The 11 Best Night Walks in Costa Rica

1.Monteverde Night Tour with a Certified Tour Guide (6 PM or 8 PM)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 112 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $54Our pick

Walk Monteverde’s El Refugio after dark with a local guide and a small group of up to 10 people. Choose a 6 PM or 8 PM start, use the included flashlight, and search for frogs, snakes, tarantulas, leafcutter ants, birds, opossums, porcupines, and olingos. Guides such as Dio and Sergio are praised for sharp spotting skills and patient photo help.

“Dio and his son were great. We saw lots of animals and critters and the walk was super cool. Highly recommend!”

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2.EXCLUSIVE Night Tour with Night Vision- small groups 8 people max

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 98 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $40Top rated

Meet George or Vinny at the Monteverde Wildlife Refuge for a two-hour night walk through a private cloud-forest reserve. Small groups, night-vision visors, scopes, and flashlights help you spot sloths, frogs, snakes, armadillos, insects, bats, and glowing fungi. The tour costs $40 per person and ends where it begins.

“It was really fun to go out after dark and I recommend every family do at least one night tour for all the amazing creatures. We saw some cool bugs on our tour but unfortunately few mammals. You can't control the wildlife! George was really passionate about finding us creatures and very knowledgeable and we were really happy that he was our guide :)”

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3.Small-Group Tortuguero National Park Night Walk in Costa Rica

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 91 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $28Best value

Meet at 6:30 pm near Tortuguero’s main wharf for a two-hour forest walk with a naturalist guide and flashlight. Guides such as Warren and Diego are praised for spotting sleeping sloths, snakes, frogs, toucans, and iguanas. The group is capped at seven, but routes can be busy with other night walks.

“Warren was our guide during the night tour, and it was unbelievable the amount of animals he spotted. Next to all the animals we saw, we learned a lot and not to forget, the fun facts he was able to tell us about the animals. The best end of our visit of Torteguero we could think of.”

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4.Chocolate and Night Tour in La Fortuna

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 83 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $67

Start at Don Juan Tours La Fortuna at 5:45 pm for a two-hour evening walk focused on cacao, nocturnal wildlife, and Costa Rican plants. Guides such as Alex and Yen use a scope to spot frogs, sloths, lizards, birds, and insects. You will taste cacao, make your own chocolate bar, and sample dark, milk, and white chocolate.

“The tour was amazing! Learning from start to finish of how chocolate is made and getting to make our own bar was so fun. Yen was the best guide and spotted many frogs to show us as well as three sloths. Would definitely recommend!”

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5.Ecogarden Arenal Night Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 82 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $60

At 6 p.m., you explore Ecogarden Arenal in La Fortuna with a guide such as Jose or Joshua, searching for frogs, sloths, caimans, birds, reptiles, and insects. The two-hour walk includes snacks, and some outings finish with a homemade empanada and warm sugarcane drink. Groups can include up to 20 people.

“Young Joshua who led us through this small sliver of jungle paradise was on point. His ability to locate even the smallest and most hidden of creatures was truly astounding. From the poison dart frog practically invisible under a leaf to a slot who came down from the upper reaches of the canopy stop right in front of us, it was one amazing experience after another. Great hospitality before and after and a truly memorable evening for all of us!”

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6.Arenal Oasis Night Walk from Arenal

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 80 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $70

You’ll walk flat rainforest trails at Arenal Oasis after dark, beginning with ponds that shelter at least 28 frog species. Naturalist guides such as Angie, Jason, Edson, Vitor, and Gerald point out red-eyed tree frogs, snakes, insects, sloths, and other night creatures. Hotel pickup from the Arenal Zone is included.

“We had a tremendous rainstorm earlier that day and the frogs, giant grasshoppers and more were out en mass. We had a phenomenal guide who was very knowledgeable and engaging, and who also pointed out a large snake and tree sloth. Great experience in a small group (6 of us). Don’t miss it!”

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7.Monteverde Night Tour Unique Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $35

At Finca Lantana, your 6 pm Monteverde night walk follows an easy forest trail for about two hours. A licensed guide such as Dani, Marco, or Jocsan uses flashlights and a powerful scope to find frogs, sleeping toucans, sloths, tarantulas, armadillos, and insects. Groups are limited to six, and the tour returns to the meeting point.

“The tour itself was well organised, and Dani our guide, was excellent, friendly, knowledgeable, and generous with insights about the forest and its inhabitants. Most impressive was his sharp eye, we saw a toucan, butterflies, bats, frogs, tarantulas and more was spotted that we would never have found on our own. Unfortunately, the experience was somewhat dampened by being grouped with a particularly disruptive parent and child. The child repeatedly jumped at the monocular (requiring constant readjustment and spooking wildlife for others), shone a torch in people’s faces, and generally disrupted the group, while the parent made little effort to intervene. Credit to Dani, whose patience and pr...”

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8.Turtle Nesting night Tour in Tortuguero

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 71 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $37

Walk into Tortuguero National Park after dark with a bilingual guide such as Leonardo, Manuel, or Luis. In an assigned beach sector, you may watch a turtle lay eggs, compact them, hide the nest, and return to the sea. The tour lasts about two hours, costs $37, and follows strict no-photo rules to protect the turtles.

“Finalmente no hicimos la ruta de las tortugas, si no la de animales nocturnos, porque se estaba acabando la época del desove, y no había ya muchas tortugas. El tour fue genial, vinos ranas, iguanas, monos, perezoso, serpientes...y lo pasamos muy bien con nuestro guía. Muy recomendable!!”

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9.Manuel Antonio Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $57

At 6 p.m., Efrain’s Nature Tours takes you from your hotel to a private reserve beside Manuel Antonio National Park. Guides such as Alejandro, Dillon, Mauro, and Jimmy use spotlights and a high-definition telescope to find frogs, snakes, sloths, scorpions, bats, and insects. Expect a small group of up to eight, muddy paths, possible rain, and a return around 8 p.m.

“Alejandro was fantastic. He is so knowledgeable and made sure we went at a good pace. He was very prompt.”

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10.Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Night Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 67 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $65

Walk Monteverde’s forest after dark for about two hours with a professional guide, flashlight, and viewing equipment. Guides such as Justin, Kendall, Denis, and Christian have helped visitors spot sleeping toucans, sloths, frogs, tarantulas, scorpions, armadillos, porcupines, and other night creatures. Pickup and drop-off are included from Monteverde and Santa Elena.

“We loved the night hike in Monteverde Cloud Forest. There are so many amazing animals to see at night, big and small. And night time photos turn out beautiful, especially of frogs! We saw different varieties of Toucans, tarantula, coatis, frogs and so many neat little creatures. Advise to take your own flashlight if possible. It was pouring rain on our walk but that didn’t affect it. Rain poncho would have been good to have but we stayed somewhat dry under the canopy. My son loved this and we definitely recommend it. Our guide Justin was great, local, and very knowledgeable. Pura Vida!”

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11.Frog Watching Jungle Night Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $67

Meet at Callidryas Tours at 6:15 pm for a two-hour walk through a wild frog sanctuary near Arenal Volcano. Your guide leads you past freshwater ponds and along flat rainforest trails, using a flashlight to find red-eyed tree frogs, rain frogs, snakes, insects, and other night wildlife. Angie and Pedro are among the guides praised for their sharp eyes and clear explanations.

“Guide was great, informative & helpful lots of frogs and snakes. Be careful thir everywhere. I took pictures of frogs didn't see snake until I went through photos. It was hidden from view under plants. Guide carries snake, pole moves plants so you get a better look at animals. I have done a couple of night tours this was the best”

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