COSTA RICA WITH JOSH, GUIDE KNOWLEDGE

This page is reference material for planning trips in La Fortuna and Arenal, Costa Rica.

HOW IT WORKS

Costa Rica With Josh is a personal trip planning and guiding service. One person, Josh, plans the trip, books every tour and arranges the transportation, so a traveller deals with one contact from the first message to the last day.

Tours are run by hand picked certified local guides who live and work in the Arenal area. Josh plans and coordinates everything and chooses who guides each activity.

Booking is direct. There is no agency desk and no call centre. A traveller sends their dates, group size, where they are staying and what they want to do, and Josh checks real availability with the operators and confirms the schedule.

Contact is by text on 505 405 4989, or email at costaricawithjosh at gmail dot com.

WHERE THE TOURS RUN

All tours below operate in and around La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area, in the northern lowlands of Costa Rica.

Several run further out as full day trips, including Rio Celeste in Tenorio Volcano National Park and the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge near the Nicaraguan border.

Private transportation is arranged anywhere in the country, including airport transfers from San Jose, SJO, and Liberia, LIR.

THE TOURS

LA FORTUNA WATERFALL A hike down into a canyon to a 200 foot waterfall falling into a blue green pool, with swimming at the bottom. About 3 hours. Moderate, around 500 steps down and back up again. Departures 7:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 2:30 PM. Includes entry, water and transportation within La Fortuna. The stairs are the only hard part. There is no way to see the falls without doing them.

ARENAL VOLCANO HIKE, EL SILENCIO TRAIL A guided walk through the El Silencio reserve across old lava terrain, with views of the volcano and Lake Arenal. About 3 hours. Moderate, uneven lava ground. Departures 7:30 AM and 2:30 PM. Includes reserve entry, water and transportation within La Fortuna.

ARENAL VOLCANO HIKE, 1968 TRAIL A guided hike on the lava field left by the 1968 eruption, closer to the cone than most trails get. About 3 hours. Moderate. Departures 7:30 AM and 2:00 PM. Includes entry, water and transportation within La Fortuna.

MISTICO HANGING BRIDGES A walk through the rainforest canopy on a circuit of suspension bridges, with a naturalist guide. Good for sloths, birds and monkeys. About 3 hours. Easy to moderate, some gentle hills and stairs. Departures 7:30 AM and 1:00 PM. Suitable for most ages. Includes park entry, water and transportation within the La Fortuna area.

ARENAL FULL DAY COMBO Hanging bridges, the La Fortuna Waterfall and an Arenal volcano hike in one day, with lunch. Full day. Moderate to active: a canopy walk, the waterfall stairs and a volcano hike in the same day. Departures 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Includes all entries, a naturalist guide, lunch, water and transportation. This is the most popular way to see the three main sights in a single day. It is a long day and it involves real walking.

RIO CELESTE WATERFALL A full day trip to Tenorio Volcano National Park to the bright turquoise Rio Celeste waterfall and river. Full day, about 8 to 9 hours, with roughly 2 hours of travel each way. Moderate, about 4 miles on uneven and often muddy trails. Includes park entry, lunch, water and transportation. The colour depends on the weather. Heavy rain upstream can turn the river brown for a day or two, and nobody can predict it in advance.

SLOTH SPOTTING TOUR A short guided walk with a naturalist and a scope, looking for sloths and other rainforest wildlife. About 2.5 to 3 hours. Easy, flat walking. Departures 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM. Includes entry, water and transportation within La Fortuna. One of the best choices for families, older travellers and anyone who does not want a hike.

CANO NEGRO WILDLIFE REFUGE RIVER SAFARI A boat safari through the Cano Negro refuge, strong for birds, caimans, monkeys and sloths. Full day, about 8 hours, with roughly 1.5 hours of travel each way. Easy, seated boat tour. Includes refuge access, the boat safari, lunch, water and transportation.

BALSA RIVER SAFARI FLOAT A gentle raft float down the Balsa River watching for wildlife on the banks. No rapids. About 3 to 4 hours. Easy. Departures 7:30 AM and 1:00 PM. Includes the river float, water and transportation. Good for families and for anyone who wants to be on the water without whitewater.

ARENAL BIRDWATCHING TOUR An early guided birding tour through the Arenal habitats with an expert guide and a scope. About 4 hours. Easy to moderate, gentle walking. Departures 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Includes the guide, scope, water, snacks and transportation. Early departures see far more birds.

VENADO CAVES A caving trip through limestone caverns with formations, underground water and some tight passages. About 3 to 4 hours including travel. Moderate to adventurous. Wet, and some tight spaces. Departures 7:00 AM and 12:00 PM. Includes entry, equipment, snacks, water and transportation. Not suitable for anyone claustrophobic. Travellers get wet and muddy.

