Venado Caves Underground Experience from La Fortuna PRIVATE TOUR
5
Venado Caves Underground Experience from La Fortuna PRIVATE TOUR
By Ecoterra Costa Rica
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 8-55
Duration: 4h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Exploration equipment (lanterns, flashlights, mask, helmet, rubber boots)
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan with Wi-Fi
- Towels
- Photo package
What's not included- Gratuities
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
- Calle 470, C. 470, Provincia de Alajuela, La Fortuna, Costa RicaHotels around La Fortuna
Pickup details- Hotel around La Fortuna.
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 7453P17- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Minimum age is 8 years
- May be operated by a multilingual guide
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 7453P17
From
$154.67
per adult
Select date and travelers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 1With flashlights to light our way and all the gear for the adventure, we will enter into this labyrinth of ancient underground rivers and seabeds, exposed now after thousands of millions of years. We will visit rock formations with names like, “the birthing canal”, “the papaya”, “the coral”, “the altar”. Rock formations of stalactites and stalagmites are very common inside the caves, some hanging from the rocks overhead, and others surging up from the ground. A great colony of bats inhabits the caves, as well as spiders and crabs. After the tour we will enjoy a buffet of fresh fruit. Reserve this unique experience in Costa Rica and get ready to get wet, dirty and see this different world that will astound you with a variety of emotions.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Fearless181304667350 contributionsThe absolute BEST experience!My two friends and I were visiting Costa Rica for the first time on a girls trip, and this experience was by far one of the BEST things we could have signed up for! We saw so many species of frogs, a sloth, iguanas, and so much more! They make you feel so at home and served the most amazing meal at the end. I would 100% recommend to anyone visiting Costa Rica!!Written November 2, 2024
- Stay631016619730 contributionsOutstanding ExperienceMy Maleku Tour experience was outstanding from start to finish. My original reservation was rebooked due to airline issues. I was accommodated and the new reservation was quick and easy. The tour is comfortable and educational. I highly recommend Maleku Tours. Pura Vida!Written October 13, 2024
- cirrus_pascal0 contributionsSuperbeWonderful experience with the Eco Terra organization, We visited the Tenorio Volcano National Park and the Rio Celeste in Costa Rica Discovery of an authentic nature We were accompanied by our guide Kattys, very friendly, attentive and considerate. Very beautiful memory of this walk discovered a vegetation and a river of an incomparable blueWritten September 11, 2024
- Da_Mout0 contributions¡ Muchas gracias, Elena !Elena was my guide for an afternoon hike to the Fortuna waterfall. I was impressed with, and grateful for, her professionalism and dedication. I was really keen to see a sloth, and although that was not part of my planned visit with Elena, she asked our driver to stop at a location so that we could see sloths (two!) on our way to the waterfall. Once at the waterfall, Elena took her time to share her knowledge with me, and showed me the orchid trail on the way back up. She also took photos throughout our tour, and sent them to me afterwards, as the camera on my mobile phone was broken. It was a pleasure to visit the waterfall with Elena, and I cannot recommend her tour guide services enough.Written September 3, 2024
- TanyaP810 contributionsDelicious food, beautiful wildlife.This tour was booked by our travel agent and I went with my two teenage sons. We all really enjoyed this. We had a gentle and knowledgeable guide who showed us lots of beautiful frogs, toads and lizards and let us taste peppercorns from the bushes. The highlight was the delicious food cooked by two women who were great fun, all of us laughing trying to communicate with our varied understanding of each other’s languages. Dinner was served on the balcony with the town lights in the distance. Would highly recommend this experience.Written August 2, 2024
- 279fayk0 contributionsAmazing!Kattis Was amazing today. Super information about the volcano and we even got to see a sloth - fabulous day and super guide 👍Written July 29, 2024
- 498amv0 contributionsGet to know the El ArenalEventhough El Arenal was mysteriously hiding in fogs, we had a great hike with guide Albert. That guy sure knows how to explain nature, eruptions, history and everything else you would like to know. The flora and faunda has no secrets to him. We’ve learned a lot today! And had a great time as well. Thanks Albert!Written July 26, 2024
- 498amv0 contributionsLoads of frogs and toadsReally loved the tour, with guide Diego and driver Mario. Not only we got to see many species of frogs and toads, we also saw wolspider, bulletants, sleeping birds, grashoppers etc. Diego is a very skilled and friendly guide, willing to help you get the best out of the night. Besides that he has a grwat sense of humour! Botanical gardens &ecodlodge isn’t actually on tripadvisor, but the vision and good works comes with great hospitality. So i higly recommend this tour!Written July 26, 2024
