Avellanas Wildlife Walk Near Tamarindo With A Local Naturalist

We had a great time with Oropopo Experience! Our guides were naturalists with an impressive knowledge of the local trees, plants and wildlife, and how everything interacts within the surrounding habitat. They made it interesting and easy to understand, sharing the tour in both English and Spanish. They were very friendly, extremely knowledgeable and well prepared. They even had bug spray for those of us who managed to forget ours! We really appreciated their enthusiasm and the way they brought the surroundings to life. Highly recommend. Pura vida!

Thank you, Oropopo, for taking such great care of my students and me throughout our summer programs! Your punctuality, fantastic service, and attention to safety made every walk a wonderful experience. Highly recommended!

It's a beautiful and relatively short walk, but it's amazing how much wildlife you can see around you if you pay close attention, specially with an experienced guide such as Chelo. He is very knowledgeable and good at explaining details and bits of info about all the plants and animals you see around. Starting and finishing at El Puente Restaurant ads to the experience, safe parking, nice place to chill, restrooms and quick food and refreshments.

ometimes we think that a beach vacation is all about the usual activities: surfing, swimming, the ocean, and relaxing by the pool. But if you’re looking for something different an experience that allows you to connect with nature, learn something new while on vacation, and have a great time this is definitely the tour for you. This was honestly one of the highlights of my trip to the beach, and I can’t recommend it enough. I learned so much about coastal ecosystems, different tree species, and the fascinating relationships between plants and animals. It was an incredibly enriching experience, but at the same time, it never felt like a class it was engaging, fun, and very easy to enjoy. Our guide, Chelo, was fantastic: highly professional, knowledgeable, and warm, which added so much to the experience. One of my favorite things about the tour was being able to enjoy it with my family. It’s a great activity for all ages, whether you’re a nature enthusiast or simply curious to discover a different side of Costa Rica. As a Costa Rican, this tour was also one of the most beautiful ways to keep discovering and appreciating my own country. And if you’re visiting Costa Rica from abroad, I truly believe this experience can change the way you see and understand the country’s natural world. A wonderful experience, highly recommended!

I absolutely loved my walk along Playa Avellanas! The beach is beautiful, peaceful, and surrounded by nature. Walking next to the ocean with the breeze, the sound of the waves, and the amazing scenery was such a relaxing experience. What I really enjoyed is that Avellanas still feels natural and not overly crowded. It’s the perfect place to slow down, enjoy the moment, take photos, and just appreciate how beautiful Costa Rica is. I had such a great time here and would definitely come back again. One of my favorite beach walks in Guanacaste

It was a great experience and loads of fun to learn about the wildlife and trees aroind the area.

We wanted to see wildlife and we exceeded our expectations! Lots of different birds, big troops of monkeys, iguanas, a tarantula and even a crocodile! Also we learned about different trees and the mangrove. We did not know avellanas had so much wildlife !!

It was a wonderful experience. Great The trail was perfect. Suitable for us. All the family enjoyed the tour.

I absolutely loved the experience! I learned so much about the beautiful nature surrounding Avellanas, Guanacaste, especially its incredible vegetation and biodiversity. Our guide was incredibly kind, attentive, and always happy to answer all our questions as we explored the estero. It’s definitely an experience I would recommend for families, friends, or anyone who wants to connect with and learn more about the amazing nature of this incredible place.

Chelo was fantastic! He met all of our expectations for what we wanted to experience in Costa Rica and then went above and beyond to elevate our trip into an unforgettable family vacation. Our kids, ages 3 and 7, absolutely loved all the activities he planned. Chelo struck the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation, creating a pace that suited both the adults and little ones. We had a wonderful time exploring Costa Rica’s wildlife and natural beauty. One of the highlights was the mangrove tour, Chelo’s passion for nature really shined through. He modeled responsible stewardship, sparked our son’s curiosity, and highlighted native plants and animals while thoughtfully discussing the impact of humans on the ecosystem.

Cassie was an amazing guide! She was incredibly insightful, kind, and made the experience so enjoyable. She was also wonderful with our 2-year-old, making us feel comfortable and included throughout the experience. We really appreciated her knowledge and warm personality and would highly recommend her!

