Hello All;

My boyfriend and I are heading to CR in mid-July and are looking to take the Cano Negro Tour.

Many people have recommended Sunset Tours, but we have not been able to find this company... Anyone have their working current web address?

If not, is there another tour company you would all recommend?

Also, this is our first trip to CR. Is Cano Negro worth the visit this time around?

Thanks! Love reading all the posts!

Krista and Aaron

Yes, totally worth it. You can book it once you arrive, through your hotel, no problem. Sunset a good choice.

Hi, kk - try sunsettourcr.com - I did a search, and that's what came up for me. We didn't book it ahead; we just booked it through the Lost Iguana when we got there. Sunset Tours also has an office right in La Fortuna where you can book.

Cano Negro was the absolutely best thing we did in Costa Rica. Our guide was phenomenal - really interesting and entertaining, and he got our entire boat involved in spotting the wildlife. Sunset has a nice palapa on the riverbank where you will stop midway and have lunch. It's a nice shaded area - very charming.

We saw caimans, both kinds of sloths, howlers, capuchins, and a variety of birds - definitely bring your camera. Their boats are very comfortable, and they bring cold drinks along for you to enjoy during the ride. The guide will get everyone involved in the spotting, and you can move all around the boat. It's a pretty interactive tour, which we loved. The guide will tell you about each animal you see - what it eats, how it lives - it's really amazing. It's definitely worth it for your first visit.

You can also try AVENTURAS ARENAL..as good as SUNSET ...

R.A Luis
Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!

100% costarican and loving every minute!!

Hi, kk - I meant to also mention that we e-mailed Sunset Tours ahead of our trip and never heard anything back from them. I'm not sure if their e-mail wasn't working or if they don't check it regularly - you're totally okay to book the trip once you get to Arenal, so don't worry if you can't contact them ahead of time.

Not sure where you're staying, but many hotels in the area use Sunset Tours. I used them for both the Arenal hike & the Hanging Gardens and I found them to be reliable, reasonably priced and knew what they were doing. You should be fine just booking when you get there but you can also ask your hotel to pre-book an activity for you or at least ask who they use.

Tully, how was the guide at the Hanging Bridges? Did you see wildlife there? We thought it was a beautiful hike, but we didn't see any wildlife and wondered if it's because we went without a guide and didn't know where or what to look for. It was our first day in CR, so we were happy just to be there, but I've been curious if other people saw things that we didn't.

Yes, we saw monkeys and coatis. That we would've seen on our own, but we also saw 2 different pit vipers (the yellow one and the brownish/green one) which we definitely would've walked by. Since I didn't have a car, the cost of the tour wasn't much more than if I'd paid taxi & admission, so it worked out well.

We thought we heard howlers at one point, but we never saw them. I would love to see a viper - as long as it's at a distance. I'm sure we walked right by them, which is a little freaky. If we go back, I'd definitely like to try it with a guide.

Volcanogirl,

My family also went to the Hanging Bridges with Sunset Tours (last December). It rained steadily through most of our visit there, but our guide was very informative and really tried to find some animals for us. We ended up seeing a spider monkey and some pretty birds, but that was about it. I'm sure we would have had better luck in drier weather. I've read other trip reports where people had some good sightings there. Like you, we were just glad to be there, enjoying the beautiful scenery (especially once the rain let up ;-) ).

Hi, cmerrell - We had rainy weather there too. We were in a downpour by the time we left, so maybe the animals knew it was coming, and they were all in hiding. They're smarter than we are! Still a great day even with no sightings.