The Night Tour with Tracie The Bug Lady and Gianfranco Gomez
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Drake Bay, Costa Rica
+8
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Explore the jungle at night, when the temperatures drop and nocturnal wildlife comes alive. Your guide team is a biologist “Bug Lady” and an animal “spotter extraordinaire” armed with spotting scopes and echo bat detectors. Search for unique animals and insects while learning about their history and lore: learn to harvest silk from giant spiders, how toxic toads were used in mind-control studies, and why the US military enlisted cockroaches in the Vietnam War.
- A nocturnal jungle tour in search of animals and insects
- Travel with a biologist “Bug Lady” and “spotter” assistant
- Guide team is armed with a spotting scope and bat detector
- Discover lore about giant spiders, toxic toads, roaches, and more
What's Included
- Professional Guides equipped with Swarovski Spotting Scope with iPad attachment for group viewing
- Guides equipped with Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro Bat Detector
- The tour is not offered from any accommodations in Ganadito, Caletas, San Josecito or Rincón.
- DO NOT book if you are not staying in Agujitas, within 20-minutes walking distance of Jinetes de Osa
- The meeting point is NOT accessible by car and there is NO SECURE PARKING
- Private transportationTransfers are not available, so you must be staying within walking distance of the tour.
- Guests must wear tennis or hiking shoes to participate.
- Boots are not provided
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Hotel Jinetes De Osa250 meters sureste del Rio Agujitas, Provincia de Puntarenas, Agujitas (Drake), 60503, Costa Rica
In front of the restaurant of Jinetes de Osa Inn at 7:25 pm. Please do not book unless you are staying in Agujitas within 20-minutes walking distance of Jinetes de Osa Inn, even if you will have a car. The meeting point is not accessible by car and there is no secure parking. Contact us for details
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.7:25 pm
Itinerary
1
Drake Trail
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Are Children under 4 allowed to participate? No
- Must have a minimum of 2 guests to confirm tour
- Not recommended for travelers with knee problems, balance issues, vision impairment, or poor hiking skills.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Matt_G
This was a brilliant tour! Gianfranco was incredibly informative and great at spotting wildlife. He was happy to answer all of our questions about everything we’d seen. We were lucky to see two kinkajous as well as a family of crab-eating raccoons, a scorpion and lots of interesting spiders. Do not miss this tour if you are in Drake Bay!
Reviews
5.0
based on 447 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Helen_T, Aug 2026
One of our most favorite activities of our trip! We will absolutely be returning to do the tour again and can’t recommend going enough to others! Saw so many cool things we would’ve not otherwise noticed, including on of the coolest caterpillars I’ve ever seen, many coolest creatures I’ve ever seen (a caterpillar that transforms to look like a snake). We truly loved this experience. It was clear Gianfranco was so passionate about the wildlife in osa which really added to the experience!
Joep_d, Aug 2026
The guide was very friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly extremely passionate about wildlife. However, for us personally, he spent a bit too much time talking about the animals rather than actually walking around and looking for them.
Because of his enthusiasm, we spent quite a lot of time listening to stories about his experiences with wildlife, his work with animals, and how he had been involved with BBC productions. While these stories were interesting and showed just how experienced and knowledgeable he is, this wasn’t really what we came for.
We would have preferred to spend more time walking and actively searching for wildlife, as seeing as many animals as possible was our main reason for booking the tour.
Overall, he was a very enthusiastic and capable guide, but the balance between talking and actively exploring could have been better for us.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re very happy to hear that you found Gianfranco friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about wildlife.
We would, however, like to clarify one point. Gianfranco’s discussions during the tour focus on the animals encountered—their natural history, behavior, ecology, and conservation—rather than on himself.
Of the 26 different species Gianfranco pointed out and discussed during your tour, there were just two occasions when he mentioned his involvement with film projects, and in both cases it was directly relevant to the creatures he was showing the group during the tour.
The first was when he pointed out Hemeroplanes, one of the rarest caterpillars one could hope to see in the American tropics. Gianfranco mentioned our collaboration on an IMAX production featuring this remarkable creature not to draw attention to himself, but to give the group some perspective on the significance of what they were seeing and to highlight the great lengths the production company went to in order to include the caterpillar in the movie. Anyone else might have simply passed the caterpillar by – completely unaware of its significance. It is always a privilege to find Hemeroplanes. Gianfranco was thrilled not only give you the opportunity to see it – but to share all the fascinating details.
Gianfranco also mentioned his work with the BBC while showing the group one of the most extraordinary spiders in Drake Bay – a trapdoor spider. His very brief mention of the BBC was simply to offer you a link to the show, should you be interested in seeing the spider’s remarkable hunting technique. This was at most a 15 second reference out of a 2.5-hour tour.
The Night Tour has always been designed as an educational natural-history experience, rather than a walk whose primary objective is to accumulate the greatest possible number of sightings or beautiful photographs. We want to inspire, educate, and kindle a greater appreciation for nature. We do make this distinction clear on our website. When we encounter something interesting, we intentionally take the time to observe it and explain what makes it so special.
We completely understand that some guests would prefer to spend more time walking and searching, and for that, one could really join any night tour available in Costa Rica. For most of our guests, however, the interpretation and natural-history component provided on The Night Tour is precisely what makes the experience so unique. Andrea F., who participated on the same tour and also left a review in Italian, described The Night Tour as “the best experience of our trip to Costa Rica.”
We certainly appreciate your feedback. We’re very grateful that you chose to spend the evening with The Night Tour and feel incredibly fortunate for the opportunity to share some of our extraordinary wildlife.
Saori_N, Jun 2026
What a fantastic time with Gianfranco!!!
