Cano Negro Riverboat in the Rainforest Wildlife Safari & Cultural Tasting
Arenal ・ Arenal Zone 2 ・ Arenal Zone 3 ・ Nuevo Arenal ・ Chachagua Rainforest Hotel
From
$103
Per Person
Overall
92%
1077 Guest
Ratings
The Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge is home to many species of exotic wildlife and is an amazing location for birdwatching. The waterways, canals and lagoons provide perfect habitat and an exciting way to observe animals in a natural setting.
The remote wildlife refuge is located near the Nicaragua border so be prepared for an hour and a half drive in each direction to reach Cano Negro. Once you arrive, the best way to visit is by boat with a local guide.
The covered riverboat departs from the Los Chiles town dock on the Rio Frio. As you cruise along the river, you will undoubtedly see plenty of caiman and migratory bird species. Your guide will also be on the lookout for other wildlife such as howler and spider monkeys, sloths, boat-billed herons, motmots, iguanas, toucans, roseate spoonbills, trogons and much more.
During the drier months, the tour is limited to the Rio Frio, but during the rain seasons, when the water is higher, the boat can make it into the famous Cano Negro Lagoon. In both seasons, you can expect to stay on the water for two to three hours depending on the conditions of the day.
You will also make a stop in "El Caimán Restaurant" to taste chocolate, coffee and sugar cane. After the riverboat tour you will visit a local restaurant for a buffet style lunch. This is a nice way to experience a more traditional Costa Rican soda.
The tour includes round trip transportation from your La Fortuna area hotel. As previously mentioned, the tour takes place near the Nicaragua border, so be prepared to show your passport if requested. The tour usually lasts around six to seven hours including transfers, but this is subject to change based on a wide variety of factors which are out of our control. In addition to transportation, the tour also includes a bilingual naturalist guide and lunch.
Highlights
- Covered riverboat safari through the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
- Observe exotic wildlife in a natural setting
- Pass through traditional non-tourist influenced country side
- Eat a traditional meal at a local restaurant
This supplier maintains a zero-plastic policy, so no water bottles will be offered, only a refrigerated water dispenser for visitors to refill their own reusable bottles.
What to Bring
Camera, sunblock, insect repellent, passport, reusable water bottle.
Includes
Transportation, bilingual naturalist guide, and lunch. This supplier maintains a zero-plastic policy, so no water bottles will be offered, only a refrigerated water dispenser for visitors to refill their own reusable bottles.
Location and Availability
Available in: Arenal, Arenal Zone 2, Arenal Zone 3, Nuevo Arenal, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel
Tour Times
07:20
Tour Type
- Safari Cruise
Location
Lattitude: N 10° 59' 24.23" (10.990065)
Longitude: W 84° 43' 31.92" (-84.725533)
Recent Reviews
Overall
92%
Expectations
91%
Experience
92%
Guides
95%
Logistics
92%
Value
92%
11/15/2025
Yes, more than! David was excellent and this was our best excursion of the whole trip due to his efforts.
11/8/2025
The tour guide was friendly, and very knowledgeable. He was constantly looking for animals and pointing out where they were. He was an outstanding guide and very patient with some of the elderly folks on our tour.
9/15/2025
Best tour of the whole trip!
8/24/2025
Great guide. The tour was worth it. We want to do it again.
7/21/2025
George was fantastic!!! We loved him! We saw so many monkeys. George made sure we all could see what he was telling us about. He was very friendly and attentive and we felt safe the whole time even with caimans around!
7/18/2025
Everything was fantastic.
7/13/2025
Saw less wildlife than expected given high waters from rain
7/10/2025
Another excellent tour! The guides were so knowledgeable. We saw so many birds, 4 kinds one monkeys including 2 orange howlers, Cesar’s and Abu, a sloth, a caiman, and a swimming iguana. Lunch was delicious and we enjoyed the cacao presentation as well. Overall, the experience was priceless!
6/22/2025
Saw a LOT of birds and enjoyed being able to sit back and just enjoy the ride
6/9/2025
The riverboat safari and lunch was very nice. Everyone was so helpful. It was just a long drive from the resort to the boat!
4/18/2025
This was a fun day trip with a great guide
4/10/2025
Nice tour and the guides were very knowledgeable. The ride to the river was a little long. It would have been better if the guide discussed the country side we were passing thru. Very helpful when asked but did not volunteer information. Orherwise a very enjoyable trip.
3/7/2025
The guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The wildlife was amazing.
2/22/2025
Special mention for Jorge and Christian the tour guides. Nice, funny, knowledgeable and extremely patient!
2/21/2025
Was an interesting and educational tour. Saw quite a bit of wildlife.
2/16/2025
By far a highlight
2/16/2025
It's a long drive, but that was clearly spelled out, so not a surprise. The ride was comfortable and the guide pointed out some things of interest and has much of interest to say. We saw lots of wildlife, which was the prime goal, so that was great. There was some rain but the boat is covered and that didn't detract significantly. Both guides on the boat were friendly and informative. I did have the impression that the chocolate component would be a little more educational than it was, but that wasn't really what we were there for anyway.
2/12/2025
This was one of our favorite excursions. We saw many birds, reptiles, and monkeys while on the Riverboat Safari. The included lunch was delicious.
2/10/2025
Fantastic tour - just quite a long drive
1/27/2025
Crying baby not your fault, haha, was a great tour and saw lots of animals!
1/26/2025
I forgot how long the drive was.
1/26/2025
We thought there was too long a drive for the experience. We were picked up first and ended up waiting a full hour for other people which made for a long day
1/22/2025
Very enjoyabl. Guides very knowledgeable. Lunch was very good
1/21/2025
Our tour guide Jason was excellent. He explained and pointed things out on the drive and very knowledgeable of the country and wildlife. We found plenty of monkeys, lizards, birds and sloths.
1/16/2025
The guides were wonderful and very friendly We saw much wildlife.
1/11/2025
Guide was great! Saw a lot of animals and learned a lot! Meal was fried fish! Didn’t seem authentic to area.
1/10/2025
Excellent knowledgeable and friendly guides
11/16/2024
Journey was a little too long
10/19/2024
The lunch that was served was outstanding.
