Palo Verde Boat Safari
Description
Embark on a captivating 1 hour and 20-minute boat safari through Palo Verde National Park, where you'll encounter Costa Rica's rich wildlife, from crocodiles to monkeys. Following the safari, indulge in a hearty Costa Rican lunch to recharge, before diving into a fascinating presentation on Chorotega pottery, learning about its intricate designs and cultural significance. It's a day filled with adventure, culture, and delicious cuisine, offering a memorable glimpse into the wonders of Costa Rica.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Hotel Pick up You will be picked up from your hotel journey one hour through the back roads of Guanacaste’s Sabanero (Cowboy Country) Province to Palo Verde National Park. 2 Hour Boat Safari on Tempisque River After a scenic guided drive, you will then hope into your boat and spend 2 hours on the Tempique River that borders the Palo Verde National Park, best known for its murky water and spectacular wetlands. Your naturalist guide will help to spot wildlife in the dry forest vegetation and mangroves. There are over 600 different species of birds, both local and migratory. Appropriately, this tour is a real treat for bird watchers, as you’ll have the chance of spotting a wide range of fowl that includes storks, egrets, spoonbills, grebes and more. Also be on the lookout for monkeys, iguanas, scarlet macaws, anteaters, crocodiles and caimans, which can often be seen lingering along the banks of the river. Costa Rica Style Lunch After your boat safari, you will be taken to eat a plentiful Costa Rican style meal called a Casado with rice, beans, salad, plantains, choice of meat, and more. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Guaitil Pottery Village Before heading back, we will visit the Guaitil Pottery village that is famous throughout Costa Rica and the rest of Central America for its pre-Columbian Chorotega style. They will show you how they make the pottery and there is an opportunity to buy some if you like!
7:20 am
7:00 am
7:00 am
7:00 am
6:30 am
7:00 am
7:00 am
7:00 am
7:00 am
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up from the hotels, condos and private residences in the following areas: Hacienda Pinilla/JW Marriott: 6:30 AM (extra fee) Langosta/Tamarindo: 7:00 AM Grande, Conchal, Brasilito, Flamingo, Potrero: 7:00 AM Las Catalinas - 7:00 am (extra fee) RIU Guanacaste & RIU Palace MAIN GATE, Not the lobby: 7:00 AM Playas del Coco: 7:20 AM Playa Hermosa & Playa Panama (Villas Sol, Condovac, Secrets Papagayo, Occidental Papagayo, Mangroove): 7:30 AM Liberia Peri Supermarket: 7:00 AM Waldorf, Andaz, Four Seasons, Planet Hollywood - 7:00 am (extra fee) Pick up times above are an estimate. We will send you an official pick up time the day before the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- 2 person minimum - if you are a single traveler, contact us to see which dates are open
Reviews(160)
I will be honest and say that I didn't go in to this tour expecting a lot. I had read mixed reviews. However, I found it to be exceptional. We had Frank as a driver and Kevin as a guide and they were both amazing. Kevin gave us so much helpful information about Costa Rica, and even stopped to buy us fruit at a stand when my MIL asked what it was! One caution: If you experience motion sickness, be sure to take your medicine and/or bring it along. The final road to the park is essentially a rocky riverbed and is really bumpy! They do provide lunch and it was fine. The pottery demonstration was fine too--I knew to expect it. It was an enjoyable way to spend the day and learn a lot. We also got to see crocodiles (babies and adults), monkeys (also babies and adults), lots of birds, bats and more.
Thank you for sharing such an honest and detailed review! We’re especially happy to hear that the experience exceeded your expectations and turned into an exceptional day. We’re delighted that Frank and Kevin helped make the tour so enjoyable. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with both of them, especially Kevin. It’s wonderful to hear that his knowledge about Costa Rica, along with the little extra stop, added to your experience. It also sounds like you had some great wildlife encounters! We appreciate you sharing the helpful tip about the road conditions as well, as it gives future guests a better idea of what to expect. Thank you for choosing to explore Costa Rica with us and for taking the time to share your experience. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure! Pura Vida, Native's Way
The tour was really well. The boat captain did everything he could to see us the most wildlife possible and he allowed me to come up front to get pictures. Our guide was great with calling a local man to explain how the original tribe made pottery.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour and had the opportunity to observe Costa Rica’s incredible wildlife. It is wonderful to know that our boat captain went above and beyond to help you have the best possible experience. We are also glad that you appreciated the cultural aspect of the tour and the opportunity to learn about traditional pottery from a local community member. These authentic experiences are an important part of sharing the beauty and heritage of Costa Rica with our guests. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable adventures in the future. Pura Vida! Native's Way
The experience was fantastic. I highly recommend. We saw about 30 crocodiles, 15 monkeys and many different birds. The monkey almost jumped in our boat! My 2.5 year old loved it too! Defintely possible for all ages 0-100. No fitness levels needed. Bring your camera!
Early start for the long drive to this location from our hotel. Driver was friendly and safe. Once arrived at the boat safari and loaded, our trip was somewhat chaos due to other tours getting on and off our boat after we had already left and done a portion of the tour on the river. We did see birds and monkeys and maybe that is why the boat driver only had us out for 45 minutes. We were expecting a longer boat ride of at least double that. Lunch was good. Very local food and cooked well. Return trip to hotel went as planned.
Local company to Tamarindo. Kevin our tour guide and Alberto our driver were great, stopping to see some interesting spots off the beaten track. Very informative. Boat driver knew all the spots for birds and wildlife along the way. Very authentic lunch, cooked by lovely local women. We thoroughly enjoyed our day.
Absolutely A+ experience. We booked 2 tours with them (a private sailing trip for a day and a day trip to Palo Verde National forest) as well as all of our Airport Transfers. All the tours were great, with really friendly staff and punctual drivers. The Palo Verde river cruise was particularly excellent, we saw tons of wild life and the whole family had a great time. They also were great at handling our changing itinerary with flights. Absolutely recommend them!
Great wildlife and plenty of birds and monkeys to see :) and the crocodiles and the lunch was very good! And Carlos was awesome! Very nice and had alot of good information and great guide :)
We had an amazing river tour with our guide Harry and driver Christian. Communication with them was wonderful and the ride and tour were seamless. Harry was so full of local and wildlife information and facts! Plus he could spot a tiny Kingfish bird in the trees from yards away! Our boat driver, Luis, was also amazing at maneuvering and spotting wildlife. Lunch provided by local women and crafts by local man were spot on. Thank you everyone so very much, made our trip complete!
The excursion was great. Everyone was so friendly and the food was delicious. I'm still amazed at how our guide spotted all of the hidden animals. Very impressive! A fun experience for all ages.
This was an excellent tour and gave us a wonderful taste of Costa Rican culture and wildlife. Our tour guide Kevin was extremely welcoming and knowledgeable about Costa Rican life and history. On our safari we saw a lot of wildlife including water birds, crocodiles, capuchin monkeys and large iguanas. Our boat captain Luis was wonderful as well. We enjoyed the lunch and pottery demonstration included in our trip. This was a most enjoyable day!
