Tamarindo

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Buena Vista MEGA COMBO

Badge of ExcellenceTamarindo, Costa Rica

Vandara Adventure Combo Horseback Riding Ziplining and Hot Springs

From $120.00

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

9 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the foothills of Rincon de la Vieja National Park on an adventurous full-day tour from Tamarindo that combines horseback riding, ziplining and steaming thermal hot springs into the ultimate jungle experience. Ride scenic trails to a series of ten ziplines, strap in and soar above a river and through the forest canopy. Enjoy lunch on site, launch down a 1,706-foot (520-meter) waterslide, then finish your day by rolling in mineral-rich volcanic mud and soaking in a Vandara’s hot springs.

Ideal choice for families
Lunch included
Vegetarian meal option available
All entrance fees included
All necessary equipment included
Informative, friendly and professional guide

What's Included

Lunch
Ziplining
Horseback riding
All necessary equipment
Hotel pickup and drop-off (if guided option selected)

Gratuities
Excludes hotels in zones other than the Tamarindo area
Excludes hotel pickup with the self-drive option.

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Xplore Costa Rica Tours & Transfers
Guanacaste Province, Tamarindo, Costa Rica
For Guided Tour Option: You will be picked up at your hotel or vacation rental For DRIVE YOURSELF OPTION: Transportation is not provided. You will drive yourselves to the adventure park.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

With the Guided Tour Option you will be provided transportation. For "DRIVE YOURSELF" option, transportation is NOT provided. Hotel or vacation rental pickup in the Tamarindo area including Tamarindo, Langosta, Playa Conchal, Brasilito, Playa Grande, Flamingo Beach, Hacienda Pinilla Dates: Monday through Friday Return point: Original departure point

What To Expect

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
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age to participate on the zipline is 4 years old
Not wheelchair accessible
It is recommended that you wear shorts, hiking boots or sneakers, sunglasses and a hat. Towels, lockers and changing rooms are provided
Please bring a swimsuit (for water slide and spa), jeans or light pants (for horseback riding), sunscreen, mosquito repellent, camera

Infant seats available
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
* pregnant travelers should not participate in the hot springs. All other activities are fine.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

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 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

Shannon_K

What a wonderful tour! Everything was fantastic, especially our tour guide Eugene. He was very knowledgeable, engaging, and professional. It was a long drive from our hotel, however, Eugene made sure that we were comfortable and safe.

Reviews

4.5

65 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 65 reviews

Excellent trip

Shannon_K, Mar 2024

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you! We will make sure to let Eugene know ho much you appreciated his service.

Abhorrent customer service from the owner.

MICHAEL_B, Jan 2024

Avoid at all costs. The short version is the driver had photographic proof they went to the wrong pickup location, even verified with the front desk that I wasn't staying there. While waiting I tried many different ways to contact the tour company with no luck until 3 hours later. Spoke with Chris (the owner) and because I was extremely upset over their mistake and used a colorful adjective, he refused to refund my money. Basically refusing to deal with an upset customer and wouldn't talk to me. Pathetic customer service. Never admitted their mistake either. Even after telling him this was the last day of our anniversary trip, his response was a sarcastic "pura vida".

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for your response. We appreciate all feed back. Next time, you should check your entitlement at the door and treat people with respect. You used many offensive and rude “colorful” adjective but in reality you were a typical rude American who decided to belittle and use MANY vulgar words. As owner of multiple companies, we never treat that type of language with any respect. Next time, try not to be such a tough guy and leave your attitude back in the USA where it belongs.

Our driver (Eugene) was...

Howard_G, Sep 2023

Our driver (Eugene) was awesome! We will totally recommend him to others. We had such a fun and exciting experience. Thank you very much!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

We agree, Eugene is awesome! Thank you so much for choosing us and we hope to see you again in the future!

Fun Time

Kenia_A, Jun 2023

our second time doing this tour, it is always a fun time. the hot springs pool was dirty which we didn't care for. People are great !

Response from Host, Jun 2023

I agree, more than once is never boring!

Fun Rain forest event

Susan_S, Jan 2023

The zip lines were exceptionally run. The guys that ran it were so on top of safety, and they made it really fun, and the turnaround was really fast from one Zipline to another. The water slide on the other hand was a little Jenkee. Very old and a bit scary but overall, we were glad we did it once. Our guide Eugene was very sweet kept things moving, good at pointing things out and keeping us on time and on track. Good guy, good experience. Lunch was wonderful.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you Susan for the nice review. I'm happy you enjoyed your day and took the time to let us know.

