Top La Fortuna activities
Top La Fortuna landmarks
Beyond La Fortuna
La Fortuna trip ideas
Book online or call: (888) 651-9785
Wildlife Boat Trip Caño Negro
Recommended by 96% of travelersBadge of ExcellenceLa Fortuna, Costa Rica
- 9 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Experience the natural beauty of Costa Rica, and get an up-close look at some of the nation's most colorful birds. Enjoy scenic transfer to Caño Negro from La Fortuna, where you cruise by boat into the Rio Frio. Search for native birds, mammals, and flora before heading back to land for an authentic lunch.
- Caño Negro wildlife adventure from La Fortuna
- Journey into nature on a scenic boat ride
- Lunch and welcome drink included
- Round-trip hotel transport included
What's Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Fuel surcharge
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Gratuities
- Bottled water
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pick Up time will depend on the Hotel location. If your Hotel is not listed, please contact us!
Start time .07:30 am
What To Expect
Meet your guide in La Fortuna at 7:30 am and make your way in air-conditioned comfort to Caño Negro, where you'll learn about local plantations and regional crops like yucca, papaya and pineapple. Enjoy a welcome drink and snack at the El Caiman restaurant before journeying by boat into the Rio Frio. Spend 2.5 hours searching for egrets, monkeys, herons, iguanas and indigenous flora. After an exciting excursion into nature, head back to the El Caiman Restaurant and enjoy a typical Costa Rican lunch before heading back to La Fortuna.
Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
9 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infant seats available
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Hotel Pickup and drop-off is included if hotel location is between La Fortuna and Hotel Tabacón on Route 142, otherwise extra charges apply depending on hotel location.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Questions?
Visit the Viator Help Centre for any further questions.
Product code: 21249P1
Traveler Photos
See more
Featured review
Gordon_M
Our guides Joe and Jorge were exceptional. They were very knowledgeable and friendly and really personalized the experience for us. I highly recommend asking for this team.
Reviews
4.9
194 reviews
Ashley_A, Jan 2025
The river was beautiful and the animals were incredible! We saw and were able to get fairly close to a caiman alligator, 3 types of monkeys, so many iguanas, bats, a basilisk, and many different birds. I felt like us passengers spotted more animals than the guides however, and you had to ask about the animals. They provided more information on the bus ride there. The drive to and from the river was scenic, and the van was decently comfortable considering. Fruit was provided when we arrived and lunch was very good, with a beautiful view of the river. The boat ride was less than 2 hours, even though it is advertised as 2.5 hours.
Lisa_W, Dec 2024
Hubby and I had a great time on this boat tour. We saw a lot of birds and animalsand enjoyed the meal very much. To our guides were great drivers too. It’s worth going and it’s great that they picked us up and took us there and dropped us off again. I would definitely do it again and use this tour guide.
Jennifer_R, Oct 2024
I cannot recommend this tour enough, it was AMAZING. Our guide Roy was so knowledgeable and funny. We had a 2.5mo old baby and 2.5yo toddler with us and he made a insect out of a leaf that kept our toddler entertained half the boat ride (fell asleep the other half), that was very sweet! The ride was bumpy but so is all of Costa Rica without a main road! He had funny jokes the whole time and taught us about the culture and answered any questions we had. The food was SO delicious and the staff very attentive and kind. With our kiddos, we appreciate the accommodative staff during the whole tour, it’s hard traveling with them but they helped make it easy! The boat tour was the coolest and we saw bats, sloth, birds, caimans, many howler monkeys, 2 rare orange monkeys, and more! We did a tour at Mistico bridges and the guide there said they can never compete with this tour because you see so much here!! Highly recommend, it was the highlight of our trip for sure :)
Melissa_S, Sep 2024
Thanks so much to Jorge and Max for a positively wonderful day! Jorge gave us huge amounts of excellent commentary on the two-hour drive up including on Costa Rican crops and wildlife. On the river, Jorge and our driver Max were a true dynamic duo, spotting wildlife every few seconds, sharing their vast knowledge, helping take pictures, and setting up the spotting scope. We saw three types of monkeys, multiple caimans, and dozens of birds and lizards. Lunch was delicious with vegetarian options. On the way back Jorge made a special roadside stop to point out some sleeping sloths. We loved our tour and owe it all to Jorge!
Katrina_S, Aug 2024
This was a fantastic tour! The tour DOES enter the actual wildlife refuge (some tours based in La Fortuna do not) and we saw so much amazing wildlife. We saw howler monkeys (including a rare red-furred one), capuchins, and squirrel monkeys. We saw sloths, basilisk lizards, caimans, iguanas, and incredible bird diversity. Both the guide and the boat driver knew where to look. Our guide, Jorge, was fantastic. He was funny and friendly, and very knowledgeable about all the animals. On the drive to Caño Negro he explained many things about the country's agriculture and history. We had a great time and highly recommend this tour.
