Emily W.
Should make it clear this is more active than just ‘floating’ The chocolate demo was a great surprise
Costa Rica · Your next adventure
Safari Float on Rio Penas Blancas in Search of Exotic Wildlife
Your experience
Good to Know
Embark on a serene Safari Float down the Rio Penas Blancas, a gentle river journey perfect for nature enthusiasts seeking exotic wildlife without rapids. Drift comfortably on a raft as an expert guide points out monkeys, sloths, and tropical birds along the lush banks. This relaxing half-day expedition, ideal for observing wildlife in the Arenal Volcano area, includes round-trip transportation, all necessary equipment, and a tasty snack. The tour proudly upholds a zero-plastic policy, requiring guests to bring a reusable water bottle for refills.
The Safari Float on the Rio Penas Blancas is a great tour for observing wildlife in the Arenal Volcano area. Often referred to as the Monkey Tour, this tour is perfect for anybody that does not want to travel all the way to Cano Negro in search of exotic animals.
The day starts off when you are picked up from your La Fortuna hotel. After all participants are picked up, you will be driven about 20 minutes out of town to the Penas Blancas River. Your guide will provide safety and paddling instructions. Then you'll climb into your inflatable whitewater rafting boat and go for a leisurely paddle downstream in search of wildlife.
This part of the river is rated only Class 1 for easy paddling over light rapids but it flows at a steady speed to push you gently along. The paddles are mostly used for steering to see both sides of the river for a better vantage point to see wildlife.
The Rio Penas Blancas corridor is home to many species of wildlife including howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas, basilisks, turtles, crocodiles, toucans, anhingas, and more. While we cannot guarantee what you see, your guide will point out the wildlife visible on the day of your visit. At some point during the tour snacks will be provided. The take out point is a small rustic ranch owned by a Costa Rican family whom you might meet.
After the tour you will be returned to your hotel. The tour usually lasts 4.5 – 5.5 hours including round trip transfers, though this is subject to change. The tour includes transportation, equipment, guide, and snacks.
Highlights
- Paddle through a biological corridor
- Search for exotic wildlife
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, dry bag, change of clothes, sunblock, insect repellent, binoculars, enclosed sandals or river shoes, rain gear, reusable water bottle.
Includes
Transportation, equipment, guide, snacks. 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 space is generally available when requested more than two days in advance and remains subject to confirmation.
Tour Times
07:30, 14:00
Tour Type
- Nature
- Learning/Family
Explore the location on the map
Location
Latitude: N 10° 30' 28.74" (10.507982)
Longitude: W 84° 30' 33.56" (-84.509323)
Recent Reviews
Overall
95%
Expectations
94%
Experience
94%
Guides
96%
Logistics
94%
Value
95%
Laurie W.
Sadly, it was raining off and on that day, and while we saw some monkeys and birds there was little wildlife to see due to the rain. However, the guides made it fun and we enjoyed the day immensely.
Emily H.
Exceeded our expectations! I told our guide there was one specific bird I really wanted to see during our trip, and somehow he managed to find one for me! He was so knowledgeable about the river the and wildlife. The snacks and chocolate afterwards were a special bonus!
Jacqueline M.
This was good
Judee A.
This was a nice relaxing experience which we really enjoyed. The guide. Was very knowledgeable and pointed out and educated us. Ann several things that we would never have seen on our own. He was also very friendly and patient with the young grandchildren.
Andrea V.
Wonderful guide, perfect sunny weather, saw many animals, guide was excellent at pointing out wildlife, hoping to see more monkeys but we have no control over that. Rafting was relaxing, safe and fun. Saw a basalisk and some tiny bats we had never seen before.
Cindy M.
One of our favorite excursions
Our guide was terrific. Saw many animals. Very pleasant experience
Megan S.
Best tour we went on. Saw so much and our tour guide was amazing (Fi)
Mollie N.
Friendly and knowledgeable staff who made the trip very fun. Attention to safety. Enjoyed the drinks at the end of the trip. Transportation was good and came perfectly on time for pickup.
Dawn H.
The raft tour was great our tour Alexander was very knowledgeable
Jo A.
LOVED this! Guides were all really great! Saw a lot of wildlife and learned about chocolate at the end.
Pick up from hotel was well timed. Guide on the transfer and the river float spoke excellent English
Judyth H.
Kevin was fabulous.
Aline G.