Communication by Tracie was great, very transparent as to what we need for the experience.
They are true experts on Costa Rican wildlife and demonstrated their passion through sharing their knowledge.
Tracie had also emailed us a list of everything we saw on the guide and sent us link with more information as well.
If you have a chance to do this experience with Tracie and/or Gianfranco, DO IT!!!
C_S, Mar 2026
This is a great way to spend an evening in Drake Bay. Communication with Tracie beforehand was excellent so we were fully prepared with what to expect, where to meet and what clothing to bring, but then we were informed that due to a knee injury Tracie wouldn't be able to lead the tour. However we needn't have worried as her partner Gianfranco is an established expert who proved to be an enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable guide.
The tour lasted almost three hours at a relaxed pace over footpaths including some climbs and descents, with the time flying by as Gianfranco found for us and gave interesting information about a wide range of wildlife, from skunks and a sloth to frogs, toads, bats, scorpions, spiders and much more. The day after the tour we even received a detailed list of the species we'd seen together with additional interesting information about them.
This tour is slightly more expensive than some others but the level of service and expertise we experienced, together with numbers being limited to a small group, made the small extra cost very worthwhile. If you're staying in Drake Bay and have any interest in nature and wildlife we'd highly recommend joining this excellent tour.
Matt_G, Feb 2026
This was a brilliant tour! Gianfranco was incredibly informative and great at spotting wildlife. He was happy to answer all of our questions about everything we’d seen. We were lucky to see two kinkajous as well as a family of crab-eating raccoons, a scorpion and lots of interesting spiders. Do not miss this tour if you are in Drake Bay!
David_K, Feb 2026
We had a great night walk in the Jungle in Drake Bay with Gianfranco. He was extraordinarily knowledgeable about the many animals we saw: spiders, frogs, toads, sleeping birds, sleeping butterflies, a snake, bats and a four eyed opossum. Also,Tracie’s communication prior to our tour was outstanding. If you are going to do a night wildlife walk in Drake Bay I highly recommend “The Bug Lady”
Gregory_S, Jul 2025
Absolute must-do experience in Drake Bay. Tracie and her husband are an amazing and incredibly knowledgeable team. And they pack an enormous amount of information into every two hour tour. While Tracie shows the group one insect/animal, her husband is already locating the next, such that there is never any “down time.” It’s a 2.5 hour non-stop NATGeo/BBC documentary. 5 Stars!
Race_C, Jul 2025
Tracie and her husband John helped lead this tour together. These guys are the real deal! They have lived in Drake Bay for several decades; they are real experts; and they have even helped the BBC film several nature productions in the area!
They are such a great team and work together to get you nonstop wildlife spotting.
I felt so privileged to get to tour with them. You will probably not find a more expert tour guide during your vacation!
Liviu_D, Mar 2025
We booked the night tour for the day we arrived in Drake Bay and it was the perfect introduction to the forest. Groups are reasonably small (8 people, max) meaning that everyone has the opportunity to see everything and ask questions. Tracie and Gianfranco’s enthusiasm about creatures great and small is contagious – we learned a great deal and have a greater appreciation of the role insects and arachnids play in the forest. Their knowledge is vast, and they are eager to share it.
Austin_H, Nov 2024
Tracie and her partner lead an excellent night tour along the Drake Bay trail. I spent a lot of time on the trail during my stay and never saw any of the things they were able to spot during the tour. They have amazing spotting skills and were very knowledgeable about the bugs and mammals local to the area. We saw numerous spiders, frogs, possums, snakes, and many others.
Georgette_W, Jul 2024
What an awesome night! We enjoyed our evening walk and saw a lot of frogs and toads as well as a few small mammals and cool bugs. The guides were very knowledgeable.
Larissa_T, Mar 2024
We had so much fun, we saw snakes, spiders (and learned how to spot spiders in the darkness) and scorpions! Highly recommended.
Colleen_F, Feb 2024
I’m not a fan of creepy crawly things but this tour was absolutely incredible! Our guides were so knowledgeable and pointed out so many different creatures. This tour was a highlight of our trip for sure. A very cool experience.
Katherine_I, Feb 2024
Tracie and John provided a such a great experience. Without them we wouldn't have seen anything - and we saw lots! Their knowledge and expertise is passed on in a very engaging way and we learned lots not only about bugs but also nocturnal mammals. Safety is a high priority and we felt very well looked after. They also keep a note of what you see and offer to send a link with photos taken through their telescopic lens, creating a great memory. Highly recommended tour.
Daniel_G, Apr 2024
Les accompagnateurs donnaient beaucoup d'explication sur la faune nocturne. La sécurité du groupe était une de le préoccupation permanente.
Cette visite était intéressante et instructive. Je recommande.
Melanie_R, Apr 2024
Er werd te lang stil gestaan bij een dier dat gespot werd, er werd heel veel informatie verteld. Hierdoor weinig dieren kunnen zien. We hebben slechts 1 km afgelegd in 3 uur tijd. Alleen aan te raden als je van veel informatievoorziening houdt.
From $55.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
The Night Tour with Tracie The Bug Lady and Gianfranco Gomez
447
3 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$55.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Water Tours
- Half-day Tours
- Extreme Sports
- Cruises & Sailing
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Outdoor Activities
- Private and Luxury
- Drake Bay
- Water Tours - Puerto Jiménez
- Extreme Sports - Puerto Jiménez
- Water Tours - Quepos
- Half-day Tours - Quepos
- Extreme Sports - Quepos
- Half-day Tours - Boquete
- Extreme Sports - Boquete
Attractions in Drake Bay, Costa Rica
More attractions near Drake Bay, Costa Rica