RAFIKI BEACH CAMP

If you're looking for a quiet and pieceful stay, surrounded by nature, this is your place!! Located at a miles long beach, where you can enjoy the most beautiful sunsets and beach walks collecting sand dollars (see picture), you just don't want to leave. It is also the best place to see sloths!! Alex can guide you around and you will see a bunch of sloths just around the beach camp! They also offer a sloth safari. I combined it with the kayak tour and it was just amazing. Starting at sunrise we saw the whole nature awakening. You get really deep into the mangroves and we spotted a lot of birds, crabs and monkeys. I love this place and can't wait to be back!!

Date of stay: December 2019

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MarinaM wrote a review Mar 2020

London, United Kingdom17 contributions4 helpful votes

Kayak with Rafiki

We had an amazing and peaceful time Kayaking through river and mangroves,away from anything noisy and touristic that Manuel Antonio area offers. Lautjie is the owner and was very welcoming and accommodating. Alex led the kayak trip and he was lovely to talk to and very patient with us.The rest of the group cancelled so we had a private tour and a sloth safari at the end of the route,on our way back to the camp. Half way in the route we had a stop at a beach Island for a bite and a drink. We saw endless birds along the river banks,a monkey and sloth once closer to mangroves and plenty of crabs. The route is solely run by rafiki,hence away from all other kayak tours. We would definitely recommend the 3 hour kayak with Alex. Thank you guys!

Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple

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Bettina R wrote a review Mar 2020

Zurich, Switzerland24 contributions1 helpful vote

Paradise on Earth!

We had an absolutely wonderful experience at Rafiki Beach Camp. It was so peaceful! Lots of animals, a beautiful, sandy beach with next to no people, a fantastic kayak tour with our guide Alex to the mangroves - one of the highlights of our 3 week trip - and four days of peace and quiet. We would recommend it to anyone looking for some time to connect back with nature. 🌴⛺️☀️🇨🇷

Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple

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Debbie wrote a review Jan 2020

Boulder, Colorado1 contribution

Public Beach- very loud and smoke-filled on New Year's

I have never before written a negative travel review (or any negative review) but feel compelled to share this so as to save someone else from the stress of this visit. Our stay at the Rafiki Beach Resort ranks as possibly my worst travel experience and not at all as marketed. I spent $2,000 on this 5-night visit to their two properties and felt quite misled by the beach camp. When I first reached out to the owner last summer to discuss whether Rafiki was a good fit, I was clear I’d be traveling alone with two children and our most important needs were quiet, restful time/space, safety and fun. Lautjie assured me that the beach would be very quiet other than perhaps a “few” fireworks “down” the beach on New Years’ Eve ending just after midnight. I asked repeatedly about the quiet and emphasized our need for that. He marketed a private and "relaxing" beach resort with peace and just a few families around. I was NEVER told that our tent was on a public beach. Bottom line: there were loud dogs barking starting at 5:30am, people partying (his staff!) until 2am a few feet from our tent and incessant cigarette and cooking smoke inundating our tent all day. It was not at all private and not at all peaceful or restful. …

Date of stay: January 2020

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Mari W wrote a review Jan 2020

Oslo, Norway12 contributions1 helpful vote

+1

What a wonderful place!

We absolutely loved staying at Rafiki beach camp, this small place right on the beautiful Matapalo beach. Our tent was very comfortable and clean, and faced the ocean. The whole place had a relaxing vibe and a great atmosphere. The best thing about the whole stay, was the owners and staff of the camp. They were so welcoming, friendly and helpful under our whole stay. We already miss it and hope to come back one day.

Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple

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