Safe float. We were lucky to watch some wild life.
Sundiep P.
We ended up not doing this event
Janet W.
exceptional tour. our guide was excellent. the lunch/snack was underwhelming, but the sugar tea was unlike anything we had ever had. The chocolate presentation was quite interesting.
Marion B.
Tour guide was excellent
Maureen H.
Is was very pleasant and informative really enjoyed the tour
Kulbir B.
The tour was great from the pick-up at the hotel to the actual experience. Very professional, courteous and knowledgeable. Our tour guide spotted lots of wildlife and gave us detailed information and was able to answer all of our questions. The snacks were authentic and tasty, it was fun trying the moonshine!
Carole W.
Snack provided was delicious! Our guide Warner was very informative and fun
Magdalena N.
Very nice trip with very nice guide
Phoebe D.
This was a fabulous tour- we loved out tour guides.
Philip B.
Better than I could have hoped saw more than expected. Lovely guide.
Barbara W.
Brilliant tour, great refreshments and loved the demonstration of cocoa. Guide (Alberto) was fantastic. So knowledgealbe. Excellent arrangements and timing for the whole experience.
Carl M.
If was really good just relaxing on the river not a lot to see
Brian T.
Our Tour guide Kevin was awesome!
Alberto R.
Samuel was a great guide and boat captain. We all had a great time floating down the river spotting various types of wildlife. Enjoyed the food tasting at the end of the trip. The chocolate demo was a nice and tasty surprise.
Warren M.
The pickup was very punctual, which we appreciate. Samuel was a delightful guide.
Elizabeth H.
Was wonderful
Carolyn P.
We learned so much and had SO much fun. It's very obvious the guides love what they do!
Valdeva C.
This tour exceeded my expectations. Roy, one guide on our shuttle, gave us a ton of information about the areas we were driving through, CR's resources, etc. Our boat guide, Miguel, gave us tons of details on the economics and wildlife that we were encountering. It seemed the right length of time because just as the kids were getting bored, it ended. Lunch was amazing for the adults but the kids didn't enjoy. Perhaps an alternate offering of fruit or something would help. Also loved the bonus chocolate making demo.
Ryan S.
Rapids were somewhat calm. Guides were great and kind.
Daniel M.
This tour was okay but overall longer and a bit more boring than I was expecting.
Vanessa B.
Lovely tour even though the water levels were low. Would have been awesome had the water been higher. Guide excellent
Anna D.
The guides were great and very helpful getting into and out of the rafts! The food was delicious.
Lisa E.
Excellent
Lori E.
This tour was awesome. Our guide on the safari float was Kevin - he was fabulous and fun. Our driver was again, Bolivar - yea! We saw multitudes of monkeys (white faced and howler), crocodiles, otters, porcupines, many birds, bats. I would say that this was our favourite excursion
Shelley M.
The tour was a little too short
Erica M.
We loved the float. Our guides were friendly and knowledgeable!
Karen S.
An absolutely amazing day and float on the river. Orlando had such a fun outgoing personality and made our float so enjoyable!
Priti A.
Our guide left us on the boat, and went into the jungle to find a poison tree frog that someone on our boat wanted to see. It was awesome!!
Paulette G.
Excellent tour!
Stephan M.
Very enjoyable trip; wonderful guide; fun chocolate event at the end.
Suzanne I.
The guide we had was very good and the logistics were easy. They seemed to be well organized. I do wish the float was maybe 30 minutes shorter. We enjoyed the chocolate demo.
Adam R.
Awesome tour with amazing guide. We loved Saul!
Helena K.
All went off smoothly and we had a great experience.
Robin V.
So this is a lovely tour but it is about a 1/2 hour too long. Your butt starts to hurt sitting for so long on the raft. It also gets very hot. You do see a lot of animals but you can't walk around to see them because you are in the raft. The guides were amazing and the little chocolate experience at the end is a great surprise. We loved it. It just would have been better if it were a 1/2 hour shorter. It's hot out there. That said, the guides were great!
Laura T.
We saw a lot of wildlife that we really enjoyed on this trip. This was perfect for our less thrill seeking family! Absolutely gorgeous and calm! The snack afterward (tortilla, cheese, and plantains) was so delicious and the chocolate informational demonstration and tasting was great.
Jenny C.
This was one of our favorite tours! The guide, Bryan, was great! We saw lots of animals and learned a lot about Costa Rica!
