Visit to the Bribri community by Ariel - Excellent guided tour of Ariel, a perfect guide to visit these unique places, know the territory and customs of the Bribri community and prepare chocolate with your own hands.

Fabulous day of animals, chocolate, learning, indigenous culture appreciation and waterfalls! - A very relaxed but very informative day trip, seeing lots of animals with an amazing spotter who was also Bribri himself, Ariel. Very knowledgeable about flora and fauna, very quick to find all the things to see, and was also interested in learning new English words! The chocolate making and medicinal herb tour was also led by Ariel, it made us wonder if there was anything he didn’t know?!?! The waterfall was also very beautiful and not too crowded, Ariel gave us as much time as we wanted there. If you want to actually feel like you’re really discovering Costa Rica, choose this tour and Ariel!

This was one of the... - This was one of the highlights of my trip to Costa Rica. It was a really fun day and we saw so many animals. You can tell Ariel is passionate about his country and the animals here. He is SO good at spotting them we joked that if we didn’t have him we would’ve walked out of the park saying “wow guess no animals today” because he was able to pick them out from a super far distance. Whether you’re solo or traveling with someone this is an experience worth the price and time!

A great educational experience and authentic Costa Rica. Our guide was experienced in spotting all the animals! - We saw all the animals we wanted to see thanks to the experienced eyes of our guide. Serene, gorgeous and educational. Must do!

DO NOT MISS THIS TOUR -Our best guide and experience in Costa Rica - three tours in one - wildlife, culture, and water! - DO NOT VISIT the Cahuita, Puerto Viejo area WITHOUT TAKING THIS TOUR. My husband and I spent 14 nights in Costa Rica. The first 6 nights were with three other couples in a Villa in Jaco on the Pacific side, and then 2 nights in Alajuela, 1 in Cahuita, 4 in Puerto Viejo, and 1 in San Jose before flying out. We did numerous tours/excursions over the two weeks but this was by far the BEST ONE as far as the total experience and value. Ariel was so knowledgeable and went out of his way to accommodate us. He paid attention to every detail and was just so pleasant and professional. After picking us up at our hotel, the first stop was a tour through the Cahuita National park - which would have been a complete waste if we had done a self guided tour as we originally planned. Without his knowledge and expertise (and tripod and telescope), we definitely would have missed - lizards, iguanas, poisonous snakes, a variety of birds, and several sloths- including one a couple feet above our head. We would have seen the capuchin monkeys, but not up close. Next he took us to the Bri Bri reservation and he, being of Bri Bri heritage himself, gave us such an informative tour on their history and culture as well as taking the time to show us medicinal plants and let us smell herbs, as well as guiding us in experiencing the chocolate making process from beginning to end - from cracking open the cacao fruit (and tasting it) through fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, pressing, and tasting a variety of chocolate products. We were hands on with all of this. We also got a fantastic traditional lunch on the reservation prepared by the women of the tribe. After that we visited a local waterfall - passing through the land of a precious local man and his family who have a stand set up with fresh fruit, coffee and coconut water. After descending down a steep path, we arrived at a beautiful waterfall which we loved even more than the one at La Fortuna, because although this waterfall was grand and majestic in its own right, the pool below was much safer and more well suited for swimming. Ariel allowed us to swim in the waterfall for as long as we wanted. This was a “not to miss” tour, especially for the cost - but even at twice the price, it would have been worth it, We can’t say enough about Ariel -we could see that he was well loved and respected by everyone, everywhere we went. Ariel was the personification of Pura Vida and we can’t wait to go back to visit him again and bring our friends and family!

