Semi Private La Paz Waterfall Gardens & Safari in Sarapiqui River from San Jose

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

9 hours

Mobile ticket

Take a walk through an enchanting Costa Rican landscape alive with rescued jaguars, resplendent butterflies, exotic birds, and tropical cascades with a tour to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Travel from San Jose to this private nature reserve, designed to educate visitors and provide a sanctuary for rescued wildlife through a variety of gardens and exhibits. Also discover the beauties of the Sarapiqui River all in one day.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Specialized infant seats are available

Transportation options are wheelchair accessible

All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

Dress code is smart casual

Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Buffet lunch

Professional guide

National Park fees

Guaranteed to skip the long lines

Transport by air-conditioned minivan

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

La Paz Waterfall Gardens

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is the # 1 most visited private ecological attraction in Costa Rica that offers you the best trails near San Jose, the most famous waterfalls in Costa Rica, including the famous La Paz Waterfall, an animal sanctuary and private reserve of wildlife with more than 100 species of animals and environmental education programs. Five waterfalls, cloud forest and rain forest, trails, aviary with 40 species of birds, feeding toucans in the palm of the hand, titi monkeys, display of insects, butterfly farm with their laboratory, 2-toed sloths, capuchin monkeys or capuchins, spider monkeys, garden of hummingbirds with more than 26 documented species, feeding hummingbirds in the palm of the hand in the mornings and afternoons, serpentarium, jaguar, pumas, ocelots, tigrillos, cauceles, house of peace with area of domestic animals and cart with oxen. Frog, display of orchids, display of heliconias, bromeliads. All in once place

4 hours • Admission Included

Sarapiqui River

You will go to the Caribbean area to visit the famous Sarapiqui River that crosses a variety of environments: humid tropical forests, mountains, pastures and more. The river is popular with rafters, who come to ride their rapids, but it also has quieter sections that are perfect for safari-style floats. This tour is a relaxed boat trip to explore the vibrant river ecosystem. As your boat sails downstream, be attentive to wildlife in the water and on land. You may be able to see monkeys, iguanas, sloths, crocodiles, lizards, otters and a wide variety of bird species. Your guides will help you detect animals and explain the ecological importance of the surrounding area. This tour lasts two hours and takes place in a comfortable and modern boat. The boat has a special engine designed to minimize the impact on the environment.

2 hours • Admission Included

Options

Semi Private La Paz Waterfall Gardens & Safari in Sarapiqui River from San Jose

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

12 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Tour guide Ronnie was...
Stasha B,
Mar 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Tour guide Ronnie was amazing!! He is filled with much knowledge, happy to share, ask questions and be asked and allowed me an easy solo experience. Feeding the animals is not guaranteed if that was something in description that excited one to chose this over others. Otherwise worth every penny.
Awesome last day in Costa Rica!
Terry S,
Dec 25, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Oscar was our private guide. He was awesome & stopped at a couple of spots to see birds & waterfalls! After he learned Mark was a photographer, he catered to that. We thoroughly enjoyed whole day!
Private and flexible
Deepan S,
Aug 31, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Overall we had a great experience Given it was low season, it ended up becoming a private tour so we had our exclusive guide snd suv The guide was nice and knowledgable and he helped modify our tour to swap out the la paz garden with zipline seamlessly (we just paid the delta), which worked out better for us We still took pictures infront of the falls, we just skipped the animal rescue center as we got to see a lot of snimals in the natural habitat already 😊
Nature and Waterfall trail
susansR1474CX,
Mar 11, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Loved the trip. The scenery was amazing and the 7 waterfall were stunningly beautiful. The la paz waterfall park has unique displays of animals and a very nice eating pavilion. The trails are easy to follow through everchanging gardens but beware there are hundreds of steps up n down to navigate . Ricardo our driver and guide was the best guide for this adventure
Amazing Day with Destiny Travel!
susandH8424GI,
Dec 13, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We loved the Destiny Tours La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Sarapiqui River tour! La Paz is beyond beautiful with orchids, hummingbirds, frogs, toucans, scarlet macaws, parrots, coatis, sloths, ocelots, margays, and a jaguar. The gardens and waterfalls are exquisite. A wonderful buffet lunch was included. Our trip down the Sarapiqui River in a covered boat was so much fun! We saw two caimans, iguanas, Anhingas, swallows, butterflies, and five troops of Mantled Howler monkeys. Oscar and Armando, our Destiny guide and driver were so kind and taught us so much. We stopped at a lovely coffee finca to see the beans ripening, a sopa (local restaurant) in the mountains to take in spectacular waterfall and hummingbird views, we watched whitewater rafters, and sampled fresh pineapple at a farmstand. Oscar and Armando treated us like family and made our first day in Costa Rica amazing!
Highly recommend.
Lucy B R,
Jan 25, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It is very hard to .pick a favorite part of this excursion. We were picked up on time, offered a water bottle in the comfortable van, and set off with Christian driving and Ron guiding. We had a lovely boat ride and saw many howler monkeys and several sloths, including one with a baby. We also saw a baby porcupine sleeping in a tree! There were birds all around, and Ron was able to identify many of them. Afterwards we went to the falls and the nature preserve. Both were beautiful and the preserve is very well done. We had the buffet lunch there and it was varied and delicious. We walked down to each of the falls and then set off for home. At one point we pulled over to see some toucans in a tree. Much appreciated.
Fantastic Day Trip, covers so much
desireevsanchez,
Dec 31, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had the best time on this trip with Oscar! My sister and I are first time traveler's and he made the entire experience so comfortable, educational and fun. The views were spectacular and the combination of the river boat tour where we saw many monkeys and birds, the gorgeous waterfalls, and the grounds and exhibits at La Paz was just right. But the best part may have been the scenery on the way - he drives a circular route between the river and La Paz, so you can experience huge variations between the high mountain rainforest and lower Caribbean side farms and everything in between. Just beautiful. Even if you had only one day to spend in Costa Rica this would be a great way to see it.
Great Day with a great guide.
John C,
Sep 17, 2022
- Review from Viator
5.00
Philander, our guide for the day, was the absolute best. We were with him for a long day, and he made everything interesting and fun. He is informative, loves his country and it’s beauty, patient, and always pleasant. This ended up being a private tour for the two of us. The long drive back was slow because of rain and traffic, but Philander stayed upbeat and patient even through that.
Excellent Tour
Samuel b,
Jan 9, 2020
- Review from Viator
5.00
I highly recommend this tour.We were lucky enough to be alone on that day so it was only us and the tour guide Mauricio who was excellent, very knowledgeable and kind.The river safari is nice and pleasant and we did spot a lot of animals in their habitat.During the afternoon the La Paz Waterfall gardens is absolutely gorgeous and a must when in Costa Rica to discover it’s beautiful nature and wildlife.
Amazing and Intimate tour!
Lindsay J,
Dec 31, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This is a must do in Costa Rica! Our day started on a river cruise in which we saw: sloths, monkeys, birds, crocodiles and otters. Then we went to La Paz Waterfall and Gardens, in which our tour guide, Orturo, lead us through a different way to beat the crowds. Lunch was amazing and the animals at the sanctuary were cool! Our driver and tour guide were amazing and extremely informative! They truly made us feel like family! Pura Vida!