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Caño Negro Wildlife Tour: Costa Rica's Best Bird Watching and Exotic Animal Spotting
4.7
58 Ratings
Cano Negro
The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is renowned as one of the premier bird observation locations in the continent. Besides a plethora of avian species, Caño Negro also houses a variety of fascinating wildlife such as sloths, three monkey species, caimans, lizards, bats, and a diversity of wetland-native flora.
The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is renowned as one of the premier bird observation locations in the continent. Besides a plethora of avian species, Caño Negro also houses a variety of fascinating wildlife such as sloths, three monkey species, caimans, lizards, bats, and a diversity of wetland-native flora.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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Caño Negro - The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is renowned as one of the premier bird-watching locations on the continent. Besides the rich variety of birds, Caño Negro is also inhabited by fascinating creatures such as sloths, three species of monkeys, caimans, lizards, bats, and a diverse range of wetland flora.
The tour to this stunning area…
- Caño Negro - The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is renowned as one of the premier bird-watching locations on the continent. Besides the rich variety of birds, Caño Negro is also inhabited by fascinating creatures such as sloths, three species of monkeys, caimans, lizards, bats, and a diverse range of wetland flora.
The tour to this stunning area departs from La Fortuna, taking approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach Los Chiles, a charming village located just three kilometers from the Nicaraguan border. From there, the journey continues with a boat ride into the wetlands. Along the way, numerous bird and animal species can be observed. Around midday, there is a stop along the river for a traditional Costa Rican lunch before returning to Los Chiles to catch the bus back to La Fortuna.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Bottled water
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Bottled water
- Lunch
Additional Information
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Location
Cano Negro
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(58 Ratings)
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Noemiec428
Aug 12, 2025
Great I recommend - Great to see wildlife, super nice guide and very good restaurant meal.
Very little tourist, 2h boat tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
159myrak
Apr 25, 2025
Amazing experience - Fantastic trip, had the boat to ourselves! Our guide, Ronald, was incredibly knowledgeable and professional. The lunch was so delicious, would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heidengoseek
Feb 21, 2025
Unforgettable experience - Ronald was an extremely knowledgeable guide. He knew every bird we saw and could spot animals so easily. He was also very friendly! He took pictures of the animals we saw and immediately shared them with us. Abasalom was right at home driving the boat, making us feel safe. The lunch at Tia Wendy’s was an unforgettable real Costa Rican meal. We loved it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal42506266458
Jan 5, 2025
Amazing wildlife - This tour took longer to travel to but was well worth it and the highlight of our trip. We saw all 3 types of monkeys and iguana and many birds in the wild and they served us a nice lunch. It was a huge and safe and comfy boat with a roof in case of rain.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angelasenne00
Aug 10, 2024
River tour - Our family went on a nature expedition on the Cano Blanco. We started with a traditional Costa Rican meal made by the local family.
On the river we howler monkeys, spider monkeys, an alligator, iguanas, Jesus Christ Lizards, and many native birds
This was a relaxing tour down the river with lots of information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Claire
Jun 24, 2024
Great wildlife filled tour with a great guide! - We saw masses! The guide Roy and the boat driver Max did an excellent job finding wildlife from white faced capuchin, amazing kingfishers and iguanas to a Great Potoo, purple gallinule and a tree porcupine. Lots of information and great atmosphere set by Roy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ very nice lunch too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Royca2968ab
May 17, 2024
An unforgettable experience. - The experience was enriched by the guide Melany, whose detailed conversation ranged from agriculture and livestock to the history and culture of the country, always promoting ecological and naturalistic themes, and by the driver Manrique, who provided comfortable, air-conditioned transportation. The excursion included a warm stop for lunch in a local environment surrounded by birds and trees, where a couple of yigüirros were observed building their nest and turkeys walking around the restaurant. During the boat tour, a wide variety of animals could be observed and photographed, including several types of herons, alligators, kingfishers, turtles, iguanas, basilisks, bats, butterflies and three types of monkeys: white face, howler and spider. Various birds were also sighted, some migratory, with Melany providing details on the species and answering all questions. In addition, they gave us water and some delicious banana chips, and the boat captain made strategic stops to fully enjoy the rich fauna and flora of the place. I recommend 100% traveling with Jacamar.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adam
Apr 19, 2024
Well... - You'll see plenty of wild life on this tour compared to other tourist ventures.
The boat ride is nice enough.
Lunch is underwhelming.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fatima
Apr 3, 2024
Monkeys Galore on Cano Negro - By far the most animal sightings we had in this trip! We got to see the country side. The boat captain just knew where to spot the monkey- we saw so many of them! The trip was a 2 hour drive close to Nicaragua border but definitely worth it! The time on the river was amazing! The lunch at the end was decent too but cherry on top was the random sloth sighting as we got closer back to Arenal!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I7065vxmarkr
Mar 24, 2024
Not as advertised. - This trip was totally misrepresented to us. Although this tour says it is a full day trip, our trip with Jacamar was billed as a half day trip. I would have never done it knowing it was a full day. Out of 8 hours, we were only on the river seeing wildlife for a little over an hour. It took 2.5 hours to get to the river from our hotel. The river tour itself was cool but not as spectacular as I had expected. We saw lots of monkeys and the crocodiles we saw could barely be seen. They didn't look like much more than logs floating on top of the river. From there, we traveled to a ranch where we had a traditional lunch. The food was good but not very plentiful after sitting in vans and a boat for well over 4 hours. They next stopped at a traditional pottery shop which was a total waste of time. Heading back to the hotel, they took us 45 minutes out of our way to drop off another group. I had expected to be back at our hotel around noon and spend the afternoon on the beach but we barely caught the sunset.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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