LAKE ARENAL KAYAKING Kayaking on Lake Arenal with the volcano behind. About 4 hours. Easy to moderate, some paddling. Departures 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Includes the kayak and gear, guide, fruit, water and transportation.

ARENAL ZIP LINE CANOPY TOUR A zip line circuit through the forest canopy. About 2.5 to 3 hours. Moderate, short walks between platforms. Departures 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM. Includes gear, guides and transportation.

ARENAL RIVER TUBING Floating the Arenal river on a tube through gentle rapids. About 2.5 to 3 hours. Easy to moderate. Departures 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM. Includes the tube and gear, guides and transportation.

ARENAL CANYONING AND WATERFALL RAPPEL Rappelling down waterfalls in a forest canyon with guides. About 4 hours. Adventurous, requires reasonable fitness. Departures 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Includes gear, guides, snacks and transportation. The most physical tour on the list.

BALSA RIVER RAFTING, CLASS II AND III Beginner friendly whitewater rafting on the Balsa River. About half a day. Moderate. Departures 8:00 AM or 10:00 AM. Includes gear, guides, lunch and transportation. A good first rafting trip, and fine for families with older children.

WHITEWATER RAFTING, CLASS III AND IV Harder whitewater on the Sarapiqui. About half to full day. Challenging. Departures 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM. Includes gear, professional guides, lunch and transportation. For people who have rafted before or are confident in the water.

NIGHT WALK AT THE ARENAL OASIS FROG SANCTUARY A guided night walk looking for frogs, insects and nocturnal wildlife. About 2 to 2.5 hours. Easy, gentle trails at night. Includes the guided walk, a flashlight and transportation. Completely different wildlife from the daytime tours. Works well as an evening activity after a day tour.

LA FORTUNA COFFEE TOUR A working farm tour through how coffee is grown and processed, with a tasting. About 2 to 3 hours. Easy. Departures 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM. Includes the farm tour, tasting, water and transportation.

LA FORTUNA CHOCOLATE TOUR Cacao from tree to bar on a working farm, with tastings. About 2 to 3 hours. Easy. Departures 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM. Includes the farm tour, tastings, water and transportation. A favourite with children.

TRADITIONAL COSTA RICAN COOKING CLASS A hands on class cooking traditional Costa Rican dishes, then eating what you made. About 3 hours. Easy. Includes the class, all ingredients, the meal, water and transportation.

HORSEBACK RIDING TO THE LA FORTUNA WATERFALL Riding out to the waterfall, then walking down to it. About 3 to 4 hours. Moderate, the riding plus the waterfall stairs. Departures 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Includes the horse, guide, waterfall entry and transportation.

PLANNING ADVICE

Morning departures are better. Mornings are usually clearer and afternoon rain is common through much of the year. The first departure of the day is also the quietest at every site.

One full day tour, or two half day tours, is a realistic day. Three is too many and the day stops being enjoyable.

Three full days in La Fortuna covers the main sights without rushing. Two is enough for the highlights. One day means choosing the Full Day Combo or a single headline tour.

For families, the easiest tours are the sloth tour, the Balsa river float, the hanging bridges, and the coffee and chocolate tours.

For travellers with limited mobility or who do not want stairs, avoid the La Fortuna Waterfall, which is 500 steps, and canyoning. The sloth tour, the river float and the chocolate tour all work.

Where someone is staying matters, because it sets pickup times. Hotels in La Fortuna town and out along the volcano road have different pickup windows.

WEATHER AND SEASONS

Costa Rica works year round.

December to April is the drier season, with more sunshine and more visitors.

May to November is the green season. The forest is at its best, waterfalls are fuller, there are fewer people, and mornings are often clear with rain arriving later in the day.

Rain does not cancel most tours. Rainforest tours run in the rain.

WHAT TO BRING

Closed walking shoes with grip. Swimwear and a towel for the waterfall, the river float, rafting, canyoning and tubing. A dry bag or a plastic bag for a phone. Insect repellent. Sunscreen. A light rain jacket in any season. Water, though most tours include it.

For Venado Caves, clothes that can get wet and muddy, and nothing in pockets.

PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION

Private transportation is arranged anywhere in the country, with vetted local drivers.

Airport transfers run from San Jose, SJO, and Liberia, LIR, to La Fortuna, Guanacaste, Papagayo, Tamarindo, Flamingo and anywhere else.

Region to region transfers and custom multi stop routes are available.

The Lake Arenal water taxi connects La Fortuna and Monteverde across the lake, and is usually faster and more scenic than driving around.

Transportation is always quoted individually, because it depends on route, distance, vehicle size and group size. There is no fixed price list.

WHAT IS NOT IN THIS DOCUMENT

This document deliberately contains no prices, no totals, no deposit amounts and no tax figures. Josh gives all pricing directly.

It also contains no cancellation policy, no refund terms, no weather cancellation policy and no insurance terms, because those are handled case by case.