Wanderfreunde (Hängebrücken + La Fortuna Wasserfall + Vulkanwanderung)

A full day of fun adventure! First off was the hanging bridges which was an amazing experience. Within the first ten minutes we saw two different types of toucans and a frog. We saw several different animals through the tour, and not one of them would we have spotted without the help of a guide and telescope. These animals are masters of camouflage. It was quite rainy this day and we bought a poncho at the gift store before the walk which was helpful. The rain made the experience even better… a true rainforest experience! After the hanging bridges we went to the waterfall which was beautiful. However it is a 500 stair climb back up, so depending on mobility and fitness this may deter some people but there were people of all ages and fitness levels doing it. Surrounding the water is quite rocky, so if you’re wanting to go for a swim bringing water shoes would be a good idea. After the morning two activities we had a delicious traditional lunch. The afternoon was a volcano hike. There’s three options for length and we selected the shorter hike as it was a cloudy, rainy day and the volcano was not visible. However, it was still educational and we enjoyed it.

My wife, my two teenage boys, and I did two big tours with Jacamar Naturalist Tours. First, we did the Hiking Lovers day-long tour of Mystico Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal 1968 Volcano hike. Second, the next day, we did the half-day safari float down Rio Frio. Since we already reviewed the latter, we are going to focus this review on the former. These guys are amazing. We started the day at Mystico Hanging Bridges, and we saw so many unique birds, vipers, and spider monkeys. Our kids were very happy. Then we made our way to the La Fortuna Waterfall and had a great time there as well. Next, we had lunch at a private farm, which had a ton of toucans in the vicinity that we were able to see. The food was excellent. The tenderloins we had did not contain any fat and were delicious. We ended the trip with a walk through 1968 Arenal park around sunset. The black lava rock formations were incredible. The sunset over Arenal Lake was one of the best sunsets I have seen in my life, although keep your expectations reasonable please because we had very unique cloud formations on that day. The photos we took of the volcano from that location were better than any other photos we took of the volcano during our trip. So if you have a view of the volcano already from your hotel, similar to us, please do not underestimate how much better it will be on this tour and just do the tour if you have time. Our guide Jhersson was excellent. He had a vast knowledge of the plants, animals, and geography of the area. We only paid $760 for four people and we spent the entire day with these guys from 8am to 6pm. Considering how expensive Costa Rica is for your average traveler, this tour was a bargain. We had a 4x4 Mitsubishi Montero, and we could have done parts of this tour ourselves independently. As former backpackers, my wife and I felt silly booking a tour for something we could have done ourselves. But considering the efficiency with which we saw multiple sites, the vast knowledge we gained from our guide, and the sheer number of unique animals we spotted, we are very happy to have booked this tour. It was worth every penny. By the way, we also did a Pure Nature Safari Float with these guys on Rio Frio the next day, and it was the best thing we did in Costa Rica. If you do one thing in Costa Rica, do the float down El Rio Frio with Jacamar Naturalist Tours. If you have time to do two things, do the float and do the day-long hike that is the subject of this review.

Our guide, Carlos, helped make this a great day! He was informative, professional, and personable. Family of five with three teens (17, 16, 13). Long day but well worth it. Highly recommend!

I did this tour with my 13-year-old son and we found it fantastic!!! If you want to know and become part of the place do not miss it as such with the included guide and lunch .Our guide was Diego who is a rating loves what he does, transmits it with a lot of passion and knowledge. He spent all the time searching with his binocular animals and we managed to see everything! The final part of the volcano trail wouldn’t do any good if you don’t do it with a guide, in our case it was Diego who knows a lot so we left full of stories of the Arenal volcano and great photos that he was taking. Driver Albany another special mention is super friendly, attentive, cautious in his handling and at one point along the way Diego saw a lazy and had no problem stopping, expect us to look at him with binoculars and give us that time. It is certainly worth investing in this tour which is very bearable with moderate walking intensity. I highly recommend it

Has a fantastic excursion with among the best guides we ever have had. Diego was phenomenal, a wealth of information, and fantastic with taking photos and videos of wildlife with our phones through his telescope. He was able to spot things we would have missed if we were on our own. Esteban was in training but was also wonderful and it was great having two guides for our small group. And Jorge our driver safely transported us. I should also mention lunch was at Jacamar company farm where they grown their own produce and was also fantastic. I couldn’t recommend this more. Great excursion!

We had two fantastic tours with Jacamar. We did a group hanging bridges tour and a private family day where we did a safari river float, waterfall hike, lunch at their farm and a volcano hike. We also used them for airport transfers. Every experience was 5/5. Communication ahead of time was excellent. All my questions were answered thoroughly and promptly. Both our tour guides were knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Everyone engaged with our kids and their grandparents. The guides had something to share with everyone. Highly recommend this company without reservation.

My husband and I stayed at Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa. Jacamar has a desk right in the lobby (but they go to other hotels around the area as well). We took a number of tours with them and also used Jacamar to transport us from San Jose to Tabacon. Every tour and experience we had was top notch. The drivers and tour guides were all incredible and extremely knowledgeable. They were also willing to run a group tour even when we were the only two people on the tour. On the Sunset Cruise we had the entire boat to ourselves. This wasn’t booked as a private tour but our guide told us that they don’t mix groups so that if you want a romantic experience you aren’t on a boat with young kids or people who want to have more of a party cruise vibe. We visited in the middle of the busy season, but on our biggest tour, there were about 18 people on the bus, but when we got to the suspension bridges, they divided us into 2 groups, so we were never with more than 10 people with our own guide. I highly rushing Jacamar Tours if you are in the Arenal or La Fortuna area

A fun, informative and wet day exploring the rainforest. Our guide was very knowledgeable and pointed out so many things we would not have seen on our own. Nature at it best!

Very scenic and you see a wide variety of jungle views and landscapes. The tour guides teach you about the land and trees and animals. A great overview of the area

The best tour ever. We did the hanging bridges and the waterfall. Our tour guide Andres was fantastic. He had so much knowledge, was kind and funny and made it just a phenomenal experience. Our kids 16, 13 and 9 also thought it was great. We had a very good lunch at Jacamar restaurant. The tilapia was so delicious. They even did a little something special for me because it was my birthday. The whole experience was excellent. I highly recommend this tour group. When we go back, we will definitely use Jacamar again (and request Andres Sol!)