This tour will take you through the wild landscape of coastal Costa Rica. You’ll get to see the romantic greenery of a hacienda, and go boating down the brackish waters of the Tárcoles River. Along the way you’ll see rare animals, including one species in particular that comes equipped with an impressive set of teeth.

Your tour begins when you climb on board the Eco Terra microbus. This is a nicely appointed vehicle that provides comfortable transportation, with air conditioning as well as Wi-Fi. Before you arrive at your first destination, the tour will stop in San Ramón so you can grab a local cup of coffee.

Then your driver will take you to Hacienda Nosavar, which is a picturesque ranch with many acres of greenery. From here the tour continues in a wagon hitched to a tractor. You’ll get to admire the bucolic scenery on your way to the Tárcoles River.

On the banks of the Tárcoles, you’ll climb aboard a boat. Tárcoles River has the largest population of American crocodiles in Central America. You have a good chance of seeing them on the banks of the river. In this area, they regularly grow to be as long as 16 feet (5 m). For a little over an hour, you’ll cruise past the edges of mangrove forests that grow along the banks of the Carara National Park. This area is home to red limpets – small shellfish that cling to the rocks near the shore. The sandy banks are usually a stopping point for flocks of aquatic birds like kingfishers, herons, and spoonbills.

At the end of the tour, you will have a buffet lunch. After you’ve eaten your fill you’ll get into the microbus once again, this time headed for the beaches of Manual Antonio National Park. Some of these beaches are excellent for swimming, and all have clear, blue-green water and a narrow strip of sand bordered by a green forest.

Comfortable clothing, walking shoes, binoculars, bug spray, and a camera.

Transportation in a microbus with air conditioning and Wi-Fi, professional chauffeur, bottled mineral water, boating tour, naturalist guide, and a buffet lunch.