From San José: Carara National Park and Tárcoles River Tour
Description
Our company focuses on going beyond what first meets the eye, this means that we'll guide you through the jungle with a naturalist spirit, full of curiosity and wonder. We have designed this experience to go deep into the tropical forest and also have a dose of relaxing but exciting time while jumping on a boat ride that will leave you amazed by the biodiversity and richness of a mostly overlooked destination. We carefully design every stop in order to support local families and businesses to get you closer to the costarican culture and to let our Pura Vida lifestyle embrace you. • The only birdwatching and wildlife One Day Tour to Carara National Park • Walk the trails of the most important forest in the Central Pacific side-by-side with our biologists • Embark with us on a boat journey • A percentage of the earnings goes to Funga Conservation, a non-profit foundation. • Small-group tour with a maximum of 4 people ensures an intimate experience
Tour Options
Itinerary
Unveil the complex ecology of the flora and fauna at the Rainforest of Carara National Park. We will hike through the National Park Trails ranging from secondary forest to primary and old-growth forest. The canopy will reach more than 40m high with huge wild-cashew trees and figs watching us from above. This worldwide acclaimed destination for birdwatchers is also full of other vertebrates like mammals (monkeys, agoutis, deers...), amphibians, reptiles, and a myriad of invertebrates dwelling on the forest litter. You will be in the shoes of an XVIII century naturalist, asking yourself important questions about nature, ecology and contemplating in-depth the magic of the tropics.
Tarcoles river is regarded as the most polluted River basin in Central America, one recognition that we costaricans feel very ashamed of. However, we will navigate the Tarcoles river mouth into a mangrove forest where the wetlands will show us all their biodiversity and hopefully start changing the fate of this wonderful place. Bring your binoculars because we will spot dozens of amazing birds, crocodiles, and other types of lizards on this relaxing but exciting experience with local boatmen.
We will finish our day with a tropical beachfront landscape. We'll listen to the sound of waves calming our spirit and of course, dip our feet into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick-up from any hotel or location in San José City or surroundings. If you have any doubts about your hotel pick-up please contact us. If you are a SOLO TRAVELER please book through our website.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(53)
This is my second tour with Oropopo and I had a great time once again. Santi is very knowledgeable about Costa Rican geography, history, environmental issues, birds, fungi, butterflies and other insects and plants! We saw the iconic species (macaws, howler monkeys) but also saw many other really cool species like the chestnut backed antshrike and a crested Cara Cara. We went to Carara first and took a ~two hour walk and then went to Tarcoles and took a lovely trip on the river to see crocodiles and birds. We not only saw one of the biggest crocs in the river, we also saw a baby that was about 2 weeks old. So cute. HIghly recommend this tour and this tour company as they are environmentally/ecologically responsible in addition to .
Rigo was an excellent guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and thorough. I saw a wide variety of birds and wildlife and enjoyed a delicious lunch from a hilltop restaurant with breathtaking views. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in exploring the natural wonders of Costa Rica with an expert guide. 5 stars!!!
The company specialized in smaller group tours. It turns out it was just my husband and me. Our guide, Eduardo, was very knowledgable and the pace of the tour was just right. We did not feel rushed and took the time to really explore the forest on the hike. We saw a variety of plants and animals. I appreciated the eco-conscience approach to the tour.
We had a great tour with Rico! We saw lots of great wildlife such as poison dart frogs, a Northern ghost bat, lots of scarlet macaws, crocodiles and Rico even spotted a Pygmy kingfisher for us! He was really friendly, very knowledgeable about everything we saw and spoke English very well. Thanks again!
Rigo and Santi were excellent guides. They were very knowledgeable about the animals and plants but made it fun to learn and see. We really wanted to see wild scarlet macaws and toucans and Rigo got us to the right places to see them. The ride on the Tarcoles River was also a fun bird and crocodile sighting time. We highly recommend this trip with this company.
In this tour you learn a lot and enjoy all the flora and fauna of the Pacific from respect for the ecosystem. Rigo was super punctual, attentive and cool. You can tell he enjoys what he does and knows a lot
My tour was led by Rigo. He was engaging and clearly cared about his work. He was also quite organized and picked me up from my hotel exactly on time. After driving through some crazy San Jose traffic (I'm glad I wasn't driving), we arrived at Carara Park where Rigo did a great job of finding and pointing things out that I never would have noticed on my own. He made a special effort to locate certain animals that I and the other person on the tour particularly wanted to see. Rigo was very knowledgeable and I learned a lot. After Carara, we drove a short distance to the River where we saw crocodiles and many interesting birds. I only had time for a single excursion during a brief stay in San Jose and was glad to have chosen this experience.
Rigo sent me a text as soon as he arrived at the hotel. As we set off Rigo explained the journey & outlined the trip. We made a brief comfort stop & I bought a cold drink. We set off on our walk & Rigo talked about the forest, the Eco -system & the wildlife. We saw lots of spiders insects frogs bats birds & fungi . I enjoyed the walk & chatting with Rigo about the different types of forest. It was good that Rigo had both Telescope & Binoculars ( unlike other guides who had neither) as we were able to have really good views through the Telescope We arrived at the location for the river trip which was clean & well serviced with facilities drinks toilets souvenirs The boats are spacious & comfortable. The Captain & Guide were knowledgeable & provided us with a booklet showing bird images & a verbal narration in Spanish & English. The Guide explained the work that they do talked about the Eco -system the birds & the Crocodiles. With care the Captain maneuvered the boat giving us excellent views & plenty of opportunities for photos & videos. The tour was interesting & entertaining I recommended it to fellow travelers because its run by local people who genuinely care about the environment the wildlife & work hard to preserve it. Dedicated staff who go the extra mile Thank you Jocelyn
My friend and I were the only ones on this tour with Rigo and had an excellent experience. He picked us up on time in a very comfortable vehicle. He shared interesting information about the animals we saw in Carara National Park, and the Crocodile Safari gave us the chance to see many bird species and get close to the main attraction, the crocodiles. The food was great at where we stopped for lunch, and Rigo even took us for smoothies and drinks to a restaurant with an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean and Nicoya Peninsula. It was a wonderful day, and I highly recommend this tour.
This tour was incredible! Carara National Park was beautiful — we saw scarlet macaws, monkeys, and so much amazing wildlife. The Tárcoles River boat ride was a real highlight, especially getting to see the huge crocodiles up close in their natural habitat. Our guide was super knowledgeable and friendly, and everything was really well-organized from start to finish. Definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had in Costa Rica. Highly recommend!