Donna M.
Guide was great at finding wildlife. Pickup was too early for having time to get breakfast
Anthony D.
Fun tour with chocolate tour a surprise add on
Shruthi R.
Great tour, beautifully managed
Loved the snack at the end
Bonus info on chocolate-making and a sip of chocolate was an unexpected bonus
Karen S.
Loved our guide. Knowledgeable and ethical.
Anna N.
This tour was a wonderful surprise! I had no idea that we would have a chocolate tasting afterwards. This was a great day. Only problem was a little bit of difficulty communicating with our guide. I think he was new.
Jennifer P.
Wonderful tour. The staff was excellent and informative
Did this tour before...always enjoyable!
Fantastic tour, we all really enjoyed it. The guides were great, pointing out wildlife and taking videos and pictures for us. After the float, we were able to enjoy some snacks and see how chocolate was made, as well as press some sugarcane. This was unexpected addition that the kids really enjoyed!
Bruce M.
This was a lot of fun, and the guides made the trip even better. An excellent experience.
Jeanine C.
Fabri was a fantastic guide. With a great sense of humor. Made it so much fun.
Emilie S.
This was our favorite part of the whole trip. Our guide Fabri (and all the guides) were great, we saw so much wildlife, and the food and costa rican sugar water afterwards was the best.
Anna C.
Enjoyed this tour immensely. The sampling of food and drinks at the end were wonderful!
Courtney N.
Guide was great. Our favorite experience while in Arenal.
Jamie H.
Probably the best tour we went on during the entire trip. Knowledgeable and friendly guides and we saw lots of wildlife (including crocodiles, howler monkeys, lots of birds and lizards, and even a tayra).
Our role guide was so knowledgeable and friendly! The whole group (ages 4 yo to 71 yo) all loved it.
Veronica O.
Guide Carlos was amazing, did very well with the children and very informative of history, culture, and ways to keep Costa Rica eco friendly. lunch/snack was an amazing experience and surprise. My family really enjoyed it.
Amber R.
Carlos was our guide! He was great and very knowledgeable of the area. He was very friendly and we really enjoyed the trip.
Jaime R.
Enjoyed this more than I expected! The snack and Costa Rican moonshine at the end was a great experience too!
Patricia R.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and charming.
Keith H.
Great guide we really both enjoyed it.
Robert R.
Exceeded our expectation. Guide was awesome - spotted several animals and plants. Very friendly and spoke good English
Keith B.
A nice float down the shaded river. Spotted howler monkeys, crocodiles, and many birds. We had a light lunch and a shot of "moonshine" after the trek.
Dawn L.
Happily surprised by the coffee, sugar, chocolate demo/tasting plus lunch!
Jill S.
Amazing tour, guide was knowledgeable and social, and our snack after was great!
Mary L.
Very nice, despite rain in the beginning. The refreshments at the end were an excellent touch
Elisabeth R.
Loved the float! We had a great guide and saw lots o creatures. The lunch at the end was a nice experience too.
Laura D.
Had a great time. Always impressed by the guides ability to spot wildlife.
Phyllis G.
They were great and even fed us lunch, which we didn’t expect! And it was DELICIOUS!
Grace H.
We did see some crocodiles, bats, monkeys, otters. There were bats in the bathroom which was kind of scary, but I guess that's the rainforest! This is a nice, slow trip. ?.
We were originally booked for a kayak trip, but the water was to high to be safe so switched to a raft. We were very glad to have PTW step in to handle this.
Valerie W.
This was the most amazing experience! Hands down one of the best parts of our trip. We saw alligators, monkeys, many birds, bats, many kinds of iguanas, and many beautiful plants. Our guide was absolutely wonderful. The meal at the end was a wonderful experience. Absolutely the best!
Cara C.
We wanted to do this activity for the sake of our younger child who was too afraid to try out white water rafting. This fit the bill. It was a ride down a nice river, where the guide pointed out wildlife. We saw so many birds, some monkeys, and even crocodiles. It was hard to see though so don't forget your glasses like I did, and bring binoculars if you have them. The guide was able to turn our boat around to get a better glimpse of the wildlife because you can easily miss it. We had paddles to help him when needed, but it wasn't a lot, so we weren't tired afterwards (except from the sun - it was hot!).