10/5/2024
long drive to excursion
9/21/2024
The best tour we had! All of the guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. The food was delicious!!
8/27/2024
Cano Negro is a beautiful reserve, But it pales in comparison to Corcovado or Tortuguero. And therefore it was not worth the 1.5 hour trip from La Fortuna. It felt a bit like a lost day. I would only recommend this tour to people that stick to the more touristic areas of Costa Rica and do not visit the more remote national parks.
8/1/2024
Excellent tour. Everything was very smooth and what we expected. We saw a lot and the guides were great.
11/22/2023
The guides were so knowledgeable and friendly; even offering to take pictures with their scope so we could have good quality photos; thank you!
9/15/2023
Another good tour as well, saw some great wildlife, took a lot of photos.
8/18/2023
The road to get to the boat was so bad that it would have been easier to get out an walk!
Otherwise the experience was amazing.
8/10/2023
tour guide was great, got to see alot of wildlife and see part of the country
8/6/2023
Guide seemed knowledgeable enough to talk about the various crops grown in the region where the Cano Negro is situated. The river cruise itself was so-so since we only saw some monkeys, caiman, birds, Jesus Christ lizard but no sloth which is what I was looking forward to see the most.
7/31/2023
We loved this excursion and really appreciate the staff involved. Our main guide, George, was the best and made our experience so special!
7/30/2023
It was a long drive there and back and our guide didn't talk much. The boat ride was enjoyable and we did see a bunch of animals. However, our guide didn't seem too interested in finding wildlife. The snack of fruit was good but the lunch was just OK.
7/28/2023
Great food too and the extra trip to the coffee farm was awesome!
7/24/2023
It rained the whole time so I was very grateful for the covered boat. We happily saw alot of wildlife even with the rain. The drivers/guides were very good. We enjoyed the surprise visit down the street to taste moonshine, sugar cane, coffee beans.
7/24/2023
Fun trip. Saw a lot of animals.Guides were very knowledgeable.
7/24/2023
The riverboat was fun. The moonshine and cocoa was a fun stop afterwards.
7/17/2023
The guides were very friendly and extremely knowledgeable.
7/16/2023
Above and beyond! Alvaro our tour guide and Alex our driver were both amazing, we saw so much wildlife and flora and Alvaro did not limit the tour to the boat. He even pointed out animals (like a Jaribu Stork!) that we saw on our drive. Lunch was pleasant, and we finished with a coffee/chocolate/sugar cane tour which I was not expecting!
7/9/2023
It was a bit draining and didn't realize how much it was going to be birdwatching, which we don't necessarily enjoy. However, our guide went above and beyond with the information and taking care of everyone. The chocolate demo and moonshine surprise were the best part.
6/29/2023
Amazing tour, great value for money! We so much amazing wildlife on the drive and on the boat. Lunch was also excellent!
6/23/2023
Guide was very knowledgeable. Lunch was great.
6/20/2023
This tour exceeded my expectations. We saw so many animals and birds!
6/19/2023
We saw so many animals. Our guide was amazing throughout the whole experience.
6/15/2023
Exceptional experience, with amazing guides!
6/2/2023
This was a wonderful tour, and the guides were great. The only downside was that the drive was a little long from the La Fortuna area. Loved the little Don Miguel add on at the end too.
5/5/2023
Our guide was fantastic! He was knowledgeable and friendly.
5/3/2023
Did not see as many animals as expected and the sugar/coffee experience after the boat tour was not expected, felt touristy, and took too long. Guide was excellent--really knew his stuff.
5/1/2023
The tour was fabulous and we learned so much from Joshua. The extra visit to Domingos home was extra frosting on an already sweet brown sugar treat.
4/28/2023
Transportation from La Fortuna was quite long (2 hours). It was great seeing wildlife you could not see anywhere else. We saw 3 species of monkeys.
4/24/2023
Very good guide!
4/23/2023
The adults loved this tour. The ride was long for the kids. The tour guide was one of the best we encountered and lunch was excellent
4/20/2023
The tour guide, Joshua, was amazing as was the boat driver and the bus driver, Alex! The two guides! both had eagle eyes and pointed out everything we hoped to see- the spider monkeys, the howler monkeys, the white faced monkeys, caimans and their babies, crocodiles, unique birds, long-nosed bats, Iguanas, Lizards, AND the mutant Howler monkey called La Macha!! We also enjoyed the demonstration by Don Domingo at his sugar cane farm, watching how sugar cane is turned into Molasses. The only negative were the horrible roads we had to drive on to get there and back. As Joshua the tour guide called them "Costa Rican Massages", lol. There was road construction and an accident on the way back but Alex, the driver, did a great job driving and found a short cut for us.
4/10/2023
A nice surprise at the end of this tour with a brief stop of cocoa, chocolate and sugarcane sampling.
3/31/2023
Transport vehicle was older and not very comfortable. Very noisy ride.
3/29/2023
Lovely experience. Joudan was an excellent guide and Alex a great driver. Midday lunch was delicious!
3/10/2023
Highly recommend!
3/6/2023
It was a wonderful experience and lovely lunch. they made sure we stayed hydrated throughout our day. Our guides were very passionate about what they do which made the trip more enjoyable.
2/28/2023
We enjoyed our time and appreciated the guides and drivers. It was a bit long/far for us, but it was a good experience. The food was great. The added sugar cane/cacao/coffee activity was special.
2/28/2023
We saw a ton of wildlife from caiman's to iguanas, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, and a variety of beautiful birds. The guides and boat captain were very accommodating in taking photos for guests using their scopes. Lunch was perfect. It was quite a drive from our hotel so be prepared for a long day.
2/17/2023
I expected to be more into the actual rain forest area, because that is what I experienced before but the others thought it was fine. Great lunch,
2/14/2023
Long ride to location. A pontoon boat that worked on continual backing and never got more than a mile from launching spot. Did not see as much wildlife as advertised. Guide was very knowledgeable. He gets a 10
2/6/2023
Joe Dan was our guide, and he was extremely friendly and knowledgeable of everything in the area, including culture, flora and fauna. Our bus driver was so skilled and I felt very safe with him driving.
2/1/2023
Enjoyed but could not see much animals but it is just luck
1/29/2023
Exceptional guides and lunch.