- Tiff-ah-knee0 contributionswonderful adventure dayHad a great tour 7/18(completely forgot our tour guides names we had 2), started off with the volcano hike; about 90mins-2 hours, had some pineapple, watermelon, and cookies waiting for us when we got back. Hike was pretty easy with steps on the way down, had plenty of time to take photos and learn about the area. Next, we went to the waterfall and had about an hour there after getting changed and walking down the 500+ steps. Towels and tons of water was supplied as well by the tour. After another 500+ step up it was time for lunch at casa moon which was included with the tour, we got to choose an appetizer (the ceviche was delicious) and an entree. After lunch we went to the hanging bridges where we saw monkeys, a snake, spiders, armadillos and coatimundis just to name a few. They dropped us off and picked us up at our hotel(montana de fuego) which was perfect. Thank you and pura vida!Written July 24, 2024
- kimberlysH9221IS0 contributionsHighlight of our tripJazmin was one of the best tour guides we've ever had. She was very knowledgeable about birds and where to find them we identified 22 confirmed species - including toucans, a rufous-tailed jacamar and a rare Black Phoebe - and spotted many more. We also saw vampire bats, howler monkeys, red poison dart frogs and a coati. Jazmin was also a great photographer, taking photos with our phones through the spotting scope. And at the end, our driver (I think his name was Freddy) had a picnic breakfast set up for us, with sandwiches, fruit, nuts, cookies, juice and coffee. Highly recommended!Written July 13, 2024
- asaffy0 contributionsSo impressed by Arenal VolcanoArenal Volcano in La Fortuna was impressive to say the least! Hiking up to the base of the Volcano was an amazing experience. We paid to enter the park and hiked on our own without a guide. The trails are marked you cant get lost. You cannot hike up to the crater, it is illegal now. Bring water and hiking shoes. I loved the town of La Fortuna, it was quiet and beautiful. There isn't much to do there and it gets dark by 5:45-6:00. We went to the hot springs, in Eco Termales, which were nice but not worth the price we paid ($47 pp). The Soda restaurants are a great place to eat, affordable and the food is GREAT. Do yourself a favor and get a batido de sandia con leche, you will thank me later! We later visited Monteverde and Manuel Antonio but I think I liked La Fortuna the best!Written July 13, 2024
- miekenaessens0 contributionsBest way to experience Rio Celeste and surroudingsWonderful tour, excellent guide, very interesting and beautiful. Also shoutout to the driver who gave us towels and helped us after heavy rain. Nice lunch afterwards.Written July 12, 2024
- miekenaessens0 contributionsBest way to visit the Arenal vulcano areaVery nice hiking tour with excellent guide: interesting information, very friendly. Shoutout to the driver who provided fresh fruits and snacks afterwards.Written July 12, 2024
- jordanlZ1813IW0 contributionsA thrilling and educational experience, truly wild yet tame at the same time!My father and I went and had an amazing time, the guide taught us about the millions of years of history all while showing us all of the cool critters & formations. Definitely challenging sometimes but the challenging paths are optional, I highly reccomend coming here for a wild yet fascinating experience.Written June 30, 2024
- R3492GTkatiee0 contributionsAmazing tour guide!We had a great private tour with Jasmine as our guide. She was very knowledgeable about the plants and animals. She was very friendly and made it a point to look for plants and animals to show us through her spotting scope. She had even brought walking sticks just in case, which my husband did need. We had a really enjoyable time with Jasmine and learned a lot about the volcano, plants, and animals.Written June 29, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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Alison E
Playa Samara, Costa Rica36 contributions
Nov 2021
The underground Venado cave tour was honestly amazing to me. I am a person who loves the mountains and mysterious things and this adventure called to me more than anything else. I wish it could have been hours longer-I would explore all day! My guide and driver picked me up from my hostel and immediately I felt welcomed, safe, and super comfortable. The shuttle was very clean and spacious, and the guide (I am so sorry for forgetting his name) was very informative and liked to chat if you wanted to learn things along the way. One of the things I respected most abut this tour was Ecoterra’s respect for the cave. They were very careful to explain that we come in and come out without damaging or taking anything from the cave and not leaving a footprint so to speak. I can appreciate this very much. I felt very safe during the experience, even when crawling through tight spaces and going down steep caverns. Do not doubt your ability to do any of the tunnels because the guide will instruct you and support you 100% of the way. I recommend this tour for families with kids who have a desire to explore and who aren’t afraid of being claustrophobic or bats. You will see bats and some creepy crawlies and many calcium deposits that feel magical. Don’t be afraid of being attacked by a bat or any bugs- this will not happen in this environment. After the tour, Ecoterra also provided a very clean towel to wash up with and the facilities that you are at are clean and don’t feel gross at all. Very well kept area and they served us fruit snacks and water afterwards- which was delicious and abundant! Please book this adventure through Ecoterra, you will not forget it.
