San Jose Combo Tour: Horseback Riding and Sarapiquí River Boat Ride
San Jose, Costa Rica
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 9 hours
Explore the rainforests of Costa Rica’s Sarapiquí region at a leisurely pace on this full-day guided combo tour. Departing from San Jose, your scenic route takes you through the lush Braulio Carrillo National Park. Hop into a boat in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí and meander down a river, with crocs, sloths and herons dotting the shoreline. Take a horseback ride into the jungle and listen for monkeys and tanagers. This pleasant outing includes a delicious Costa Rican lunch and hotel transport.
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Explore the rainforests of Costa Rica’s Sarapiquí region at a leisurely pace on this full-day guided combo tour. Departing from San Jose, your scenic route takes you through the lush Braulio Carrillo National Park. Hop into a boat in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí and meander down a river, with crocs, sloths and herons dotting the shoreline. Take a horseback ride into the jungle and listen for monkeys and tanagers. This pleasant outing includes a delicious Costa Rican lunch and hotel transport.
Enjoy midmorning hotel pickup in San Jose and travel north with your guide for about two hours by comfortable minivan, passing coffee plantations and farmlands along the way. Your route takes you through Braulio Carrillo National Park, a pristine wonderland of waterfalls, volcanoes and dense rainforest.
Arrive at Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí (known by locals as simply ‘Puerto Viejo’), located in northeastern Costa Rica at the junction of the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiquí rivers. Board a boat and cruise down the Sarapiquí River, which runs from the Central Mountain Range north of San Jose to the San Marcos River.
During the 1.5-hour boat ride, admire the tropical rainforest lowlands and catch sight of crocodiles and toucans as well as sloths and monkeys. Learn about the local plant and animal life you see along the way.
Next, head to Madero Negro, a private reserve in the Sarapiquí region, for an easygoing, 1-hour guided horseback ride through rainforest jungle. Keep watch for the furtive movements of monkeys and iguanas in the lush vegetation. Delight in sighting an array of birds, including herons and tanagers.
Back at the reserve, dig into a hearty Costa Rican lunch and then stroll through a butterfly garden and sanctuary of frogs and snakes. When it's time to leave, board your minivan that speeds you back to San Jose along the same scenic route.
Arrive at Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí (known by locals as simply ‘Puerto Viejo’), located in northeastern Costa Rica at the junction of the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiquí rivers. Board a boat and cruise down the Sarapiquí River, which runs from the Central Mountain Range north of San Jose to the San Marcos River.
During the 1.5-hour boat ride, admire the tropical rainforest lowlands and catch sight of crocodiles and toucans as well as sloths and monkeys. Learn about the local plant and animal life you see along the way.
Next, head to Madero Negro, a private reserve in the Sarapiquí region, for an easygoing, 1-hour guided horseback ride through rainforest jungle. Keep watch for the furtive movements of monkeys and iguanas in the lush vegetation. Delight in sighting an array of birds, including herons and tanagers.
Back at the reserve, dig into a hearty Costa Rican lunch and then stroll through a butterfly garden and sanctuary of frogs and snakes. When it's time to leave, board your minivan that speeds you back to San Jose along the same scenic route.
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