1/29/2023
The guide, Becca, was amazing! She answered every additional questions I had while on this tour. The tour provided lots of opportunities to see many different animals.
1/20/2023
Excellent wildlife viewing. We had no idea what the schedule for the day was so we’re pleasantly surprised by everything.
1/19/2023
Joe was amazing
12/21/2022
Really enjoyed the boat ride, meal and how they made sugar cane. Very enjoyable day.
12/20/2022
What a beautiful, unforgettable day! So many animals, and super knowledgeable guides. They took their time to point things out, the boat was comfortable and fun,
12/19/2022
Our guides were fantastic!! Very knowledgeable and we got off the boat to go see monkeys in a tree where they usually hide. Loved everything about it.
12/4/2022
Nice lunch!!
11/16/2022
Highly recommended with the smaller group.
10/30/2022
Loved the tour and guides. Excellent!
7/16/2022
The tour was great, however, it takes very long to get there. We saw some animals, but we thought that for the long trip to get there, we would have seen a lot more.
7/13/2022
We REALLY loved the "extra" stop at the end at the farm - we had no idea that was included with the tour and it was an awesome surprise! (We might have liked it as much as the boat safari itself!)
7/7/2022
WHAT A KILLER TRIP. Even the food was awesome at the little restaurant. Really loved, special trip -- thank you for this!
6/2/2022
This was one of the tours I enjoyed the most. We saw lots of birds, monkeys and lizards. The guides were not only very informative but funny and engaging. I enjoyed every moment.
5/16/2022
This might be my favorite tour experience. The guide clearly loved his job. The ride to the safari boat ride on the River that border’s Nicaragua is a bit of a drive but he pointed out things all along the way, shared cultural information, and helped us all get to know each other. The boat ride gave us a front row view to three species of monkeys, a load of birds, turtles, caymans, lizards, and even the only red howler monkey in the area. Then we saw how sugar cane was pressed and tasted their rum. A full day that I will remember well.
5/16/2022
Carlos made it so fun. Tons of animals .Food by Anita was excellent
5/6/2022
Guide was great. Very knowledgeable
5/4/2022
Fauricio, the guide and Max the boat pilot were awesome! We were on our feet in the boat the whole . They spotted so many animals and birds for us. Loved it.
4/24/2022
Guides were great, location and duration was awesome
3/24/2022
Excellent guide!
3/22/2022
This was our favorite excursion of the entire trip! The "surprise" at the end of the coffee and chocolate was a real treat.
3/15/2022
This tour was a highlight, we saw a lot of wildlife and had terrific tour guides
2/5/2022
We had the most amazing guides! We loved all the animals, lunch, and the boat trip
1/23/2022
Our Tour guide was an educated and informative representative, who gave us more than we ever expected. Saw more wild life than he even imagined, truly beautiful experience.
1/15/2022
GREAT GUIDE
1/13/2022
We were able to see the brown howler monkey thanks to our guide. In addition to the riverboat. the sugar cane demo, coffee explanation, and chocolate explanation were really good.
1/13/2022
All the staff is very nice. The guide is knowledgeable and helpful. The experience was not worth the trip from La Fortuna. We were not interested in the chocolate demonstration and were not expecting it. Probably our mistake.
12/31/2021
Day was longer than expected due to drive and extra stop
12/26/2021
Outstanding guides. Saw a lot of wildlife. It was a fun experience.
12/18/2021
We had a great time!!
12/17/2021
The head guide used manipulation and pushed his personal agenda. It was not pleasant.
12/13/2021
Farisio was an excellent guide and provided us with a wonderful riverboat safari. The van driver (Jose), boat captain (Lester) and sugar cane plantation presenter (name ?) were all very nice and professional.
12/5/2021
It was tough to see animals. It seemed as if the government wanted the travel companies to promote this trip.
12/2/2021
Loved this tour. It was a two hour drive to the safari and the guides told us about the history and sites along the way. The safari itself was amazing and anyone can do it.
12/1/2021
We saw so many amazing animals on this tour! Our tour guide and boat driver were so knowledgeable and gave us so much information. On top of that, our tour guide Steven sent us his professional pictures he had taken so we would have an amazing memory of the trip. The only downside which is why I rated it lower was the washroom facilities. The doors didn't open properly and when we returned from our tour the water was not working so we couldn't wash our hands.The toilets were not functioning very well as well.
11/27/2021
This was my 3rd time on this tour - great job, and the added walk to learn about sugar cane production and coffee was a nice treat
11/15/2021
The ‘coffee’ tour after was not necessary.
The lunch was good.
11/9/2021
A nice relaxing boat ride with perfect weather, what more could you ask for you!? Monkeys, iguanas, birds they were there to! The guide was a lot of fun and knowledgeable. Beautiful drive there. We had a wonderful lunch after the boat ride. We had a little surprise add on at the end. Absolutely a great day!
9/24/2021
Loved this tour! Great guide.Got to see lots of animals. Included lunch was really good.
8/23/2021
This was a wonderful experience! We saw lots of wildlife and our tour guide Steven was very knowledgeable and had a very good eye for spotting wildlife.
8/23/2021
Tour guide Steven was amazing!
8/12/2021
The boat operator was awesome at spotting wild animals, the naturalist guide, Steven Vela Araya was terrific and shared his wonderful photos with us. The lunch that was provided was one of the best meals that we had while in Costa Rica.
8/12/2021
The riverboat captain had a good eye for spotting wildlife and I can't say enough about the guide, Steven Vela Araya. He shared his pictures with us and was very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. Our lunch after the tour was one of the best meals that we had in Costa Rica.
8/10/2021
Wow. This one blew us away. We really did not expect all that much. The area is not all in a protected zone. The forest is biologically impoverished secondary growth. And then...we see Sloths, We see spider monkeys, We see toucans. We see Trogons, Aracari various lizards. A great tour.
8/6/2021
Other than the road being a bit washed out due to recent rains, and us forging the streams on the road, I have to say this was an amazing trip. Our driver and guide were excellent. Our guide as a naturalist was really well versed in the habits of the species we encountered. We were curious if we would see any wildlife with the rain fall, but we saw everything: capuchin, spider, and howler monkeys; a crocodile; bats; various birds, including a toucan. The lunch following was traditional Costa Rican cuisine but was one of the best we had on our vacation. It was a phenomenal day!
