There is no experience quite like the combination of the “magic of nature” and Costa Rica’s authentic rural heritage on this, our highest-rated tour. Greentique Certified Guides take you on an amazing tour of nature, conservation, and rural culture. You’ll hike along lush jungle-shrouded slopes where three rivers are born, then swim in one of the region's most pristine natural pools beneath a mesmerizing waterfall, spot all kinds of fascinating wildlife, fish for tilapia, and visit an authentic sugar mill powered by massive oxen. Then step back in time to enjoy a traditional Campesino-style lunch while enjoying the panoramic vista of Manuel Antonio National Park and the Pacific Ocean that fills the horizon. You’ll also become a vital participant in the Carbon Offset/Native Tree Reforestation Program, adopting your own tree as you help conserve this priceless watershed within Greentique’s Cloudmaker Nature Reserve.
Includes: Greentique Certified Guide; ground transportation from Manuel Antonio/Quepos, snacks and lunch
Departure Time/Place: 6:50 a.m. from hotel lobby
Duration: Day
Ages: 6+
Activity level: Moderate
Recommend: T-shirt (2), shorts, bathing suit, hat, sunglasses, closed-toe trail shoes, sandals with straps or water shoes, camera, binoculars
Cost: $125 per person up to 3 persons; $99 per person with 4 or more persons; $79 per child 12 and under. This tour can be combined with canopy ziplining in the mountains for an additional charge (see below).
Santa Juana Rural Mountain Adventure and Zipline Combination Tour
Add a Canopy Zipline Tour to the Santa Juana Adventure Tour for the best adventure combo in the Central Pacific Region. Enjoy this exclusive Greentique VIP ziplining experience to start your Santa Juana Mountain Adventure. Sail through the treetops of the Mountain Wet Forest canopy, Tarzan swing between platforms, and rappel to the jungle floor in one of the region's most thrilling canopy experiences. Great for families and thrill seekers alike.
Includes: Greentique Certified Guide; ground transportation from Manuel Antonio/Quepos, snacks and lunch
Departure Time/Place: 6:50 a.m.; from hotel lobby
Duration: 7-8 hours
Ages: 6+
Activity level: Moderate
Recommend: T-shirt (2), shorts, bathing suit, hat, sunglasses, sandals with straps, sunscreen, camera, binoculars
"One of the most memorable experiences/adventures we've ever had. We really enjoyed trekking the jungle ... to wind up swimming at an incredibly beautiful waterfall."
– Matt B.
Birding
Central Pacific Mountains – Santa Juana Pueblo
Cloudmaker/Santa Juana Birding Tour
Led by a Greentique Certified Guide Birding Specialist, you’ll see why Cloudmaker is a “must do” Costa Rica birding destination for birders from around the world. Cloudmaker and the surrounding Santa Juana Pueblo area offer a rich blend of species endemic to the Central and Southern Pacific regions of Costa Rica and species native to the foothills of the Talamanca Mountain Range. Among its 150 bird species is the Red-capped Manakin, known locally as the Michael Jackson Bird for its amazing moonwalking mating dance. There are also white hawks, crested and yellow-headed caracara, gray-necked wood rails, southern lapwings, purple gallinules, black mandible toucans, fiery-billed aracaris, pale-billed woodpeckers, royal flycatchers, swallow-tailed kites, wood storks, king vultures, and crested guans. During peak migration, the reserve’s count increases by about 25% to 250+ species, as does the auditory resonance of their voices. More than 80% of the birds can be found year round and as many reproduce twice a year, it’s possible to hear a variety of melodic mating bird songs. At the end of the trail, slip into the cool waters a beautiful natural swimming pool, fed by a spectacular waterfall before heading back up to the Pueblo.
Includes: Greentique Certified Guide Birding Specialist; ground transportation from Manuel Antonio/Quepos, snacks and lunch
Departure Time/Place: By reservation, 6:30 a.m., from Santa Juana Lodge
Duration: Half Day
Ages: 6+
Activity level: Moderate
Recommend: Walking shoes/sneakers/trail shoes, shorts or lightweight long pants, extra shirt, bathing suit, lightweight waterproof jacket, camera with long lens, binoculars
Cost: $110 per person, minimum 2 adults; $89 per child 12 and under
"The best part of our 2-night stay was the day-long bird watching trip that the hotel arranged for us. The bird watching guide, Johan, was excellent."
