Tucanes Tours — Local services in Quepos

Tucanes Tours gave us an unforgettable, personalized adventure—seriously, above and beyond. When we arrived, our awesome guide Nicholos let us know my husband and I were the only ones signed up that day and gave us the option to raft the Río Naranjo instead of the original tour. I had wanted that one anyway, but it showed as unavailable in April—turns out, it was available.

The switch meant a scenic 25-minute drive instead of a 1 hour 15, and once we arrived, Nicholos gave us a tour of the beautiful property (complete with a warm welcome from the owner). Clean bathrooms and changing areas were available, which is always a plus before getting soaked. Our driver locked up our bag with towels and phones, etc in the truck, which we got back at the end of the trek.

Nicholos was an expert—he’d pause before each rapid to let a backup guide team go ahead, explain the plan clearly, and then take us through it like pros. Nobody fell out, but having a second raft nearby added peace of mind. We even got to float through calm sections of the river, which was pure bliss.

Pro tip: Wear water shoes, shorts, and a long-sleeve shirt to prevent rubbing from the life jacket and raft. The cool water is refreshing, but the sun doesn’t mess around.

After the ride, our driver greeted us with fresh watermelon, pineapple, water, and tea. We snacked while the guides brought the boats in. Back at base, lunch was included, and the second guide team offered us action shots for $40—worth it for the memories.

Also—if you have a rental car, book directly through Tucanes Tours. Unlike Viator, they give you the full cost breakdown and let you opt out of the pricey $35 per person hotel pickup from Jacó. Direct booking = better experience,...

Overall we had a great experience - we did the horse riding on one day and the tour of the park on another. We really enjoyed the horse riding and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Costa Rica. However just a couple of points to help decide if this is the right activity for you. Firstly, the terrain is uneven with some steeper sections so it is not always the smoothest ride; for us that was quite fun and felt authentic but if you have mobility issues etc you may find it more challenging. Equally at the waterfall it was a slippy climb down and I definitely think you need to be reasonably stable on your feet. However it was a fantastic swim in the waterfall plunge pool! Or you could just dangle your feet in if you didn't want to go fully in. It was about an hour's ride each way. We are both beginner riders but if you are really nervous about horse riding you might want to go along the beach instead. The horses seemed well cared for and content. We had a lovely lunch back at the farm - one of the nicest casadas we had in Costa Rica! Our guide through the park (Jeremy) was really knowledgeable and we saw so much - including an anteater which was not something we had seen elsewhere! His enthusiasm and love for the area was obvious, but he did have quite a large group to manage which made some parts feel a little rushed. The beaches in the park are as amazing as everyone says so bring your costume for a quick dip in the middle...

We did the cooking tour. Let’s juat say it’s not as advertised. The trip to the “farmers market” didn’t happen, as it’s only open on Friday and Saturday. Basically, we stopped off in a market where our guide bought a couple of heads of lettuce.

Once at the ranch, they had us cook for one of the other tours. But by “cook” I mean we chopped some vegetables with dull knives and flattened a couple of tortillas. The menu/ingredients were not at all what was described beforehand. Much of the time we just sat on the benches because there was nothing to do. One of the other guests basically had to force the group walk down to the river after showing the tour guide that indeed it was included in the tour via her confirmation email. The experience was overall quite regrettable.

I’m honestly not one to complain—we’re in beautiful Costa Rica after all. But for $85 bucks per person, it’s hard not to leave with the distinct impression you just got seriously,...