself with a suit and tie sitting in a cubicle punching a time clock. I feel so lucky to have the lifestyle I have.

What is the best part about your job?
Coming up with new ideas and watching my team execute them even better than I could imagine. I love when that happens! We have a great team of people working for us and it makes me feel proud to come to work every day!

What is the most challenging part about running Desafio?
There is a reason why I chose the name "Desafio" for my company - the word "Desafio" means "Challenge" because I knew that if I were going to start a business in Costa Rica it was going to be a challenge for an American Indian with little to no Spanish! There is a lot of paperwork and government rules to follow and as a foreigner, I've had to learn the ropes pretty much all on my own. And even though we have great people working for us, managing our staff and keeping them happy all of the time is always a big challenge, too.

Our Human Resources department is very important to me. I also try to come up with unique incentives for our staff and even offer them business opportunities to develop on their own because I want to show my appreciation for all that I have.

What sets Desafio apart from the other tour companies?

What sets us apart is our Desafío Adventure Culture. Overall, it's hard to not have a bad time in Costa Rica – this country is all about "happiness." The people here are considered some of the most-friendly people in the world and the natural environment is unparalleled.

But to have a truly amazing vacation, it really comes down to your personal experiences while you're here. I always say that we know clients will go back home and they might not remember the name of the river they went rafting on or even the name of the company they went with, but chances are, they will remember the name of the guide. That's exactly the experience we want clientsto come away with.

Where do you see Desafio 5 years from now?
In the next five years I hope we will be considered a leader in adventure tourism in Costa Rica and continue innovating and creating new and exciting adventures for our clients. Ideally, we would like to make sure all of our clients come away with the most-positive experience ever and memories that will last a lifetime!

What to you is a perfect day in Arenal?
Funny you should ask - in fact today I was mentioning to my wife Christine that today was a perfect day in Arenal - we had nice rains the past few days so our rivers are full with great, crystal-clear water, our waterfalls in the canyon are full and vibrant, the sun is shining and our big Arenal Volcano is peaking through the clouds. I am confident our clients also think today is a perfect day in Arenal!
I also love to meet with our clients and hear their comments and I am always open to suggestions on investment opportunities and new social entrepreneurial ideas. I think one of the biggest contributions I can make now is to try to mentor others on business ideas and growing companies in a sustainable, responsible way.