Tropical Hike in the Gandoca-Manzanillo wild life Refuge

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica

3 to 4 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Immerse yourself in nature on the Caribbean coast with a hike in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge—and leave the logistics to someone else. Join a small-group to trek along a mountain path in a tropical rainforest, spotting wildlife like monkeys, birds, reptiles, and sloths along the way. Explore the pristine parts of Costa Rica’s natural paradise on this off-the-beaten path adventure.

See a biodiverse array of flora and fauna on the Caribbean Coast
Ideal for nature lovers who love to get off the beaten path
Meet likeminded travelers on a small-group tour
Go beyond the guidebook with facts and insights from your guide

What's Included

Snacks

A fruit is include.
A pair of Binoculars

Alcoholic Beverages

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

They clients have to add the hotel name, for the pick up.

Meeting point

J8MR+4P Manzanillo
J8MR+4P5 Limón Province, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Arranged start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

07/25/2022 - 08/29/2027
Monday : 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Tuesday : 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Wednesday : 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Thursday : 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Friday : 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Sunday : 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Itinerary

Gandoca - Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Ellis_M

This tour was an excellent, off the track, educational hike where we had the opportunity to see tons of animals including sloths, snakes, toucans, monkeys, woodpeckers and so much more! Braulio was so friendly and really knowledgeable about the local area and all the wildlife. I’d highly recommend this tour anyone that’s in the area!

Reviews

4.9

based on 36 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

Day Hike with Braulio

Sandra_H, Mar 2026

We had a fantastic tour of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife refuge with Braulio! He went above and beyond to locate animals in the refuge that we would never have found on our own. Among the animals we saw were two-toed sloths, yellow-throated toucans, tarantulas and other spiders, strawberry poison frogs, land crabs, hummingbirds and butterflies. Braulio even took us off the main path to find a troop of howler monkeys and a yellow eyelash viper. I would highly recommend this hike and Braulio as your guide!

Nice Backwoods Hike through Gandaco-Manzanillo Refuge

Joseph_K, Feb 2026

Had a nice hike with Braulio in the Gandaco-Manzanillo refuge. He was very knowledgeable of the area and did a great job taking us quietly off the beaten path through the refuge, spotting lots of birds and animals.

Brauillo gives a great tour of the refuge

Darryn_S, Oct 2025

Brauillo was a wonderful guide and we were able to see all sorts of different flora and fauna. He even took close up pictures of animals and sent them to us. There are dozens of small paths in the jungle, and it was imperative to have a guide. Brauillo grew up in the area and knows it well. We felt very safe with him. I would highly recommend this tour and this guide. A great introduction to Costa Rica!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that Braulio made your tour safe, enjoyable, and full of amazing wildlife experiences. It’s wonderful that you appreciated his knowledge of the area and the personal touches, like sharing close-up photos. We’re so glad you had a great introduction to Costa Rica and appreciate your recommendation

Fully recommended

Julia_S, Oct 2025

We had a great hike through Manzanillo with Braulio! He is a very knowledgable guide, who knows everything about the wildlife of the refuge. We could not recommend the experience more!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

“Thank you so much for your review! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your hike through Manzanillo and appreciated Braulio’s knowledge of the wildlife. It means a lot that you highly recommend the experience!”

Amazing off the track hike!

Ellis_M, May 2025

Response from Host, May 2025

Hello Thank you for your visit, always will be a pleasure to help. The Caribbean area will be waiting for you, hopefully you can come to joining it again. Thank you

A brilliant guided tour.

David_R, Feb 2025

Our guide Braulio V was brilliant. Really informative about the wildlife and plants. Where good shoes as could be muddy. You’re deep in the rainforest. Trainers were good. Definitely worth it. We saw sloths, monkeys, lots of birds etc.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Hello Thanks to joined the adventure, nature is amazing and great full with us that let us hike around and enjoy if it beauty's, thank you for being here and visit the refuge. Pura vida

100% recommend

Carole_T, Feb 2025

We had an awesome time, Braulio, our guide was so kind, knowledgeable and available. We saw loads of animals we would not have seen without our guide. Braulio also uses a lens connected to a screen to show us the animal from closeby and to take great close-up pictures that he then sends to us. The tour was bilingual in English and Spanish so that our group of 4 could all understand. Braulio also speaks some French. Definitely recommend, and looking forward to coming back and maybe visiting Gandoca (the other side of the reserve) which looks amazing

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Hello Thank you for joining the hike in Manzanillo, it was a pleasure to guide you in the refuge, welcome any time. Thank you

Amazing hike

Steven_v, Apr 2024

Absolutely amazing, wonderfull guide ( Braulio). Didn't stay on the paths, braulio creates his own. Finally a hike that was absolutely wurth it with a nice pick-up service. Highly recommend this tour. Pura Vida

Response from Host, Jul 2024

Hello Thank you for being with us, it is always lovely to hear good things from you, we do what is possible to do, for your enjoying and experience here, thanks to come to visit the caribe of CR. Thank you

A great walk in the tropical jungle

Corinne_S, Dec 2023

The knowledge of our guide was great. We saw so many good camouflaged animals. We heard many information about different plants for poisonous or medical uses 😊.