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Palo Verde Boat Tours, Ortega

Name: Palo Verde Boat Tours, Ortega
Brand: Palo Verde Boat Tours
SKU: 112389P2
Price: 90.00 USD
Rating: 5.0 (271 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceGuanacaste and Northwest, Costa Rica

PALO VERDE BOAT TOURS ORTEGA A family run business

3 hours 10 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover Ortega and the National Reserve Cipanci on this guided boat tour along the Tempisque River. Home to a wide variety of birds including the Scarlet Macaws and the Jabiru (the largest storks in the world), the wildlife refuge is an important nesting site. Following the tour, enjoy a traditionally made lunch with local cultivated ingredients.

Experience this less touristy area of Costa Rica
Enjoy a homemade lunch, served family style
The park fee is not included in the tour price
Keep in mind, August to October is rainy season

Sample Menu

Main

Healthy meals

Local & organic products. Traditional meals: rice, beans, chicken, fresh vegetables & fruits, corn tortillas,etc. Vegan or vegetarian dish available

What's Included

Small group boat tour (Ask us for private rates)
Typical homemade meal (Family style)
Local guide (S/E)
Juice & coffee
Snacks
Bottled water

Park fee ticket $10 p/p (CASH ONLY).
Private transportation
Gratuities / Tips

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Palo Verde Boat Tours
50302 Provincia de Guanacaste Ortega, 75 mts south of the local catholic church, Provincia de Guanacaste, Ortega, 50302, Costa Rica
According to your location, drive directly to these cities (choose one). ENTRANCE #1) Drive to Filadelfia / Corralillos / Palo Verde boat tours, in Ortega village (only during summertime). ENTRANCE #2) Drive toward Santa Cruz to Palo Verde boat tours in Ortega village.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Operated by Palo Verde Boat Tours

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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Karen_M

This boat tour was one of our favorite parts of our trip to Costa Rica! On the tour along the river we got to see spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys (who were very active), crocodiles, and many species of birds! We were lucky to have gone at low tide when you get to see a lot of the crocodiles on the side in the mud. After the tour, we had a delightful homemade Costa Rican lunch. The food was so fresh and tasty! A pottery demonstration followed lunch. The guy who demonstrated is a 5th generation pottery maker, and it is all made by hand. Very interesting. We bought some of the beautiful pottery. The owners were so welcoming and friendly. I highly recommend this boat tour.

Reviews

5.0

271 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 271 reviews

Amazing local experience

Jessica_C, Apr 2024

While we initially signed up for this tour for the boat ride and wildlife, we found the highlight to be the traditional homemade lunch! It was insanely delicious. Everyone was incredibly nice, and we ended up also seeing some pretty cool animals. Definitely recommend for any age!

The guides were very...

Sandi_D, Mar 2024

The guides were very experienced and knowledgeable we learned a lot and the food after was amazing and the staff there were just lovely

The boat operators made sure we saw a bunch of wildlife

Demar_G, Mar 2024

We had a great time. The staff and boat operators were wonderful. The boat operators made sure we saw all of the wildlife they could find in the area. When they saw an animal, they would steer the boat to it, and get as close as they could. Wonderful trip.

Must do!!

NATHANJ_L, Mar 2024

Far surpassed our expectations, we did not expect to see so many animals so up close. The croc interactions were phenomenal, and definitely got our heart rates up. The guide was incredible, and the lunch was authentic and delicious. One of our favourite experiences during our amazing Costa Rica trip, we will remember this for the rest of our lives!

One of the Highlights of our Trip

Karen_M, Mar 2024

Hilites included...

Tony_B, Mar 2024

Hilites included - Monkeys playing - good local food - excellent guide Which all made for an enjoyable day out

Awesome tour

Debra_M, Feb 2024

This was a great tour from start to finish. The pottery demonstration was great, the guide and boat driver were very knowledgeable and the local lunch was delicious! Saw everything on our check list, birds, crocs, bats and monkeys! Highly recommend!!!

Highly recommended!

Lauren_M, Feb 2024

We had an absolutely wonderful time on this boat tour! If you’re looking for wildlife without the touristy trappings, I cannot recommend this enough. It was an easy drive (about an hour) from our home in Ocotal. The experience started with coffee and fresh juice after a warm greeting from our hosts. Then we watched a fascinating pottery demonstration. Following the demonstration, we headed down the the river for the boat tour. Our guides were friendly and knowledgeable and great at finding wildlife! We saw white faced and sleeping howler monkeys, tons of birds and A LOT of crocodiles! We even saw some sleeping bats and loads of iguanas. This is clearly the kind of tour you could do again and again and see something new each time. After the boat, we had an incredible lunch of traditional food and more delicious juice. The whole meal was topped off with dragonfruit and coconut ice cream. The one recommendation I would give is to do the earlier (9:00am) tour - if only to make sure you catch the howlers before naptime!