– Snappy, April 2013
Garden and Waterfall Touring
Central Pacific Mountains – Santa Juana Pueblo
Rio Rodeo Gardens and Waterfalls Guided Tour
You’ll truly enjoy exploring this special part of Cloudmaker Reserve. Starting from the Lodge, your local guide will lead you down to The Rio Rodeo Gardens, a special area in Cloudmaker, perfect for relaxing, meditating, even yoga. It's just a brief hike down to the waterfall and natural pool for a refreshing swim. Then back up to the Rio Rodeo Gardens, where you can kick back in a tranquil mountain setting on the banks of the river, surrounded by the sounds of the Mountain Wet Forest. Fish for Tilapia in the terraced pools or just relax in the swinging seats you’ll find along the paths that wind through the gardens.
Includes: Local guide, 4×4 vehicle, snack
Departure Time/Place: 8:00 a.m.; Rancho Lodge
Duration: Approx. 4 hours
Ages: 6+
Activity level: Easy to Moderate
Recommend: Walking shoes, swimsuit, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent
Cost: $25 per person with 4×4 transportation; minimum 2 adults; children 6 & under free
"We wound up doing things I never would have expected us to do... Santa Juana – this is a must do – great people, great food, one great experience after another."
– 111Patricia, December 2014
Cultural Day Touring
Central Pacific – Los Santos
Los Santos Coffee Tour
Discover the secrets of what makes Costa Rican coffee from the Los Santos area amongst the world’s most coveted coffee. You’ll travel via 4x4 over the mountain ridge above Santa Juana to the Los Santos coffee region, the heart of where the finest mountain-grown coffee in all of Costa Rica is grown. It includes a fully guided tour of either the Dota Coffee Cooperative or Tarrazú, where you’ll see the entire process — from plant to brewed coffee. You’ll also enjoy a sumptuous local lunch, representative of the traditional recipes of the Central Pacific Mountain Region.
Includes: Greentique Guide, 4×4 transportation, lunch, fruit juice, bottled water
Departure Time/Place: 7:00 a.m. from Santa Juana Lodge
Duration: Full day
Ages: All ages
Activity level: Easy
Recommend: Walking shoes/sneakers, short or lightweight long pants, extra shirt, waterproof jacket during green season, camera
Cost: $60 per person; $40 per child 6 and under; minimum 4 persons
"If you have the time, stay at Santa Juana and experience total relaxation in the jungle... with coffee tour, sugar cane crushing by oxen, typical Tico food, and waterfalls that will blow your mind and cool your sunburn."
Each hotel has a Greentique Certified Master Guide (GCMG) and a team of Greentique Certified Guides (GCG), each a specialist in the flora and fauna of their respective regions. They work hand-in-hand with our Concierges to accommodate any special requirements you have, make the logistics clear and easy, and get you sorted on what you need to bring and wear.
Greentique Wildlife Refuge Sí Como No
Jimmy Mata, Resident Biologist Specialist, Central Pacific Coastal Wet Forest
Biologist and Herpetologist Greentique Wildlife Refuge, Sí Como No
Born in Cartago, Jimmy Mata joined the Greentique Wildlife Refuge (WLR) in 2002 as its resident biologist. Jimmy’s idea for the Wildlife Refuge was to create a natural habitat and living laboratory to help the native frog populations of the Manuel Antonio area recover without any requirements for enclosures. He subsequently assumed the management and development of the WLR Nature Exhibits, including the Butterfly Atrium, and the Amphibian Gardens and Reptile Lagoons adjacent to Si Como No Resort. Jimmy’s education includes a Masters in Natural Resources Management from the Institute of Technology of Costa Rica, plus a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the Latin University of Costa Rica. He is an official consultant for the research of the ecology of the frog species of Costa Rica, focusing on vanishing frog species over the last 25 yeas in Costa Rica. He also works in recording vocalizations of the frogs with Mark Wainwrith and Alexander Villegas, and works with Fabio Hidalgo photographing the herpetofauna of Costa Rica. Previously, Jimmy was the Advisor Biologist for tour projects in La Selavtura Park in Monteverde, Parque Arenal Natura, Arenal Oasis, ant the Botanical Garden of Monteverde and Veragua Rain Forest. Jimmy consultants for new conservation and research program on amphibians and reptiles and supports the Cloudmaker Nature Reserve in Santa Juana.
Greentique Certified Master Guide (GCMG) Osa Peninsula, Águila de Osa
Carlos is a bilingual naturalist guide and the resident Greentique Certified Master Gudie for Aguila de Osa. Born on the Osa Peninsula, he’s been guiding across the region for 18 years. During his career, Carlos has earned a combined 12 certificates from the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA), Instituto de Biodiversidad (Inbio), the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), and the Asociacion Ornitológica de Costa Rica (AOCR). Working with Aguila de Osa since 2005, he is the lead guide for Osa birding, the Mangrove Estuary Tour, and the Night Walk. His deep knowledge, incredible passion, and amazing eagle eyes make every tour an exceptional experience in the coastal lowland rainforests of the Osa Peninsula.
