Rainforest Tours at Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica

Rainforest Tours • Matapalo Rainforest Drive and Hike • Waterfall Rappelling • Nature Trails
Aquatic Tours • Surfing Costa Rica • Caño Island Scuba Diving • Golfo Dulce Snorkeling
Beach Tours • Beach Exploration • Beach and Horseback Riding • Beach and Kayaking
Bird Watching Tours • Birds of Costa Rica • 3-day Bird Watching Package
Miscellaneous Tours • Mangrove Kayaking • Gold Panning • Orchid Botanical Garden

Conservation

Conservation is an important part to Eco-Tourism and Crocodile Bay Lodge recognizes that it is necessary to be involved in efforts to preserve and protect the Osa Peninsula. Currently CBL is a member and active contributor to Herrera Botanical Reforestation Project started by Tom and Karen of Escondido Trex. Crocodile Bay is also an official member of Camara de Turismo de Osa.

As Crocodile Bay grows, we anticipate to become even more active in the conservation of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica.

The Matapalo Rainforest Drive and Hike

Come and see first hand the exquisite beauty of the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula. The day begins with a scenic 45-minute drive out to Matapalo beach. Once there you have the option of continuing your plant and animal adventure by truck or by foot. The tremendous size of the emerald forest which grows right up to the water's edge is stunning. There are beautiful beaches for exploring and picnicking with scenery that will leave the most avid outdoorsman breathless

While on this tour you will have the chance to see countless species of birds including toucans, hawks, parrots, and the famed scarlet macaws. Our expert tour guides can give you information on innumerable forms of plant life as well as their medicinal uses. Indigenous mammal species include armadillos, sloths, raccoons, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, white faced monkeys, and squirrel monkeys.

This tour is available in a half-day version ($65 per person), as well as a full day ($85 per person). Bring sandals, sun block, insect repellant, and a camera. Take some time to appreciate the hidden splendor of Costa Rica’s richness and diversity of plant and animal life and it will be a day you will not soon forget!

Waterfall Rappelling

For those who are looking for pure excitement on their vacation we offer rainforest waterfall rappelling! This is an excellent chance to get your adrenaline pumping while seeing the beauty of the rainforest at the same time. We use only the most experienced guides with the newest equipment to provide you with the highest level of safety available. We will leave after breakfast and take a short drive out to the Rio Tigre. This is an excellent chance to see tropical birds, hawks and falcons along the way. Once at the river you will hike up the riverbed for about 3/4 of a mile to the breath-taking waterfall.

Bring a bathing suit, hat, sun block and sandals. This tour is offered as a half day for $95 per person. Come with us on an adventure that your friends will never believe, but that you will never forget!

Nature Trails

Take a relaxing stroll on a flat, well-cut trailhead directly adjacent to the lodge. This is a newly opened nature reserve, which is home to numerous types of indigenous fruit trees, heliconias, orchids, Matapalo trees, figs, gingers, palms, and bromeliads. We recommend going in the morning or late afternoon to have the best chance at viewing local wildlife, including monkeys, sloths, anteaters, iguanas, butterflies, humming birds, eagles, hawks and scarlet macaws.

This tour is low impact, tremendously relaxing, and a great way to see a bit of the rainforest without having to sacrifice a full day. There are miles of trail available if you are interested. The average tour lasts about one and a half hours and covers about a mile and a half of trails. Bring long pants, closed-toed shoes and insect repellant. The average 1 1/2 hour tour is $20 per person and the longer half-day tour is $45 per person.

Surfing Costa Rica

Costa Rica attracts thousands of vacationers every year that are interested solely in the surfing. The most famous spots include, Matapalo (20 minutes from lodge on the Osa Peninsula) & Pavones (across the Gulfo Dulce). We will provide you with transportation, a surfboard, and a knowledgeable local surfing guide who knows how to get the most out of your day. No matter what your skill level, our guides can work with you to be sure your day is exciting, eventful, and safe.

Bring a swimsuit and sun block. Because the surf depends on the tide we recommend this as a full day tour. Full day surfing tour $95 per person.

