Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui Rainforest Tour: Aerial Tram

The aerial tram carries you over the canopy while a naturalist explains what moves below.

A private 3-in-1 rainforest tour from San Jose takes you across Braulio Carrillo National Park to the Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui Region, where you board a private boat on the Sarapiqui River, then ride a 90-minute aerial tram over the forest canopy with a naturalist guide. A nature walk, butterfly and snake garden visit, and lunch round out the day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Rainforest tram and river boat tour

• Travel to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui
• Enjoy river boat tour with naturalist guide
• Ride the rainforest aerial tram
• Take a nature walk on easy trails
• Visit butterfly and snake garden
• Shop at souvenir store
• Have lunch at main restaurant

The experience

The tour leaves San Jose and crosses Braulio Carrillo National Park on the way to the Caribbean Slope, arriving at a 475-hectare private reserve that borders the national park. Your naturalist guide travels with you throughout the day, narrating the landscape and wildlife as you move between three distinct parts of the experience.

On the Sarapiqui River, the boat moves slowly enough to spot sloths, monkeys, iguanas, aquatic birds and crocodiles in their habitat. The river is one of Costa Rica's top ecological destinations for wildlife, and the guide points out behavior and ecology as you drift. After the boat returns, you walk easy trails deeper into the forest near the reserve, with a stop at the butterfly and snake garden before lunch at the main restaurant.

The aerial tram is the centerpiece: a 90-minute ride in a gondola that travels over the treetops, giving you a view of the canopy and the Braulio Carrillo Park beyond. The guide rides with you and explains the tram's construction, the forest's biodiversity, and the plants and animals you pass overhead. The whole day runs about nine hours from pickup in San Jose to return.

What’s included

• Private transportation from San Jose.
• private naturalist tour guide in English or Spanish.
• 90-minute aerial tram ride over the rainforest.
• nature walk on easy trails with butterfly and snake garden visit.
• 90-minute private boat tour on the Sarapiqui River.
• lunch at the reserve restaurant.
• bottled water.
• entrance fee to the Rainforest Aerial Tram.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

Book up to16h before

AgesAdult (13 to 80 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 33 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical effort

Operated by Greenway Nature Day Tours

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English or Spanish, so you choose the language that works for you. The boat and tram rides require no hiking ability, and the nature walk sticks to easy trails, making this tour accessible to anyone with moderate fitness who wants to see the rainforest canopy and river wildlife without a strenuous day on foot.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What wildlife will I see on the Sarapiqui River boat tour?

The Sarapiqui River is home to sloths, monkeys, iguanas, aquatic birds and crocodiles. Your naturalist guide will help you spot them and explain their behavior and ecology as the boat moves through the water.

How long is the aerial tram ride?

The aerial tram ride lasts 90 minutes. You travel in a gondola over the forest canopy while your guide explains the tram's construction, the forest's biodiversity, and the plants and animals you see overhead.

What is included in the nature walk portion?

The nature walk takes you on easy trails through the private reserve with your naturalist guide. A visit to the butterfly and snake garden is included, followed by free time at the souvenir store before lunch.

Do I need to be in very good physical shape for this tour?

You should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness. The nature walk uses easy trails, and the tram and boat rides require minimal physical exertion, but the full day involves several transitions between activities.