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Nikki
KeymasterHello Mary!
I hope you’re doing well! 🙂
Yes! El Silencio del Campo qualifies for complimentary round-trip transportation with Arenal Mundo Aventura’s canopy tours, as well as La Fortuna-based tours run by Desafio Adventure Company, Canoa Aventura, and Pure Trek, in case you’re considering any discounts we offer for tours run by those companies.
Pura vida!
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Cheryl!
I’m happy to answer your question for you! 🙂
To begin, and just to clarify, are you referring to the various Tenorio River Rafting Tour options that we have available on our website? Or to the various Tenorio River Rafting Tour options that are sold around the country (by various tour operators, travel agencies, tourism companies, etc.)?
If you’re solely talking about the Tenorio River Rafting Tour options we list on our website (which can be seen on this page: https://puravidaeh.ca/?s=tenorio+river+rafting+tour&search_id=1&post_type=product), fortunately, each tour is run by the same tour operator, so the rafting tour experience is the exact same. The only difference between each tour (and the reason why we have several listings for the Tenorio River Rafting Tour discount on our website) are the pick-up and drop-off locations. For example, one tour offers round-trip transportation to/from Papagayo, one tour offers round-trip transportation to/from Tamarindo, one tour offers round-trip transportation to/from Playas del Coco, and so on. If you’re planning to request a discount for the Tenorio River Rafting Tour via our website, simply choose the tour that includes round-trip transportation to/from the destination you plan to stay at. Regardless of which Tenorio River Rafting Tour discount you select on our website, the rafting tour experience itself will be the same. 🙂
If your question was more general (i.e., if it was aimed at any and all Tenorio River Rafting Tours run in Costa Rica, beyond those we offer discounts for), there may be several differences across the various tour operators, from their reputation and level of service to the duration of their tour and tour inclusions (such as meals and/or transport). The majority of most companies’ tours cover the same stretch of the Tenorio River (roughly an 8-mile stretch), but there are usually differences in put-in and take-out sites (i.e., the exact places where you enter and exit the river) due to company permissions to access private land nearby.
I’m not familiar with all of the companies that operate Tenorio River Rafting Tours in Costa Rica (I usually only recommend one or two), so not all companies may offer the following, but if you’re researching various tour options, you may want to keep this criteria in mind:
-The tour should provide approximately 2-2.5 hours of rafting. Though it’s impossible to predict the exact tour duration (several factors influence this), 2-2.5 hours is a good estimate. On top of the 2-2.5 hours of rafting, additional time will be spent getting to and from the river put-in and take-out sites and the rafting tour operator’s operations center/hub (where tours begin and end). How much time you’ll need for transport depends on which rafting tour operator you reserve with and where their operations center/hub is located in relation to the river put-in/take-out sites. With the Tenorio River Rafting Tour we offer a discount for via our website, you’ll have an approximate 45-minute drive to get from the operations center/hub to the river put-in, and an approximate 35-minute drive to get from the river take-out to the operations center/hub after the rafting tour is complete. Another Tenorio River Rafting Tour I’m familiar with requires a 30-minute drive from the tour operator’s operations center/hub to the river put-in and a 55-minute drive from the river take-out back to the operations center. Transportation to/from the river and the operations center/hub is included with the tour in both cases.
-The tour should cover about 20 rapids. A company that offers a rafting tour experience with significantly fewer rapids may run shorter tours or tours on different sections of the river. With the Tenorio River Rafting Tour we offer a discount for via our website, the rafting tour experience ends with a run over a 12-foot waterfall drop. The other Tenorio River Rafting Tour I’m familiar with also includes a run over the same waterfall.
-The tour should explicitly state that it’s a Tenorio River Rafting Tour, not a Tenorio River Safari Float Tour. Safari float tours are run on a slower section of the river and do not provide a “white-water rafting” experience. If a tour you’re considering is advertised as a Tenorio River tour, be sure to confirm whether it is a white-water rafting tour or a safari float tour. Since safari float tours are run in inflatable rafts (similar to rafts used for white-water rafting tours), tour description wording can sometimes be confusing, so it’s best to clarify which exact experience you’ll receive.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Ashley!