Caño Island Scuba Diving

For a first hand look at the beautiful inhabitants of Costa Rica’s Pacific Ocean we offer scuba diving at Cano Island. For certified divers only this adventure begins at 5:00am with a two-hour car ride to Drake’s Bay. We will then begin an hour-long scenic boat ride to Cano Island. Once we reach our destination we will dive our first tank at one of the many superb dive locations depending on the tide and visibility. After our first dive we will return to the island for lunch and some relaxation before we again hit the water for our second dive in a new location. While diving in the Pacific waters of Costa Rica you have the chance to see Parrotfish, Angelfish, the Spotted Green Puffer, the Spotted and Freckled Porcupinefish, the Panamic Soldierfish, Blunthead Triggerfish, Southern Stingray, Lesser Devil Ray, Spotted Eagle Ray, Manta Ray, and the Whale Shark.

This tour is $245 per person with a two-person minimum. Bring a hat, sun block, bathing suit and a camera.

Golfo Dulce Snorkeling

Let us give you a first hand look at what beauty resides beneath the water. We will take you to three smooth areas, sheltered from the repetitive beating of the ocean's relentlessly pounding tide. In these areas you will have the chance to hover above the many forms of life as you leisurely tour these regions of the warm blue water. While we have no living reefs inside the gulf there are a wide variety of tropical fish that call these waters home, as well as sea cucumbers, crabs, sea anemone, and jellyfish.

Take a day to view what wonders live beneath the waters of Golfo Dulce and you will have a new respect for the life that inhabits the deep. This tour is offered as a full day adventure and is $95 per person. Bring a bathing suit, a hat and plenty of sun block. 

Beach Exploration

Come spend time on a beautiful sandy beach in paradise. This tour is for those who wish to simply relax and enjoy their surroundings. A perfect beach for children and swimming, Playa Platanares is the most quiet and secluded beach the Osa Peninsula has to offer. While at this beach you will have the chance to see scarlet macaws, parrots, tanagers, kingfishers, pelicans, egrets and herons.

Bring sun block, a bathing suit, a hat and a towel. Half-day excursions are available for $25 per person and full days for $40 per person. Come with us and feel all your tension released in a setting of unparalleled beauty.

Beach & Horseback Riding

Leave all motorized vehicles behind as we journey through the rainforest on the way to a picturesque beach.

We leave after breakfast with our destination being a working horse ranch five miles north of Puerto Jimenez owned by local cowboy John Reid. Upon arrival you will be given a short tour of the ranch, which also serves as a wildlife sanctuary. You will be treated to a glass of fresh natural fruit juice while your belongings are loaded into saddlebags, and then the adventure begins! You will mount up on these gentle horses and head into the rainforest on the way to the beach. Beautiful landscapes await you on this relaxing journey, where you will see that some of the greatest places to be are those not accessible by car.

Wear long pants with a swimsuit under, sun block, insect repellant, and a hat. Half-day tours are $90 per person, and full day tours are $125 per person. Come and remember what life was like before cars and freeways, when the earth was as limitless as the spirit.

Beach & Kayaking

This tour is for those who want to relax on some of the most beautiful beaches the Osa has to offer. First begin at our pier and head up the nearest mangrove. After a short paddle you will land on a thin peninsula that is a beach perfect for swimming, beach combing, and relaxing. At your leisure you will begin again and choose whether you want to explore the coastline or backtrack through the calm waters of the mangroves.

On this tour you will have a chance to see egrets, sandpipers, heron, osprey, pelicans, parrots, macaws, crabs, rays, turtles, and dolphins. Bring swimsuits and sun block. This tour is an half-day and is $50 per person.

The Birds of Costa Rica

This tour is dedicated to those interested in the winged inhabitants of Costa Rica. On this tour we will take time to focus on the different species of birds that inhabit Costa Rica. We will venture to see the inland birds of the secondary rainforest on a section of the Tigre River called Dos Brazos. This is an excellent area for viewing inland birds because it is a secondary rainforest, which envelops a grand river. This allows us to see at greater distances and hence more wild life. In this area it is common for us to view such species as the Laughing Falcon, the Yellow Headed Caracara, Squirrel Cuckoo, Purple Gallinule, Northern Jacana, the Blue-crowned Motmot, the four types of indigenous species of Kingfishers (Amazon, American Pygmy, Green, and Ringed), four species of flycatchers (Common Tody, Boat-billed, Gray-capped, and Social), five species of Tanagers (Bay-headed, Black-cheeked, Blue-gray, Golden-hooded, and Passerini’s), and the spectacled owl.

This tour is offered as both a half day ($55 per person) and full day ($75 per person). Bring walking shoes and sun block.

