Ground level at Danaus, canopy level at Mistico. Sloths and caimans first, then hanging bridges with Arenal Volcano in view.
Sixteen bridges cross Mistico Park, six of them suspended high above the rainforest canopy. That's the second act. The day begins lower, at the Danaus reserve, where a naturalist guide helps you spot sloths, caimans, frogs, butterflies, and tropical birds along the forest trails.
At Mistico the walking is easy and well maintained, and the views do the work: forest below your feet, Arenal Volcano in the distance.
A Costa Rican lunch made from fresh local ingredients is part of the day. One forest, two altitudes.
Final price depends on your pickup point.
We pick you up at your hotel or the airport and handle the full route, door to door.
Driving times are approximate.
One of them plans your day, picks you up and brings you back. Who exactly depends on the date.
Around twelve years in Costa Rican tourism. On the drive between Guanacaste and Arenal he points out how fast the landscape and climate change, and shares the history of both regions along the way. His picks: the Palo Verde boat safari and Rincón de la Vieja's Pailas trail.
Twenty years guiding Costa Rica as a general and naturalist guide, with a special passion for botany: he points out plant adaptations, ecological relationships and the quiet work that trees, flowers and lianas do in the ecosystem. His favorite day is Palo Verde, where wildlife, tropical wetlands, cultural traditions and history meet — and the birdlife is spectacular.
Twenty-two years in tourism, from restaurants to tour sales to driving and guiding. Místico is his favorite trail: rich in wildlife, easy to walk, and full of the forest's secrets. On transfers north he loves the moment the dry Pacific crosses an invisible line into rainforest green.
