Nature Wildlife Safari Float Tour from La Fortuna-Arenal

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

4 hours

Mobile ticket

Fun for the whole family is in store on this mellow 4-hour float trip down the Peñas Blancas River. This serene natural setting offers guests an opportunity to see tropical wildlife including mammals, reptiles, and colorful birds while enjoying a relaxing float downstream. Your guide does all the paddling on this 4-hour soft adventure. Lunch and hotel pickup and drop-off at La Fortuna hotels are included.

Additional Info

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Minimum age 3 and children must be accompanied by an adult

Tour may be conducted by a multilingual guide

Weather dependent. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is flooding or other government river closure. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund

The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions

Participants will get wet, please wear shoes that will stay on feet. No heels.

Not responsible for items lost or damaged on river, please do not take anything on the river that you are not willing to lose

Not responsible for items left on bus, please check carefully before getting off bus

This tour requires a 2 person minimum to book

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Souvenir photos (available to purchase)

Driver and professional guide

Snacks

Air-conditioned vehicle

Use of life jacket

Beverages

Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)

Alcoholic drinks

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Your safari float trip begins with a pickup at your hotel in the La Fortuna-Arenal area. The bus may make stops at other hotels to pick up other trip participants. At the put-in point, you'll board a stable raft that provides your means to explore this gentle river. You’ll drift quietly for an hour and a half or so as your guide points out wildlife, identifies birds, and tells you about the verdant foliage of the rain forest. Keep your binoculars at the ready for the best viewing prospects. This gentle trip is one of Costa Rica’s few river outings that is suitable for small children. Life jackets are provided for all guests, but the likelihood of needing them is very minimal. All guests are advised to apply sunscreen and insect repellent, however. Small children and those prone to sunburn should wear a brimmed hat and lightweight long-sleeved shirt for added protection from sun exposure. Enjoy a tropical fruit snack and cold drinks during a break midway through the trip, as you step ashore onto the riverbank. Lunch is included at the conclusion of your float trip. After lunch, a bus transfer is provided back to your hotel.

Options

NATURE WILDLIFE FLOAT TOUR

Nature Wildlife Safari FloatI --Penas Blancas. Min Age 3. Family fun. Natural setting and chance to see animals, reptiles and birds! Transportation included from hotels in immediate La Fortuna area.

Reviews

5.00

10 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

A perfect way to spend a morning
Inspire50367547313,
May 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We thoroughly enjoyed our morning float from La Fortuna along the Penas Blancas. Relaxing, peaceful and a great way to enjoy the wildlife from a different angle. Guide Moises and driver Hugo were friendly, knowledgeable and professional. At the end, the fruit and cakes at the little café were delicious and we spotted beautiful birds close by right from our table. Thank you for a great experience.
Relaxing river “float” - lovely experience.
lynnelovestrav,
Feb 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We booked a safari float and had a really excellent time. It was so relaxing floating down the river and seeing the forest from a different angle. Moises our guide was friendly and helpful and great at pointing out wildlife inc monkeys, birds and even a crocodile. We were picked up promptly from our hotel. At the end of the tour we finished at a lovely cafe with a drink and some delicious snacks. Recommended.
Fun on the River
Dennis D,
Dec 30, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Moises and Carlos were excellent guides. They were able to find sloths, white- faced Caspian monkeys, Howler monkeys, alligators, and many species of birds. They were very knowledgeable of the history of the area, and were lots of fun. Highly recommend this tour!
River float 👍👍
Brian L,
Dec 22, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Not surprised to see the 5-star reviews. This was lovely. Diego was a wonderful guide. We saw monkeys, 30+ bird species, and a tayra.
Fabulous experience
Paula S,
Aug 15, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00
Carlos, our guide was amazing. We had a group of 5 ranging in age from 30 to 83. The river was moving fast due to recent rains. We saw Sloth, a group of at least 20 howler monkeys, ring kingfisher, a couple different types of heron, Jesus lizards, many other birds. Carlos got in the water to hold the raft still so we could get good views of the wildlife. The float was a little fast but not white water, it's usually slower. We had a nice snack at the end at a small Cafe with beautiful gardens & were served fruit drinks, plantain, cheese, and a baked dessert. Carlos made sure my mother was safely able to get in and out of the raft. They use larger rafts than others we saw go by and ours seemed more stable. There are 8 to 12 concrete steps to get down to the water, it can be a little muddy at the bottom. Bring binoculars, dry bag and keep hold of your cell phone or bring a holder for it around your neck. The outer rim on the floor of the raft holds water. Don't want to drop thing in the raft as it slides right into that wet area. Dry bag is helpful &,water shoes. Did not notice any bugs or mosquitoes. Carlos was very knowledgeable about all the wildlife, the river, etc. Great job!!
Excellent guide
Jennifer B,
Sep 14, 2022
- Review from Viator
5.00
The river float tour was very enjoyable, we saw many animals including an otter, howler monkeys, caiman and birds. Our guide Josue was really knowledgeable and friendly.
Highly recommend!
ephjsh,
Jun 6, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
What an amazing tour from start to finish!! Everything the guides told us we would se we did! We saw beautiful country and wildlife. We saw howler monkeys, white face monkeys, toucan, turtle, striker fish and owls. Guides were amazing. Highly recommend Enzo, Sevie and the driver Eduardo. We learned so much about Costa Rica and they also gave great recommendations for restaurants and other activities. We had ages from 87 to 17. Everyone enjoyed it. I would recommend going first tour of day to see more wildlife. We ended visiting with a local family and it was wonderful!
Safari Float
Stephen W,
Feb 28, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Have been on excellent tour today. Pickled up this morning by Jose our guide. Really funny and friendly guy. Cruised down the river at a gentle pace with another couple, saw howler monkeys, sloth, white faced capuchin, kingfisher, caracara, herons, toucan, bats and many other birds. Really safe, staff were very helpful, a good way to see wildlife, took plenty of pictures
Relaxed nature float
kickenandbrian,
Feb 13, 2020
- Review from Viator
5.00
This has been one of our favorite excursions so far in CR. A nice relaxed pace with a very knowledgeable guide made for a great float. A sloth, 2 species of monkey, lots of birds, a Jesus Christ lizard, just to name some of what we saw. We would definitely recommend this for anyone wanting to slow down and enjoy nature instead of zipping through it..
Fantastic river trip
alisonmZ8799GX,
Feb 2, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Well worth doing as viewing nature from the water offers so much. Saw sloth, tree anteater, howler monkeys and kingfishers, herons, toucans and so much more. The raft was such fun - paddling done by our guide & 2 others on the raft. Hugely enjoyable & excellent guide.