Caño Negro Safari: Wildlife Boat Tour

Embark on a wildlife exploration and birdwatching adventure in Costa Rica’s unique Caño Negro. Discover diverse flora and fauna, including egrets, herons, monkeys, caimans, and more. Don’t forget to bring your own water bottle!

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge - Our tour starts in La Fortuna at 7:30 am. On the way to Caño Negro you will have the opportunity to learn about numerous agricultural plantations of Costa Rica such as yucca, papaya, pineapple, sugar cane and oranges.
    Then we will arrive at the “El Caiman” restaurant, where we will enjoy a welcome drink and snack,…
What's Included
  • Scenic wildlife boat ride on Río Frío
  • Round-trip hotel transportation
  • Professional driver/guide
  • Lunch and snacks included
  • Welcome drink
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
What's Not Included
  • Dinner
  • Gratuities
  • Bottled water
Additional Information

Discover the remarkable Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge on an exciting full-day boat safari departing from La Fortuna. Begin with a picturesque journey through Costa Rica’s countryside, followed by a welcome snack and drink before embarking on a comfortable boat ride along the serene Río Frío.
Guided by an expert, spot a diverse array of wildlife, including…

Location
Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(227 Ratings)
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Hayden_t
Feb 10, 2026
Cruising through nature - Although the bus ride is long, our guide, Jorge, kept us informed and entertained along the way. The bus itself was comfy and delivered us on time to the restaurant where snacks, coffee and bathroom breaks were provided. Then, two hours cruising the river to see caimans, numerous birds, iguanas, two species of monkeys and a sloth being slothful. A very relaxing way to view the diverse wildlife of Costa Rica. We finished with a very good buffet lunch which made the ride home comfortable and sleepy. We came away with great memories and some great photos.
Review provided by Viator
Stay06575205642
Feb 1, 2026
A great fun day! See the monkeys playing - We were picked up,at our hotel in La Fortuna. Our guide was informative on the drive to the Cano Negro and talked about bio diversity and the native fruits and plants and animals. When we arrived at the River, we had fruit and coffee to drink before boarding the pontoon like boat.. David showed us many types of birds and caimans and lizards. The highlight of the boat tour were the monkeys and we saw plenty!! Spider monkeys, howlers and white faced monkeys.. the boat ride itself was peaceful along the route.. loved this so much.. lunch afterwards was like typical tour fare. Not the greatest, but yummy nonetheless the less, especially the fish! Highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mackenzie_c
Jan 30, 2026
Excellent wildlife tour - This was the best tour we took during our trip to Costa Rica! Well organized and Jorge was an amazing tour guide! Bring sunscreen, bug spray, and binoculars if you want a closer look. The guide has a scope and will take great pictures of the wildlife. We saw so many different types of animals. The included lunch was a delicious traditional Costa Rican meal. Fruit and drinks are provided before the boarding the boat.
Review provided by Viator
Richard_p
Jan 30, 2026
Great wildlife... - Great wildlife experience, vast amount of birds, camen, lguanas, turtles and monkeys. Made extra special by our guide David who took pictures and videos and shared them with all the group.
Review provided by Viator
Michellecq1766hi
Jan 28, 2026
taking in the ecology - Everyone was really friendly and well-educated on the wildlife and ecology of the area. We loved the scenery all the way to the place as well as on the boat. Got to see monkeys, caimans, many birds, and more! The food was great as well. The only downside was that most of the other tour participants were not super friendly so it felt like we were in a bubble.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynseysyme
Jan 2, 2026
Highly recommend... - Our Tour Operator booked Canoa Aventura for us for 2 different transfers and a day trip excursion. Our first transfer from Guapilles to Boca Tapada was with Jefry and the second from Boca Tapada to La Fortuna was with Emmanuel - Both Jefry and Emmanuel were so lovely, fun to chat with, safe and careful drivers and more than punctual. Both are a credit to the company. Whilst staying in La Fortuna we had a day trip to Caño Negro which was very well organised and great value for money with transportation, boat trip, guides and lunch etc all included, and lunch was delicious and far more than I expected. Our guides David and Jorge were both well knowledgeable and informative plus also a big mentionid gratitude to the bis driver Carlos and boat captain Gustavo, who was quick to spot things as he was navigating the boat down Rio Frio. Would definitely recommend Canoa Aventura.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alijes48
Nov 30, 2025
Excellent Tour Company and Tour Guide (David Calderon) - New York, November 30, 2025 We just came back from a vacation in the wonderful rain forest of La Fortuna Costa Rica. We were picked up at our hotel Tabacon Resort and Spa by Canoa Aventura Tours for a tour of Caño Negro. Our guide was David Calderon; what a delight of guide, full of knowledge, very friendly and professional. He explained everything to us in a very simple and super enjoyable way, allowed us to take our time and enjoy every plant and animal we encountered, and helped us out taking photos. David made our tour lots of fun and very interesting. Canoa Aventura Tours should be proud to have such a good guide. If you are in La Fortuna, we highly recommend this tour company and David Calderon as your tour guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
1kateh
Nov 18, 2025
Great time- worth the visit - Had a great day here today with my family. Saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, some cayman, iguanas, and tons of birds including a Common Patoo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anja_k
Feb 23, 2026
Nice day trip - An interesting boat tour. Our guide had a lot of knowledge of the area and the animals and explained a lot. The bus ride from La Fortuna round trip takes about 3 hours . On the way out, our guide explained a lot and answered questions. Lunch was very good. You had many choices. Compared to other tours, it was a ferry price for the day trip with snacks and lunch.
Review provided by Viator
Kerig218
Dec 2, 2025
I saw so many monkeys - David our guide was very knowledgeable. You could tell that he really loves what he does. The bus ride to the river was long but there was air conditioning on the bus. The lunch was amazing. The boats were clean.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $96
up to 15 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).