3-day Bird Watching Package

This tour includes two and a half days of touring dedicated to those solely interested in the winged inhabitants of Costa Rica. In these two and a half days we will take time to focus on the three separate eco systems Costa Rica has to offer and the species that live in them. We will venture to see the inland birds, the wetland birds of the mangroves, and the tropical birds of the coastal primary rainforest.

The first day we will head inland to a section of the Tigre River named Dos Brazos. This is an excellent area for viewing inland birds because it is a secondary rainforest, which envelops a grand river. This allows us to see at greater distances and hence more wildlife. In this area it is common for us to view such species as the Laughing Falcon, the Yellow Headed Caracara, Squirrel Cuckoo, Purple Gallinule, Northern Jacana, the Blue-crowned Motmot, the four types of indigenous species of Kingfishers(Amazon, American Pygmy, Green, and Ringed), four species of flycatchers (Common Tody, Boat-billed, Gray-capped, and Social), five species of Tanagers (Bay-headed, Black-cheeked, Blue-gray, Golden-hooded, and Passerini’s), and the spectacled owl.

On the second day, when we kayak to see the wetland birds of the mangroves we are limited to a half day due to the tidal change, which occurs at a different time every day. Here we will kayak through the estuary and see such species as the Osprey, the Brown Pelican, Neotropical Cormorant, Magnificent Frigatebird, Whimbrel, the three indigenous species of sandpipers (Semipalmated, Spotted, and Western), three species of Egrets (Cattle,Great, and Snowy), and the six types of Heron (Bare-throated Tiger, Boat-billed, Great Blue, Green, Little Blue, and Yellow-crowned Night).

On the final day of the tour package we will venture to the coastal primary rainforest called Matapalo. This is a beautiful region that flourishes with flora and fauna alike. This area is a picturesque beach landscape with countless trees more than a hundred years old. In this breathtaking area it is possible for us to view such species as the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Mealy Parrot, Red-lored Parrot, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Lineated Woodpecker, Fiery-billed Aracari, and the Scarlet Macaw.

Bring hiking shoes, a camera and sun block. This three-day tour package is $210 per person (Two person minimum). Come and see why National Geographic named the Osa Peninsula one of the most bio-diverse regions on the planet!

Mangrove Kayaking

This tour takes you deep into the mysterious growth of the mangroves. You will depart from the lodge pier and paddle east to our nearest mangrove called Estero Pueblo Viejo. Once there you will head into the mangroves where no boat is able to go. Inside the mangroves you have the chance to see howler, squirrel, and white-faced monkeys, raccoons, crabs, caimen, boa constrictors, egrets, sandpipers, heron, and osprey.

This is an active tour and is considered to be physically demanding. While minimal upper body strength is required, you are the sole source of your kayak's propulsion so a certain amount of endurance and stamina are mandatory. This is offered as a half-day tour for $50 per person. Bring sun block, insect repellant, and a hat.

The Dos Brazos Gold Panning Experience

Come and see first hand how this precious substance is found and separated from the land, as well as why many people still consider it a lucrative profession. Take a beautiful drive out to Dos Brazos River. This area is perfect for bird watching and swimming as well as testing your luck at finding gold. You will visit the house and claim of a local professional gold panner and learn all the tricks of the trade.

You have the choice of viewing a short example of how the panning works, or you can actually work the stream for gold. If you choose to work the stream, please note that it is a physical activity which requires shoveling and standing in the stream. Bring shorts or a bathing suit, sandals, sun block, and insect repellant. This tour is offered as an half day and is $50 per person. Come and see first hand why Christopher Columbus named this country “the rich coast.”

The House of Orchids Botanical Garden Tour

Visit an enchanting botanical garden constructed and maintained by enthusiastic plant experts. Finish breakfast and take a visually appealing twenty-minute boat ride across the gulf for a beach landing onto Ron and Trudy’s House of Orchids. A plant lover’s paradise, this wondrous garden sits right on the beach and is a treat for the eyes as well as the nose. Guided tours will give insight into edible plants including fruit trees, spices and vegetables, as well as an astounding amount of ornamentals including flowering gingers, heliconias, bromeliads, palms, aroids, and of course orchids.

The garden is located on a beautiful piece of land that sits directly on the beach. The gardens are not accessible by land and they do not have a dock, so all parties must make a beach landing upon arrival and departure. No swimming is involved but sandals and shorts are recommended. The tour itself lasts about three hours and will instill respect and amazement in anyone who chooses to visit. $50 per half day.