A valuable part of your El Remanso stay is the activities and tours you will do, most of which come included with your stay as part of your Experience Package

Our vast property has so much to offer, either right on the premises or very nearby. There’s no real need to travel far to experience an array of exciting and compelling activities like hikes through forests or rivers, daytime bird watching and nighttime nocturnal creature tours

All the tours at El Remanso are led by at least one of our highly trained, passionate, subject matter expert guides.

ON-SITE INCLUDED WITH YOUR STAY
- The Forest Hike
- River Walk
- The Short Hike
- Early Hike
- Garden Bird Watching
- Night Hike
- Lowlands Bird Watching
- Matapalo Tour

Our expert tour guides and concierge will suggest the best times for each of these tours to ensure you have the most rewarding experience.

Suspended above the world you know, immersed in a world you don’t: El Remanso’s suspension bridges connect to our trails and dangle high in the rainforest canopy, offering a bird's eye perspective of dense and vibrant ecosystems impossible to explore from the forest floor. As you traverse these bridges, you'll feel a profound sense of immersion in the forest, allowing nature to reveal its secrets to you. This perfect self-guided activity is suitable for guests of all ages, providing a unique and unforgettable experience.

At El Remanso Rainforest Lodge, we offer three unique bird-watching experiences designed to immerse you in the rich avian diversity of the Osa Peninsula. Whether you prefer a relaxed morning tour in our gardens or a more adventurous excursion into the lowlands of the Osa Peninsula, there's something for every bird enthusiast. Our expert tour guides will suggest the best times for each of these tours to ensure you have the most rewarding bird-watching experience.

GARDEN OR FOREST BIRD WATCHING
This physically easy afternoon tour, led by one of our birding experts will allow you to add more than a few of the more elusive endemic birds to your life list. Listen to the variety of birdsong and learn to identify common songs with the incredible birds belonging to them. Capture amazing photos of technicolor birds with the aid of the expert’s telephoto monocular lens. All within a half-mile radius of the hotel’s lobby!

LOWLANDS BIRD WATCHING QUEST
Start just after dawn to catch birds at their most active. Hop in the bed of a 4x4 truck for this up-close and changing habitat birding tour. Your expert guide will take you back up out of El Remanso and its rainforest and onto the main peninsula road to head down to the lowlands. Along the way, there will be spontaneous stops to point out exotic birds, hard-to-spot nesting and naturally camouflaged birds, and soaring birds of prey. Even Blue Morpho butterflies and maybe a family of monkeys may enliven your route. Your tour goes all the way down to the riverside pastureland, where you’ll see completely different types of birds before turning around and making it back in time for another delicious El Remanso breakfast!

The night hike offers insight into the nocturnal side of the rainforest! When all diurnal species take to their dens, nests, or favorite branch for the night, a different world comes alive! Be it frogs, snakes, spiders, or scorpions, the Night Hike packs a completely different view of the forests you explored during the day. The hike varies in its itinerary but usually goes anywhere our guides have their night-vision eye focused. This experience begins at 6:00 p.m. (around sundown) and you will be back for dinner at around 7:20 p.m.

This is a 3–4-hour full immersive Rainforest experience. Join one of El Remanso’s expert naturalist guides on an exploration of the onsite forest trails where you will learn about Osa’s rare and precious ecosystem. Armed with a portable tripod, monocular, and encyclopedic knowledge, your guide will show you trees several hundred years old; teach you the medicinal value of plants and other rainforest organisms; point out reptiles, insects, birds, and animals on or near the trails; and tell you stories from the history of the rainforest

It takes place on either the Carablanca Trail, Beach Trail, Waterfalls Trail, or a shorter version of the Ridge Trail, going through the suspension bridges. Your guide will discuss which route you’d prefer during this tour, which will take a maximum of 2 hours. This is a quick and wonderful way to familiarize yourself with the rainforest.

This hike is a unique experience that will take you deep into the tropical

lowland rainforest. You will follow the meandering river canyon up into the

foothills. This trail takes you to a place where time stands still and forest

giants stand guard over the river’s edge.

The waterfall rappelling tour is high on adventure but low on difficulty. It begins at a section of El Remanso not accessible on foot and continues to reveal El Remanso’s most unique and wild experience: Rappel down the face of four rainforest waterfalls, each increasing in difficulty. Don’t worry, we’ll start at the smallest and easiest; the final Big Daddy towers 85 feet and promises a true adrenaline rush! This tour ends at the beach; please follow the Beach Trail back to the lodge.

The zip-line canopy observation tour provides a sight into the canopy ecosystem and the different habitat it represents. After a short hike crossing the hanging bridges, you take off into the treetops with the help of your guides. With 4 cables and 3 gorgeous suspended platforms, the tour is ideal for a first-ever cable experience and guarantees a fun and exciting way to explore the roof of the rainforest.

A guest favorite! Get up close and personal with the incredible dolphins of the Golfo Dulce, one of only four tropical fjords in the world. Our “sweet gulf” is home to a wide variety of wildlife – dolphins, whales (August-November), rays, whale sharks (February) and sea turtles, among them. Most common sightings: bottlenose and spotted dolphins. Depending on weather and visibility, you’ll also go snorkeling or swimming on the other side of the gulf.

Tackle the three excellent breaks of Cabo Matapalo, one of our region’s most famous surfing beaches. There are waves for both beginners and advanced surfers, and our experienced instructors work with you one-on-one to develop the skills you want to build.

Within the unique setting of the Golfo Dulce, paddle into an activity appropriate for all ages, interests, and skill levels. Depending on the tide, your guide may take you to a beautiful beach (go ahead, stop for a swim!) and into the mangroves to explore local flora and fauna: fish, birds, rays and even dolphins abound. Depending on the time, you may also catch the sunset and a breathtaking view of the gulf’s glowing water and imposing green mountains.