Awesome! Thank you again for your interest (and your preference)! I’ll keep an eye open for the discount request for the EcoTermales Hot Springs Pass with Dinner to come through and will process it as soon as it does.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Ashley!
Great question! Yes, Alas y Raices in Santa Elena does fall within Sky Adventures’ normal pick-up/drop-off zone in Monteverde. This being said, Sky Adventures is a tour operator that does not automatically include round-trip transportation to/from any hotels in any of their tour rates (some tour operators in Costa Rica automatically include round-trip transportation in their rates and others do not; our related blog post https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-tour-transportation-hotel-pick-ups-drop-offs/ offers more information about this if you’re interested in further reading). Sky Adventures charges an extra fee (you’ll see this noted as the optional “Transportation Option” add-on on the tour’s listing page here: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-trek-canopy-tour-ziplining-sky-walk-hanging-bridges-tour-sky-tram-aerial-tram-ride-adult-monteverde-sky-adventures/) to any/all travelers who want them to provide round-trip transportation with their tours. Sky Adventures’ prices vary by hotel location, but since Alas y Raices falls within their normal transportation zone, their regular, flat rate, round-trip transportation cost of $10 per person to/from Monteverde hotels applies.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Ashley!
Thanks so much for your interest in our discount for the EcoTermales Hot Springs Pass with Dinner!
Yes! Though Apartamentos La Casona is a rental property, fortunately, it is one of the downtown La Fortuna locations where the tour operator can offer pick-ups and drop-offs for free. 🙂
Pura vida!
February 12, 2020 at 11:51 am in reply to: Don Juan Chocloate, Coffee, Sugarcane Tour, Monteverde Discount #101500,Nikki
KeymasterHello Richard!
Thanks so much for inquiring about this! Though things can change at anytime, I don’t believe we’ll be adding a discount for the Don Juan Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugarcane Tour to our discount database anytime soon.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Richard!
Thanks so much for your message and for inquiring about our ATV Tour discounts!
Unfortunately, we don’t currently work with Fourtrax or other ATV Tour providers in the Manuel Antonio area. The only discounts we currently offer for ATV Tours in the Manuel Antonio area are those run by MidWorld Costa Rica, which include:
MidWorld Costa Rica ATV Tour: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/atv-tour-adult-manuel-antonio-midworld-costa-rica/
MidWorld Costa Rica ATV Tour and Canopy Tour (Ziplining) Combo: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/canopy-tour-ziplining-and-atv-tour-adult-manuel-antonio-midworld-costa-rica/
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Roz!
That sounds great! 8-day Costa Rica vacations tend to be the norm, and La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio tend to be the most visited destinations with this amount of time to spend in the country. So, you’re definitely on the right track! 🙂
As far as whether or not you should visit Monteverde, this is one of the most common questions we’re asked. It’s tough for us to say whether Monteverde is “worth it” since that evaluation truly varies from person to person. Since you mentioned that you know we don’t usually recommend 1-day trips to Monteverde, you may have already read the following article on our blog, but in case not, I’ll forward you the link as it’s a great place to start when trying to determine Monteverde’s worth:
How To Decide Between La Fortuna / Arenal And Monteverde (Or Why You Should Visit Both): https://costaricatravelblog.com/la-fortuna-arenal-or-monteverde/
I’d also recommend taking a peek at our Monteverde Tour Discounts page (https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/monteverde-tours/) to get an idea of the tours and activities that the Monteverde area has to offer. Depending on whether there are many (or not many) experiences that interest you at that destination, you may find it easier to commit to planning (or skipping) a trip there.
To help you envision what your itinerary will look like, you may find our following blog post helpful:
Costa Rica Itinerary: 8 Days In Costa Rica; Sample Itineraries, How Many Places To Visit, How Many Activities To Do, And More! https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-itinerary-8-days-in-costa-rica/
Pay special attention to the “with 8 days in Costa Rica, here’s how many places you should visit” section. It should help you understand why sticking to 2 destinations is typically best, and what to expect if you opt to add in a 3rd destination.