7/21/2021
We saw a lot of wildlife and our guide knew a lot about the animals.
7/21/2021
The guide and boat captain were excellent at finding wildlife. The lunch was very delicious.
7/20/2021
Loved this tour as well! We were worried about the size at first but our tour mates quickly became tour friends and our guides were amazing! Pretty sure my wife is now friends with them on Facebook!
7/14/2021
We had a nice experience in this tour. Knowledgeable guide and very good boat driver that spotted many animals that we would like to see. Comfortable ride also to and from the hotel.
5/27/2021
Tour operator was excellent and very knowledgeable. Definitely recommend this tour...
5/23/2021
Amazing!
5/19/2021
Fun
3/16/2021
Boat ride was great fun. Our guide highlighted the wildlife during the trip on the river. After the boat ride we had a very nice lunch.
2/21/2021
AMAZING experience. The guide took us off the boat to rare species, and the whole trip was both easy and extremely productive.
11/9/2020
Guides were great
3/14/2020
This river tour and the guide was so informative. We loved it
3/6/2020
Elena was knowledgable, funny, engaging, entertaining, professional, prompt and an excellent team member with her fellow crew. The food was delicious and ran out. Could provide more, especially fruits besides pineapples.
3/6/2020
Great nature tour. I would have never picked this on my own. we were very happy.
3/4/2020
very nice. in retrospect this place is probably awesome after lots of rain.
3/2/2020
Most exciting tour of our trip! We saw SO many animals!!! And the tour guide was exceptional. Definitely a must-do!
3/2/2020
One of our favorite tours! Our guide was amazing - so knowledgeable. We saw so much wildlife - even from the transport going/coming to the boat.
3/2/2020
The only reason this tour is not a 10 overall is because it was a long ride to and from the river. However, thanks to our guides, especially Pierre, the ride was very informative. They were unbelievably knowledgeable and informative and really made the tour great.
2/23/2020
Our guide was amazing!
2/17/2020
Our guide was outstanding. Very knowledgeable & able to answer questions over a broad range of topics...plants, animals, regional economic issues, agriculture, the culture, & Costa Rican history. He was also a great photographer, & provided us with fabulous post-trip photos via WhatsApp. We have recommended this guide & your company to a number of fellow travelers.
2/17/2020
River was low, not the beautiful jungle safari I was expecting. Tour guide Pierre was excellent and animals were fascinating. Morning snack and lunch were nice.
2/13/2020
Excellent guide and driver. Extremely knowledgeable and ready to help at any time.
2/13/2020
I wish I could give our guide Pierre 20 stars! He was wonderful and the extraordinary pictures he took on our river cruise and gave to us will be treasured! These guides went out of there way to spot animals. Fabulous!!
2/12/2020
Can I give more than 10 points? This is an absolutely magnificent tour!!! Pierre is one of the most nature knowledgeable people I have ever met. His passion for his country and nature was infectious. Food was delicious. We saw so many wild animals...it was like being in a live National Geographic show. Highly highly recommended.
2/11/2020
Elena our guide was AWESOME. she gave us tons of Costa Rica facts and knowledge on the drive to the river which made it go by quickly. Took some great photos through binoculars for us and overall was a super engaging, friendly guide. The drivers of the boat and bus were both very safe and conservative drivers. And the food for lunch was delicious.
2/11/2020
Beautiful nature
2/10/2020
very enjoyable
2/9/2020
Pickup from the hotel was on time, and the van was very comfortable. Our guide, Elena, was great! She provided excellent information throughout the trip, both about Costa Rica and about the wildlife. We also stopped to see a sloth on the tree by the road! The river safari was an amazing experience! We saw a lot of different bird species, three types of monkeys, caymans, and a beautiful nature. This was comparable to wildlife safari in South Africa or Tanzania!
2/6/2020
Possibly my favorite part of the whole trip. Although almost everything was my favorite! The 2 hour drive there flew by as the guide gave fascinating information about various plantations we drove by.
2/3/2020
Too long of a drive for what we saw and experienced.
1/28/2020
Loved this excursion. We got so close to the animal life, watching howler monkeys very close up, as well as multiple iquanas, etc. Can definitely recommend this tour.
1/20/2020
very knowledgeable guide , great stories
1/20/2020
Pierre, the tour guide, was very, very knowledgeable and friendly and we all enjoyed talking with him.
1/15/2020
the drive was a little longer then we expected but Joeden was an excellent tour guide and made the travel time seem much less...he was so informative and personable
1/7/2020
Our guide was excellent!!
1/7/2020
the guide was very professional, prepared and cuold understand the group needs. very good service.
1/2/2020
All good.
12/30/2019
The guide and boat captain were very helpful and considerate. We were able to view many different types of wildlife along the river, and take many pictures. The meal provided at the end of the tour was excellent.
12/28/2019
Very good trip. Saw lots of iguanas, monkeys, birds and the guide Elena are a special effort to show us a rare orange monkey and at a special request showed us a sloth which was quite close. Excellent guide.
12/23/2019
Highly recommend this tour. The guide was excellent
12/13/2019
This was a very relaxing and enjoyable tour. Our tour guides (Fauricio and Brian) and driver (Norman) were great and so nice! We saw monkeys, birds, crocodile, iguanas, and turtles. We got a delicious vegan casado after our tour. :-)
11/28/2019
Great tour - Elena was excellent.
11/22/2019
Pierre was exceptional.
11/4/2019
This tour was amazing!! It is hard to believe we would be able to see so many species of animals/birds and even reptiles and bats within 10 miles or so of river. The guide stopped on the way when the driver got word that there was a sloth in the tree, we talked about all the birds on the way to the river as well as the agriculture of Costa Rica and our guide answered all of our questions in a very professional manner. I am so glad I took this tour!! It takes more than an hour from La Fortuna, but this strip of river is AMAZING!! Three species of monkeys (white faced with babies), caiman, bats, birds, emerald "Jesus lizard, " as well as several sloths made a heavenly few hours for all of us. The guide took photos and sent them to those of us who requested him to send them and did it free of charge!