Written November 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chelsea S
Austin, TX101 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
My husband and I went on a tour to the Venado Caves Underground with our tour guide Mainor. We booked with our hotel and were lucky to be able to embark on the experience just two days later, leaving at 7:20 in the morning.
Ecoterra provided us with water shoes which ended up being very useful for this tour! It is also useful to bring a change of clothes. You should expect to get very wet and to have to get on your knees and crawl through small spaces. If neither of these activities sounds appealing to you, I recommend that you pass on this experience.
In the dark, 150m underground into a privately owned land with a large cave, your tour guide will take you through crevices large and small and talk to you about the wonders of this cave. Mainor was excellent in setting our expectations and picking a route that was appropriate for our ability level and desires. The tour could be relatively strenuous or relatively comfortable depending on your group's fitness level and desires.
We ended up going into relatively uncharted territory, climbing down some passageways and through some challenging spaces. If you are lucky, you will get to go through the "birth canal" passage which is exactly as it sounds!
Along the way, Mainor got into details about the stalactites and stalagmite formations all around, and the geologic history of the cave. There was much wildlife to see, including 7 species of bats, quite a few species of spiders (several tarantulas and tailless whip scorpions), a large crab, a lizard, several catfish, the most massive cockroach I have ever laid my eyes on, and a bunch of cool looking crickets. For every sight that we saw and question we had, Mainor was prepared with much more information than I'd ever expect. He was absolutely outstanding!
Throughout the tour, Mainor provided very detailed instructions on how to pass through every difficult passageway, whether that was a climb, descent, or a crawl. Unfortunately we had an incident where Mainor was "spotting" my husband as he descended through a relatively steep passageway, and my husband thought he was slipping (he wasn't) and donkey kicked Mainor in the jaw :(. Everyone was fine and we feel terribly about the donkey kick to the jaw, but Mainor dusted it off and kept pushing onwards with the tour. Sorry again, Mainor!
The tour ended and there were showers for us to use as well as towels provided by the tour company. We also got a nice treat of fresh fruit, cookies, and water at the end. Mainor also took photos of us with his waterproof camera throughout the tour, and was able to send us the photos immediately through a wifi connection enabled on the bus. Thanks again for the incredible experience, Ecoterra and Mainor! I would do this tour again 10 times!
Ecoterra provided us with water shoes which ended up being very useful for this tour! It is also useful to bring a change of clothes. You should expect to get very wet and to have to get on your knees and crawl through small spaces. If neither of these activities sounds appealing to you, I recommend that you pass on this experience.
In the dark, 150m underground into a privately owned land with a large cave, your tour guide will take you through crevices large and small and talk to you about the wonders of this cave. Mainor was excellent in setting our expectations and picking a route that was appropriate for our ability level and desires. The tour could be relatively strenuous or relatively comfortable depending on your group's fitness level and desires.
We ended up going into relatively uncharted territory, climbing down some passageways and through some challenging spaces. If you are lucky, you will get to go through the "birth canal" passage which is exactly as it sounds!