If you’re leaning towards adding in Monteverde, check out our 10-day Costa Rica itinerary article: https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-itinerary-10-days-in-costa-rica/ Though you’ll only be in the country for 8 days (you can simply remove two days/nights from the itineraries we suggest in that article), the blog post will give you an idea of how a La Fortuna-> Monteverde-> Manuel Antonio trip should be framed.
Overall, both our 8-day and 10-day itinerary articles will inform you of how many days we recommend spending in each place. Keep in mind that our recommendations are general, as each traveler is different (some people want to be active and others want to relax on a beach). You can also check out our La Fortuna / Arenal Tour Discounts page (https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/la-fortuna-tours/) and our Manuel Antonio Tour Discounts page (https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/manuel-antonio-tours/) to find out which tours and activities appeal to you at those destinations. This point may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised to learn how often travelers overlook the following: whichever destinations have the most tours and activities that interest you should be the destinations you plan to spend the most time in. Our tour description pages offer the start time and approximate duration of each tour/activity to help you determine exactly how much time you need in each place to do, see, and experience everything you want.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Joel!
Thank you so much for your interest in our discount for Selvatura’s Canopy Tour (Ziplining) and Hanging Bridges (Unguided)! 🙂
I just checked Selvatura’s website and the good news is, they’re still showing availability for February 11th at their 8:30am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 2:30pm time slots (note: these are time slots for the canopy tour; for an unguided walk through the hanging bridges, you can go at the time of your choosing). The bad news is, unfortunately we won’t be able to help you secure our discount for a tour for tomorrow. At this time of year (i.e., the the high season), due to tour operator policies and heavy demand for our discounts, we can only process orders made a minimum of 7 days prior to a traveler’s desired tour date.
I’m so sorry we won’t be able to help you in this case, but I hope you’re still able to experience the Selvatura Park! If you plan to stay in Costa Rica for a while, don’t hesitate to reach out to us again if there are other tours or activities we can help you save money on at a later date as we’d be more than happy to assist you. 🙂
Pura vida!
February 5, 2020 at 7:46 pm in reply to: Using tours as transportation between cities for 9 and 11 year olds? #101334,Nikki
KeymasterHello again Cara!
We just received word from Desafio Adventure Company that they’ll no longer be enforcing an extra fee for transportation to/from the Springs Resort with reservations for their tours. I recall you mentioning that you plan to stay at the resort, and since you’ve been looking into tours and activities for your time in La Fortuna (some of which may be operated by Desafio Adventure Company), I thought I’d let you know in case the change affects your decisions at all. 🙂
Pura vida!
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Ashley!
No problem at all and no need to thank us–thank YOU for your preference! 🙂
Pura vida!!
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Tamara!
Thanks so much for checking on this! Fortunately, both Los Lagos (La Fortuna) and Banana Azul (Puerto Viejo de Talamanca) are hotels that fall within the normal transportation zones recognized by Exploradores Outdoors (the Pacuare River Rafting Tour operator), so I can confirm that transportation is included and doesn’t require payment of an extra fee.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Ashley!
Thanks so much for your question and for your interest in our Monteverde Sky Trek, Sky Walk, and Sky Tram discount! 🙂
To answer your question, yes! Hotel Don Taco does fall within Sky Adventures’ normal pick-up/drop-off zone in Monteverde. This being said, Sky Adventures is a tour operator that does not automatically include round-trip transportation to/from any hotels in any of their tour rates (some tour operators in Costa Rica automatically include round-trip transportation in their rates and others do not). Sky Adventures charges an extra fee (you’ll see this noted as the optional “Transportation Option” add-on on the tour’s listing page here: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-trek-canopy-tour-ziplining-sky-walk-hanging-bridges-tour-sky-tram-aerial-tram-ride-adult-monteverde-sky-adventures/) to any/all travelers who want them to provide round-trip transportation with their tours. Sky Adventures’ prices vary by hotel location, but since Hotel Don Taco falls within their normal transportation zone, their regular, flat rate, round-trip transportation cost of $10 per person to/from Monteverde hotels applies.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Pura vida! 🙂
February 4, 2020 at 9:51 pm in reply to: Using tours as transportation between cities for 9 and 11 year olds? #101294,Nikki
KeymasterHello Cara!
