Top Costa Rica Private Sightseeing Tours

My biggest advice before doing this tour—especially for women—is to be very mindful of what you wear. For La Leona, wear very secure swimwear. The current can be incredibly strong. I wore fitted swim pants and a rash guard, and I could still feel the current trying to pull my pants down. My cousin’s pants actually came halfway down, and we heard about other visitors whose bikini pieces came off in the current. I would strongly recommend a secure one-piece swimsuit or one-piece rash guard, preferably with a zipper and sleeves. I was also glad I wore pants because even with them, I ended up with some bruising on my knees. Footwear is just as important. I would recommend either good-quality water/trail shoes or tennis shoes that you don’t mind getting completely soaked and beat up. I wore Salomon Solamphibian trail/water shoes with water socks, and I was very comfortable hiking in them. They protected my feet well from the rocks, branches, and uneven terrain. My family wore more basic water shoes, and they could feel a lot more of the rocks and branches underneath their feet. Even though my Salomons fit securely, the current was so strong that at times I could feel the water trying to pull them off. Thankfully, none of us lost our shoes. As for the tour itself, this was easily the most memorable and adrenaline-filled experience of our Costa Rica trip. We started at Pozo de los Coyotes, which was the calmest part of the day. It was beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. We floated around in inner tubes and enjoyed the scenery before heading to La Leona. Our tour was essentially private—just my family and our guide, Sebastian—which was really nice because we received a lot of individual attention. The actual hike to La Leona Waterfall wasn’t particularly difficult. There are caves, stairs/ladders, rocks, and uneven terrain, but the hike itself wasn’t what made this experience challenging. The water was the challenging part. Right before reaching La Leona, you have to go through a narrow section where the current can be extremely strong. Apparently, there had been rain in another area that made the current particularly strong the day we went. We saw people from other tours coming through who looked like they had been hit by a bus! Even several very fit, well-built men were having a hard time getting through the current. My cousin wasn’t able to get through that section, and initially I couldn’t either. I eventually made it through by climbing along the wall of the canyon using the rails and footholds that are installed there. Sebastian guided me on where to step and what to grab onto while I made my way across. It was intense, but I made it safely. I would definitely recommend asking your guide how strong the current is that day so you know what you’re getting into. The difficulty can really depend on the water conditions. I don’t know how to swim, but I wore the provided life jacket throughout the water portion. After La Leona, we visited Llanos de Cortés Waterfall, which was also beautiful, and we even got to see an owl. One of my favorite touches came at the end of the tour. Sebastian had recorded parts of our experience throughout the day and put together a video for us. I absolutely loved it. It’s something I will treasure forever and such a great way to remember what ended up being one of the biggest highlights of my trip. Overall, this tour was beautiful, exciting, challenging, and very adrenaline-driven. La Leona was much more intense than I expected because of the current that day, but that’s also what made the experience so memorable. I would absolutely do this tour again. Just come prepared, wear the right clothing and shoes, and know that the water conditions can completely change the level of difficulty.

Absolutely incredible day on the river. My family (2 kids 8 and 11, 2 adults) and I were lucky to be escorted down the river by Ulysses who was a source of knowledge about everything, not just rafting: nature, geology politics, history. It was a pleasure to spend the day with him. The rafting was great fun, we all loved especially the kids who had a great time being flung around, and also backflipping into the river. We had a perfect day and the waterfall was breathtakingly beautiful. Can’t possibly recommend highly enough.

Incredibly unique experience, this is one of the only caves in Costa Rica that is open to visitors. You will be scrambling over and ducking under rocks, hiking in water and definitely getting wet in the waterfall, but it was very exciting. Our guide was incredibly helpful and encouraging when I was afraid to go through some of the smaller (optional) crawl spaces. I’ve toured a few caves in the United States and this was on a completely different level. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a unique adventure (and doesn’t mind a few spiders).

We were lucky enough to have Luis as our guide. He was amazing! Friendly, knowledgeable and was considerate of the forest. We were able to see more wildlife than I expected to see. Pit vipers, armadillos, several species of frogs and even a few beautiful birds nesting. My daughter was stung by a bee, which is no reflection of the property or the tour in any way. It’s a known risk of being in the jungle at night. A minor bee sting and wasn’t a concern. I bring this up, because our guide was equipped with a fist aid kit and showed compassion and had kind words to make sure we all knew it’s a standard bee sting and how to treat it for comfort. Well done Luis! If we are back in the area, I will certainly take another tour with Luis!

The San Jose walking tour w/ pub & restaurants was a lot of fun. Ending the tour with a fun dinner in Barrio Escalante. Joanna did a great job & we recommended this tour to a number of our friends. We’d do this one again, for sure. Tom G. Fairhope, AL. USA

This was my third time with this group. The people, staff could not be more friendly and welcoming. Our boat trip was filled with critter sightings and interesting information from our guide. The lunch was generous, delicious, and fresh. All in all a fun and interesting day.

Amazing experience. I have never surfed before and am not even a very strong seimmer. We took tje 8am time slot avoiding crowds & heat & ended up with a private lesson. Greivip ensured we were safe and taught us what we needed to get started. It was so much fun and it was a successful lesson.

This tour was an amazing experience. As someone who is afraid of both heights and water due to not being a strong swimmer, I was nervous going in, but I would absolutely recommend it. The scenery throughout the tour was stunning. The ziplining portion did feel a bit rushed, and the photo and video package for ziplining wasn’t worth the cost. However the rafting portion was incredible and truly the highlight of the day. Our guide Moi/Moises was absolutely amazing, full of energy, incredibly enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. He even pointed out wildlife along the way and let us take turns riding in the front like a bull, which was such a fun touch. He is truly a gem and I highly recommend requesting him if possible. The rafting photos were high quality, beautiful, and definitely worth purchasing.