Beautiful Rio Celeste! - This tour was one of the highlights of my trip to Costa Rica! I was picked up at the hotel in La Fortuna by the driver, William. We were a small group of 5 tourists. We picked up our guide Santiago along the way to Tenorio National Park, he told us interesting details about living & farming in the area, lots of pineapple fields along the way. On the hike through the park, it turned out that Santiago knows every eye lash viper by name ( I think) - he spotted quite a few ( trust me, they blend in very well!!), took pictures for us - pointed out frogs, insects, we also saw a few howler monkeys. The weather was perfect, Rio Celeste was turquoise blue, Santiago was funny, engaging, answered every question. I am more of a solo traveler, but on this tour, it really made a difference to have a knowledgeable guide, I saw WAY more than I would have seen if I had done the hike by myself, it was well worth it! After the hike, we took a refreshing swim in surprisingly cold Rio Celeste, snacked on delicious local pineapple, then had a delicious late lunch at a small local restaurant. On the way back, driver William took us on back roads with beautiful views of Volcan Arenal, what a great day !!

Rio Celeste tour - Alex is informative. All the spots are good! We had a great hike and lunch. The swim in Rio Celeste was amazing and memorable! Thanks!

Perfect Day! - What an amazing day! This is my first solo trip and picked the best excursion for my first day. Santiago was the best. I had just recently started hiking again so this was a little bit strenuous but Santiago was encouraging and I ended up keeping up!! Santiago has a passion for nature! He is an encyclopedia of wildlife with the infectious charisma of Steve Irwin. If you decide to take this tour you will also be pleasantly impressed of Santiago’s howler monkey impression. Spot on! Along the way, he spotted a ton of snakes and unique plants I would have never seen. The beauty is almost overwhelming. The scenery and views brought me to tears. Highly recommended! Do it!

All around a great day trip ! - After intensive preparation we met at our 4th Holidays in Costa Rica opted for this excursion to experience another hike through the rainforest and especially to view the giant Ceiba tree on the way to the entrance area ! This tour alone was worth it! If you want to experience this approximately 400 (+/- 200) year old tree, you should definitely inform your tour guide beforehand, because not everyone knows about it or includes this presumably largest tree in the country in their excursion. We booked our tour with Viator and had a very friendly and knowledgeable guide with Arthur. He and his equally nice driver went out of their way to show us as many rainforest animals as possible. Lunch was good and adequate. We can definitely recommend this excursion with the tour entrepreneur we have chosen. Think of non-slip hiking shoes, anti-mosquito spray and, if necessary, a rain poncho.

Great guide and nature - Santiago was amazing. He was willing to carry people. He has videos to prove that he will do that. He is also great at spotting animals. He found a sloth in the trees as we were zipping by on the way to the hike/waterfall. The waterfalls were amazing. They were very blue but it’s hit or miss during rainy season. Water shoes are helpful. Waterproof camera would be nice. You may get back a little later than expected. Viator said 4. I got back at 4:45. We took a scenic route back. I’m not complaining but something to be aware of.

Amaizing Rio Celeste - Fantastic experience our guide was Santiago and Annie great professional.To my tour guide Santiago thank you so much for everything, your energy your vibe and wisdom made our ride much better. You're ability to taken pictures and always asking if I was okay I really appreciate, and thank you Annie for taking care of me.

Wildlife and nature tour - It was a great experience with so many wildlife sightings with the help of our awesome guide Santiago who has a very keen senses to spot wildlife. We saw snakes, turtles, Cayman, Toucans, monkeys, lizards, butterflies and dragonflies. Rio Celeste waterfalls is pretty. Quite a bit of a hike but we enjoyed it.

Loved this day trip/hike! - We loved this full-day trip. The conditions were perfect for blue water, so it was a gorgeous hike. It was also the perfect combination of education and exertion. The swim at the end was a great way to cool off as well. In hindsight, I wished we'd done more Red Lava tours. They seem to have great staff and offer unique experiences.

