Top Things to do in Tarcoles
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What to do and see in Tarcoles, Costa Rica: The Best Places and Tips
Discover the best top things to do in Tarcoles, Costa Rica including Jose's Crocodile River Tour, Vic-Tours, Dragin Fly Fishing Charters, Jungle Crocodile Safari, Carara National Park, Jimmy T's Provisions, Carara National Park, Bridge Over Rio Tarcoles, Green Path Costa Rica - Day Tours, Costa Rica Birding Journeys Day Trips.
Restaurants in Tarcoles
1. Jose's Crocodile River Tour
Overall Ratings
5 based on 531 reviews
An action-packed river boat adventure on the Tarcoles River, Costa Rica. See crocodiles up to 17 feet long, over 30 kinds of exotic birds, iguanas and lizards, cruise through mangrove forest, and admire the rainforest scenery! Wildlife UP-CLOSE! An adventure you must experience! Located 20 minutes from Jaco beach and Los Suenos Resort and Marina.
Reviewed By cadeaugratuit - Nevada, USA
From the youngest to the oldest, all will enjoy the crocodile tour. The guides intimately know the mangroves and the best spots to see crocs as well as fabulous water/shore birds. About 90 minutes, (no bathroom onboard.) The plastic and other litter in the river is disheartening, but the CR people truly love their country and enjoy sharing it with visitors. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and got great photos.
2. Vic-Tours
Overall Ratings
5 based on 260 reviews
Our Mission is to teach you about the Nature wonders of Costa Rica. Guiding you in National Parks,through their trails, discovering Monkeys, Scarlet Macaws,Toucans, ancient tress, medicinal plants, taking amazing pictures with our spotting Telescope and more...You can hire Vic-Tours services by tour, by day or by week. We also provide full transportation and transfers from your hotel to the tours. Transfers in and out from the airports of Alajuela and Liberia.We organize Bird watching Tours, Nature Guided Hikes through the jungles of Carara and Manuel Antonio national Parks, River and Mangrove Safari cruises, Horse back Riding to Costa Ricas highest Waterfall just to mention some. We are well prepare to help you to organize your vacations as soon as you start planning to travel to Costa Rica, please email us and we will recommend places to stay and tours.our opinion about going to the take a hike in the jungle without a Nature Tour Guide, is like being in a classroom without a teacher. Everything is there but nobody is here to teach you!Email us! We will do our best for you to enjoy your lifetime holidays!
Reviewed By dnrphd - Highland Park, Illinois
Vic is the best in every way. He is so knowledgeable, professional and he successfully searched high and low to find the macaws we were hoping to see in Carara National Park. He is warm and personable with a wonderful sense of humor. My family and I were touched by his big heart, his spirituality and his appreciation of life. We wish we had done all of our tours with Vic and recommend him without reservation. We hope to hire him again during this visit or in the future.
3. Dragin Fly Fishing Charters
Overall Ratings
5 based on 57 reviews
The Dragin Fly charters out of Los Suenos Marina, Costa Rica. The Dream Team Crew of Captain James, Alberto and Roberto are handpicked for their fish catching abilities, and their attention to customer service. Typical catches include sailfish, sailfish and more sailfish, marlin, tuna and dolphin (also known as mahi mahi). George Beckwith and Anna Beckwith of Down East Guide Service are the managing partners of the Dragin Fly. Down East Guide Service is based out of Morehead City, NC (check out out TripAdvisor page). We can help you plan your fishing, accommodations, transportation and tours in Costa Rica. Down East Guide Service specializes in fishing vacation, family vacations, corporate trips and honeymoons. All trips are customized. We have been working in Costa Rica for over 20 years. George and Anna are typically in Costa Rica much of Dec-April so plan your trip with someone who knows.
Reviewed By BZTMAN - Trelawny
we fished on the Spanish Fly during the OWC tournament in Quepos. The best boat of the four day tournament. Crew was knowledgeable and patient, top class equipment, raised fish in a very dry tournament. lots of extra's provided like hamburgers for lunch and snacks during the trip.
4. Jungle Crocodile Safari
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 265 reviews
Know and explore an unique tourist destination in Tarcoles, Costa Rica. Jungle Crocodile Safari offers its visitors the opportunity to observe American Crocodiles, with sizes over four meters long, iguanas and basilisks in their natural environment, along with more than a hundred twenty different species of resident and migratory, terrestrial and coastal birds. Specialized bilingual guides accompany their group, offering wide educational information on the crocodiles and the ecology of this wonderful natural refuge, while facilitating the visitors the opportunity to photograph and film the wild life at a very short distance. Come and live this great experience with us!
Reviewed By Loretta P - Topsham, Maine
Many thanks to Hansel for a wonderful birding excursion. This company offers a birding checklist which is helpful and a good souvenir. Bonus birds included Social Flycatcher, Lessor Nighthawk and Mangrove Cuckoo. After we docked Hansel went the extra mile and called up a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. Great sighting. There is a very pleasant reception area with a gift shop. I highly recommend.