The guide and driver were really wonderful. Can't say enough about them - I think his name was Marco and the driver was Jorge. My family of 4 went with a family of 3 and Marco. Even though the other family spoke Spanish and we spoke English, the guide was able to speak to both of us easily.
What was surprisingly fun was where we ended up after the rafting. We had a nice snack (plantains, cheese tortillas), and got to learn a little bit about sugarcane, cacao and coffee production. We had yummy coffee, hot cocoa and sugarcane drinks! They had friendly ducks and a rooster that my kids loved.
Richard H.
It was a great tour. We had a lot of fun!
Nicki D.
Our tour guide was excellent!
Colleen S.
Our tour ended up being just my husband and I so the individual attention was fantastic! Our guide spotted a boa constrictor in a tree right above my head! He took some great pictures of a horned owl through our binocular lens with my phone.
Bryce W.
Amazing tour! Had such friendly guides, the day ended up being super nice and we saw pretty much every animal we could including a crocodile and a sloth!
Mike D.
The guides were excellent, we were able to see lots of birds, monkeys, sloths, and a crocodile. The food and chocolate at the end was very good.
John M.
This was awesome. Our boat guide, Frank was great, very knowledgable about the environment. Saw two families of Howler Monkeys, crocodiles, Tucans, slothes, and many other birds.
Cheryl B.
Exceeded expectations in all respects! Fauricio and Jorje were excellent hosts/guides and the little snack at the end was wonderful.
Melissa F.
so uh fun!!
Akiva F.
Frank was fantastic
Janine T.
This was a great tour both in terms of what we saw, the background information and the "farm" and snacks at the end.
Kenneth T.
Superb. Great guide
Karen M.
We were the only people on our safari float and we loved the trip down the river. We saw many animals, birds, a snake and crocodiles. It was fun to paddle and hear our guide tell us about nature and the wildlife. Our coffee and food at the end of the trip were delicious and the people were gracious hosts.
Marlene A.
Again not a lot of wildlife. Paddling on the river was fun and the food after and demonstration was well done.
Gina D.
Best tour. We said we liked wildlife in natural habitat and this was perfect. Guides excellent as well.
Adrián M.
El clima no fue tan favorable pero aún asà una gran experiencia.
Kelly G.
Our guide was amazing. We saw so much wildlife and learned sbout Costa Rica!!
Anne R.
The guide as really great and knowledgeable. We saw lots of wildlife too.
Amanda M.
Really great tour guides and lovely people who provided snack as well. Was a great adventure. Perfect weather, lots of animals. Lots of fun.
Giskin K.
We really loved this as a start to our holiday. It was peaceful and the guides were great at spotting wildlife and knew their birds. Also, the driver stopped to show us a sloth on the way back which was one of our best sightings throughout the trip.
Marcela V.
Funny and knowledgeable guides. Delicious food stip
Sarah H.
I expected this to be more of a boat than a raft
Sara G.
Wonderful guide he found up otters, crocodiles a sloth, monkey and a toucan bird. Highly recommend
Jake G.
Guide was great was and hot chocolate was excellent
Kristen S.
The guide was amazing! He was able to point out wildlife that we wouldn't have otherwise seen and was able to identify everything we saw.
Bonnie R.
What a special experience, rafting in a good rainstorm. Our guide knew so much, and even held an hilarious conversation with a howler monkey. The farm at the end is incredibly charming - with delicious food and drink.
Suzanne B.
I did not go .
William D.
a great tour, a great guide, and a great experience. Saw animals beyond my expectations.
Barbara D.
One of our favorite tours. Nauricio was an incredible guide! Stop at the end for coffee was very nice.
Kathleen O.
Again the guide was friendly,funny and really tried to find all the wildlife he could find for us to enjoy!
Jane M.
Guides were great! Probably for people under the age of 60, as you get very stiff sitting in a cramped position for 3 hours.
Laura L.
We got really lucky with the weather and saw so much wildlife. We also really enjoyed the 'snack' at the end!
Dolly T.
Great tour guides, we enjoyed this trip. One funny thing happened was the van would not start again after arriving at our destination but it was more funny than a problem. They ended up fixing the van by the time we needed to be picked up at the end of our tour.
Hans D.
Everything went as planned, but we did not see that much wildlife on the trip so it got a little boring.
Karla M.
