Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge
Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge
4.5
About
Experience Arenal´s only wild frog sanctuary at night, when colorful tree frogs and other rainforest wildlife are most active and most easily observed. At least 28 frog species have made their home the ponds of Arenal Oasis. The Rojas Bonilla family carefully maintains native plants of Arenal, to create needed frog habitat in this private wildlife reserve of fresh spring water fed ponds; within a rainforest refuge connecting the rainforests of the Arenal Volcano and El Rio Burio. The night tour continues past the frog ponds along flat trails immersed in the noisy night rainforest. The guide will point out animals hiding from you. Support, enjoy and learn about the only wild frog sanctuary in the Arenal Volacano Area. Tours led by trained naturalist along flat rainforest trails start at 5:45pm at Arenal Oasis. Flashlights are provided and reservations are necessary. Included in the Tour: - Flashlights - Transportation Round Trip - Certified Naturalist Guide - Entrance Fee - Drinks What to Bring: - Camera - Closed Shoes - Long Pants - Raincoat - Confortable light Clothing - Big Smile
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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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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4.5
367 reviews
Excellent
292
Very good
58
Average
11
Poor
4
Terrible
2
Rosie A
3 contributions
Mar 2022
Our guide was very informative and we saw various types of frogs and insects, but it is way too highly priced for what it is! A tour like this should be half the price of what it was. I have participated in a few tours around Costa Rica and this was by far the most expensive considering how long the tour was and what it consisted of. Also they had a few different groups out on tours at the same time. Sometimes other groups would catch up with us because we were finding animals and wanting to take our time looking at them. When the other tour groups caught up with ours, our tour guide would hurry us along, even though some people wanted to take a bit longer to study the animals. So it felt a bit rushed in parts.
Written April 5, 2022
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.
Allison Z
New York City, NY53 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
My husband and I did the nighttime frog watching tour with Juan and had a great time! The tour leaves at 5:45pm and involves about a 2 hour walk through the beautiful Arenal Wildlife forest. The paths are gravel and clear, and the tour size was small (8 people). We felt incredibly safe with Juan as we got up close to nearly 12 different species of frogs and toads, as well as insects, two different snakes, spiders, and turtles. Juan was very informative and patient and assisted us with taking lots of photos of the wildlife. We are really happy we took this tour and we have a newfound appreciation for frogs and critters!
Written February 18, 2020
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.
Iain T
Los Angeles, CA17 contributions
Dec 2019
Just go ... no, seriously, just book and go, it's amazing! I'm a tree frog freak, I mean I even have a tree frog tattoo ...simply exquisite setting, sublime plants, humongous coral snakes, bullet ants the size of your thumb and froggies galore! One of the best experiences of sharing local knowledge of the wildlife I've had :))
Written August 25, 2020
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.
Sightsee50956926191
8 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We went on the night frog tour and saw so many species of frogs, toads, and insects. We spotted on snake and the tour started with monkey sightings in the trees. Our guide, Juan Esteban Rojas, was knowledgeable and informative. He was a lovely host as we walked for two hours through the darkness. He found very hard to spot creatures and shared his extensive knowledge with us. He was patient as we took photos and helped get some great shots. I highly recommend booking directly with Oasis for this tour rather than the other companies who come in to the property to do tours. I much preferred his style to some of the other guides we encountered along the way.
Written July 14, 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.
Inspiration314655
Salt Lake City, UT3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We took the night walk tour. Our guide Edson was an engaging, very well educated guide with professional photographer capabilities which he used along with his scope light to take amazing photos for us with our phone. He also quickly, kindly and generously pulled multiple army ants off of us before we were bitten. Both of my teenagers were fascinated and engaged for hours. We saw SO many frogs as well as snakes, toucans, ants, and spiders. He kept us safe the entire time and we learned a great deal and had a lot of fun in the process. It was incredible to be seeing and experiencing some things we have only seen before on shows like Planet Earth. I love experiencing how the Ticos appreciate and protect the biodiversity of this country. My teens and I would highly recommend this tour!
Written July 20, 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.
chaletaria
London, United Kingdom557 contributions
May 2022
Although the frogs (bats, snakes, etc) are all wild, they are protected in this well set out sanctuary. The area feels very natural with a selection of pools, and I got the impression most visitors saw some of the most iconic frogs of Costa Rica; we certainly saw Red-eyed Tree frogs, Glass Frogs, Rain frogs and even watched a Fer-de-Lance capture a bullfrog. The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful (ask if she/he will take photos using their scope + your phone for amazing pictures). Obviously this is a night tour, so dress accordingly. Transport to/ from the hotel was provided.