10/28/2019
Pedro was great. He had such enthusiasm and we could tell he loves his country and wanted to share it with us. The boat was fun and we saw a lot of animals. Lunch was good but not great.
10/16/2019
Great tour! Saw lots of monkeys. Our guide was great and so much fun! Lunch was also great.
8/18/2019
We loved this tour. We are still awaiting some photos the guide (JoeDan) promised to send us from the trip but did hear from him that he will do so in time. We saw 3 different types of monkeys, iguanas, caimens, sloths and birds.
8/13/2019
brilliant trip and excellent guide.Oh and the wildlife we saw.....WOW !!
8/10/2019
Pierre was a awesome guide. Learned a lot (about nature but also about Costa Rica in general)
8/6/2019
My family enjoyed this activity, the weather was perfect. We saw a lot of animal. The guide was very knowledgeable and funny.
8/5/2019
The ride was very long to Cano Negro. The guides did their best to find wildlife for us but I thought there would be more. Would like more time for lunch
7/31/2019
The guide was exceptionally good at responding to questions on the drive. His English was very understandable, and his knowledge of the country and its economic issues was enlightening. The lunch at the end of the tour was also very good.
7/5/2019
Best tour we went on during the whole trip. Pierre brillant tour guide and shared superb photos taken on his camera via WhatsApp
7/4/2019
Took longer than expected, but great guides and lunch!
7/2/2019
Read reviews from before and yes its true there is a hit or a miss but we hit it all.... the tour was perfect and all the creatures we saw right in front of our face along with crocs on the boat and monkeys on our heads and crabs we were holding. I can go on but there is just too many stories to tell.
6/28/2019
The guides were very informative and nice and the lunch was good but the River cruise was a bit dull after hiking in the rainforest and zip lining. It was however relaxing and we saw a cayman, monkeys, iguanas and birds.
6/28/2019
We enjoyed our guides and the leisurely boat ride. However it was pretty slow compared to our zipline adventure the day before
6/22/2019
This was wonderful. The guide along with the car driver and the boat driver all were so knowledegable. We saw so many animals - this was a highlight for the entire trip. The guide was also good at giving information without being overwhelming. The lunch was good too!
6/11/2019
Great tour guide, Helena was AWESOME. It was more of a bird watching tour than anything. The monkeys at the end saved the trip. I think we had different expectations.
6/7/2019
Excellent Tour, we saw Sloth, Moneky's chasing Iguana, lots of bitds, Squireel monkeys, White faced Monkeys, Iguanas, Humming birds and much more. Guide (Joel) was very thorough and explained in details about Arenal and lot more ....
6/2/2019
Elena was a wonderful guide. She was so knowledgeable on Costa Rica and it's wildlife. The scenery from the boat is amazing. What a cool thing to be riding in a boat through the jungles of Costa Rica. We saw howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, caimen and more birds than I can count. Was a super cool trip. It does take a while to get out there from Los Lagos, but the trip was fun due to Elena and her knowledge. The lunch that was provided was delicious!
5/19/2019
Pierre was an excellent guide. He was extremely knowledgeable on the farming, history, and wild life of Costa Rica. He was fluent in English, French and Spanish and easily transitioned between each language for the tour participants. He also took some wonderful photos with his long lens camera and provided them to us. This was very much appreciated. We very much recommend this tour.
5/18/2019
Fabulous experience. The guides were awesome. The lunch they served at the end of the tour was basic, excellent quality, Costa Rican food. Loved it.
4/21/2019
I would recommend this excursion
4/17/2019
Tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable. Lunch was not suitable for our dietary restrictions.
4/11/2019
Seen a lot of wildlife, Helena was a great guide and the captain of the boat was very accomodating.
3/19/2019
Pierre, our guide was very informative and entertaining. He also had a high powered camera lenses and sent us photos of hirer quality and detail then we were able to take.
3/19/2019
Only feedback is that it would have been nice to know how long the tour was and that it was a 2.5 hour bus ride there and back. We had no idea until we were on the bus. Pierre has a fantastic tour guide. Very knowledgeable. Bus was very comfortable. We saw an amazing amount of wildlife.
3/19/2019
A great tour to finish. Again great guides - I learned a lot about Costa Rica from the guide on the initial and returning bus journey. The safari was excellent also.
3/16/2019
Driver and guide exceptional.
3/16/2019
Guide Joudan, driver - Milton, boat driver - David - all excellent!
3/15/2019
No fault of the guides, but we were hoping to see more wild life. It was a little to sedate for our liking.
3/7/2019
IN the dry season there is not as much wildlife. The drive from and to the resort was long.
2/28/2019
This was the best tour of the trip, excellent guide and a lot of wildlife sightings.
2/22/2019
We had a wonderful time on this day trip. Our guide, Jorge, was very friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable and was so pleasant all day despite the fact that he was in excruciating pain with his back and exhausted from days of not sleeping! I can't believe he made it through the day with a smile on his face being in so much pain! Thanks for a great tour (and hope his back is better)!
2/22/2019
Great trip with Jorge! Hope your back is feeling better!
2/19/2019
Very informative, attemptive and polite staff.
2/7/2019
This was a nice relaxing way to enjoy the floor hot and all the animals and birds. The guide was very knowledgeable. I liked the fact that it was a small amount of people and we were able to stop whenever we wanted to to take a closer look at things.
2/5/2019
Our guide Pierre Leandre was outstanding. He gave us so much interesting information on the drive to Cano Negro that we felt we already got our moneys worth before we got on the boat.
2/3/2019
Again, fantastic guide - very knowledgeable and entertaining
1/30/2019
Very informed and pleasant guide.
1/29/2019
Pierre was an outstanding guide!
1/27/2019
Great tour - best of the vacation. Elena and Jorge were excellent, knowledgeable guides.
1/25/2019
We saw a lot of wildlife. Well worth it.
1/25/2019
The long travel time was grinding.
1/25/2019
This was a great trip. We got to see howler monkeys (even an orange one!), spider monkeys, and Capucin monkeys. And a sloth and her baby too! Pedro was an excellent guide. After the tour we were fed another amazing lunch by a fantastic staff.
1/16/2019
Our guide was very good. He knew where the animals were and gave us a lot of information about each species. His name was Faulissimo (Mau).