We really enjoyed the river float. Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information with us. We saw a lot of wildlife. The only negative was we found the total length of the tour too long. The tour could have been wrapped up sooner. Maybe less time eating the snack and trying to get everyone organized into the vans or cut out the stop at the Iguana bridge. Then we had a long drive back to our hotel. It really dragged on once the river float itself was over. We were also probably anxious to get back since it was our last day and there were other things we wanted to see!
Anne L.
Jonathan went above and beyond and made this experience wonderful because he took the time (and considerable energy) to point out the sites and animals and explain the history and biology of the surroundings.
Cecil B.
A fun paddle down the river which was a little low in February.
Some wildlife but less than we were expecting.
Kristy N.
Our guide had to pump up the seats of our boat before we started and they lost air as we floated. We sat on the edge of the boat. Saw some bats, alligators, monkeys and iguanas. Our guide, "Marcus" was amazing. What an interesting soul. He was a top notch rower, full of interesting information and a joy to be around. I give kudos and recommendations to Marcus. He made the trip fun and interesting for us. The meal at the end was a nice touch.
Linda F.
Absolutely loved this trip. And again our guide Steven was the best!!!!
James U.
We had Steven again, he is a fantastic personal guide!
Julie C.
We got our earlier guide Steven again!!! Again he is knowledgeable and pointed out many animal spotting. He guides us well through the river and explained everything! We totally enjoyed the Coffee/chocolate stop aft the float. Beautiful location and the 2 gals who hosted us were very friendly and gracious. We enjoyed the entire trip!
Rob H.
Great guide. Enjoyed the wildlife.
Barbara H.
The guide made this tour a great learning and visual experience. We saw lots of wildlife, including 2 crocodiles! Learning about the landscape and the farming in the region was also interesting. Our lunch/snack was good and the two people who run the little restaurant were welcoming and kind. Beautiful birds visited a raised fruit tray that was right by the tables. A wonderful tour.
Tammy P.
Excellent in every way.
Kelly C.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to get us to see the animals we wanted to see. An excellent experience.
Diana R.
The hosts did a wonderful job with the lunch. Well done!!! Home style tortillas and drinks!!! Beautiful surroundings too. Bravo!
Lesley B.
Fun but wouldn't do this one again.
Joel w.
Our guide was wonderful. He stopped whenever something was interesting and explained all about the river and the wildlife. He answered all questions.
Sonya K.
Very relaxing and a great guide. Wished this tour had lasted all day.
Anish P.
Guides were good. Tour was enjoyable.
Shashi M.
Joe was great as a guide. I was a little disappointed in the "farm visit". I had read reviews and most had said that was the highlight and it was why we chose this tour but there no farm tour just a brief explanation of how cocoa is made. The snacks and drinks were very nice but I would have loved to see more of the actual farm operation...I thought we were supposed to see sugar cane press etc.
Stephanie P.
Again we had a great guide. We saw monkeys and birds. Nice refreshments at the end of the tour as well.
Jocelyn M.
Absolutely relaxing experience - exactly what I needed at that time. We saw a lot more things up close than I thought.
Jen M.
Our guide was awesome. Hoped to see more animals but you can never control those things!
Randy M.
guide was excellent
Dana D.
the friendly guides were great animal spotters! very fun and relaxing ride with a lovely breakfast treat at the end.
Elizabeth C.
Loved this tour as well and the guides were fantastic.
Deborah K.
Exceeded our expectations. The tour ended with a visit with a local family, lunch, and grinding our own hot chocolate, which was an unexpected highlight.
Greg M.
The farm experience was wonderful. More cultural experiences in some other tours would be good.
Case K.
Sleeper tour. I bet a lot of people don't take this tour because it seems less exciting, but we saw so much and the guides, wildlife, and visit to the farm were all top notch.
Annabelle L.
Excellent guide
Gayna H.
Great tour. We all had a lovely time!
Eric S.
It would have been nice to see more wild life
Marilou P.
It was ok
Chris S.
The guide was extremely knowledgeable and you could tell that he loved what he did. Thoroughly enjoyed the float trip, and the other passengers. Great experience.
Antony P.
Great tour. High point was visiting a working farm.
Francine T.
Our guide was amazing! Scenery beautiful. Really nice to visit the local family for coffee and treat.
Andrea S.
We had a wonderful day .. no complaints at all
Howard G.
Our guide Pedro was hilarious as well as informative.
Tuyen T.
The tour went above my expectations because I didn't even know that a light lunch was included. I wished the guides talked more about the development of Costa Rica. I was disappointed that I didn't see any sloths or toucans, but I still had a blast on the safari and felt safe the entire time.
