Cruise the Tempisque River and enjoy a traditional Costa Rican lunch on a 2-hour riverboat cruise from Tamarindo that explores the nature, wildlife and lush forests near Palo Verde National Park. Watch for white-faced monkeys, iguanas and crocodiles along the water’s edge, and capture images of bright tropical birds in the jungle canopy. After the family-style lunch, return to Tamarindo through bristling plantations of sweet melons and sugarcane, and finish the 6-hour day day with transfer to your hotel or private residence.

Ideal choice for families
See native wildlife in their natural environment
All entrance fees included
Free hotel pickup and drop-off included
Lunch included
Vegetarian meal option available
Informative, friendly and professional guide
Perfect for all ages and skill level
Travel by boat and see the sights from the water

What's Included

National Park fees
Lunch
Local guide
Hotel/port pickup and drop-off

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:30 am

Pickup details

Departure Point: Tamarindo area hotels and vacation rentals Dates: Monday through Friday Return point: Returns to original departure point

What To Expect

Palo Verde National Park

Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Infant seats available
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 90 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

The ride from Tamarindo was definitely long but worth it.

Reviews

5.0

33 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 33 reviews

Food, fun and fantastic guide.

Dominique_W, May 2023

Our tour guide Eugene was amazing!!! The food was wonderful, the amount of animals we saw were amazing as well.

Response from Host, May 2023

So glad you enjoyed your day and the animals co-operated!

Perfect little tour!

Nicole_O, Apr 2023

A must do tour! Saw so many different species of birds, crocodiles and my favorite the white faced monkeys. The tour guides were wonderful but what really made the trip for us was Patricia Mendoza and her family in this little town of Ortega! They showed us how cashews are carefully cleaned and used for their dishes and the value in their diet, how they make homemade tortillas and prepared a delicious lunch for us

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Nicole, I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour. We have used Patricia's family for tours for 14 years now and they always are happy with their warmth and service. Come back soon!

Perfect day trip

Tammy_A, Feb 2023

Everything about this was amazing! The people the experience the food. Great for all ages. Very worth while and enjoyable.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks Tammy for your comments. Enjoy the rest of your time in Costa Rica.

Great way to see lots of animals and birds!

Vivek_T, Dec 2022

This is an excellent trip! Our guide Eugene, who stayed with us throughout the day, is the best!! He is very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna, and added a lot of details to what we were seeing, that we could not have got anywhere else. He and the boat captain knew where to stop and then they would get really close (within feet) of the animals for a close up look. We saw howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, egrets, herons, sandpipers, and more. The actual safari is about 2 hours long, and with pick up and drop off (from Guancaste) it was a 6 hour day. The lunch at a family home/restaurant was fantastic. This is an absolute must-do, especially if you get Eugene as your guide! :)

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Vivek, Thank you very much for the nice comments. I'm glad you had a great experience.

Palo Verde Riverboat cruise

Adventure08042196535, Nov 2019

Great trip.. Boat ride was fun and relaxing. Definitely worth doing. People were friendly and helpful. The ride from Tamarindo was definitely long but worth it.

Awesome

Pauline_V, Mar 2019

Edaurdo was an amazing guide and Capt. Felix was amazing. Saw more than we anticipated. Lunch-delicious!

From start to finish this tour was...

Jennifer_S, Sept 2017

From start to finish this tour was fantastic! The tour guide was a few minutes early for our pick up at our hotel, which I really appreciate. From the beginning of the trip Eugenio, our tour guide for the day, was very informative and knowledgeable about the areas we traveled through and about Costa Rica in general. The trip to Palo Verde National Park was a bit of a long drive, but it was great to see the beautiful countryside and learn about the culture, history, and agriculture of the area. We had a short stop before the riverboat trip for a bathroom break, coffee, juice, and snacks in the small town of Ortega. From there it was only a short trip to the river. Our boat captain, Felix, was welcoming and skilled at maneuvering the boat in the river - not easy with such a strong current that day, but we always felt safe with no worries! Both our tour guide Eugenio and captain Felix were very skilled at spotting all the wildlife along the rivers edge. We saw so many different types of birds - herons, egrets. storks, owls, even a nest with baby herons poking their heads out for us to see. We also were lucky enough to see 2 crocodiles! One came within a few feet of our boat. It was magnificent. Felt completely safe the whole time. We saw several monkeys, iguanas, and very colorful insects. The riverboat experience was overall amazing. The scenery was beautiful, the experience was unforgettable. After the riverboat tour we headed back to Ortega for an authentic Costa Rican meal. The restaurant hosts were gracious.This meal was delicious and plentiful - rice, beans, choice of fish, chicken or beef, fried plantains, salad, homemade corn tortillas, fried cheese, and ice cream for desert. It was a great tour and well worth the cost. As advertised, the whole tour took about 6 hours and we were dropped back off at our hotel. I'll never forget this trip! It was amazing.

Only so-so. While the expectation...

William B, July 2017

Only so-so. While the expectation was to see more of the monkey population, we ran the river for about 45 minutes and saw something in the distance. Our guide was good but due to the low monkey turnout he really didn't have much choice.

This tour was great! Our tour guide...

Christiana_T, July 2016

This tour was great! Our tour guide Eliel was awesome. He knew some much about about Costa Rica and you can tell he really loved his job and loved interacting with new people. We saw so many animals on our cruise including a school of playful monkeys and a baby crocodile. And just when we thought the tour couldn't get any better, we had lunch. The food was amazing. One of the best meals we had in Costa Rica. I would highly recommend this tour.

Absolutely recommended!! If...

Tim H, Apr 2016

Absolutely recommended!! If you wish to see the wildlife of Northern Costa Rica, this is the way. Gators,Iguanas,White faced monkeys,Howlers and many species of birds. Tim Hicks