Hi Michael!

Thank you for your interest! You’re correct in that the main difference in price is due to the round-trip transportation service, which Desafio Adventure Company includes in their tour rate. (The reserve does not include transportation.) With our discount, the cost of the tour with transportation through Desafio Adventure Company is $59.50/adult, whereas the cost of the tour without transportation through the reserve is $45.00/adult. While it’s possible for visitors to drive themselves to/from the reserve, it isn’t possible to drive directly to the reserve’s entrance; they can only drive as far as the reserve’s official parking lot, where they’ll pay to park in the lot, and then catch the shuttle service to the reserve’s entrance. For this reason, some travelers prefer to get picked up at their hotel in the Monteverde or Santa Elena area and use the tour operator’s transportation to get to/from the reserve.

With respect to the tour experience itself (i.e., the walk), this is similar. Both tours can access the same trails, ecosystems, wildlife, etc. The reserve’s in-house tours are wildly popular, likely because many travelers assume they need to book direct through the reserve in order to explore the reserve, so it’s possible that they’re larger in size. Whether or not group size will impact your tour experience depends largely on the time of year you plan to visit. If you’ll be in the country during the low season, tour group size may be similar regardless of the tour operator you go with. During the high season, when the reserve and other attractions host hordes of visitors, smaller groups can be advantageous.

Pura vida! 🙂