Aug 10, 2024
River tour - Our family went on a nature expedition on the Cano Blanco. We started with a traditional Costa Rican meal made by the local family.
On the river we howler monkeys, spider monkeys, an alligator, iguanas, Jesus Christ Lizards, and many native birds
This was a relaxing tour down the river with lots of information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 24, 2024
Great wildlife filled tour with a great guide! - We saw masses! The guide Roy and the boat driver Max did an excellent job finding wildlife from white faced capuchin, amazing kingfishers and iguanas to a Great Potoo, purple gallinule and a tree porcupine. Lots of information and great atmosphere set by Roy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ very nice lunch too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 17, 2024
An unforgettable experience. - The experience was enriched by the guide Melany, whose detailed conversation ranged from agriculture and livestock to the history and culture of the country, always promoting ecological and naturalistic themes, and by the driver Manrique, who provided comfortable, air-conditioned transportation. The excursion included a warm stop for lunch in a local environment surrounded by birds and trees, where a couple of yigüirros were observed building their nest and turkeys walking around the restaurant. During the boat tour, a wide variety of animals could be observed and photographed, including several types of herons, alligators, kingfishers, turtles, iguanas, basilisks, bats, butterflies and three types of monkeys: white face, howler and spider. Various birds were also sighted, some migratory, with Melany providing details on the species and answering all questions. In addition, they gave us water and some delicious banana chips, and the boat captain made strategic stops to fully enjoy the rich fauna and flora of the place. I recommend 100% traveling with Jacamar.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 23, 2024
Kudos to Cana Negra by Boat - The very best tour we have been on with reference to birds and animals in comfort of large boat. Our guide Jason and the boat captain? Augusto were 5 star at least
They displayed a passion for their art and were very patient when pointing out difficult to see birds etc
My partner a professional photographer was taken back by the quality and quantity of photographic opportunities
The lunch was awesome and a traditional Costa Rican meal
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 15, 2024
Awesome - Great trip down the river and close to Nacaragua border. Great guide and boat operator. We saw a ton of birds, caiman, monkeys etc. We were picked up from our hotel in Fortuna. I would highly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Feb 15, 2024
Amazing Ecotour - We did the Cano Negro Tour with Hugo as our guide. Our pick up at our hotel was prompt. The van was a Rav 4, and although it was spotless, we needed an ATV for the last 30 minutes of our drive. The road was definitely a skeletal adjustment! On the way, our guide Hugo spotted a Yellow Throated Toucan, howler monkeys and a sloth! He used he tripod and telescope / binoculars to help us see and get great pics with our cell phones. Note to self: upgrade to phone with better camera before the next trip!
We had for refreshments at the home of Dona Wendy and then boarded a flat bottom boat for the river part of our excursion. We say white faced capuchin and spider monkeys, more species of birds than I can count, crocodiles, iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards, bats…a wonderful experience!
This was followed by a very well prepared lunch at the home of Dona Wendy. The food was delicious. Back on the bumpy road for our return trip, we got an in depth education on volcanoes for a great perspective of the Arenal Volcano. Honestly, it made the car ride so much more enjoyable!
This tour was a 10 out of 10. We loved it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 19, 2024
Well... - You'll see plenty of wild life on this tour compared to other tourist ventures.
The boat ride is nice enough.
Lunch is underwhelming.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 3, 2024
Monkeys Galore on Cano Negro - By far the most animal sightings we had in this trip! We got to see the country side. The boat captain just knew where to spot the monkey- we saw so many of them! The trip was a 2 hour drive close to Nicaragua border but definitely worth it! The time on the river was amazing! The lunch at the end was decent too but cherry on top was the random sloth sighting as we got closer back to Arenal!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 24, 2024
Not as advertised. - This trip was totally misrepresented to us. Although this tour says it is a full day trip, our trip with Jacamar was billed as a half day trip. I would have never done it knowing it was a full day. Out of 8 hours, we were only on the river seeing wildlife for a little over an hour. It took 2.5 hours to get to the river from our hotel. The river tour itself was cool but not as spectacular as I had expected. We saw lots of monkeys and the crocodiles we saw could barely be seen. They didn't look like much more than logs floating on top of the river. From there, we traveled to a ranch where we had a traditional lunch. The food was good but not very plentiful after sitting in vans and a boat for well over 4 hours. They next stopped at a traditional pottery shop which was a total waste of time. Heading back to the hotel, they took us 45 minutes out of our way to drop off another group. I had expected to be back at our hotel around noon and spend the afternoon on the beach but we barely caught the sunset.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 14, 2024
Great tour, scam price. - TLDR: We were charged 800 USD for a 400 USD private tour, and given a tour that should have cost us 240, or even as little as 180 if booked with their frequent discounts. Jacamar then gaslit and delayed the refund until it was necessary to cancel the payment with the credit card company.
Jacamar Naturalist Tours are willing to scam vulnerable people.
My mum, upon reading guide books, was very keen to ensure that she went on the best possible tour that went all the way into the wetlands and not the cheaper tour that skirted around the edges.
To that end she paid 800 USD for 3 people to go on the boat tour.
I didn't question it at the time, but on the tour there were 2 additional people and this seemed definitely like we had paid for a private tour price and been given a group tour.
The 2 people had paid 100 USD each.
I went on the Jacamar website after and saw that their tours are typically 80 USD per person, and can be as low as 60 USD per person if they are giving a discount (which they often are if you book the day before and they need to fill up). Their private tour was listed at 400 USD.
Giving the kindest interpretation of events, they double charged us, and if I had booked the tour myself - they had quadruple charged us.
So, I let my mum take the lead in talking to them and asking for a refund - giving them the benefit of the doubt that this was all a huge misunderstanding or mistake.
At first, they tried to gaslight her into thinking that the price was correct.
After about a week of back and forth, they finally admitted to it being the wrong price and agreed to refund the difference of 500 USD.
After a month of back and forth they had still not done so, despite repeatedly claiming that they would, and so my mum finally got the credit card company to cancel the charges with the now substantial weight of email proof about the issue.
Review provided by Tripadvisor