1/16/2019
Good guide. Saw lots of caymans and monkeys. See Dennis' comments
1/14/2019
We saw a lot of birds, lizard, Caymans but we could see howler monkey from far. It's not the guide's fault but that's why the experience is not what I expected
1/3/2019
Fun and personable guides shared a wealth of knowledge about the many animals we saw along the river. We received information along our route to the river about the history, culture, and nature of Costa Rica. Lunch was enjoyable as well.
1/3/2019
Again the Tour Guides "Elena" and "Joe" were amazing with their knowledge of the refuge and the animals and their habitation. I really liked this company because of their sustainable approach to the nature and wildlife. Their respect for the habitats was humbling and their approach on how they managed to strike a balance in including us while respecting the birds and animals was a great experience. It taught me personally on how important this is and what role we have to play in it. Highly recommendable company.
Not to mention, they helped me (by this time with a sprained ankle) and made this tour possible for me
12/27/2018
Any tour to see wild animals is you are lucky or not. I expected more but there were no much. However, we saw Orange color monkey.
12/11/2018
By far my least enjoyed trip. I was part of a group of 25 people on the bus and I completely missed an opportunity to photograph many birds in the fields along the drive to Cano Negro. Then we joined another group on the boat for a total of 30 people! This again limited the opportunities to view and photograph the wildlife along the way. Though the guide asked people to stay quiet to not disturb the birds, with a crowd that large, there were many people who got excited at each sighting and were very loud. I was very disappointed with the experience and was underwhelmed,
12/4/2018
This was an amazing day made better by George. What an amazing guide
11/12/2018
Fauricio and Helena were very knowledgeable and wonderful guides!
11/5/2018
Fantastic tour guide. Great food and drink. For me, the experience was a bit watered down by the farms and cattle on the sides of the river. I pictured a wilderness area.
10/27/2018
tour and guide were great
did have 80.00 taken from my backpack while away from boat
10/11/2018
The staff was terrific and the guide were terrific. The tour advertises that we'd see toucans which was one of the reasons we took it and immediately the guide said that toucans are not located in this region. It was quite disappointing since it's a main reason we took the tour BUT we saw lots of other things that were great!
10/11/2018
Wonderful experience. Only comment is that the vehicle driving us there wasn't that comfortable - otherwise, excellent!
10/2/2018
Worth the long trip of the beauty of this place.
8/17/2018
Amazing tour, saw so much more than I thought I would and the guide was amazing (Pierre) The lunch was very good!
8/16/2018
All of the birds seen on the drive to the river were almost as fun as the animals we saw by boat.
8/15/2018
Everything was wonderful!
11/22/2017
2 hour drive from the hotel. What a waste of the day. Very disappointing!
9/3/2017
This was probably my most favorite excursion!
9/3/2017
This was a great trip and the guides did a wonderful job helping us get the pictures and videos we wanted.
7/20/2017
Fabulous!
7/18/2017
We don't know much about birds so guide was informative but we probably wouldn't do this excursion again.
7/2/2017
Our third time on this safari--unique and educational and enjoyable each time
6/19/2017
Tour guide and drive were awesome. Being able to see wild animals was a dream come true. And the lunch provided was so good!
6/17/2017
Very informative and knowledgeable tour guide. Excellent!!
6/13/2017
Excellent, inc. the guides, snacks, and lunch buffet.
5/4/2017
The tour guide, Pierre, was outstanding. Very knowledgable and informative, answering all of our questions. The boat driver made sure to slow/stop for us to view monkeys, birds, iguanas and caiman. We saw Howler, Capuchin and Spider monkeys all in action! This is a must do if you are in this area.
4/19/2017
Fabulous tour great guide. She was so excited to show us all the wildlife. The food was wonderful too!!!
4/16/2017
This tour was very good. our guide for the day spoke a lot about her life and experiences in Costa Rica which was interesting and enjoyable. The only negative was that we didn't know it was a three hour ride to the river. It ended up being fine because the ride was interesting, too, but we may not have booked it we knew it was so far away.
4/1/2017
So great! The guide (Pedro) was AMAZING! I was so impressed with his sense of humour and knowledge. The tour was really great, the lunch was really good and the transport was perfect. A+
3/28/2017
Guide was really fun & informative with good humor! Saysa was good at spotting wildlife & helping us see it too, so gave her a good evaluation there too. Helped us take memorable photos of selves along with giving us time to take our own.
3/20/2017
Too far away and it was not as intimate as I expected.
3/19/2017
The guide was amazing, informative and entertaining.
3/19/2017
Pierre was an excellent guide
3/11/2017
Very enjoyable, guide was very knowledgeable and I would highly recommend it
3/2/2017
Great time
2/24/2017
I just thought we would see more animals. Other than that the trip was great. Great guide, transportation, food and overall experience.
2/23/2017
definitely worth the trip. very knowledgeable guides and wonderful commentary on the ride
2/19/2017
While nice, I don't think I'd recommend it. I was the first picked up and we spent an HOUR picking up other people before we began the long drive to the river. The river was nice, but we were kind of far away from the animals
2/17/2017
I had 4 young guys in their 20s, it was way too slow for them. I thought it was more like a safari, not so much to see. I wouldn't recommend for a young group. The rest of us are in our 50s and we even thought it was slow.
2/17/2017
A two hour drive for a very short boat ride that really didn't go anywhere. Questionable value. Preferred Rio Celeste. Boat had trouble and spent a lot of time stuck in mud. Too much time spent on birds that are seen throughout North America as opposed to wildlife specific to CR.
2/16/2017
The tour guide provided a very informative commentary during the transportation to the Cano Negro and during the boat tour. The actual safari was not as"wild" as expected given the extensive agricultural development in the area. The use of the term "safari" is a bit of a stretch. Perhaps there is a more natural safari tour available and clients would benefit from this recommendation by PTW.
2/12/2017
Tour guide was awesome, gave us great history of Costa Rica.
2/11/2017
The bus to and from Cano Negro was a little cramped
1/31/2017
Fantastic
1/31/2017
Another wonderful trip, with excellent guides and efficient arrangements
1/24/2017
Wonderful trip. Saw more wildlife here than anywhere else
1/17/2017
We enjoyed this tour as a relaxing follow-up to the previous days hike. The guides were very knowledgeable about wild life we saw. Enjoyed the local lunch!!
