Everything you need before booking: how reservations and checkouts work, what prices include, cancellations and changes, transport and pickups, and how our photography workshops run.
Pick your experience, choose your date, travellers and modality (private or group), and continue to checkout. If your date is more than 36 hours away and the experience is guided by our own team, you can complete a direct checkout right away. Otherwise you send a request and our local team confirms availability in writing, usually the same day.
A request charges nothing: you send your dates and we reply with availability and a payment link. A direct checkout authorises your card immediately and your spot is confirmed; we only capture the payment once the service is verified. Third-party parks, Manuel Antonio National Park and Boca Tapada always work as requests.
Our booking cut-off is 36 hours before the start of the service, and Boca Tapada expeditions need at least 72 hours. In high season (December–April and July–August) popular mornings sell out one to three weeks ahead, so booking early is the safest way to get the guide and time slot you want.
Yes. Add each experience to your itinerary and check out once. You can also share the itinerary summary with your travel companions before paying, and add transfers between hotels or airports in the same order.
A private tour runs only with your party, at your pace, and is the better choice for photography, birding and families with young children. A group tour is a shared departure at a fixed time and a lower price per person. Both are led by the same local naturalist guides.
Online we accept credit and debit cards through Stripe, on a secure checkout. We never store your card details. For manual invoices or bank arrangements, our team can issue a payment link with the same breakdown you see on the site.
Yes. Public prices are all-in: they already include 13% Costa Rican VAT and the 3% card processing fee, shown together as taxes and fees. There are no hidden extras added at the end of checkout.
On a direct checkout your card is authorised at booking and captured by our team once the service is verified. On a request nothing is charged until you open the payment link we send you. You always receive a receipt by email after the capture.
No. Children between 5 and 11 pay 70% of the adult rate and infants from 0 to 4 pay 20%. Ages are entered during checkout so the total is calculated automatically.
For guided day tours, cancellations made 36 hours or more before the service are refunded in full minus the 5% processing fee. Inside 36 hours we refund 50% minus the 5% fee, because guides, entrances and vehicles are already committed. Transport follows the same 36-hour cut-off.
Yes, and it is usually the better option. Send us your new fixed dates at least 36 hours before the original start time and we confirm availability. Rescheduling depends on guide and park availability, so the earlier you ask, the more options you have.
Rain is part of the rainforest and most tours run normally — wildlife is often more active before and after a shower. We only cancel for genuinely unsafe conditions such as flooding or storms, and in that case you choose between rescheduling or a refund under the weather policy.
No, and no honest operator can guarantee them. What we do guarantee is a local naturalist guide, a professional spotting scope and routes chosen for the season, the weather and the time of day — the factors that actually decide how much you see.
Transport is always quoted separately, by hotel and zone, so you only pay for the distance you actually use. That keeps prices honest for guests staying in La Fortuna town and for those out towards Lake Arenal. Your pickup time and meeting point are confirmed in writing before the tour.
Yes. We run private transfers from San José (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) to La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and the Caribbean, with flight-number tracking and a driver waiting in arrivals. Prices are per vehicle and include taxes and fees.
Pickup is normally 30 minutes before the tour start time, and birding departures often leave before sunrise. Your confirmed pickup time, driver and vehicle are shown in your client portal and repeated in your confirmation email, SMS and calendar invitation.
Closed walking shoes, a light rain jacket, insect repellent, water and a hat. Bring binoculars if you own them — we always carry a professional spotting scope. For night walks, a phone is enough; the guide brings the lights.
Yes. Our team is made up of certified Costa Rican naturalist guides who live and work in the Arenal area, and tours are guided in English or Spanish — you choose the language when you book.
Many are. Bogarín Trail, Ecocentro Danaus and the hanging bridges are flat and short, which makes them comfortable for children and for guests who walk slowly. Waterfall stairs and Boca Tapada expeditions are more demanding. Tell us your needs and we will match the route.
On photography-focused experiences your guide shares a selection of images after the tour at no extra cost. On regular tours photos depend on conditions, but our guides usually capture scope shots of the day highlights and send them by WhatsApp or email.
Multi-day workshops always start as a request. We review dates, season and availability and reply with a full proposal, itinerary and payment ladder. Nothing is charged until you confirm the program in writing.
Workshops and expeditions use a milestone schedule: a deposit to hold your place, then the balance due well before departure. Your exact dates and amounts appear in your client portal, and reminders are sent automatically as each milestone approaches.
These experiences are guided by our own team: 36 hours or more ahead, you can confirm right away.
