Tours & Eco-Adventures
Tours & Adventures at Pura Vida Retreat & Spa
Costa Rica’s breathtaking natural beauty is calling…
Astonishing tropical birds and wildlife, dazzling flora and fauna, majestic cloud-capped forests, flowing rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, tropical rainforests and coffee plantations. Check out Pura Vida’s incredible portfolio of tours and eco-adventures, carefully curated to introduce you to the beauty, culture, traditions, and history of the “rich coast” we consider paradise on earth.
Tours can only be booked once on property. **The 5 and 7 nights Mind+Body+Spirit packages include half day tour(s) and 1 full day tour. Those tours are scheduled on set days only. Full day tours are offered on Wednesdays only. One half day excursion is offered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday only. Please schedule your travel accordingly to take advantage of these offerings.**
Full Day Tours
This adventure kicks off at Villa Lapas Reserve and Wild Life Sanctuary, one of most biodiverse regions of the country. A 4 kilometer trail winds and meanders through this 400-acre private reserve and over five bridges, suspended 70 feet above the forest floor. These bridges offer a perfect birds-eye-view of the canopy’s flora and fauna, while leaving the creatures of the forest virtually undisturbed. Enjoy lunch and a break for souvenir shopping after your sky walk, then step into a boat for a two-hour boat ride along the Guacalillo river canals, a 20-minute bus ride from Villa Lapas. As you glide through the water, you’ll spot howler monkeys, bright scarlet macaws and other species of tropical birds among the lush Pacific Coast mangroves.
What you need:
- Comfortable light clothes
- Comfortable walking shoes such as Teva-style or tennis shoes
- Repellent
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Cash for souvenirs, tips, and coffee if available
- Water
$140 Wednesday only. Please sign up before 8 pm on Monday. Guided tour. Full-day tour departs Pura Vida at 7:30 am, returns at 6 pm. Lunch included. Travel time Approximately 2.5-3 hours.
Like most excursions in Costa Rica, part of the adventure is just getting there. Participants will cross the central mountain range—a unique opportunity- to reach their destination. Upon arrival a short hike will take you through a secondary growth forest which ends in the property’s private reserve of awe-inspiring mostly primary growth forest. There you will find the hot springs in the heart of the rainforest, where you can relax and immerse yourself in seven warm, healing volcanic hot springs pools. The pools vary in temperature, depth and mineral content, but the mineral-rich waters with therapeutic copper-salt have profound healing properties and will help restore and improve your natural energy levels. A delicious lunch follows. ***Minerals in hot springs may discolor swimwear. ****
What you will need:
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Bathing suit
- Towel
- Water
- Repellent
- Backpacks and other items may often be left on the bus, which will be locked and supervised by our drivers during the eco-adventure.
$140 Wednesday only. Please sign up before 8pm on Monday. Guided tour. Full-day tour departs at 7:30 am, returns at 6pm. Lunch included. Travel time Approximately 2.5 hours.
Experience an unspoiled Costa Rican day with an action-packed Whitewater Rafting Adventure on the Pacuare River. Enjoy total isolation from urban life in this exotic and untouched natural world, where sloths, toucans, parrots, coatis, magnificent blue Morpho butterflies and brightly colored frogs are common sights. Unique views of this virgin tropical rainforest area will delight and amaze as you navigate the rapids and maneuver the twists and turns of the river. Halfway through our journey, we stop to enjoy a delicious river-side lunch, then finish up the trip at Siquirres, our own private Exploration Center, where you can take a shower, change and enjoy the gardens and terrace. Before we begin, we will gear you up with a life jacket, helmet and paddle, followed by a full safety briefing for this guided, moderately challenging whitewater rafting adventure.
Difficulty: Class 3-4 Distance: 30km / 18 miles Number of Rapids: 52 Approximate river time: 4 hours Minimum age: 12 years What you need:
- Comfortable light clothes / bathing suit
- Comfortable shoes such as Teva-style or tennis shoes
- Towel
- Repellent
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Cash for souvenirs, tips, coffee or beer after rafting
- Water
- One change of clothing
We suggest you leave behind valuables which may fall into the water during rapid, unpredictable movement. A photographer is often present capturing photos for sale. $140 Wednesday only. Please sign up before 8pm on Monday. Guided tour. Full-day tour departs at 5:30 am, returns at 6pm. Includes breakfast and a full lunch riverside. Travel time Approximately 3.5 -4 hours.