Along the way, Mainor got into details about the stalactites and stalagmite formations all around, and the geologic history of the cave. There was much wildlife to see, including 7 species of bats, quite a few species of spiders (several tarantulas and tailless whip scorpions), a large crab, a lizard, several catfish, the most massive cockroach I have ever laid my eyes on, and a bunch of cool looking crickets. For every sight that we saw and question we had, Mainor was prepared with much more information than I'd ever expect. He was absolutely outstanding!
Throughout the tour, Mainor provided very detailed instructions on how to pass through every difficult passageway, whether that was a climb, descent, or a crawl. Unfortunately we had an incident where Mainor was "spotting" my husband as he descended through a relatively steep passageway, and my husband thought he was slipping (he wasn't) and donkey kicked Mainor in the jaw :(. Everyone was fine and we feel terribly about the donkey kick to the jaw, but Mainor dusted it off and kept pushing onwards with the tour. Sorry again, Mainor!
The tour ended and there were showers for us to use as well as towels provided by the tour company. We also got a nice treat of fresh fruit, cookies, and water at the end. Mainor also took photos of us with his waterproof camera throughout the tour, and was able to send us the photos immediately through a wifi connection enabled on the bus. Thanks again for the incredible experience, Ecoterra and Mainor! I would do this tour again 10 times!
Written April 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah T
San Jose, CA7 contributions
Jul 2024 • Friends
This tour was incredible!! I had never been in a cave, and this was a wonderful first experience. Our guide, Gonzalo (apologies if I spelled wrong!), and our driver were incredibly helpful and considerate from start to finish, making us feel safe and comfortable, even when some of our group had moments of claustrophobia (but don't worry - the narrowest parts of the cavern are optional!).
Our guide picked us up from our hotel for the drive from La Fortuna, which was super helpful given the 40 min distance and how windy the roads were (we had someone prone to motion sickness in our group and our guide and driver were super helpful and let us pull over for a break midway, which helped a lot). Gonzalo was super clear in describing what we could expect from the tour and when we would have options to do or skip narrower sections. He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw (mainly bats, spiders, a millipede), and also some of the very cool structures within the 30-million year old system, such as the "papaya" and "the alter." Our group split, with 4 out of the 6 of us doing the very narrow "birth canal" and two sitting out, and it was no problem - we were all within safe hearing distance of our guide the whole time. The helmets and headlamps provided worked great, and Gonzalo was great about helping us take photos along the way.
The tour is wet and messy, so I strongly recommend wearing clothes you don't care about (the tour will provide rubber boots if you don't have water shoes). Afterwards, showers are available, and they provided us with water, beer, and fresh pineapple and watermelon (best pineapple I've ever had). Gonzalo also made sure we got a before and after photo with the cave entrance to commemorate the trip.
A real highlight of our visit to the area, and I strongly recommend if you want to explore and beautiful and unique location with a tour company who has thought of everything you'll need for your comfort and safety!
Our guide picked us up from our hotel for the drive from La Fortuna, which was super helpful given the 40 min distance and how windy the roads were (we had someone prone to motion sickness in our group and our guide and driver were super helpful and let us pull over for a break midway, which helped a lot). Gonzalo was super clear in describing what we could expect from the tour and when we would have options to do or skip narrower sections. He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw (mainly bats, spiders, a millipede), and also some of the very cool structures within the 30-million year old system, such as the "papaya" and "the alter." Our group split, with 4 out of the 6 of us doing the very narrow "birth canal" and two sitting out, and it was no problem - we were all within safe hearing distance of our guide the whole time. The helmets and headlamps provided worked great, and Gonzalo was great about helping us take photos along the way.
The tour is wet and messy, so I strongly recommend wearing clothes you don't care about (the tour will provide rubber boots if you don't have water shoes). Afterwards, showers are available, and they provided us with water, beer, and fresh pineapple and watermelon (best pineapple I've ever had). Gonzalo also made sure we got a before and after photo with the cave entrance to commemorate the trip.
A real highlight of our visit to the area, and I strongly recommend if you want to explore and beautiful and unique location with a tour company who has thought of everything you'll need for your comfort and safety!
Written July 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I see the tour for adults is for ages 12-55. I am 71 but in good physical condition. Can I sign up for the tour?
Written October 31, 2018
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