A worthwhile day trip, made incredible by the guides. - Obviously it’s never easy to commit to a full day tour, especially one that realistically is just a moderate hike to look at some moving water. Stop debating on this one and just book it. Seriously, this was one of the best things that we did when staying in La Fortuna. Over the course of 8 days in Costa Rica we went on A LOT of tours. This one blew the others out of the water, solely based on what Olivier (the driver) and Santiago (the guide) brought to the table. The passion that both of them have for the land, the animals, and the people of the Arenal/Tenorio regions runs extraordinarily deep. Their knowledge of these critical elements also put them miles ahead of the other guides we encountered in the La Fortuna area. The tour itself was incredibly well organized. The hotel pickup was flawless and within the pre-arranged time slot. Bathroom breaks were well planned and not spread too far apart. Santiago did a great job at ensuring we would get to the waterfall viewpoint ahead of the larger crowds, and was incredibly patient when it came to ensuring that no one fell too far behind on the more challenging parts of the hike (mainly the stairs coming back from the point at which the rivers merged). You will also get to see an abundance of animals (from sloths to snakes), and maybe even hear the elusive Santiago Howler Monkey. Lunch was delicious, and much needed after the hike. It is a long day, so be prepared. But it is so worth it.

A must do when in Costa Rica!!! - Santiago was absolutely incredible. I cannot say enough nice things about how into nature he was and how much he loved showing us everything. TripAdvisor really doesn’t go into detail about the day so I figured I would help anybody curious about wanting to do this trip. I booked it through TripAdvisor and called them to get a rough estimate on when we would be picked up. They told us that the night before they would send an email saying when they plan on picking us up at our hotel. They picked us up right on time and off. We went about 45 minutes into the trip we stopped at a little café where we met up with Santiago our tour guide. We were able to use the restroom at the café get coffee or any other snacks before we drove another 45 minutes to the national park. Santiago was very generous and stopping at places he thought would be really cool to show us we were lucky enough to see a sloth sleeping in a tree some turtles and a lot of other little neat things. Just be aware that if the weather is not the best he will probably not stop, and if he is suspecting that the trails will be busy he will not stop. Once we got to the national park, we showed the front counter our passports. Yes you can either bring your passports or have a picture of them they just verify that you are you. We use the restrooms and off. We went to start the hike. I’m not going to spoil anything about the hike, but just be excited to know that it is definitely worth it after about 3 1/2 miles of hiking we reach the end of the hike and Santiago took us to a little spot where you were able to swim in the river where the aquamarine blue water is. It was incredible to take a dip in and after a little bit of swimming off, we were to lunch. The lunch was authentic Costa Rican cook food, and I cannot say enough amazing things about the food after eating we packed ourselves back up on the van and off we went back to the café to drop off Santiago and then to drop the remainder of the people on the trip. It was such a cool experience and I am so glad that I was able to book it and experience it myself. Things to keep in mind you are able to keep backpacks on the van somebody will be guarding the van the entire time. You can bring a little bag to carry things like water, your phone, your camera or any other miscellaneous things you may need, but you do not need a big backpack. I did not wear my bathing suit while hiking because the swimming part did not occur until after the hike was done. You have the opportunity to change in the bathroom if you choose to swim. Bug spray and sunscreen can only be put on outside of the national park because they are aerosols and they want to preserve as much of the park as possible so put it on beforehand or before you start the hike. We were lucky enough to not encounter a lot of bugs or mosquitoes, and it made the hike a lot easier. Bring plenty of water. The only water spot is at the beginning of the hike and is the only water spot for 3 1/2 miles. Wear appropriate shoes no crocs no flip-flops wear hiking boots or sneakers with a good grip. If it rains during the morning it can get slippery. Also bring a small hand towel to wipe your hands with or a towel for when you go swimming. It is an all day event so be mindful that from around 7:30 AM to about 4:00 PM you will be experiencing this tour whether it is hiking or the travel time. It can get tiring so be sure to eat breakfast before hand. Overall, I highly recommend this tour five out of five stars in Santiago. You were absolutely incredible. Thank you for making this experience worth every penny.!!!