An excellent experience and a must do!

Megan_F, Jan 2023

Our driver and guide Eugene was one of the best tour guides I have ever had! He was so kind, friendly and knowledgeable. He made sure our group of 8 was always being taken care of and watched over us very well. He would grab us towels and would tell us what to expect next. He made sure our stuff was safe and was so very kind. We had a wonderful time here. We participated in all activities and had a BLAST. The horse back riding was more of a real horse back riding experience as opposed to a trail ride, they let you go up the 15 minute trail at your own horses pace. They had many guides around to assist people who were new at riding or uncomfortable. For people with more experience it was really fun to trot around. The next activity we did was the zip lining. There were 8 zip lines and they had some amazing views. The guides did a great job explaining how to zip line and we have people in our group who has never done it before but felt very comfortable because of the overview. The views were awesome and the guides did a great job of keeping the group moving from line to line. Next, we had the water slide tube. This was way more fun than we were expecting. The slide was FAST and a little wild. We loved it. Last but not least was the waterfall, mud bath and hot springs. We starts with the mud bath which was painting each other and letting it dry before heading to the waterfall. The waterfall was so tall and breathtaking. The hot spring was a lovely way to end the day and relax. It was so warm and the scenery was great, it felt like a resort pool equipped with a pool bar. We ended our tour with a great lunch. We had the pork and chicken mashed potatoes. It was very good. This was a great way to experience some of the best activities that Costa Rica has to offer. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone coming to Costa Rica. Thank you to Eugene, who made our day even more spectacular.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Megan, Thank you for wonderful review of one of my favorite tours. I'm glad you had a great day. Come back soon!

This excursion was...

Jennifer_C, Jan 2023

This excursion was located at Vandara Hot Springs and Adventure, and definitely a highlight of our trip in Costa Rica! Denise from Xplore Costa Rica confirmed my booking shortly after I reserved online and was able to accommodate us last minute. We ended up on a private tour with our guide, Ernesto, who made several stops at our request, rented towels for us, and even took photos/videos for our group. We started off with a horse-back ride up to the ziplines, then ziplined back down over the forest, had a little cultural tour (sugarcane, snacks, coffee), went down the waterslide, soaked in the hotspring, then ended with a delicious lunch. Prior to the trip, I did see some reviews that had concerns about safety, but we had safety equipment (helmets, floaties, etc.) for all our activities, plus 3 guides for our 4 person group on the ziplines. We felt that our safety was prioritized, and the instructions given were very clear. I guess the activities do require a certain level of mobility, but I think that is pretty obvious. One thing to note, we did the slide and hot springs part barefoot, but bring water shoes if your feet are sensitive to rocky surfaces. Overall, highly recommend this combo!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Jennifer I'm glad you enjoyed your day and thank you for your most thorough review. Come back soon! Denise

Great time, good fun! Great people!

Sandra_N, Dec 2022

It was a very enjoyable day!!! Roy and the crew were knowledgeable, humorous, professional, and very courteous. We had two in our party that were a little nervous about zip lining, but the crew did great with them! The cultural demos were well done and informative. Our lunch was surprisingly good! All and all we had a blast!!!

Best part of our trip!

Michael_M, May 2022

Our guide (sorry if I butcher the spelling) Eli was incredible, the staff in general was incredible, and the food was incredible. If you want an amazing experience that is exciting, delicious, and relaxing then there’s no other choice!

Response from Host, May 2022

Michael, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the tour! It makes my day knowing that some memories were made. Come back soon!

Overall great!

Dan_G, Mar 2022

The zip lining was a big hit with my kids (ages 7-10). It was thrilling but not too scary. The horseback riding is about 15 minutes so be aware of that if you are looking for more. The guides are very friendly and funny and great with kids. Water slide is a lot of fun but you can only go once. The "mud bath" is a bucket of mud that you paint on with a paintbrush and let dry. You can then rinse it off in a natural spring or an outdoor shower. Overall a great day!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thanks Dan for the comments. I'm always happy when memories are made with your kids! I hope you'll return soon.