Written June 9, 2022
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.
Don C
6 contributions
Mar 2020
Did not stay in the cabins, but wish we had known about them when booking our trip. Walked the jungle trail a few times on different days and saw several varieties of birds. The restaurant was a pleasant surprise and we had a breakfast and a dinner. Excellent food and very friendly service with reasonable prices. Dinner for two came to about $22 US.
Written March 15, 2020
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.
Departure658823
San Jose, CA36 contributions
Oct 2022 • Friends
Our hotel helped us book this the same day and we were very happy they made the recommendation! Our guide Juan was informative and helped us take great pics of the vipers, frogs, toads, spiders and cicadas. They provided flashlights and a bottle of water too. I was still in shorts from the day so wished I had come in pants. Insect repellent and closed toed shoes also recommended.
Written October 7, 2022
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.
Emileah M
World6 contributions
May 2022
It was awesome, our tour guide Juan was great. Saw lots of cool frogs, spiders, insects, plants and learnt a lot from our guide. He was really knowledgable and answered all our questions. He also went above and beyond and gave me great recommendations for other experiences in La Fortuna and Monteverde. Thanks Juan and definitely recommend doing this tour!
Written May 31, 2022
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.
Jana S
Athens, Georgia, United States169 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
We were there on Friday night, before the Corona shut down. We were the only guests. We had a fabulous place. Our hot springs closed, so we had dinner there. Very tasty. During breakfast, a cassock and her baby came by. We got in late and had to leave early, so we didn't get to walk trails. When this blows over, I would like to come back.
Written March 21, 2020
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.
Can I check that there are no animals (frogs/snakes etc) in any type of cages/ glass boxes? I saw a review from many years ago suggesting there were and I just want to check this is no longer the case?
Written January 25, 2020
there are none in captivity! i went two days ago and its a piece of secondary rainforest full of wild (and free!) creatures
Written September 23, 2023
Hola buenas tardes. Acabamos de llegar y estaríamos interesados en hacer el tour nocturno. Seríamos cuatro personas adultas. Me podrían decir si tienen plazas y que precios tienen???
Written May 21, 2019
hola me puede regalar el precio neto recogiendo en el hotel los lagos gracias
Written November 12, 2018
Estimado Didier José A.
La tarifa rack para caminata nocturna recogiendo en Hotel Los Lagos es de $50 por persona .!
Tarifas netas para hoteles y agencias se pueden solicitar al email.
Saludos
Written November 18, 2018
Just a few questions. How long is the walk/tour? How were the mosquitoes? How much was the tour? How far was it from La Fortuna?
- Thank you! Jason
Written March 30, 2018
Hi,
The Arenal Oasis website tells you the tour cost - sorry it won't let me paste the website link here!
When we went (November) we didn't really get any mozzie bites but we did wear long trousers/coats etc for the night walk!
I think it was maximum 10 minute car ride from the main road in La Fortuna!
Written April 10, 2018
Are the tours wheelchair accessible?
Written February 6, 2017
The trails would probably be very difficult in a wheelchair. They are pebbly gravel and some are very steep. I only did the night walk so not sure if there might be something more accessible.
Written February 8, 2017
We booked all of our tours and activities through Pacific Tradewinds. I'm sure your hotel or other trips planning sites will be able to help you book.
Written June 29, 2017
We would like to take the Night Frog Tour in February. How far in advance do we need to reserve? How do we make reservations? How long does the tour last?
Thank you!
Written November 7, 2016
Hi Lory , you book it anytime between now And one hour before tour starts.!
Written December 10, 2016
Does this tour allow you to see more than frogs, although those are also beautiful? Some tour companies market this tour as frog focused tour as the family maintains flora/fauna/ponds to preserve these frog species? I found it a bit confusing that same location/tour is marketed differently on diff websites.
Written November 3, 2016
Yes especially if you do the night tour in which you may see bats, Snakes, crabs, spiders, although yes LOTS of frogs. During the day you'll probably see stuff like toucans, Sloths, dart frogs, butterflys, monkeys and other stuff.
Written November 4, 2016
Could someone tell me the price of a Night tour please?
Written July 27, 2016
Hello,
There are 3 options, $25 if you stay at arenal Oasis Eco Lodge, $40 if you stay somewhere else but you arrive there on your own vehicle , or $50 if you stay somewhere else and need them to pick you up at your hotel .
Written July 28, 2016
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