The 7 Drake Bay Tours That Earn Their Price

1.Pacheco Tours – 2 Days 1 Night in Corcovado Sirena From Drake Bay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 172 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $365Our pick

Leave Drake Bay at 6:00 AM for Sirena Ranger Station, then hike Corcovado with a guide such as Marlon, Jose, Ayder, or Alejandra. You’ll have lunch, dinner, breakfast, lodging, park fees, and two days of trail time. Expect wet boat landings, long hikes, shared bunkhouse facilities, and excellent chances for monkeys, tapirs, macaws, sloths, and crocodilians.

“Amazing experience; worth every dollar and the time. Would do the overnight tour again, as the ranger station and the trails get much less crowded when people on the day tour leaves. So much fauna compared to other places I’ve seen in CR. You see flocks of Macaws, sloths, all four species of monkeys and a ton of other (rare) birds, insects and mammals. There’s no dedicated night tour included due to the risk of snake bites and the time it takes to get medical care, but there’s an early morning tour if the weather allows, that basically starts while it’s still dark outside and you’ll see the forest wake…”

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2.Corcovado and Drake Bay 2-Day Small-Group Safari Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 102 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $460

Leave Drake Bay by boat for two full days around Sirena Ranger Station in Corcovado National Park. Guides such as Jorge, Erick, Brayner, Richie, and Andre lead small groups of up to eight on wildlife walks, forest trails, and a swim in the Río Claro. Meals, bunk bedding, and mosquito nets are included.

“Malheureusement, il a plu sans interruption. Le trajet en bateau a été très inconfortable en raison d'une tempête. Nous sommes arrivés complètement trempés, y compris nos sacs et les vêtements de rechange qui étaient à l'intérieur. Aucune possibilité de se sécher à la station Sirena, ce qui a rendu l'expérience assez pénible. Par contre notre guide, Richie était fantastique, beaucoup de connaissances de la faune et de la flore, très pro, très enthousiaste et convivial malgré les conditions très difficiles. Nous avons énormément apprécié être avec lui.”

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3.Floating Tour in Rio Claro with Lunch from Drake Bay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 87 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $80

Starting in Drake Bay at 8:00 am, this five-hour adventure takes you by car into the mountains, on a one-hour forest hike to a waterfall, then down Rio Claro in a life vest. Guide Carlos points out local plants and animals. After a beach walk, you finish with lunch at a small local restaurant.

“My niece and I loved this tour with Carlos! We had a blast and learned so much from his wealth of knowledge on the local area and Costa Rica as a whole. He took great care of us and this was definitely a highlight of our vacation!”

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4.Diving tour in Isla del Caño for certified divers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $186

Join Alexa and the Yemanyá Expeditions team for a six-hour scuba trip from Drake Bay to Isla del Caño Biological Reserve. You’ll make several underwater descents with rest time between them, using supplied equipment and traveling in a group capped at six. Turtles, rays, reef sharks, seahorses, and tropical fish are possible highlights.

“One of the best dives of our lives! Super nice owner, very well organized, spectacular dive site! We were lucky to see so many different fish (sharks, stingrays, morray eels...) and turtles, including a sleeping one! The whole concept of the trip, including the extra stops, is amazing! We recommend taking sea sickness pills, though, as the boat is quite fast!”

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5.Catamaran Snorkeling at Caño Island from Drake Bay

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 55 reviews · from $128

Set out from Drake Bay at 7:00 am with guides such as Brandon or Taylor for two 45-minute snorkeling sessions near Caño Island. Watch for turtles, rays, fish, sharks, whales, and dolphins, then enjoy lunch, paddleboards, jumping platforms, a waterslide, and a catamaran ride back by about 2:00 pm.

“Overall the trip was well organized. Taylor was a great guide, always available, well prepared and giving his best trying to give us the best experience despite non favorable climate conditions.”

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6.Jungle Hike with Canyoning and Rappelling in Drake Bay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $115

Start at 7 a.m. with Sukia Travel for a six-hour rainforest adventure in Corcovado National Park. Guides such as Emilio, Bryan, Allen, and David lead you through primary jungle, river crossings, swimming holes, waterfalls, and several rappels. Pickup and drop-off are included, with groups limited to eight people.

“Definitely was more physically demanding that I was anticipating, but was an amazing experience! Emilio’s live and passion for the work he does, and his country really came through! Would highly recommend!”

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7.Nativos Corcovado Night Hike in DrakeBay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $68Best value

From 6:30 to 9:30pm, a private group of up to six follows local guides such as Emilio or Eric along Rio Agujitas and the EcoFarm. Expect rubber boots, shallow river crossings, hand-held flashlights, frogs, snakes, insects, spiders, and possible tapir tracks. English and Spanish tours are available.

“Eric was a great guide. We saw many snakes, frogs including the red eye tree frog, cane toad, glass frog. Many spiders including a very large tarantula, wolf spiders, fishing spider. Stick bugs, praying mantis, Jesus Lizzards, King Fisher birds, blue river shrimp. We wore rubber boots provided by the tour company. You’ll walk through shallow river water. Wear pants to tuck into the boots or they will rub your legs and cause blisters. Each participant is given a bright hand held flashlight to use on the tour.”

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