Viste del cielo, pomeriggi contadini Vulcano & Lago

This had nothing to do with the Arenal Observatory. We went there and we were told it wasn't there. Asked someone, and it was much further down the road. The roads to get there were almost impossible for us to get to with our car. When we finally arrived we were told there was no guide. It is self guided. We start the walk. It was not a walk. It was a strenuous hike up and down on a narrow path. We saw monkeys and they were shaking the trees and throwing things at us. That was the only wild life we saw. We went back to the parking lot and the worker told us that he would take out picture in front of the 'El Castillo' words and volcano for a fee of 1k colones per person. We attempted to communicate with the worker about the address and directions issue and he didn't seem to understand us, using google translate. After the tour we were not offered any kind of snacks or drinks, which was also supposed to be included. The only thing going for this place is the view but it's not worth the $45/per person that we spent. Also, the pictures that travelers posted on this site do not look like the place that we went to. The pictures that the operator/tour company posted do match the place. Do NOT pay for this tour. You do not get what you are supposed to get!

Be cautious when booking this activity! They gave us incorrect meeting point, so we were not able to have this experience. The receptionist at the Arenal Lodge and Trails informed us that they couldn’t find our booking number. They gave us directions to El Castillo, however we weren’t not able to find this place. Very disappointed as we were looking forward to the monkey tour and picnic views.

GO SEE DAVE THE BARTENDER. great food from burgers to stuffed shrimp. cheap cocktails and great service. met dave the bartender a few years back. a fine gentelman and GREAT bartender. so much fun here. when you walk in and the bar is crowded you can see everyone talking about how they have to move one way or the other to let the new arrivals sit. its called the (MONKEY SHUFFLE) got to love it. always freindly people to strike up a conversation with. did i metion DAVE the bartender!!! stop and see him. you'll have a blast.

It's real wildlife: a very atmospheric place - ancient trees, narrow paths, moss-covered benches. Walking is great! But as in most Costa Rican parks, animals are very difficult to find in it. Monkeys scream a lot, there's toucans, Iguanas. It's easy to find, probably only Koati. Also on the plus side are the very friendly hosts. And I recommend you ask for a vegetarian casada. It's delicious!

An incredible hidden gem. Guillermo was awesome and very friendly!! My family and I saw howler monkeys, red eyed tree frog, strawberry and blue jeans poison frogs, coatis, and an anteater. Highly recommend supporting a beautiful area meant to preserve these animals in their natural habitat.

The owner of the monkey park was so incredibly nice! He showed us several species of frogs then one of his employees pointed out a sloth to us. We then saw a family of white face monkeys- which was incredible to see them free…no fences no nets. We had lunch there after and loved it. All the ingredients were from the farm.

This was so fun and convenient with our 3-yr old while we stayed at La Fortuna. There was so much to explore and the monkeys were everywhere! At the end of the walk, our wonderful host fed us some friend yucca and fresh pineapple juice as we watched the monkeys come down for some bananas that he left for them. It was so fun and easy for all of us.

We used La Fortuna Taxi service via WhatsApp for transportation. It was a 20 minute drive from Downtown Inn La Fortuna. As we arrived at 9am a friendly gentleman greeted us and proceeded to feed the white faced monkeys at the trail entrance. The monkeys gathered and quickly gobbled up the bananas. There are bathrooms at the entrance. The gentleman offered information about the trail and we proceeded on our own. We spent about 2.5 hours on the walk, we saw a few more monkeys just beyond the entrance but none after that. We honestly only saw a couple turkey vultures after that. There are a lot of beautiful large trees along the walk. We were offered cold beverage at the end. They were preparing lunch for a tour group coming off the river, as I think this is the primary purpose of this site.

We arrived at the monkey park around 12:30 PM on a Thursday and were greeted by the super kind Guillermo. We were warned that the monkeys typically move offsite in the afternoons and it is better to visit in the morning – but less than 5 minutes later, before even starting our walk through the forest, several white-faced capuchins came to say hi! Guillermo then walked us into the forest to start our hike, gave us some basic instructions, and sent us on our way. The forest is so beautiful and it was such a peaceful (easy) walk amongst 100 and 200-year-old trees. We spotted various birds and a couple of lizards on our hour-long walk. We also heard the howler monkeys but didn't get to see them. At the end of our trek, we got to see an entire family of pizotes (aka coaties) up-close! We loved how passionate Guillermo was about the animals and the reserve, and educating people about them and the crops they grow on the property. We opted out of the lunch he offered because we had eaten before our tour, but we did enjoy some freshly made naranjita juice while we chatted with Guillermo. Highly recommended for nature lovers – book it!

It is a beautiful walking path through a natural forest with many opportunities to see wildlife. We saw monkeys, many coatis, red frogs, and a sloth! The guide showed us the first few meters into the walk some of the local plants and pointed out animals then let us walk the path. 10/10 a great experience.