Everything was amazing! The guide has a lot of knowledge, and while talking with him, he told me that all the guides who work there are locals. That’s great because you can ask them for recommendations for your trip or your next one. I really enjoyed getting to know this part of Costa Rica with Oropopo. 😍

This was the coolest thing I did on my vacation in Potrero, Guanacaste, CR. Marcelo was very easy to get along with and struck me as a very intelligent biologist with a sharply trained eye for wildlife. We learned a ton about the local ecosystem while exploring a tropical forest, estuary, and tidal coast. Marcelo spotted dozens of coastal birds, crabs and marine life, reptiles and even a tarantula. It was very educational and very fun. The walk was only a couple km and would be fine with young kids. Anyone vacationing in the area should take this tour.

The Guanacaste than a wildlife walk with Oropopo might be the coolest and most fun excursion I’ve done on a vacation. My fiancé (who is outdoorsy, but I am not) and I enjoyed this short hike (3-4 km) led by our guide, Marcelo. Marcelo was incredibly knowledgeable about the flora and fauna around us and had a very well trained eye for wildlife. We saw green and blue herons, ibises, egrets, green iguanas, a tarantula, and many species of crab, snail and fish in the forest, mangrove and coast. Marcelo knew where to look for all types of birds, mammals, reptiles and fish depending on the weather and type of day. For context, we went on a “boat safari” estuary tour earlier in the trip and while we enjoyed that tour as well, the Oropopo tour was hands down more immersive and interesting (and we saw more wildlife). Anyone interested in Guanacaste’s natural beauty should take this tour.

The tour was a great experience! Jose is knowledgeable about the local wildlife and is passionate about preserving and sharing the beautiful ecosystem!

Our guide was very knowledgeable, patient and accommodating. From booking process to the actual tour, it all felt super easy. They were friendly and professional. My 14 year old will never forget what she learned on the tour and that made it all worth it.

The Wildlife Walk was a very complete experience. We enjoyed a relaxing paced hike through many habitats and understood how the neighboring communities support their forest and beach ecosystem. Our guide Marcelo connected with us well and showed us many useful tricks in spotting animals, birds, reptiles, plants and insects. He really connected with us and expressed a great amount of knowledge of the area for other unique experiences.

Great experience! Learning about native tropical trees is one of my passions and this tour really opened up my horizon about the beautiful diversity there is. I loved the explanations and understanding more in depth about flower structures and local adaptations. 100% recommended 👌🏻👌🏻

Wonderfully educational, thought-provoking and fun experience; highly recommended. I took the tour with my adult daughter, an environmental engineer whose focus on science and responsibly sustaining natural habitats drew is to the tour. Casi, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable, delightful, passionate and overall amazing.

We had an amazing time on our tour in the mangroves. Cassie was captivating and knew so much about the area. She made sure to keep us comfortable with the tour and even stopped by the restaurant after for a quick goodbye. Such a cool tour!

Such a great experience on this tour with Casiana. Marcelo was overly communicative and accommodating, and let us know that he’d be touring another family while Casiana toured my family of 7. We booked private, and they even accommodated a slightly later start time for a slightly lower tide. Casiana was super knowledgeable and so great with the two kiddos in our group (6 and 2). She kept them engaged, while still sharing so much cool info about the environment and animals/insects local to the area. Oldest in our group was 76, youngest was 2 - a truly great experience for all!! The estuary crossing to get to the beach was an experience, but very fun. I’m 4’10”, and with low tide, it came to the top of my thighs. I opted for no bathing suit, and it worked out fine hiking my shorts up high. Would absolutely recommend this tour, especially to those with a mixed generation group!

Marcelo was the perfect host and guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and took amazing care of us. This tour was a true highlight of our visit to Guanacaste. I recommend it to anyone looking to get off the beaten trail and enjoy some less seen parts of the coast

This was a great tour, and we learned so much about the plants and animals in the Guanacaste peninsula. We brought 4 kids on our tour (ages 4-6), and Cassie was fantastic at making it exciting for our kids and adapting to their interests! We even all got to try a fun new food! :)

Very Enjoyable, guide was amazing.

This tour was well worth the money. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem and made the walk interesting. Allowed us time to see and experience our surroundings. Would recommend this tour.”

