Costa Rica Safari: Explore Peñas Blancas River Flora

213 Ratings

La Fortuna de San Carlos

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Embark on a thrilling wildlife safari float along the Peñas Blancas River in Costa Rica. Explore the diverse flora and fauna, visit a local farm, and enjoy the tranquility of nature.

Duration: 5 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Canoa Aventura - This serves as the starting point for individuals who prefer to reach the location using their own transportation.
Boca Arenal - Your journey concludes at “La Cocina de Tita Yolanda,” where a delightful snack is ready for you! In addition to enjoying the snack, you’ll have the opportunity to discover the significance of Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugarcane plantations.

What's Included

Local expert guide
Assorted snacks included
Professionally driven service
Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off on Route 142 between La Fortuna and Hotel Tabacón (additional charges apply for other locations)

What's Not Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off (outside of designated location)
Bottled water

Additional Information

Our venture into the wild will guide us through the captivating scenery of the ‘Peñas Blancas’ river woodland. Its rich biodiversity is a focal point, and we get to soak in the tranquility and balance of nature in Costa Rica’s northern territory. We’ll pay a visit to Don Pedro’s farmstead and get a glimpse of the lives of Costa Rican agrarians, complete…

Location

Canoa Aventura

1.5 km west of La Fortuna San Carlos Catholic Church, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Route 142, in front of the Fortuna cemetery.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(213 Ratings)

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Danielmp6565tt

Oct 20, 2024

River rafting with kids - We did the river rafting tour with a 5 and 8-year-old, and it was one of the highlights of their trip. It started pouring while we were on the raft, so luckily, we were prepared with our own ponchos (which can be purchased at the local supermarket). Recommend you pack a change of clothes to leave in the van. Saw a good variety of wildlife on our rafting trip. There was just enough paddling to keep them engaged. The chocolate part was nothing great, but the rafting portion was a great activity for our young kids.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Tws123

Oct 13, 2024

Good trip made great by Fauricio, our guide - The River Safari trip on the Peñas Blancas (which flows into a second river I’ve since forgotten the name of. Fortuna?) was recommended to us by staff at the Volcano Lodge as an alternative to the Caño Negro float (we wanted to spend as little time driving as possible). We had a great time on this trip thanks in large part to our guide, Fauricio. Among the many things he helped our raft spot were Howler and Capuchin monkeys, a sloth (albeit en route to the river, not on the river), rows of tiny bats hanging on trees, birds, a crocodile, iguanas, and more. His knowledge and appreciation of Costa Rican ecology was both impressive and inspiring. After disembarking, we were fed a snack of homemade tortillas and cheese with fried plantains (also, coffee, tea, and moonshine). There was also a short chocolate-making presentation and sampling at the farm where the river trip terminates, which was an unexpected bonus. Overall, the float was one of the highlights of our vacation that left us smiling for days. Thanks again to Fauricio (and also the pleasant, nature-loving Texans with whom we shared a raft).

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Lhurrell

Sep 28, 2024

Perfect Day! - Wow. How lucky we were to get George and Chris as our guides for the day! Both lovely guys who are really passionate about their culture and the local wildlife. It was so peaceful. My husband and I were lucky enough to have a raft with just ourselves and George. We could simply enjoy the views whilst seeking out nature. We then went on to have a traditional corn tortilla, coffee and homemade rum shot! Not for the faint hearted. Then a short talk about the cocoa bean. All so well thought out and great to get involved with. We also then had paid to visit La Fortuna Waterfall and have lunch! The whole day was just amazing, really worth the money and a great company to do it with. Nothing was too much trouble for George, he took plenty of photos and videos to capture as much as possible of our day without us even asking!

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Annelies_l

Aug 26, 2024

Best tour in la Fortun! - Was a super professional tour. These tour guides really understood what it is about! Really spot the animals that where so difficult so see and so much knowledge about the nature and animals. Was the nicest tour we did in la Fortuna, where lot’s of things felt like a tourist trap. But not this one!! Thanks!!

Review provided by Viator

Tibor_d

Aug 18, 2024

Nice combo with river, farm, chocolate. - We had a nice morning. The river “ride” gave us a different perspective of the rainforest, saw some wildlife. The farm at the end with some bites and the chocolaty presentation was unexpected and great.

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Danielle8214tc

Aug 18, 2024

Amazing variety of wildlife - including owls! - We were a 3-generation family of 8, ranging in age from 7 to 70+. Canoa Aventura set us up to all be in the same boat, so we had a wonderful shared experience. The small size of the boat allowed us to navigate the river quickly and get close to wildlife. We saw lots of different animals in a relatively short period of time, including spectacled owls! We all did a bit of paddling, but no prior rafting experience needed. After the safari float, we had a tasty snack and a brief informative presentation on chocolate.

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Annette_s

Aug 15, 2024

Good Day - Our guide, Saul, was the best. We learned a lot from him and laughed even more. The pick up and drop off was easy and my daughter and I really enjoyed the snack and chocolate lesson. This was a really good day. My only suggestion would be to itemize what events are. The tour was listed as five hours, the boat ride was only about two- I was looking for more yet understand the current changes. This would have been nice to have known beforehand.

Review provided by Viator

Explorer49069780522

Aug 10, 2024

Miguel Andrew’s and the driver were great thanks guys! - Miguel Andrew’s and the driver were great thanks guys! Explained well and kept the tour interesting and fun. I recommend also for younger children.

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Jamesle8942ts

Aug 7, 2024

Monkeys and sloths and birds, oh my! - We took the late afternoon float safari. Very relaxing. Jose was a great guide. We saw tons of different animals. Two kinds of monkeys. Many kinds of birds. One sloth. Iguanas. Bats. And the list goes on. Worth the money. The snacks and chocolate-making demo at the end were a great end to a great time.

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Michelle_b