La Fortuna Night Walk in High Biodiversity Rainforest

Terrible Service

They don’t answer the phones at all and if you are tying to get in contact with them through messages they don’t answer that either until it’s the last 30 minutes before your tour and they tell you they are waiting for you. For some backstory, I was having trouble at the car rental places so I couldn’t rent my car. I ubered to La fortuna from San Jose. I couldn’t uber to the tour because the service at my Airbnb was bad due to the recent rainfall. I have been trying to contact the place all day about pick up from my Airbnb and no response. I messaged viator support and they weren’t able to get in contact either. Then 30 minutes before the tour is supposed to start they message me finally and say they can pick me up. It would have been too late because I am 45 minutes away from there so I asked if I could schedule for another date. I explained to them that I thought I was too far to get picked up now, and they ignored that and said “can we pick you up yes or no.” I ignored that rude remark and asked them again if I could change the date. They said no I can’t. I asked them how long it would take them to get me then and they said 15 minutes. I believed them and thought maybe I got it wrong, and got ready in 15 minutes. 30 minutes went by and they didn’t respond to me again. Finally they messaged me and said they will be on the way now. I was confused because I thought they were already on the way when they told me they would be here in 15 minutes and were coming. Then right after that they told me I’m too far and said they will reschedule for tomorrow, even tho they already told me they can’t reschedule me. I was confused because they told me they were 15 minutes away and they can’t reschedule so they clearly lied about that. I have another tour tomorrow so I’m not available. I told them I already thought I was too far for pick up at this time. At that point I was over it and just wanted a refund. I was already annoyed by the rude comment. I requested a refund and they said they are not refunding me, they will just schedule for tomorrow. Clearly no one is listening to me or cares.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion you experienced that day. We would like to clarify that complimentary transportation is available only from specific areas near La Fortuna. Unfortunately, the location where you were staying was outside our transportation zone, and this was not properly coordinated or communicated in advance. We sincerely apologize for this misunderstanding. We also recognize that our communication during the day did not meet the level of service we expect to provide. We understand how frustrating it must have been to receive unclear or delayed information, and we are sorry for the inconvenience this caused. We are taking your feedback seriously and are reviewing our communication and transportation procedures to make sure our guests receive clear information about pickup areas before their tour. Our Night Walk takes place in a beautiful high-biodiversity rainforest, and we work hard to provide our guests with a safe, enjoyable, and memorable experience. We regret that the transportation and communication issues affected your overall impression of the activity. Thank you again for your feedback. It helps us improve our service and ensure a better experience for future guests.

via Viator

Tourist trap - avoid this tour

This was the worst tour we went on during our trip. It was basically a walk in the backyard of the property. The guide was not able to spot anything; it didn't appear that he set out to spot anything in the first place - did not have a spotting scope (unlike another night walk tour we went on a different part of the country). He barely pointed out a few bugs along the way and a couple of birds, none of which he knew the species of. Otherwise he highlighted a few frogs which are in artificial ponds next to the building. This actually led me to suspect that these are planted like they put in tadpoles. Not at all a proper naturalist-led night walk tour. A waste of an evening activity - beyond disappointing.

via Tripadvisor

We love Franklin ❤️

Our tour guide Franklin was amazing, super knowledgeable and had amazing stories! 10/10 would recommend! We saw a sloth and many types of frogs 🐸!

via Tripadvisor

Underwhelming and overpriced.

Was a bit of a disappointment and we felt cheated. The guide was late to our tour which started 15 mins late, and we felt especially hurried through the whole tour, as if the guide wanted to get done with this and go back to whatever his primary interest was. Most of the sighting was for frogs which seem to be congregated around artificial water pools created behind the hotel. Rest of the tour was through what did feel like a good natural area but your money is much better spent in the national parks and other preserves in the area - which are much more expansive with a lot more variety and can be explored at your own pace. I’ve been on other night tours and I expected use of thermal imaging cameras that help spot a wide variety or animals and critters in the dark with plenty of time to observe. This was nothing like it but felt like a side hustle to make some quick bucks.

via Tripadvisor

Exceptional evening hike.

Spectacular evening hike, the tour guide Franklin was extremely knowledgeable about the forest and the flora and fauna. One bit of advice, use provided flashlights sparingly at the beginning of the hike, ours we fairly dim by the end.

via Tripadvisor