Llanos de Cortés Waterfall, Sloths & Coffee Tour Costa Rica

Waterfall, wildlife and the coffee harvest, all in one day with people who grew up here

This is a guided rainforest tour in Costa Rica led by local guides from Guanacaste, combining wildlife viewing, a waterfall swim, and hands-on coffee and chocolate preparation. The tour runs 6 to 8 hours with lunch, bottled water, an air-conditioned vehicle and all fees included. A family-owned operation, it suits travelers who want to move through several stops without arranging transport or meals separately.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore waterfall, wildlife, coffee and chocolate

• Visit Llanos de Cortés Waterfall
• Observe wildlife in natural habitat
• Experience organic coffee and cocoa preparation

The Experience

Llanos de Cortés Waterfall is the first major stop—a wide, tiered cascade where you can swim or wade depending on the water level and your comfort, or simply stand in the spray and photograph the falls from the rocks. The waterfall sits on the edge of a national park zone where wildlife sightings are frequent, and the guide will point out what moves in the canopy and the undergrowth as you make your way down and back up the short trail.

The rainforest sections of the day are built around spotting sloths in their natural habitat among the trees, along with whatever other wildlife is active—birds, monkeys, insects—in the vegetation surrounding you. The guide, born and raised in Guanacaste, knows the terrain and the animals' patterns, which shapes where you stop and how long you linger. Lunch is included and happens during the tour, so you don't break the day to find food.

The coffee and chocolate stop is hands-on: local producers walk you through the harvest process and the roasting or fermentation steps they've carried out for generations, and you participate in preparing the beans. It's not a museum display or a shop—you're doing the work alongside people who do it daily. Bottled water is provided throughout, and the air-conditioned vehicle moves you between stops, so the physical demand stays low even across the full span of hours.

What’s included

• Bottled water throughout the day.
• lunch.
• all park fees and taxes.
• air-conditioned vehicle with pickup from your accommodation.
• certified guide fluent in English and Spanish.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by PURE NATURE PRIVATE TOURS

Is this one for you?The 6 to 8 hour span is long enough to move through the waterfall, wildlife sections and the coffee harvest without rushing any of them, but short enough to leave the rest of your day free—the guide and the vehicle handle all the logistics, so you show up and the stops unfold in sequence.

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Top questions

What is Llanos de Cortés Waterfall like when we get there?

Llanos de Cortés Waterfall is a wide, tiered cascade on the edge of a national park zone where you can swim in the pools below, wade in the shallows, or stay dry and admire it from the rocks. The water level changes seasonally, so the guide will let you know what's safe on the day you visit.

How often do we actually see sloths on this tour?

Wildlife sightings are frequent in the vegetation surrounding the rainforest sections of the tour, and sloths are a regular part of that—the guide knows where they rest in the canopy and the best times to spot them. Other animals like monkeys and birds are active too, depending on the time of day and season.

Is the coffee and chocolate part a real learning experience or just a shop visit?

It's hands-on: local producers guide you through the actual harvest and roasting or fermentation process they've done for generations, and you participate in preparing the beans yourself rather than watching a demonstration.

How much walking or physical effort is involved across the 6 to 8 hours?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. There's a short trail down to the waterfall and back, and movement between the rainforest sections and the coffee stop, but the pace is set by the guide and the air-conditioned vehicle handles the longer distances between locations.

Can we bring infants or small children on this tour?

Children are welcome from age 1, and specialized infant seats are available in the vehicle. Infants and small children can also ride in a pram or stroller if you bring one, so families with very young kids can join.