Spotlight Costa Rica – Caño Negro Tour by Boat or by Canoe

Canoa Aventura is a great tour operator that offers the most exciting water activities in Costa Rica, but today I’m going to focus on the Caño Negro tour in Arenal. There are two variations: a boat tour and a canoe tour. But which one to take? Well, that is something that you have to figure out on your own. What I can tell you is that they are both great.

The main difference between them is that on the boat tour, you sit on a boat and relax as your guide makes sure you see everything. The canoe tour gives you the opportunity to paddle your way down the river at your own rhythm with a guide that will show you everything there is to see.

Not only will you get the opportunity to see many different species of animals, but will also learn from the guides, who are very well trained, and from the looks on their faces, you can tell how much they enjoy sharing their knowledge with you. As you can see this tour is perfect for nature lovers.

So if you visit the Arenal area in your Costa Rican vacation I dare all of you to try this unforgettable trip, especially if you are a wildlife lover or an enthusiast photographer.

Contact me for great discounts and have the time of your life!

Here’s what people have to say about them and if you don’t believe them, I dare you to try it!

We booked two tours with Canoa while in La Fortuna–the Cano Negro River ride and the nature hike/volcano viewing/hot springs. In both cases, the guides were exceptionally friendly and entertaining, and all the vehicles and food provided were good quality.

The Cano Negro trip includes a drive almost to the Nicaraguan border, with wildlife and farm country viewing along the way (the driver stopped twice to buy fresh fruit for us by the side of the road). After having coffee at an attractive restaurant on the river bank (with a resident caiman), we boarded a small pontoon boat and set out looking for animals. This is definitely a relaxing nature- and photography-oriented trip, not an active adventure, but we saw plenty of birds and wildlife, including monkeys, bats, hawks, snakes , and turtles. Lunch at the restaurant was excellent, and we were back at our hotel by late afternoon.

And

The “real” portion of this tour is the fact that they actually visit the wildlife reserve and pay the fees to support it, rather than just running up the river like all the other tours.

We were in the low season and had the boat, guide and captain all to ourselves, so of course we got more attention.

The guides were exceptional – even making the long bus ride to the boat and back interesting.

We saw 3 types of monkeys, sloths, anteaters, bats, camen, birds, birds and more birds.

Our guide, Noela, was as enthusiastic and passionate about the wildlife as we were, turning an exceptional tour into a once in a life time experience.

The lunch provided was tasty, the stopovers, and boat were clean and well maintained.

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3. Spotlight Costa Rica – Sky Trek Canopy in Arenal and Monteverde
4. Photo Friday – How the Rangers and Volunteers Live in Cano Island
5. Costa Rica Daily Photo – Going on a Canopy Tour With My Family