5. Carara National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 493 reviews
Carara National Park is south of the Rio Tarcoles and 15 km north of Jaco Dentral. It boasts of a large population of breeding scarlet macaws, capuchin monkeys, anteaters, parrots, aracaris, kingfishers old growth forest and is a transistional forest supporting both Amazonian and Mesoamerican habitats.
Reviewed By nettzoo - north Carolina
My eyesight is failing and my hearing is worse, so birding has become very challenging for me. But with a fantastic guide like Freddy, anyone can be successful at birding. He has a great ear and does an amazing job of identifying and locating birds. His eye is keen, and he repeatedly got his scope on the bird before I even had any idea there was something there. He helped me see many more birds than I expected, he took pictures through his scope for me, he was very helpful and patient. In short, Freddy is one of the best bird guides I’ve ever met and I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go out with him. On top of his skills and professionalism, he is extremely friendly and pleasant to be with. I wish I had time to go birding with him again!
6. Jimmy T's Provisions
Overall Ratings
5 based on 110 reviews
Jimmy T's is a gourmet grocery store located on the waterfront of the Los Suenos Resort & Marina in Herradura, Costa Rica. We specialize in epicurean food products, provisioning of yachts & catering services. We have an in-store deli where we offer cold cut meats, daily prepared specials, fresh salads, and meals to order. When staying in LOS SUENOS we are the easy one-stop shop for all your needs from coffee & eggs to toilet paper & fried chicken. We are also a great alternative for meals when traveling with large groups. We'll come to you and clean up too!
Reviewed By Lollypop - Coastal South Carolina, South Carolina
I have been a few times and both times the men there of them were rude!
What's up with that!
The lady who checked me out was sweet and smiling!
They have al to of great prepared fest foods and a wonderful selection of food items, everything you need.....
7. Carara National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 167 reviews
Reviewed By cadeaugratuit - Nevada, USA
Compared to Manuel Antonio park this one was...zero. Manuel Antonio has many mammals, birds and reptiles, this park offers very little in my opinion. The vegetation is quite dense, our afternoon tour was a complete bust. We did not see any creatures except two iguanas and leaf cutter ants. Unless you just like to hike in the heat and humidity, plan your outing at Manuel Antonio instead. Our guide agreed.
8. Bridge Over Rio Tarcoles
Overall Ratings
4 based on 322 reviews
Reviewed By travelUSAoften - Toronto
I have been stopping to view crocodiles from this bridge for several years. They used to give travel warnings about thieves ready to pounce upon the tourists who stopped by the bridge but now they have a restaurant where tour buses stop and other businesses have also sprung up nearby and with so many tourists stopping here now you do feel safer. In addition to seeing these huge reptiles sunning themselves or swimming in the river there is a beautiful view looking upriver to the west with Mountains in the background. Be careful when crossing the road as vehicles are constantly passing by including transport trucks that make the bridge vibrate. Also watch where the pavement meets the gravel parking lot at the north end of the bridge. An elderly lady stumbled and fortunately I happened to be there as she caught her balance by grabbing onto my arm, otherwise she could have landed face first onto the asphalt. Also beware of where you park. An attendant in front of the hotel warned us not to park far away where we had found a shady spot under a tree. He hinted that the car could be tagged or otherwise harmed or broken into. I am guessing that he was looking for us to park in front of the restaurant, probably for a fee.
9. Green Path Costa Rica - Day Tours
Overall Ratings
5 based on 86 reviews
Welcome to Costa Rica! Here at Green Path Eco-Tourism, we are a completely local Costa Rican agency that will meet all your travel needs. As a family-run business, we understand just how important your time in Costa Rica with loved ones is - whether for a family vacation, a get-together with friends, or a romantic getaway. Let's make your time in Costa Rica truly a trip in paradise! We offer a variety of pre-designed tours that will maximize your adventure time and minimize the hassles of planning and traveling. Additionally, if you already have some ideas we can custom-build your vacation into a dream come true.
Reviewed By beruska08 - QLD
Best tour in Costa Rica with professionally trained guides and wonderful service. We booked the public National Manuel Antonio Park day tour with Green Path tours, which was awesome as the tours are small. The guide, Michael, spoke English fluently and told us a lot...MoreHi dear friends this is Michael, thanks for yours words I so happy 4 you guys, and glad you enjoy your vacation in CR, I hope to see you again. Thanks again guys and all the best wishes 4 you. Big Hug Pura Vida.
10. Costa Rica Birding Journeys Day Trips
Overall Ratings
5 based on 32 reviews
Costa Rica Birding Journeys is a tour operator for birding & photography trips in Costa Rica. Randall Ortega Chaves is the owner and operator of this company. He has 15 years of experience and is noted as one of the top birders and bird photographers in Costa Rica.He offers day trips, group and private multi-day excursions throughout the entire country. He is a certified naturalist guide through ICT, a member of the association of ornithology, and a nature photography instructor for the Institute of Tropical Studies of Costa Rica.
