I'm trying to put together our trip binder with all the info we'll need to book tours, etc. (leave a week from today!) and I'm confused about the Cano Negro tour offered by Sunset Tours. They describe only one Cano Negro tour, but when I click to check the tour rates, the rates list has two different Cano Negro tours:

Caño negro Wildlife Refuge by boat E,L $80 $90 $100 $110
Caño Negro Regular Rio Frio Boat E,L $55 $65 $75 $85

The different rates for each of the two tours depend on the pickup location. Ours would be the second one listed (for Lost Iguana) so we're looking at $90 vs. $65 per person. Does anyone know the difference between the two tours?

Thanks so much!

Hi, freshman - we did the Cano Negro tour also, but at the time, the website only offered one boat tour. I see they have since changed their website. We did go along the Rio Frio - perhaps the other tour just explores a larger area. I would just e-mail them and ask for more details. Hopefully you'll get an e-mail back. Have a wonderful trip! We really loved Cano Negro, and Sunset Tours is a great operator.

Thanks for the reply, volcanogirl. I just sent them an email and will post their response here for future reference.

I wonder if the more expensive tour actually ventures into the Cano Negro refuge proper?

My Lonely Planet guidebook says that many of the tour operators don't actually venture into the official refuge boundaries, but cruise the waterways on the outskirts. The flora and fauna is essentially the same either way. I think the Rio Frio section may be in that outskirt area.

volcanogirl's suggestion to contact Sunset is a good one. I second her recommendation of them and of the Cano Negro tour. We saw our first monkey's in the wild there. It was a very fun day!

I did contact Sunset Tours to ask about the difference. Here is the response:

"the difference is that one enters on the Caño Negro river, that is the private one, the cost is $80 per person, and it can not be run every day due to river water level.

That is why we offer the Rio Frio Section. It all depends in which time you are visiting.

Right now we can run both tour with 2 people minimum, because of rainy season.

At Lost Iguana would be $55 and $90 per person."

I haven't studied that area on the map so I'm not sure what this means, but I think we'll go on the Rio Frio tour. I believe that's probably what most people do. The prices they are quoting via email for Rio Frio are slightly better than the website rates list, but that might be a mistake in the email. They are asking me to go ahead and reserve by completing the credit card authorization (but not running the charge through until the day of the tour), but I think I'll wait until we're at Lost Iguana to make the reservation as everyone has suggested.