I had a wonderful time learning about the history and ecology of the mangrove forest. I saw variety of wildlife and plant species, including a diversity of shorebirds (which I am particularly fond of). I would definitely recommend this tour to other visitors that want to learn more about Costa Rica’s environments.

Our family of 5 recently had the chance to join the “Discover the Avellanas Ecosystems with a Biologist” experience, and it was truly unforgettable. Walking through Guanacaste’s tropical dry forests, mangroves, coastal areas, and estuaries was eye-opening. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and helped us see just how much life is happening all around us, things we would have missed entirely on our own. We learned so much about the region's biodiversity and unique ecosystems. The meeting place is in a lovely hotel with a very nice restaurant. You can easily have the experience and then stay for lunch afterward. This is a must-see experience for anyone visiting Guanacaste; it completely changed the way we look at nature. Highly recommended!

Highly recommend! We had a great time on our Oropopo tour; we even got to see an Oropopo owl! Marcelo (“Chelo”) is an excellent birder and naturalist. Hoping to squeeze in another nature walk with him before we return to the states. A real gem in this extraordinary place!

Best experience if you love nature, the guide tours are great, they are biologist too so great knowledge

A magical experience! I learned so much on this adventure and was amazed by the knowledge and experience of the crew, Cass was an incredible guide 😊

Amazing experience! Learn so much from the tropical dry forest and the mangroove. Very recommended!

Amazing group of professionals! Super knowledgeable and experienced for the area. Best team in Guanacaste for your authentic naturalist experience.

Our tour through Avellanas with Marcello as our guide was absolutely fantastic! He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience both fun and memorable. Everything was perfectly organized, and we felt well taken care of the entire time. Highly recommended!

My wife and I had an amazing time on the Avellanas Wildlife walk- with Casiana as our knowledgeable nature guide and Marcelo in helping out with our booking, logistics, and even a dinner suggestion. The entire experience was seamless- from within minutes of my booking, Marcelo had already reached out to provide helpful details regarding what to wear, where to meet, and what to expect- even pointing out a current roadblock from ongoing construction and how to get around it. Casiana met us at the agreed upon restaurant, and even helped us with making dinner reservations for after the tour before we started. We immediately saw a troop of howler monkeys, and a few minutes after that spotted an osprey no more than 15 feet off the ground, perched on a branch. Casiana was able to explain the history of the area and recent developments, point out the beautiful trees and other flora (some amazing mahogany trees, orchids, and some edible leaves and flowers). There were even some surprises involving termites and some 8 legged friends! Throughout the entire tour we were learning new things and seeing wildlife in various forms- from large, red macaws, down to the tiny nymphs on the ground being hunted by the worms underneath. Walking through the mangrove at sunset near a full moon was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We recommend this tour for anyone who loves nature, wildlife, and learning from these fabulous local experts!

We spontaneously took this tour and we are very glad we did! In the 2,5 hours we were guided by Casiana we learned a lot about the interoperability of local fauna, flora in and around Avellanas. Natural effects and systems we otherwise wouldn’t have noticed at all were brought to our attention, and enough time was taken to wait and observe the many wildlife species. Truly a worthwhile and enjoyable experience! Thanks again to the guide and oropopo for the organisation.

Our guide was lovely and the facility that hosted the tour was lovely just to visit …however we used Google Maps to get us there and we were constantly led to wrong locations…make sure to use your own brain to navigate by satellite map instead …Cabinas Las Olas has a lovely bar restaurant and beach access so you can enjoy that before the tour. The tour itself was interesting but could have been 2 instead of 2.5 hours so that departing this dirt road route is not taking place in the dark!

This tour with Casiana was incredible. Her knowledge of the local ecosystem and various species was impressive. I learned so much from her! I would highly recommend this experience!

From beginning to end, this walking tour was a delight. We appreciated the expertise and patience of our guide and learned so much about the wildlife and the ecosystem. The pacing is perfect for a family adventure. The guides are passionate about what they are doing, and their enthusiasm is contagious.

Very informative, enlightening. Casiana was extremely knowledgeable. She has a broad understanding of the ecology and diversity of the earth and the critters living among the tropical trees, river and ocean.

Cassiana (Cassie} is a wonderful person and so pleasant to be around! She studied biology back in Argentina and is very passionate about nature. The tour was wonderful! Cathy pointed our different plants and birds. She taught us about ecosystem and the importance of mangroves. Very good tour! Thank you, Cassie!

