Sloth Sanctuary WildLife Hike
Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica
- 5 to 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take a break from Tamarindo’s beach scene for a trek through the rain forest to see wild two-toed sloths in their natural habitat and learn about these amazing animals. At the Portegolpe sloth sanctuary, you can walk among unspoiled jungle terrain with a guide who knows the best places to spot the gentle and adorable creatures in the trees.
- Observe wild sloths in nature at an animal sanctuary
- Learn about sloth habitats and life cycles from a naturalist guide
- Eco-friendly way to connect with Costa Rican wildlife
- Great for animal lovers and nature enthusiasts
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Brunch
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
The Gift Sloth
5 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
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
David_T
Wow! I talked to the tour operator the day before to see how hard the rain forest hike would be. He said very easy and it was. Then when our guide picked us up his boss told him to take us on a river cruise at the end and it was awesome! Sloths Crocodiles monkeys spectacular birds dart frogs Toucans snakes you name it we saw it! Lester and our driver Joel were informative and funny!
Reviews
4.0
based on 38 reviews
David_T, Mar 2026
Wow! I talked to the tour operator the day before to see how hard the rain forest hike would be. He said very easy and it was. Then when our guide picked us up his boss told him to take us on a river cruise at the end and it was awesome! Sloths Crocodiles monkeys spectacular birds dart frogs Toucans snakes you name it we saw it! Lester and our driver Joel were informative and funny!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Happy to hear that we always want customers to be happy
Jill_W, Apr 2025
The "sanctuary" was not a real sanctuary. The sloths can come and go on the property. The area was very small and the entire walk through didn't take an hour.
The tour and pick-up was expensive and very long.
The driver was kind and offered to drive to a waterfall.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Yes its a Sloth wildlife reserve and we did the tour for one hour plus we stop to the waterfall +lunch and also we waited 20 extra.
I am sorry you felt it was expensive best luck Leo
Kathy_S, Feb 2025
Never got the tour because they called and cancelled and said driver had an accident. If I had the choice to give 0 stars I would have.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
We let you know the day before you never answered
Jennifer_M, Oct 2024
Manfred was a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic nature guide. We saw multiple sloths including a very active baby sitting on its sleeping mother’s stomach. Incredible! We also saw a capuchin monkey way up in a tree, a coatimundi and poison dart frogs! It was everything we had hoped for.
Christine_T, Nov 2023
The description leads you to believe the sloths are 1.5 hours away from tamarindo and this is a 6 hour tour in total. That is wrong, the sloths are 3 hours drive each way and you are cramped in the back of a tiny car scrunched up in a little ball. The only good part was at the very end we got to see a sloth up close. All the other sloths are far away where you need binoculars to see them.
Jayne_D, Nov 2023
7 hours for a one hour walk thru what wasn’t even the entrance of the sloth sanctuary at Tenorio
I was told to wait outside hotel at 10:00. Then I got a call saying the driver got lost. The driver,who showed only spoke Spanish and was not in a Viator van, and, he had to stop for gas. Then he stops on the side of the highway, no explanation, we wait 10 minutes, a car pulls up and I’m told to get in that car with two French Canadian women who have been to a waterfall & had lunch. My 11:15 hike, which was a walk not a hike, ended up being at 1:30 (no stop for food) and I didn’t get back to the hotel until after 5pm. And, no explanation!
We did see some sloths, a snake and a couple of frogs but this tour was at a place called Spring Paradise Bijagua. The tour said it would be at the Sloth Sanctuary close by.
I’ve been on the other Viator tours and they have been great. I was extremely disappointed with this one.
David_O, Oct 2023
The Sloths were great. Our tour guide was fantastic. He pointed out so many things. We would recommend this tour.
Justin_M, Sep 2023
Edgar was our driver. Very friendly and his English was on point, very easy to communicate with. Leo was the facilitator and set up everything for us. The two tourist drivers were incredible and very easy going! The sloth tour guide was knowledgeable and took cool photos with our phones. We got to hangout with a baby sloth and take selfies with it as it was hugging a small tree. What a great experience!!!
Jessica_P, Jul 2023
This place is great, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Our guide was funny and considerate!
But we were staying in Tamarindo and it was almost a 3 hour drive to the sanctuary - which we did not know about, that was the only down side to all of it
Julia_H, Jul 2023
The tour in the national park itself and the local guide at the park were great. The organization was terrible. In the description the operator says it takes a 1,5h drive to get there. In fact it takes 2,5 to 3 hours drive per track. So you stay in the car for 5-6 hours (there and back) for a 1 hour guided tour in the park. Our driver couldn‘t speak a word in English and the operator didn’t properly react on our requests via WhatsApp and didn‘t pick up the phone, while we were driving.
Sanctuary was great but never again with this operator!
Janet_C, Jul 2023
An excellent tour of the sanctuary!!! The guide was out early in the morning locating sloth and other rare creatures so that when we arrived we were able to experience seeing these creatures in their natural habitat. This tour and the Jungle River Boat Ride are excellent for all ages.
Crystal_D, Jun 2023
I am very impressed with this experience. The drive was a bit long from where we were staying, but I am grateful that they even offered transportation for us knowing how long the drive would be. Everyone from the guides to the driver was so friendly and made sure we were accommodated. We saw several sloths, toucans, and howler monkeys. Highly recommend this experience.
Dana_G, Jun 2023
Tour guide moved pick up time 4 different times and then was an hour late. Changed drivers halfway to location which seemed extremely odd. Tour guide didn’t have funds to pay for group lunch that was included and we had to wait nearly an extra hour for driver to go get money.
Sanctuary is more like someone’s private lands. Saw a few birds, frogs - and finally at the end they produced a baby sloth “in the wild”. What was supposed to be a 4-5 hour tour turned into nearly 12 hours from pick up to drop off. Oh! And did I mention, we had to make a stop to drop the tour guide off at her home before we could be taken back to ours???
Jennifer_S, Sep 2021
Very unique experience. Explored the sanctuary and lucky enough to spot 2 sloths and howler monkeys too. Really enjoyed the excursion!
Mandi_S, Aug 2021
Great time seeing sloths in their territory. Walked through the rainforest and got to see some sloths and even a monkey.
Stephen_L, Aug 2021
Got to see the sloths up close. Guide was great! He was knowledgeable about the various trees and wildlife. Highly recommend.
Rahul_S, Jul 2021
If you are looking to see sloths decently close up, this is the place for you!! This is also the only place to see sloths on the Northwest coast of CR without driving 2.5 hrs. This place was about 20 minutes from the W where we stayed.
Leo, the owner, even climbed a tree with my husband's cell phone to get us an amazing picture!! Now that's what I call service. Also, the trails are lined in white rocks so our shoes stayed perfectly clean even though we visited in July (rainy season). Leo led us on our hike and told us tons of info about sloths, the jungle, the foliage, different habits of native animals, ect. This hike is not strenuous but it is hot & humid so keep that in mind.
There was also a sloth who had her baby clinging to her. It was an amazing experience and this is the activity you want to book. NOT THE ONES YOU HAVE TO DRIVE 2.5 hrs to! A girl at our hotel did one of those and said the sloths were so far away, they had to look through binoculars to even see them. Book this trip! You don't regret it! Thank you Leo!!
Courtney_S, May 2021
Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable! We loved to hear about what he is doing to help protect wildlife in Costa Rica. The sloths were up high and a little hard to see but I am happy he is allowing us to see them in their natural habitat rather than in close encounters as this is what’s best for the animals. You can tell he is passionate about his job. Would love to go again!
From $110.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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