Tour/Excursion operators Arenal & Manuel Antonio
 

We are booked going to Costa Rica in early March, 4 nights in Arenal & 4 nights in Manuel Antonio.

I am looking for recommendations for Excursion companies. Many are listed with good reviews.
I would like to avoid huge groups if possible. Any recommendations?
Also, would I save any money by booking myself over using the concierge at the hotels?

I'm getting so excited about this trip just trying to work out the details.

Thanks All!

Desafio and Sunset Tours in the Arenal area are excellent, and Manuel Antonio Expeditions in Manuel Antonio; ask for Juan Brenes. MAE will let you book a private tour if that's your preference, but it will be more expensive. We did it and thought it was worth it.

We've had several concierges refuse to book with the companies we wanted; sometimes they have deals with their own providers. I prefer to book everything myself so I can go with the provider we want.

I just got back from both Arenal and Manuel Antonio earlier this week. Manuel Antonio was ok but I LOVED Arenal. I used Desafio, per Volcano Girl's recommendation and did their combination Sky Walk, Sky Tram and Sky Trek tour. A 2 1/2 guided walk through the rainforest, including hiking across probably a half-dozen hanging bridges. After a break for lunch (on our own), we took the Sky Tram gondola up to the top of the Sky Trek ziplining course. I had zip lined once before in Puerto Rico but this ziplining blew me away! The highest line (#1) is 660 ft. high and you have a straight on view of Arenal Volcano as you fly across the course. Most of the remaining lines offer beautiful views of Lake Arenal. Line #4 is the longest (they told us 1 mile long, although their website says 1/2 mile). Either way, it's a total rush. As I was staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, they didn't charge me anything extra for pickup, as the AOL is just a 15m or so drive from the start of the hike. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

Yes, Thank You all!

I have written to many companies, some write back some do not. Interesting. And I to noticed that the hotels will not book every excursion company.

Please verify that if I am in need for transportation, I can usually get it through the hotel.

CASH
So many things want to be paid in US cash. Should I leave the US with lots of US cash? Or are there reasonable places to get additional US dollars in Manuel Antonio and Arenal?

I only dealt with an ATM once while I was in Manuel Antonio and it dispensed US$. I would take enough with you to get you going for the first few days and then use an ATM near where you are staying