Tours & Extensions
La Quinta Country Inn location, in the vicinity of the Sarapiquí River, the Braulio Carrillo National Park and the world wide known La Selva Biological Station, is favored with unique flora and fauna viewing experience.
At La Quinta we offer our guests with prime spots for fresh water rafting on rapids, ranging from Class I to Class IV, as well as more relaxing experiences through scenic cruises in powerboats, horseback rides, canopy, night tours in the forest, volcanoes, waterfalls and more! Did you know why is the Pineapple called the fruit of hospitality? Learn about it in our Original Pineaple Tour!
We will be pleased to help you at the front desk with information and planning for your tours and activities.
Walking Guided Tour at La Selva Biological Station
Daily morning and afternoon guided walks in the rain forest led by excellent naturalist guides. Group size is limited, and the walks leave at set hours, so advance reserations are necessary. Visitors are not allowed to walk without a guide. Peccaries, agouties, sloth, howler and spider monkeys are seen frequently, as well as varied habitats.
The vascular plants include 1,876 species. A two hour night tour is also available.
Some highlights are:
- Varied habitats.
- Five of the six species of cats in the country.
- More than 70 species of bats.
- Research site for more than 250 researchers from 26 countries that visit La Selva to study the tropics every year.
- More than 170 theses and 2,000 publications have been produced on research conducted at La Selva.
This is a 3 hours and half guided walking tour through the station. There are no flexible schedules. There are only two options: at 8 a.m. and at 1.30 p.m.
It is located 14 kilometers away from La Quinta. Transfer is not included.
The rate includes guide and entrance fee.
Tirimbina Rainforest Center
The Tirimbina Biological Reserve is a National Wildlife Refuge that, in 326 hectares of forest, protects a large variety of flora and fauna.
Among the species that can be observed are: howler monkeys, white-faced and spider monkeys, two and three-toed sloth, white tent bats, manikins, toucans and poison dart frogs.
A guided walking tour through the refuge is offered. There is a flexible schedule starting from 8 a.m. until closing time at 5 p.m. Guests are allowed to stay in the refuge until closing time.
Transfer is not included.
Chocolate Tour
Tirimbina Rainforest Center
¨An adventure and learning destination¨.
Discover the secrets and marvels of one of the favorite foods of human kind.
Cacao: With its origins in Mesoamerica, with a rich and extraordinary history. The discovery of America took it to Europe, transforming into the product we know today.
The tour, with duration of three hours includes:
- Guided walk through Tirimbina suspension bridge.
- Cacao plantation.
- Forest and wild species of cacao.
- Natural and cultural history of the cacao.
- Process: From cacao to chocolate (harvesting, fermentation and dying).
- Chocolate tasting, cacao and organic chocolate productions, produced by Asociación de Mujeres Amazilia del Caribe.
This tour rescues one of our native plants and one of the friendliest crops with the environment.
Rafting on the Sarapiquí River
Nearby, on the Sarapiquí River, are prime spots of fresh water rafting on rapids ranging from Class I to Class IV... Arrangemens for this safe but exhilarating and breath-taking adventure can be made at the reception area.
River Class I-II Section - Chilamate - Puerto Viejo
Section for beginners
This 7-mile journey takes you through the small communities of Chilamate and Puerto Viejo. This trip is especially attractive for bird watchers and tropical forest lovers of all ages, including small children.
This section does not require previous experience. The journey takes place aboard inflatable rafts and passengers and take their cameras, video cameras and binoculars with them.
Section La Virgen - Chilamate
River Class II-III
This 7.5 mile trip takes you through the communities of La Virgen and Chilamate in Sarapiquí. It is a trip especially suitable by crystalline ponds. Along the journey one can enjoy four Class III rapids and about 20 Class II rapids, all of which have a good technical level in this 7.5-mile trip. Half way of the journey on a peaceful pond, passengers can swim and eat the tasty tropical fruits of the season.
Not previous experience required.
Includes: transportation, equipment, guide and fruits.
Horseback Rides
Explore the Sarapiquí Jungle with well-trained and healthy horses, through pristine forest, pastures and rivers.
Wilson's Horseback riding tour
This is a very interesting experience with a cultural exchange as a plus. The two hours horseback riding tour takes place at a local farm with great views and a large forest. The cultural exchange is born out of the possibility of sharing with the tour operators, a peasant Costa Rican family with two children, who at the end of the journey offer visitors their hospitality with home made tortillas and natural juices.
We have very good comments on this tour. It takes place 7 kilometers away from La Quinta. This option is reserved for Spanish speakers or for those traveling with a guide as a translator.
Pozo Azul
This tour combines two hours horseback ride along the Sarapiquí riverside, a visit to a dairy and to several crops characteristic of the area. It includes a bilingual guide. It is located 8 kilometers away from La Quinta.
A minimum of two passengers is required.
Transfer is not included in the rate.