Sandra T.
We loved this great float down the river. Just exciting enough for Max. The visit to the plantation was exceptional.
Lisa S.
Lovely. Really enjoyed visit to Don Pedro Finca
Anette F.
Jorge was our guide...he was amazing at his job and does it with a passion for people, his country , nature and his guests. He was charming, funny and informative. Not sure how he managed to spot all the wildlife that he did. We got to see monkeys, crocs, snakes, bats, basilik, tons of different birds. I recommend this tour 1 00%.
Susan C.
Limited wildlife.
Karen B.
Was hoping for more wildlife. Kinda boring.
Patrick D.
This was the highlight of the trip for me. Great guides, great stop along the way with the best cup of coffee in CR
Rachel B.
our guide was fantastic!
Cyndi R.
Mario and the two guides he had along for training we geeatbwe had such a wonderful time seeing all the nature in Costa Rica the family that we visited along the trip was awesome
Carrie M.
I only rated this lower because we had already seen a bunch of the wildlife so it wasn't as "exciting" as if this was done earlier in our trip. Our guides were good, not great.
Emma V.
One of the best experiences of the trip, and I loved seeing the farmhouse and meeting the family.
Thomas C.
Great Tour, our guide Jorge had the sharpest eyes for wildlife and gave us a lot of history and background information.
Ingrid N.
We appreciated the visit to Pedro's Farm.
Eva D.
I would recommend this to all! A really nice morning on the boat, the guides Stephen and Jorge 1 and 2 were fun and informative and I loved the stop we made at Do Pedro's place. A nice look into culture living history!
Brent H.
The guides were great they went out of their way to make sure the little ones were involved even making grass woven animals for them at our stop for a break
Julia L.
This excursion was amazing. Our guide and driver Pablo and Pedro were both great. The guide was so excited about the entire trip and we saw lots of animals, which got him just as excited as we were. He truly enjoyed his job. He stopped at one point and my son did the nintendo 5 with him (swung from a rope into the river) and the stop at the farm was very nice. We enjoyed the farmers stories although Pablo needed to interpret them for us. His family was very kind and their treats were very tasty.
Steve B.
Again.........Excellent. Farm stop was awesome.
Douglas N.
Pedro was our guide. Best guide on our whole trip. His enthusiasm and good humor was infectious. Just outstanding. He should work for the tourist ministry!
Carolyn M.
The Rio Penas Blancas was a beautiful river, clean and well shaded. Since it was the beginning of dry season - there were few rapids and the trip was pretty low key. Our stop at a local farm to have coffee, cheese and flatbread was very unique and memorable. Overall it was a great trip, if I had more foresight I would have booked the canoes vs. raft so we could get closer to wildlife and explore more independently. Our guides were very friendly but lacked some English skills.
Brenda N.
Great tour! We loved our guide, Pedro. He pointed out several birds, reptiles, monkeys and sloths, with great enthusiasm and expertise. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
Joseph R.
seating was not comfortible for people in their 60's- limited scenery
Amy K.
This tour is nice for people who want mellow. It was nice to see the wildlife and float on the river. It seemed about 30 minutes too long but it could have been because of the heat!
Beverly D.
not much wildlife readily seen. lunch at the residence was a fabulous, especially the host.
Frederick W.
snack with locals at a local farm was unexpected and interesting. Hard to understand guide's English. Not a ton to see, but guide was good at finding animals.
Joanne L.
loved stop at family farm
Ann D.
We weren't sure what to expect. It was an enjoyable outing, but we didn't see much for animals. The guides were great though in trying to get them to come out. There was nothing really memorable about this outing, but we did really enjoy the coffee break stop at the farm. That was really neat and I hope it stays a part of the experience:)
David G.
Not a fault of the tour but we were grouped with an annoying family and was a bit long and uncomfortable
Jonica W.
The Guide was great. He was humorous, knowledgeable and a great personality. He made the trip a highlight of our visit to Costa Rica.
Anita W.
It was the most enjoyable tour of my trip. Loved it!
Kay K.
Was probably my favorite overall adventure.
Deborah W.
Lovely guide, his English a little hard to understand, but his enthusiasm couldn't be beat. Loved the stop over at the farm. Trip was a little too placid for us (our choice!)
Karen P.