Just a Great Day on the river!

BarbaraAnn_B, Jan 2024

Everything about the morning was amazing! Both Francisco and Caesar were terrific guides and we saw so many beautiful birds we were very impressed! Then the lunch was just the best! Thanks for excellent tour!!

Fun tour & great value

Lynness_S, Dec 2023

Easy to find - we drove ourselves to Palo Verde Boat Tours from Coco Beach. Took the 9am tour and saw lots of animals (incl monkeys). Our guides Francisco and César were very knowledgeable and excellent at spotting wildlife. Boat tour lasted about 80 mins. Lunch included following tour was home-grown and delicious. Great value, plus we felt the total time beginning to end was perfect for us (about 1/2 day incl drive-time).

Happy customers!

Sherrill_S, Dec 2023

The guide , Francisco, was great at spotting wildlife hiding along the river banks, as was the boat captain. We saw a great variety of birds, crocodiles, and monkeys. We're very glad we took this trip. And oh, a great lunch was included!

A wonderful day on the river

Neil_R, Dec 2023

This was such a special tour. We were warmly welcomed in at the meeting point by the family who runs the tours with fresh coffee and dragonfruit juice with lemon that was absolutely delicious! We then drove out to the river which took about 10 minutes. The boats were small so it didn’t feel crowded and the two guides were amazing! We saw crocodiles, lots of birds, monkeys, iguanas and bats. After the tour, we returned to the meeting point for a homemade lunch which was absolutely delicious. Would highly recommend this tour! 5 STARS!

Lost of fauna to see

Michel_H, Nov 2023

Great tour. We were lucky enough to see a lot of fauna (monkeys, crocodiles, bats, iguanas, etc.) As part of the tour, there is also a pottery and a traditional cooking demo. Fransisco was a great guide. Just a quick warning: If you come from Monteverde or any places east of Ortega, do not go through the Palo Verde national park. Although Google tells you you can go through, the road is closed and a bridge is missing. Take the road to the south of the park instead.

Worth the $

AmyS_T, Nov 2023

Our guide, Francisco and Felix, continuously looked for interesting wildlife for us. They know where & what to look for and they are very knowledgeable of the environment. The lunch was very good too. Nothing fancy, just good local cuisine. Highly recommend!

Amazing food and...

Nour_H, Jul 2023

Amazing food and wonderful tour. We were treated kindly from the moment we arrived and the tour guide pointed out some amazing animals that we wouldn’t have seen on our own. Unforgettable experience!

A wonderful experience!

Walt_P, May 2023

This is a wonderful boat tour plus! We were warmly greeted, treated to juice and coffee after which we tasted home made tortillas and roasted cashews we saw prepared in the traditional ways. Our knowledgeable tour guide found us siting after siting, and the boat driver positioned the boat strategically for views and photos of crocodiles, monkeys, sleeping bats, and many species of birds. Locally grown lunch following the tour was delicious. A wonderful experience!

Amazing tour!

Solange_G, Apr 2023

We went on this tour my husband and I with our 5 year old son. We loved it. The house/restaurant that welcomes you before the tour is super nice and clean. Hosts and our guide were amazing. On the tour, we saw lots of crocodiles, monkeys and birds. The lunch was awesome. Our best excursion of the week. Very respectful of nature.

Gliding Along the Palo Verde

Aleucard, Apr 2023

Palo Verde Boat Tour was a nice, relaxing excursion that allowed us to see a plethora of Costa Rican wildlife, including a troop of capuchin monkeys who ate, played, and frolicked as we watched up close. Our guide did her best to describe what we saw, but her English was somewhat limited, so her explanations weren't detailed. The lunch that was provided after the tour was quite delicious and wonderful. Be forewarned...getting to the meeting point involved a harrowing trek through rocky, unfinished roads. If you're renting your own vehicle, make sure that you get an SUV/4x4, because many of the roads in the area are not well maintained (and go with a reputable, bigger car rental company like Hertz or Avis...I felt that we got scammed by Europcar/Fox Rent-A-Car with mandatory car insurance fees that were tacked on top of our car rental fee, and they refused to accept our credit card's primary car insurance coverage).

Viator is the best

Laureen_R, Apr 2023

Everyone was super, super nice and very accommodating We saw monkeys, huge crocs Boat was comfortable

A great way to see the wildlife - The host family works hard to make it a great experience

Ken_C, Mar 2023

Saw monkeys, bats (asleep!), crocs and many different birds - all quite close. Guide was excellent. The lunch at the end is prepared by the family operation and is delicious.