Letter of the week

I'm joining an Earthwatch turtle project in Costa Rica at the end of the month, after which I will have five days to see more of the country. Rainforests and volcanos sound great - but I would prefer not to hire a car.
Ann Arthur
by email

I suggest you spend your time in and around one of the country's 25 national parks. Start at Monteverde, a small community founded by North American Quakers in 1951. Here you can take a canopy tour through the cloud forest for around £10 (www.skywalk.co.cr) and visit a hummingbird gallery and butterfly garden (mariposa.best.vwh.net). If you're lucky, your visit will coincide with the Monteverde Music Festival held from late January to early April. From lush Monteverde you can move on to the more barren landscape of Fortuna and the Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal. As the roads are poor, the best way to travel is by jeep and boat across the Laguna de Arenal. This takes about five hours and costs around £17 from local operators. From Fortuna you can hike to see the active volcano at night, relax in hot springs and go white-water rafting on the Toro and Peñas Blancas rivers. Although relatively touristy, both towns offer a wide range of tours and accommodation. In Monteverde, La Colina (www.lacolina.com) has ensuite singles for £25 with breakfast, and in Fortuna, Cabinas Guacamaya (cabinasguacamaya.com) has ensuite singles for £25 with air-conditioning. For more on Costa Rica, see www.tourism-costarica.com

· After a busy three weeks in Namibia, my husband and I would like a few days on an Indian Ocean island. We've been to Mauritius and are not keen on the Seychelles. What about Réunion and Rodrigues?
Gillian Geekie
York

Réunion has been a secret kept for years by the French. The island offers Hawaiian- style volcanos and lush tropical forest with everything you'd find in a medium-sized French town, down to the fresh baguettes. Réunion is best known as a trekking destination but still offers a few options for serious relaxing. The west coast is the place to head for: St Gilles les Bains is the main tourist beach but if that's a bit hectic L'Hermitage les Bains is worth checking out. The island gets very busy around the French holiday seasons; January and February are the peak months of the rainy season and cyclones are not unheard of.

Rodrigues is a tiny island, measuring just 6 miles by 15. This makes it easy to get around to explore the hills, caves and great beaches. There's not much to do here but relax, swim and snorkel (diving is the main reason people come). The downside is that it's an expensive destination as everything has to be brought in from outside. Also, accommodation isn't of quite as high a standard as you'd find on Mauritius. Rainbow Tours (020 7226 1004; www.rainbowtours.co.uk) offer a variety of holidays to both islands.

I'm visiting Adelaide for 10 days as part of the Teachers' International Professional Development scheme. Most of the time we'll be in schools but the weekend of 1-2 March is free. How can I best use this time?
Nina Deakin
St Helens

You could visit the Barossa Valley, one of Australia's top wine districts. Buses (www.bussa.com.au) run regularly from Adelaide to Tanunda in the heart of the valley, or you can get the train from the Adelaide suburban train station. There's plenty to keep you occupied for the whole weekend (German heritage, world-class vineyards and wine-tasting) but it's also close enough to Adelaide to make it a day-trip option, leaving another day to explore the city's cultural scene and the beaches at Glenelg (temperatures in Adelaide will be around 30 C). Check out www.southaustralia.com for what's on when.

Kangaroo Island also makes a fabulous weekend trip from Adelaide. The half-hour flight (there are six daily) costs about £80 return with Emu Airways (www.adelaide.citysearch.com.au/E/V/ADELA/0056/17/60/1.html). Here you can explore spectacular coastal scenery and the eucalyptus forests at Flinders Chase national park, watch the sea lions sunning themselves at Seal Bay and visit the pelicans at American River. The quiet seaside town on Kingscote makes a good base. The attractive Queenscliffe Family Hotel (00 61 8 8553 2254) has singles for £25 a night.

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