Wow, just wow! Marcelo took us on the most gorgeous adventure in Avellanas! Cello is a truly talented biologist and engaging nature guide, whose team also focuses on being stellar stewards to the wellbeing of the environment here and at large... Just one part of this experience that will stick with me and carry home to my real life! Our group traversed the mangrove, estuary, and wound up on the beautiful beach at sunset, before crossing the very long, old, cool bridge through the wetlands. We saw howler monkey, iguanas, tarantulas, many types of birds, sea creatures, trees, flora, and even tasted invasive sea purslane! Yum! Avellanas is incredibly gorgeous and this tour was a lovely look into the life of the area. Highly recommend this wildlife walk! It is a wonderful core memory of mine now. Muchas gracias, Marcelo! Pura vida a todo!

If you only have time for one tour on your vacation, make it this one. We saw wild monkeys, tarantulas, an assortment of birds, crabs, a lush mangrove forest, even a crocodile! Marcelo is an excellent guide and helped my family and I to develop a deeper understanding of the land and connect with its many native non-human inhabitants. You will learn a lot and it will be worth it and super fun! Enjoy!

If anyone’s in the Guanacaste area of Costa Rica, check out Oropopo experiences, dedicated to sharing about and preserving the mangroves and other ecosystems in the area Wonderful experience with incredible Naturalist guide Marcelo who runs Oropopo Experience Marcelo brings a wealth of knowledge about the animals, plants, and a true love of the local environment. The tour is enjoyable, stopping to view what we notice, learning about the land and the importance of these ecosystems. Recommend for all ages - I say a must do to get oriented to Guanacaste!

Marcelo was an incredible, knowledgeable, funny, warm, and kind host!!! We were so lucky to leave this tour with new things learned, hope for what this foundation is bringing to the community and the world, and feeling like we gained a friend in Celo & our fellow nature walkers. It was a truly perfect experience!! So many cool wildlife moments, beautiful views, meaningful conversations, and adventures! I'm grateful for the opportunity to bring the Oropopo meaning into my daily life and into the lives of the students I work with <3 <3 <3 thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Marcelo is a brilliant tour guide! If you're looking for a biology focused tour with an experienced local guide, this is the tour for you! Great for small groups who want to get an in-depth experience in 4 different biomes. We learned so much, had a true adventure, and trusted Marcelo to show us a safe and exciting time. Highly recommend!

Marcello was a fantastic and knowledgeable biologist that happens to also be a tour guide! We learned all about the local flora and fauna. We got to see monkeys, iguanas, snails, tarantulas, fish, and so much more! He taught us about delicious edible plants in the area, like sea parsley that was impeccable. He also encouraged us to eat a termite (not required!!!). The views were otherworldly. One of the most memorable walks I’ve ever been on! He also has an amazing telescope that can capture fantastic photos of the wildlife! A must do if you’re visiting Costa Rica!

This was such a special tour. Marcelo opened our eyes to all the beauty that is constantly around us. You can feel his love and respect for the land. He had so much information and stories to share. My mom who has a bad hip was able to do the tour and enjoy. It was our favourite tour we did in Costa Rica, the land he walked us through was incredible. Highly suggest!

Our guide, Casiana, was excellent. Out of the five tours we took in Costa Rica, this one felt the most personal and the least commercial. Casiana made the experience feel less like a guided tour and more like a walk with a knowledgeable and passionate friend. She did a wonderful job introducing the estuary ecosystem while integrating important historical events (both natural and colonial history) that has shaped the landscape, as well as the ongoing tensions between conservation and development. In terms of wildlife, we spotted several species of waterbirds and even howler monkeys, which was unique to the mosic of mangrove forests and dry forests. Casiana is also incredibly skilled at plant identification and shared insights of the ecological and cultural significance of local flora along the way. The tour was about 2.5 hours long, and we were the only two people that morning, which made the tour very private. Marcelo reached out several days ahead of tour start date and was very accomendating, client-centered and organized, unlike many other tour runners in the region. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thoughtful, enriching experience near Tamarindo.

My group of 4 had an amazing walk through diverse areas with our guide. We explored areas we would not have found- even after visiting Costa Rica multiple times. Plenty of time for education and history of the area. Communication was excellent-