Reviewed By diane2134 - Los Angeles
Many reviewers here and elsewhere have described Randall’s amazing performance as a birding/nature guide and we certainly agree. He is extraordinary in that regard. He helped us see more than a hundred species of birds in four days and he is even mentioned by the author of the leading book on Costa Rican birds in his list of acknowledgments. But Randall also excels in other ways. I’d like to describe what he did for us during our recent stay in the Tárcoles/Jacó area. (He lives in Jacó.)
First, a brief summary of our situation. My husband and I are professors in our late 70s who have limited mobility. We love birds but can’t walk long distances on uneven terrain, especially in heat and humidity. We also like having comfortable beds, good showers, and nice meals at the end of the day. In other words, we came to Costa Rica partly as bird enthusiasts but also hoping to experience its culture and relaxed life style in relative comfort rather than in the rustic accommodations of our youth.
Randall made things easy for us in several ways. He picked us up in San José in his brand new SUV and delivered us back there. He made a reservation for us (and our son, who was traveling with us) at the South Beach Hotel in Jacó, a pleasant establishment with air-conditioned rooms that’s on the beach but out of the congested tourist zone. He drove us not only to Carara National Park, which has benches and a paved trail accessible even for wheelchairs, but also to Manuel Antonio National Park about an hour from Jacó. At Manuel Antonio, he persuaded the authorities to let him drive us part way down the main hiking path so we could see the beautiful shady beach at the end with its playful monkeys and raccoons. On the last morning, he took us to the coastal mangrove swamps along the Tárcoles River where we saw lots of birds and crocodiles on a “Fantastic Birds” tour while comfortably seated in a small roofed boat.
Before that, he drove us to many, many other places near Jacó that had abundant bird life. Some of them were “secret spots” that he had discovered during his nearly twenty years as a nature guide. Throughout, he made it easy for us to see the birds in as much comfort as possible (for example, while sitting with our binoculars in his air-conditioned vehicle rather than walking around in the heat). Meanwhile, our son was able to capture some incredible shots of the birds under Randall’s expert guidance. We were impressed that just in the area of Jacó, Tárcoles, and Carara not far from San José, we saw more wildlife than we had seen by spending considerably more effort and time (and a lot of money) to get to an eco-lodge on the Osa Peninsula some years ago.
Randall also took us to two luxury properties near Jacó: the gorgeous Los Sueños development with its Marriott Hotel (where we saw toucans and water birds near the pond) and the over-the-top resort Villa Caletas at sunset (for more birds and an excellent dinner at its restaurant El Anfiteátro). Although we personally would never have chosen to stay in those places because they are so isolated from the authentic Costa Rica, as well as quite expensive, we were glad to have experienced them briefly. Randall also guided us to the best eating places for our needs, ranging from a modest local “soda” to casual spots on the main street in Jacó (Los Amigos and Heladería El Barco for gelato) to high-end restaurants like Lemon Zest and Graffiti in Jacó and El Avión in Manuel Antonio. All of the dinner restaurants had wonderful fresh seafood including ahi tuna, dorado (mahi-mahi), and corvina (Chilean sea bass).
Although I’m sure Randall doesn’t have older clients like us every day, and he may have been slightly taken aback by our need for comfort, he was unfailingly gracious and considerate. As I walked with him through town and even places farther afield like Manuel Antonio, I noticed how he seemed to know “everybody” and how he had a strong sense of justice. This is a man who isn’t afraid to speak his mind in support of what he believes is right. He is focused, funny, and a little undomesticated (in a good way). His interest in history, culture, and other people is reflected in his command of several languages besides “bird” (as one TripAdvisor reviewer amusingly pointed out). He speaks not only English and Spanish but also French and Japanese. From reviews I can see that he has had many French clients.
If there was one weakness in Randall’s operation, it was that he was not always prompt in responding to our emails before we left the U.S. He often travels with clients out of cell phone and Internet range, and he was also moving at the time, but it was worrisome, especially when we had bought non-refundable plane tickets. His pre-trip summary of our itinerary was also a bit sketchy. However, when it came to our actual stay in Costa Rica, he was always prompt and reliable in picking us up at the agreed-upon times, and he was personally available to us every day from early morning to nightfall except for the mid-day siesta when we all rested out of the heat. We really loved having him as our travel companion.
Before our trip, I benefited from the reviews posted here on TripAdvisor and I contacted several of the writers to get additional information from them. To pay it forward, I would be glad to hear from anyone who has questions that I might be able to answer, for example about pricing and what equipment to bring. Randall’s web site at www.costaricabirdingjourneys.org also contains a lot of good information about such matters, as well as his phone number, and he told us that people were welcome to call him.
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