Half Day Tours
One of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, near the Poas Volcano, offers five stunning waterfalls and 3.5 kilometers of walking trails that wind past the country’s largest Animal Sanctuary and Butterfly Observatory, through gardens swarming with vivid hummingbirds, to the cloud forest, ending in sweeping views of the waterfalls. Other attractions include a serpentarium, frog exhibit, and bird watching areas . Friendly, knowledgeable local naturalists are your guides for this up-close and personal look at Costa Rica’s natural resources.
What you need:
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A light rain jacket or warm sweater
- Cap
- Sunglasses
- Water
- Repellent
$70 Mondays only. Guided tour. Half-day tour departs Pura Vida at 8:45 am, returns at 1:30 pm in time for lunch. Travel time Approximately 45 minutes each way.
The Ark is an ethnobotanical garden nestled in the slopes of Barva Volcano. More than 1,600 species of ornamental plants and fruits from many regions of the world are found throughout the garden. An essential part of the experience is that interaction between visitors and plants. Currently the garden has five thematic terraces that offer botanical samples of plants with medicinal and edible properties, natural dyes, essential oils and the “milpa” or tropical edible garden. In addition to this, you will be able to enjoy the sacred garden, with a display of plants with psychoactive properties, the fruit trees garden, as well as the collection of ornamental plants and bamboos. The walk ends with a visit to a small tree house built on a large ficus tree. A six-course lunch in a restaurant with amazing architecture and beautiful views of the Central Valley is the perfect closure to this ethnobotanical experience. The food is prepared mainly with products from the garden, making The Ark one of the few restaurants with the option of farm to table meals.
What you need:
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A light rain jacket
- Cap
- Sunglasses
- Water
- Repellent
$70 Tuesdays only. Guided tour. Half-day tour departs Pura Vida at 8:45 am, returns at approximately 2:30 pm. Lunch is included. Travel time Approximately 45 minutes each way.
Established by the pioneering Vargas Family, the Doka Coffee Plantation is the largest coffee plantation in Costa Rica. Captivate your senses and discover the secrets of coffee production! Learn more about production, harvest, geography, cultivation and visit the oldest Wet Mill of Costa Rica (120 years old). Doka also features a bonsai garden and butterfly garden. Chocolate covered coffee bean, coffee and coffee liquor tastings end this full-flavored adventure.
What you need:
- Comfortable walking/hiking shoes
- A light rain jacket (May-November)
- Cap
- Sunglasses
- Water
- Repellent
- Cash for souvenirs
$70
Friday only.
Guided tour.
Half-day tour departs Pura Vida at 8:45 am, returns at 1:30 pm in time for lunch.
Travel time Approximately 45 minutes each way.
Canopy Adventure is a longstanding family-run business located on a 450-acre private estate where the proprietors operate a western cedar plantation and sawmill. This breathtaking canopy tour – one of the most beautiful in the country – is situated in a cloud forest at the foot of the Barva Volcano in the heart of the Braulio Carrillo National Park Forest. Climb a staircase to a platform located at the top of an ancient oak tree. Once above the forest, zip line across from platform to platform via interconnecting cables. The birds-eye-view of the Costa Rican cloud forest is truly awe-inspiring.
What you need:
- Comfortable walking shoes (closed toe)
- A light rain jacket or warm sweater
- Long pants for Cloud Canopy Adventure
- Cap
- Sunglasses
- Water
- Repellent
$70 Thursdays only. Guided tour. Half-day tour departs Pura Vida at 8:45 am, returns at 1:30 pm in time for lunch. Travel time Approximately 30-40 minutes each way.
All tour sign-ups are done on site. Any tour canceled with less than a 24-hour notice will be subject to a cancellation fee up to the full price of the tour. All tours require a minimum of 4 people. If this minimum is not met, Mind+Body+Spirit package holders will receive a credit of $70 USD for each half day tour and $140 USD credit for the full day tour. These can be applied towards any additional services enjoyed at Pura Vida (spa, boutique, specialty drinks at the dining hall, including beer and wine, etc).**Prices may be subject to change at any time.