1 traveler found this review helpful
David_F, Jul 2024
Very comfortable. Good facilities at the dock. . This was my third time on this tour. I will go again. Thank you.
Romana_S, Jul 2024
Great guide Juado, great driver Alonso, everything organized, fruits and drinks, provides information about everything around, we've seen all different kinds of species of animals, very good lunch (big selection), length fine, bonus activity included - trying out moonshine, chocolate beans and chocolate, local coffee... overall a beautiful experience - caño negro is the wildlife biodiversity heaven!!!
Natalie_J, Jun 2024
I absolutely loved this tour! Our guide was Chino and driver Alonso, who were both great. You begin with a 1.5 to 2 hour drive to the river. The last 20 minutes or so are really bumpy as the road isn't good, so prepare yourself (it's worth it!). There are toilets when you arrive and they served us coffee, juice and fruit which was nice.
After this, you take a two hour boat trip on the Rio Frio, and our expert guide worked super hard to help us find monkeys especially. We saw howler monkeys, white faced capuchins, and spider monkeys, as well as caiman, kingfishers, egrets, and iguanas. Chino even took photos for us, which he shared.
Afterwards, there was a delicious lunch with lots of vegetarian options (I had a wonderful vegetarian casado). This was followed by a short stop at a farm where you can taste a variety of things including chocolate, coffee and sugarcane. No one tried to sell us anything here, so we didn't feel hassled.
After this, we took the journey back which lasted about 2 hours. I booked the tour the day before and got a message from the company confirming our pick up time. We were picked up at 7.50am and returned at 4pm. This tour is great value for money and I would highly recommend it!
Lingquan_D, May 2024
The ride to the river to see the wildlife was worth it. We saw lots of monkeys, all kinds of birds, some turtles, and lots of caimans. The guides were passionate about their job and explained things very well. One of them even gave us his whatsapp number so we could contact him to ask for the photos he took with his professional camera.
What went wrong was after we were back to the restaurant where the tour started for lunch. The food was very good but the restaurant was way too hot, and not enough fans to cool us down. It was 92F with 100% humidity with no airflow. We were just melting away. What’s worse is that after I finished eating and was walking around, I saw the guides and the only Spanish speaking couple were sitting in a well air conditioned area by themselves when there were clearly enough room to fit the whole group. I don’t know why they didn’t let us sit there in the first place, or why they didn’t ask us to move there. So I asked one of the guides (Jason) why they didn’t let us sit there? He acted like he was completely innocent but that over reaction made me think this arrangement was completely on purpose so they can have that area for themselves, and he’s probably part of it. This behavior definitely blended in a different flavor to this tour.
Overall the tour was fun, but it’s not something that I would want to do again.
Mark, May 2024
Long (1.5 hours from Nayara Garden) and bumpy ride (last 5 miles) but worth it. Jason was a great and friendly guide.
We saw spider monkeys, white faced monkeys, and howler monkeys. A few caimans, lots of heron type birds, huge iguana and turtles.
The river and ginormous silk tres are sights of their own.
The restaurant in the ad looks scary but the food is good. From La Fortuna area it’s basically a full day affair, leaving at 7:30 and arriving back about 4pm.
So if you don’t mind a long van ride it’s worth it. On the other hand we had monkeys outside our cabana later on.
1 traveler found this review helpful
From $93.88
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
- Secure your spot while staying flexible
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Wildlife Boat Trip Caño Negro
194
9 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$93.88
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in La Fortuna, Costa Rica
More attractions near La Fortuna, Costa Rica
- Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park Tours & Tickets
- Arenal Observatory Lodge and Spa Tours & Tickets
- La Fortuna Waterfall Tours & Tickets
- Venado Caves (Cavernas de Venado) Tours & Tickets
- Tabacon Hot Springs Tours & Tickets
- Butterfly Conservatory Tours & Tickets
- Kalambu Hot Springs Water Park Tours & Tickets
La Fortuna Tours
- Art & Culture
- Audio Guides
- Classes & Workshops
- Food & Drink
- Likely To Sell Out
- Outdoor Activities
- Seasonal & Special Occasions
- Tickets & Passes
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Cruises & Sailing
- How to Get Around
- Private and Luxury
- Sightseeing Tours
- Tours by Duration
- Day Trips
- Full-day Tours
- Half-day Tours
- Multi-day Tours
- Overnight Tours
- Travel & Transportation Services
- Unique Experiences
© 1997-2025 Viator, Inc.