1/9/2017
Beautiful drive with a driver who offered wonderful local info and stop to see the iguanas. The boat ride was amazing. The guides were so aware of the surroundings. We are still amazed at the variety of wildlife we were able to see. The guides expertly took magnified images using our phone cameras. Great memories.
1/9/2017
Amazing guide on the bus. She was so informative and knowledgeable. The guides on the boats were also just amazingly excellent. Nice food after the boat trip h
1/6/2017
good guide
1/6/2017
Really nice guides
1/4/2017
A lot of driving for a small result.
12/27/2016
The drive was a bit long, but the guides were very nice and knowledgeable. There were many monkeys for us to view as well as a variety of other wildlife. They provide a nice lunch as well. Great experience and a fun relaxing part of our trip.
12/23/2016
The guides worked really hard to point out things and were very knowledgeably.
12/13/2016
Our guide is very knowledgeable and patient. We got to see variety of animals as well as the boat ride. Lunch was good too.
12/12/2016
This was awesome, but it would have been helpful to know how long the excursion was.
12/12/2016
No. We were very disappointed with the viability of the wildlife. Animals were present but too far away to see or photograph well. We expected a more closeup experience. two of our party actually fell asleep. Staff was very enthusiastic. that kept the other two of us awake. "Safari" should not be in the title, more of a river boat cruise.
The food was very good!!!
11/28/2016
The guide was great and the driver was very nice.
11/28/2016
This was a long trip but enjoyable throughout.
11/21/2016
A very nice boat safari! Our guides made sure we saw every animal!
11/12/2016
We saw so many fascinating birds and animals, including a Potoo! I am very impressed that the boat captain had scouted this out, which let us see a nocturnal bird sleeping in the daytime.
11/11/2016
Long ride on rough roads and not many animals to see. My least favorite of the tours.
9/28/2016
The guide on this tour was SO knowledgeable! Very impressed!!!!
9/19/2016
For our family, it was a little low on the action part. I think we probably should have stuck with something more interactive.
7/24/2016
It was great the on the tour we saw some birds monkeys and Sloths
7/5/2016
The guide was very nice but when we took this tour previously the guide seemed more knowledgable.
7/4/2016
Too much time was spent looking at turtles so people can take a picture. The boat trip was not what was expected and rather boring.
6/30/2016
Riverboat safari was very fun! Saw animals like sloths, monkeys, caimans, among others.
6/29/2016
Saw lots of animals despite the rainy weather. Guide was knowledgable and would also pull out a book if he needed more information (which shows he is still interested in growing.)
6/27/2016
Few animals long boring ride.
6/24/2016
The tour guide was the best part. He was extremely knowledgable and entertaining.
6/16/2016
We were surprised by how many different types of animals we saw. This was a fun relaxing day.
6/6/2016
had the same tour guide, love her. we were able to see monkey's sloths and camans.(sp) lots of birds and lunch was awesome. loved the rice pudding
6/6/2016
It was a long drive; I would've rather stayed closer to La Fortunia. But we were very excited that Sadies was our guide again for the day.
5/30/2016
Amazing tour Pierre was incredibly knowledgable. We saw many different animals well worth the drive to get there.
5/26/2016
Excellent tour. The guides split the group into two boats so we would have more room. The guides tried hard to show us as much as possible, sharing sightings via phone so both boats could see everything.
5/24/2016
It was lessen enjoyment for me because of plenty of birds which I hate them (phobia of birds). Very hot on that day and VERY LONG day on the road and frequent stops.
5/18/2016
Best chance to see wildlife and the guides are awesome.
4/27/2016
Guide and driver and boat operator and lunch service were OUTSTANDING! River was low because it was at the end of the dry season. Bumpy road was very unpleasant.
4/15/2016
Wonderful adventure and cross cultural experience!
4/14/2016
A very easy way to see the wildlife and learn about the area. Too bad there was a group of rude children aboard who made so much noise we were unable to quietly view as much wildlife as might have been possible. Not the guide's fault! Several times he tried to calm the children, but they returned to their noisy level soon after the guide's suggestions that more quiet would result in more views of animals. Loved the monkeys!!
4/13/2016
Getting into and out of the boat was a challenge due to tidal influences and the lack of a boat dock. It was most interesting an we enjoyed the information and were pleased with the knowledge level of our guide.
4/4/2016
This was a long drive from our hotel. The safari tour itself was great. Plenty of wildlife. The provided lunch was excellent. The tour could have been a little shorter.
4/3/2016
Could have had a little less Costa Rican massage on the ride but rest of trip was good. Pierre our guides passion made it worth while! Loved the hot lunch again.
3/23/2016
A long drive, but the guides and variety of animal and bird sightings was worth it!
3/15/2016
Best tour. Amazing wildlife . Great guides. Nice food . Loved it all
3/13/2016
Guides were great and we did get to see a good deal of animals and all three types of Monkeys. The drive was a little long and I guess we were expecting it to be in more of a jungle setting. However still a good trip.
3/5/2016
Loved the tour. Our guide Seyris was great, and so was our boat driver, and the rest of the staff. Food was so good. Loved that they provided bottled water during the boat ride.
3/2/2016
Great Driver, Great guides.
3/2/2016
Good food after the Safari.
2/26/2016
Saw lots of wildlife. A lot of fun.
2/26/2016
It's a bit of a drive but the guide made it interesting. We saw quite a bit of wildlife from the comforts of a slow-moving boat.
2/25/2016
Fantastic tour guides. Lots of wildlife and the guide on bus to Safari made it interesting. We were picked up at the hotel on time and driven to the main tour office. Very efficient. However the return as anything but. For some reason we all had to be taken to our various hotels by the one van. To our dismay it was an hour from the time we arrived back in town to us actually getting back to our hotel. The other drop offs were very far away. I would recommend that a separate arrangement be made for those staying at the Lost Iguana on return just as for the departure.
2/21/2016
Amazing experience, my favorite part of the whole trip
2/19/2016
Guides very good at pointing out "wildlife" but this was just birds and Alligator type reptiles with a few monkeys.