Not a real mud bath

Jamye_g, Mar 2022

If you are in tamarindo the location is about an 1hr 30 minutes away so if you do not stay at a resort that provides transportation include travel in the cost. The horse back riding was nice the zip line beautiful also learning about the culture and trying different dishes we nice as well. The hot springs are not hot and the “mud bath” is a bucket with paint brushes anf mud ver disappointing other than that good experience

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Jamye, Thank you for your comments. Unfortunately they have to take the boiling hot mud and put it into something to cool off. You could not apply the mud directly from the source or you would burn yourself. It is real volcanic mud.

A little taste of everything Costa Rica

Christa_N, Feb 2022

Eugene gave our group of 8 (ages 8-52) a fantastic tour. Our zip line guides, Manuel and Steve, kept us safe and entertained in the trees. Eugene spotted 9 howler monkeys in the trees on our trip back to the hotel, stopping the van so we could get a closer look. Great day all around!

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Christa, Thank you very much for the nice review. I'm glad you had a good day on the adventure.

Great experience!

Eveliny_P, Feb 2022

Elliel & Fermin we’re our tour guides and they were excellent! We did not feel rushed and they were super friendly and helpful. They took amazing photos for us and made sure we had a good time.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Eveliny, I'm happy to hear you had a great day. Do come back to see us soon!

Wrong details sent

Gabrielle_V, Jan 2022

We were sent to the wrong location and missed our tour. Operator didn’t offer any solution or help in the situation either. I’m sure the actual tour is great, too bad we were sent in the middle of nowhere

Full day of fun

Susan_C, Jul 2021

We had a fun filled day and our tour guide, Eugene, was excellent. He provided plenty of instruction, and let us do our own thing once we had instruction. Zip lining was thrilling, water slide was a blast, horse back riding was fun and scenic, spa was relaxing, and lunch was delicious. Luckily, park wasn't too crowded. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that we didn't see any wildlife (one monkey and one racoon) or waterfalls. Drive from Tamarindo was long (2+ hours), but Eugene was an excellent driver, and made stops for us when needed. We were a group of 5, and we had another really fun group of 8 with us, so it was definitely worth while.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Susan, Thank you very much for the nice comments. I hope you'll come back and see us again soon.

Great time

Lissette_I, Jun 2021

We had a great time. Our guides Eugene and Brian were great and super attentive. Would definitely do it again.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thanks Lissette for the wonderful feedback. I hope you'll come back and see us again.

Such a fun adventure!

Courtney_S, May 2021

Our guide and his son were very friendly and helpful. It was a long day but we were able to do everything we wanted to and more!

Response from Host, May 2021

Courtney, I'm so happy you had a good time. It's a busy but fun day! I hope you'll return soon.

The water slide is awesome!!

Whitney_B, Apr 2021

Eugene our guide was very knowledgeable and attentive to what we needed through out the day!! He made sure we had an AMAZING day!!!!

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Whitney, I'm so glad you enjoyed your day. I hope you come back and see us soon!

Fantastic tour operator; Vandara itself is so-so

BorisN, Jan 2020

Our tour operator (Elial) was great. The van was nice, his driving was excellent and he explained everything to us. However, Vandara park itself was so-so. We always seemed to end up behind a very large group, having to wait a long time for everything. For example, we had to wait almost an hour for the zip line, about 45 min for the water slide, etc. These long waits are definitely not what I want to do on vacation. But none of that was Elial's fault and he did a great job shepherding us around and providing guidance along the way.

This tour was amazing! Our tour...

Maya B, Jan 2018

This tour was amazing! Our tour guide, El, was the coolest and most chill dude i met on my trip and maybe even ever. The amount of knowledge he has about Costa Rica and the countries around were astounding. He taught me some spanish and helped me plan my further trip, and i am so grateful for that. As for the tour, it couldnt have been better! First of all i had missed the message about the meeting point, and i thought the shuttle would pick us up. After waiting for about 20 min i tried calling them, but in the moment i did the shuttle was in front of me and El had come just to pick us up because as he sad: No one gets left behind in Costa Rica! You think you are just going on a zip lining trip with some hot springs, but in reality you get a bunch of cultural insights. They tell you about the coffee culture in Costa Rica, show you how its made and even let you taste the coffee and handmade costa rican snacks. The Ziplining was amazing, just truly breathtaking. I have never tried anything so fun, scary and beautiful at the same time. The only thing i can say is that the horseback ride should've been longer, but maybe thats just because i love horses.. Wish i could do it again and can definitely recommend it to EVERYONE!