An Adventure with the BEST Tour Guide in Central America! Genuinely hospitable and authentic immersion! The MEMORY MAKER - 🤩 WOW! That’s the first word that comes to mind when I recall my experience with Caribe Auténtico! Truly the best tour experience I’ve come across in all my adventuring! I will note we booked each activity in separate days. It is the best for several memorable reasons starting with authentic hospitality and attention to detail. Ariel cares. You can feel that right away… about you (the guests/his clients), the environment, the animals, and your experience. He doesn’t put on a show or act in a scripted way, you can tell he’s showing up with respect for the entire process! Present there to the moment of the experience of the day in which is being cocreated...which was lovely! As we entered the park he immersed us into the jungle, into the animals world, and how if you’re patient and learn where to look, you may find many animals you’d have otherwise missed! He’s really REALLY good. We joked and thought he placed the animals before we got there because he would find things so quickly that were camouflaged so well that really only a guide would see! (We would later see that without him it became just a walk basically when we knew minutes before how much life was there, and still was all around us, but we’re not trained to see.) This made our experience feel worthwhile for the purchase and would book again! Everytime, get a guide! It’s worth it! He educated us about the park, Costa Rica and Costa Rican life, what is Pura Vida, and each animal we saw. He delivered with an enthusiasm and excitement that I felt like a I was with a National Geographic explorer, and having my own dreams come true being immersed with this beautiful wild animals 🦥 🦜 🐍 With a trusty monocular telescope he would find and dial into a lot of creatures! It was amazing! The clarity of that glass put my camera to shame. He even offered to take photos with our phones so we could show the world what we saw together! During our tour we also felt he knew how to move in the park in a way that made our experience feel good; not only with our pace but how to avoid the crowds. The tour felt so personal and less commercial , as we saw those being rushed through end to end. Ariel’s personal touches and just being himself was well worth the experience. I think he may be the best guide in all Central America! He was really stellar and represents Caribe Auténtico to the utmost honors! It was really a privilege of fate to meet him and spend our time together. I got some of my best wildlife shots of my life with him! I’m really proud of that! We also used him the following day for a cacao farm tour and we were not disappointed! We went together and met a local indigenous family at their farm which was a truly sacred experience (in our personal sense, not a sacred ceremonial cacao daytrip). One of welcoming spirits and genuine hospitality that truly filled our hearts! The farm was clean, distinct, and educational and the hands on making of the Cacao was an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life! The bananas with the fresh cacao in two styles by two verisionsnid banana, was divine 🤤 🍌 🍫 Such a lovely afternoon! Afterwards we went to a waterfall as promised in our day tour and were safely guided to a magical place! We didn’t get to swim due to thunderstorms but we choose to still see it and so he got soaked for us! We also waited out the rain with the waterfalls patron who was very nice and plays guitar great! Ariel really goes above and beyond to ensure you have a great time and experience with him! If you’re thinking of booking and looking at reviews for signs and confirmation, I can assure you this is the ONE! ☝️ 🏝️🏞️ 🦜 You will not be disappointed with Caribe Auténtico and ask for Ariel! Your dream vacation in paradise will truly exceed your expectations if you spend time with Caribe Auténtico! Pura Vida ! And thank you Ariel!

Compulsory tour if you are in Puerto Viejo - These are the cases where a guide is essential to show you what really lives in the park. Thanks to Ariel I was able to see many animals and take amazing photos. I also got to know about the Bribri community and learn about the cocoa process, even making my own chocolate! The waterfall just that day was brown from a collapse.

The BEST tour!!! - This was one of my favorite things we did in Costa Rica! Our guide was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable of the flora and fauna. We would not have seen a fraction of the wildlife if it had not been for his keen eye. Truly unforgettable, I cannot reccomend it enough!

The guide was very kind.... - The guide was very kind. The activity was interesting, starting with a 2-hour walk in the park at a time when there weren't too many groups!

Ok - Our guide (who never told us his name) was not very talkative for most of the trip. He did not greet us on pickup or give us any information about the tour. The drives were very long, and would have been greatly improved by informative talk about the region, history, or culture. We first arrived at Cahuita National Park (I guess, no one told us anything). The guide was very good at spotting wildlife with his scope, and when asked questions, gave very interesting information, but he volunteered very little. Most of the walk was in silence in the rain. The BriBri cultural tour was interesting, but quite awkward. It was like being in someone’s home where you weren't invited, and they are just indifferent to your presence. Lots of people around who did not acknowledge or address us. It felt at times like we shouldn’t be there. The tour itself was informative, but very slow. The kids were often bored and by lunch time (nearly 5 hours into the tour) were starving. Which was probably good, since we might not have been eager to eat rice with our hands, had we not been so famished. The food was good, but everyone agreed it would have been better with a spoon or fork. The waterfall was the highlight of the tour (for me) but by that time the tour was already an hour past the stated end time and we were tired and a little stressed about getting back to our car before the place it was parked closed for the day. All-in-all, it wasn’t a terrible day, but it is not a tour I could recommend, especially if traveling with kids.