2/18/2016
Great bus drive to the Cano Negro Reserve. The tour guide was engaging and funny. The boat ride was fabulous and we saw a lot of wildlife. Loved it!!! The food was also excellent. This was one of my favorite days in Costa Rica.
2/15/2016
We saw so much wildlife! The boat driver was great ...maneuvering the boat toi help us get good views and photos of wildlife. A very favorite part of our trip!
2/14/2016
This was an interesting trip. The guides were great. The river part was very slow for us.
2/14/2016
We did see a good bit of wildlife while on the boat. During the long ride to the river, we experienced the "Costa-Rican Message."
2/14/2016
Meal was good.
2/13/2016
The ride to Cano Negro was very long. The "bus" had no leg room on the seats over the rear wheels. This was very uncomfortable.
2/10/2016
I loved this tour. The guide was very informative and explained everything. The travel time to the riverboat was much longer than stated. Otherwise it was awesome.
2/9/2016
A highlight of my trip! Guide was fabulous!
2/8/2016
The riverboat tour staff was also very good and the native food at lunch was yummy but it just wasn't my favorite part of the trip. I think we should have opted for a more active experience - but that was our choice, not PTW's.
2/7/2016
The tour guide was very knowlegable and personable. We very much enjoyed our time with her.
2/5/2016
The guides were very good, giving much information on wildlife and life in general inCosta Rica. Tour was done in English and Spanish.
1/26/2016
We didn't know we were going on a raft.We managed it anyway. It was very informative.
1/26/2016
Guides we awesome
1/21/2016
A little too 'bird watcher' oriented.
12/30/2015
Great trip.. Guides were excellent.
12/23/2015
Saw lots of animals and birds. Guide was the best.
12/9/2015
Excellent food was provided at our stop and the safari trip was excellent!!
12/3/2015
Sayrese was a very good and experienced guide.
8/24/2015
Sitting in the back of the boat didn't afford me the opportunity to hear the guide at all. I feel that the boat the stayed way too long in the same spot. Though,
we
were able to see a lot of birds and monkeys though
7/25/2015
This was one of our favorite experiences in Costa Rica. The tour guides were hospitable, humorous, and extremely knowledgeable. We saw an abundance of wildlife thanks to our guides and enjoyed a delicious lunch as well.
7/18/2015
Overall just ok - should be called "Bird Watching" trip. Too much time (4 hrs+) on the road for 2 hr safari. The lunch was not very appealing either. Would not recommend.
7/18/2015
Alfonso was very knowledgeable, excellent guide. Saw lots of birds. A little long. Food not great.
6/27/2015
A bit of a ride out tot he boat, but other than that good. The boat trip was OK, river banks were flooded and that may have limited the number of sightings we had!
6/18/2015
Saw more wild life along river than expected. Drive to river from hotel was longer than expected, but driver was very good.
6/17/2015
It was a long drive to Cano Negro especially after the travel the day before. I think if i were do do it over i would have no activities on the first day just to get situated. But the tour was enjoyable.
6/16/2015
Very long for the really overall short tour on the actual wildlife area, nice people, we were glad we did it.
6/11/2015
Great tour. One of the highlights of the trip. Same guide as the hanging bridges but she seemed to be more upbeat but that might have something to do with the fact we had great weather for this excursion as opposed to the hanging bridges the day before.
6/11/2015
Very good experience. Guides were great in helping get good pictures.
5/24/2015
The guide and her driver were great. They maintained professionalism when we had a tire blow out in the pouring rain. They kept us safe. The meal we had after our tour was terrific. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and very fun to learn from.
5/18/2015
Terrific! Exceptional guide!
5/14/2015
I would have liked to know beforehand that the drive to the river was 2 hours; I would not have picked this tour due to the travel time.
4/30/2015
Lot's of animals.
4/23/2015
For a more laid back day the river boat safari introduced us to many new animals. It was definitely a laid back day and the food was fantastic!
4/22/2015
Thought we would see more wildlife. But, still a good tour.
4/18/2015
Wonderful tour. Guides were extremely knowledgeable, funny, and could spot a lot of wildlife. The scenery was incredible.
4/13/2015
This was very good tour, wish we had more time on the water we saw a lot of birds and animals
4/10/2015
It was a long ride, but the bus was comfortable and the guides made the ride informative and fun. The tour was cool and the lunch was great. We saw lots of different animals and birds and got great pictures. A relaxing and easy trip.
3/24/2015
the drive to and from where longer than i hoped. the lunch served was good but not great. the guide did a good job of spotting the animals.
3/17/2015
Tour and lunch very enjoyable. Did not realize it would be quite so much of a drive. But saw some great country.
3/10/2015
A great tour once we got there. It was a very long drive, though.
3/3/2015
Fantastic tour. Very knowledgeable guide and everything was perfect!
3/2/2015
Again this was a nature tour not a specific bird watching tour. Very interesting trip
2/28/2015
Not as much wildlife as we expected
2/20/2015
This was the best tour of all because we were able to see all sorts of things. Loved it.
2/12/2015
On the back of the boat it was difficult to hear the guides
2/9/2015
Very interesting safari - seen 3 different types of monkeys - the guide was very knowledgeable
2/7/2015
Saw many animals, the guide really knows his birds. Lunch was good.
2/6/2015
Most enjoyable and interesting
2/4/2015
The food was excellent. We had the same guide as at the hanging bridges, and on this trip he was very good and loud enough to be heard on the entire boat.
2/3/2015
Wonderful tour! The guide was terrific. Very knowledgeable and fun. They showed us a wonderful variety of wildlife. This was a great experience.
1/25/2015
Our driver and guide stopped and pointed out many animals and plants along the way. The boat trip itself was unforgettable.
1/19/2015
Many miles of horrible roads
1/11/2015
Beautiful country, beautiful animals.
12/29/2014
Fabulous adventure. Seeing the monkeys swinging through the trees was a wonderful experience.
12/18/2014
Guide was amazing..
12/14/2014
Saw a lot of wonderful animals and had a nice lunch
12/5/2014
Awesome tour! The guides were wonderful! Loved the history and narrated tour of the country side on our bus ride to the river. The safari was also great! And lunch was delicious! Would highly recommend this to other travelers!
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