We have a flexible schedule. Tours initiate from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Boat Ride on the Sarapiquí River
Venture down the Sarapiquí River for an unforgettable two hours ride in a comfortable and safe powerboat. Enjoy more than 200 species of beautiful tropical birds, howler monkeys, sloth, crocodiles and river turtles. We have a flexible schedula starting from 8:30 am through 3:30 pm.
- Includes boat ride, equipment
- Transfer is not included
Canopy
This amazing experience consists of 12 zip'lines located in Hacianda La Linda, from which you can enjoy incredible passages through fields of ornamental plants, an exciting tropical rainforest of 114 hectares, as well as the magnificent Sarapiquí River, which we will cross two times during the trip. During this experience, you will be accompanied by experienced guides, using specialized equipment of the hightest quality.
This exciting trip includes:
- All specialized equipment for canopy.
- Special harness for children
- Guides specialized and certified
- Tropical fruit snacs
Mountain Bike
- Two hours
- Includes equipment, fruits and guides
- All prices are per person. A minimum of two persons is required
The Original Pineapple Tour
Our informed guide will take you through the active operating Corsicana pineapple farm to give you an interesting talk about the history, cultivation and all the phases of pineapple growth, from sowing and harvest to the packing plant, ornamental pineapple project and organic pineapple review. You are invited to enjoy a snack of piñacolada in fresh fruit, fresh pineapple and freshly made pineapple juice!
- Includes a guide and pineapple cocktail
- Transfer is not included
Tubing on the Sardinal River
Tubing around Costa Rican rivers is a favorite pastime for locals, and Sarapiquí is one of the best examples of it. That is why we offer you the opportunity to enjoy this safe and fun activity which is recommended for everyone.
To ensure that the ride will be fun, we chose the Sardinal River. The section starts at the community of Las Palmitas and ends at La Quina Country Inn. Total length of ride is approximately 4 kilometers with rapids of class I and II. That is easy and very easy.
The equipment that you will use includes a tube pro made specially to float rivers. It has two handles and a cover, that once in the water acts as a ballast to keep the tube upright.
This adventure starts with a 25 minutes drive by minibus. A safety orientation will follow and the actual descent takes about two hours. During this tour, you will have the opportuniy to view many of the more that 400 species of birds that live in this area.
For this adventure, make sure to bring:
- River shoes or sandals with straps
- Sun block
- Swimming suit and light clothes to get wet
- Towel and dry clothes to change.
Special Activities in La Quinta de Sarapiquí Country Inn:
Visit to a local school
This is an activity within our program of social projection. The children of this school make a brief presentation to the group and then a quick interaction period to take pictures, to singing or playing. We request a donation from the Agency of from the group. Usually we coordinate beforehand with the school on their necessities at the moment, and will let you know. For instance some of the things that have been donated are: fans, kitchen utilities, pencils, pilots, paper, notebooks, paint, etc. We have made arrangements for cash donations, for which we give a bonus and improvements have been made to the school building, such as the building of a new schoolroom, the restoration of a ceiling, the paint of a roof, etc.
This only applies during school term and is a 1 hour tour.
This is 2 two hours tour with a minimum of 10 passenger.
Pineapple Paper Workshop
We offer an activity born from the idea of recycling the waster from the nearby pineapple farms. We have developed a technique for the production of paper made from the plant fiber, which requires boiling, cleaning, cutting, blending, etc.
Guests learn the production process as well as general information on pineapples. We make cards, book markers, etc. This shop takes about 2 hours approximately with a minimum of 10 passenger.
Walking and planting of a native tree
We have assigned an area of La Quinta for reforestation. Since nine years ago we have been inviting our guests to plant a native tree in oder to cooperate with the restoration process of the native flora. We spacially plant Almento de Montaña, to improve the habitat for the Green Macaw.
This activity takes place with the propery and is reserved only for guests with no cost at all.
Tubing journey in the Sardinal River
The length of this journey is about 300 meters and begins at the entrace of La Quinta´s property.
The equipmet is specially designed for this activity and it is a self-guided tour. You will not be accompanied by guides.
The use of the equipmente has not cost for our guests.
Cooking Workshop
This activity consists of a guided walk through the trail to end it up at the vegetable garden where people can harvest some of what we have and then we do a cooking workshop, where we all learn about the properties of each one of the vegetables and we (staff and guests) all participate cutting, boiling, frying or whatever is needed to prepare a dish for dinner. In the meantime, we try some other things that we cook while there. The area for cooking is a beautiful big thatched roof building next to a pond in the trail.
The main dish we usually prepare is a heart of palm dice or a green papaya dice and the snacks we try while cooking are tortillas, fried yuca, fried bread fruit and pineapple.
This is a 2 hours activity with a minimum of 12 passengers.
We suggest you some places to visit while you are in our area as half day or full day option:
Poas Volcano National Park
Braulio Carrillo National Park
La Paz Waterfall
Arenal Volcano National Park
Aerial Tram
Tortuguero National Park
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