Let me answer your questions for you! 🙂
1. If you’re planning to spend the last night in La Fortuna (i.e., if you’re in the market for a rafting tour that begins and ends in La Fortuna, not a rafting tour that can provide transportation between La Fortuna and San Jose), your best option would be the Balsa River Rafting Tour, which is a class II/III river (the same as the Reventazon River). We recommend the Balsa River Rafting Tour (https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/balsa-river-rafting-tour-adult-la-fortuna-desafio-adventure-company/) run by Desafio Adventure Company, whose normal minimum age limit for the tour is 10 years. Sometimes Desafio Adventure Company will allow younger children to participate in their rafting tours if the tour is run during a less intense/drier month (Easter/March/April usually qualify) and assuming the child’s height/weight/waist measurements allow them to safely wear a life jacket. If you decide to book this rafting tour option, we’ll check in with you about the child’s measurements and will forward them on to Desafio to have them confirm whether the 9-year-old will be able to participate. The current tour start time for the Balsa River Rafting Tour is 9:30am (note that a pick-up scheduled at the Springs Resort will be before this time).
2. Absolutely! This happens quite often with family groups, actually. In this case, you would simply select the same tour time with each reservation. For example, if you were to book 1 adult and 1 child for the Arenal Sky Trek Canopy Tour (which includes the Sky Tram Aerial Tram Ride) and 1 adult and 1 child for the Arenal Sky Tram Aerial Tram Ride only, you’d order these:
1 adult for Sky Trek: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-trek-canopy-tour-ziplining-adult-la-fortuna-sky-adventures/
1 child for Sky Trek: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-trek-canopy-tour-ziplining-child-la-fortuna-sky-adventures/1 adult for Sky Tram: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-tram-aerial-tram-ride-adult-la-fortuna-sky-adventures/
1 child for Sky Tram: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-tram-aerial-tram-ride-child-la-fortuna-sky-adventures/When you’re placing your order, simply select either the 8:00am, 8:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, or 3:00pm tour time. These are the slots when the Sky Trek and Sky Tram can be experienced at the same time. Note that since the Sky Trek tour lasts approximately 1-1.5 hours longer than the Sky Tram tour, the adult and child who do not go zip-lining will need to wait at Sky Adventures’ facilities while the others finish their tour (it’s not possible to follow the others while they zipline). There’s a restaurant and a nice indoor sitting area (with a beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano) on-site, so at least you’ll be comfortable while you wait. 🙂
Pura vida!
,Nikki
KeymasterHello Kelli!
Great questions! Costa Rica offers tons of awesome destinations worth checking out, but La Fortuna (Arenal), Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio are popular choices for a first trip. They offer a great balance between adventure, nature, and relaxation, while offering experiences that span a volcano, hot springs, national parks, nature reserves, several ecosystems, wildlife-spotting opportunities, and beautiful beaches. 🙂
As a side note, we often recommend visiting three destinations with about 10 days in the country, so this is a great plan!
As for how many days you should spend in each place, this entirely depends on the tours/activities you’d like to experience in each area. Some people give themselves more time in La Fortuna/Arenal to participate in several adventure activities, some people want more time in Monteverde to explore a number of nature reserves, and some people want more time in Manuel Antonio to enjoy the beach. To help you decide which tours/activities you’d like to experience in each place, which will in turn inform you of the amount of time (i.e., days and nights) you should give yourselves at each destination, don’t miss these pages on our site:
La Fortuna/Arenal tours/discounts: https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/la-fortuna-tours/
Monteverde tours/discounts: https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/monteverde-tours/
Manuel Antonio tours/discounts: https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/manuel-antonio-tours/
In addition, this article on our blog can help you plan a 10-day trip that includes visits to 3 destinations: https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-itinerary-10-days-in-costa-rica/
Pura vida! 🙂
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