We saw some interesting wildlife on this trip. The guides were very good and did their best to show us the wildlife. The guide who spoke on the bus was humorous and personable. Stopping at the farm towards the end of the trip was a nice touch.
Tamae M.
didn't see any animals but stopping at the Farm was very special. it was nice that our family was in 1 boat together.
Jerilyn W.
Very nice, loved the guide and the side trip visiting real folks that live in the area.
Yvonne L.
Enjoyed both the float on the river and stopping at a local farm for a snack. Very pleasant tour guide and again very informative.
Bob L.
We were okay, but some of the people had a bit of a scramble to get up the slopes. Perhaps a prior warning would help. Guides were great and we really liked the short stop at the farm
Michelle A.
so relaxing, highlight is the stop for coffee break at Don Pedro's farm, amazing opportunity
Lynne D.
We all loved this excursion and loved Edson's knowledge and enthusiasm for his job! This float was wonderful!
awesome tour guide and trip
Great experience. Our guide Gabrielle, was fantastic. He was knowledgeable, funny, friendly, and very professional. We loved the stop at Peter's Farm. What an all around terrific time.
This was a fun trip and visiting the farm there was interesting. We didn't see anything that we had not already seen but still enjoyed the float. Our guides were quite good and made it fun.
Very nice experience. The guide (Gabriel?) was very knowledgeable and available to stop and spot animals along the way. Very interesting the stop by the locals house!
Pablo our guide was FANTASTIC. we saw so many creatures It was a good time
we really enjoyed the safari and managed to see a few animals.
Absolutely fabulous experience, terrific guides (Gabriel and Pablo).
Tour guide was really good!! Had a nice experience at people the Costa Rican Family we visited.
Steven's english was the best of the whole trip. He was also very funny and knowledgeable. It was great fun having him get the howler monkeys to howl for us.
This was fun, but not my favorite.
Our guide was excellent! Really enjoyed it. Did want to see a bit more wildlife, but the farm tour was a wonderful surprise! Really did enjoy this!
Fantastic. Wish it had gone on longer.
This was also better than expected - we saw many animals, including crocodiles, turtles, snakes, monkeys, iguanas, and sloths. We also really enjoyed the stop at the Peter's farm. Our guide - George - was knowledgeable and good about giving us paddling directions. this was wonderful!
The best ever.....
Lots of fun with great guide.
A great way to observe nature and have lunch with "locals"! Jorge, our guide, was very knowledgeable and made our morning fun.
The folks on this tour showed their concern for client safety. The driver and guide were wonderful! When they took us to the designated location on the Rio Penas Blancas and discovered the water level was too high, they offered us an even more expensive tour -- lunch included-- and took us on the Cano Negro. The trip was a bit longer than expected, but we saw lots of wildlife. Please thank everyone for being so wonderful and accommodating to us.
The guides were especially helpful in spotting animals.
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Before you go
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Safari Float on Rio Penas Blancas?
The Safari Float on Rio Penas Blancas is a serene, half-day river journey in the Arenal Volcano area, where participants drift gently downstream on a comfortable raft to observe wildlife. Often referred to as the 'Monkey Tour,' it's designed for nature lovers seeking a relaxing experience without intense rapids.
What kind of wildlife can I expect to see on the Safari Float?
The Rio Penas Blancas corridor is home to diverse wildlife, including howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas, basilisks, turtles, crocodiles, toucans, and anhingas. While sightings are not guaranteed, your expert guide will actively point out visible wildlife during the tour.
What should I bring for the Safari Float tour?
For the Safari Float, participants should bring a camera, dry bag, change of clothes, sunblock, insect repellent, binoculars, enclosed sandals or river shoes, rain gear, and a reusable water bottle to comply with the tour's zero-plastic policy.
What is the Safari Float's policy on plastic water bottles?
The Safari Float maintains a strict zero-plastic policy to protect the environment. No water bottles will be offered; instead, a complimentary refrigerated water dispenser is available for visitors to refill their own reusable bottles.
The people behind your vacation
Personal service from Pacific Trade Winds
- Highly trained Costa Rica vacation specialists
- Personal customer service and concierge services at the highest level
- TripAdvisor Hall of Fame recognition for service
- Ranked #1 in its TripAdvisor category
Make this tour part of your Costa Rica vacation
Request a vacation package including Safari Float on Rio Penas Blancas in Search of Exotic Wildlife.
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