Greentique Certified Master Guide (GCMG) Los Angeles Cloud Forest Private Reserve, Villa Blanca
Born in San José, Costa Rica. Roy was raised in San Ramón, surrounded by nature, rolling farmland, and the mountain cloud forest. Working at the Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel & Nature Reserve for more than seven years, he is the resident Greentique Certified Master Guide and the Director of the José Miguel Alfaro Research Station, guiding and conducting research in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. A bilingual naturalist guide, Roy specializes in birding, amphibians and reptiles, and tours that focus on the natural history of the different ecosystems, particularly the nightlife of the mountain cloud forest. His education includes the National Technical University in Alajuela, where he studied Tour Guiding. In addition, he studies Sustainable Tourism at the State University, and over the past several years, has completed courses in Volcanology, Biology for the Conservation of Ecosystems, Birds of Costa Rica, and Photography. Roy is a skilled photographer and his nature photography is exceptional.
Greentique Certified Guide (GCG) Greentique Wildlife Refuge, Sí Como No; Cloudmaker Nature Reserve, Santa Juana
Henry Sequeirach grew up in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Region in the pueblo of Esperanza, which means “hope.” There that he began his quest for a deeper understanding of the extraordinary range of the species that were so much a part of his childhood. That intellectual curiosity sparked Henry’s to become a naturalist guide. He studied in Canada to learn English, part of his preparation to fulfill that dream, and later returned to Costa Rica to the National Learning Academy (INA) to become a licensed guide. After six years guiding in the Monteverde cloud forest, he joined Greentique Hotels in 2013, quickly advancing to become a Greentique Certified Guide. An expert in the flora and fauna of the Central Pacific Coastal and Mountain Wet Forests, Henry leads day and night tours in the Wildlife Refuge, tours into Manuel Antonio National Park, as well as into Greentique’s Cloudmaker Nature Reserve at Santa Juana. He is the senior Greentique guide for the Santa Juana Rural Mountain Adventure Tour, and Wet Forest birding tours.
Executive Chef, Greentique Hotels Executive Chef, El Sendero Restaurant, Villa Blanca Could Forest Hotel
Chef Hannia Campos Orozco, affectionately known as Hannita, was born in Costa Rica’s Central Highlands in Piedades Sur, just outside of San Ramón. Trained in French and Italian cuisine at the Escoffier Gastronomic Institute in Alajuela City, and the Culinary Pan-American Forum, her culinary career began its meteoric rise working with some of the great chefs at the National Association of Chefs in San José. In Korea and Guatemala, she won critical international young chef challenges in 2013, as well as silver and bronze medals at the 2015 Culinary Championship Cup in Costa Rica.
Hannia’s exquisite creations reflect a keen understanding of the extraordinary quality of food and ingredients produced by local farms across the region, as well as in Villa Blanca’s own organic gardens. The essence that these locally sourced essentials add to the dishes she prepares can be tasted in every meal she creates. One of the country’s new generation of culinary professionals, Hannia was recently named the Executive Chef for Greentique Hotels, as well as the Executive Chef at El Sendero Restaurant at Villa Blanca. She is already delighting guests from around the world with truly inspired food that is taking Costa Rican cuisine to a new level of excellence.
José Miguel is proudly 100% Quepeño, which explains something of his commitment to using the best ingredients, sourced as close to his kitchen at the Rico Tico Grill as possible. His commitment to authenticity in traditional Costa Rican recipes, and in expanding relationships with local sustainable sources, makes his food a vital extension of the culture and heritage of the Quepos and greater Central Pacific Coastal Region. For over 18 years, José Miguel and his teams have been the vanguard for sustainability and customer satisfaction, continuously elevating the dining experience at the Rico Tico, Sí Como No’s original restaurant. A graduate of the Professional Technical College of Quepos, José Miguel earned his “A” Cook Certification at INA, and continues his culinary education with INA courses, and in concert with Greentique Executive Chef Daniel Rodriquez and with Reimy Cruz of the Claro Que Sí. Under José Miguel’s leadership, the Rico Tico has made lasting impressions on tens of thousands of guest palates, recognized year after year through top customer ratings and Awards of Excellence from TripAdvisor.
Reimy Cruz was born in Cartago, Costa Rica and has lived in the Manuel Antonio area for over 12 years. A key member of the culinary team at Greentique’s Sí Como No Resort, he spent his first year at the Rico Tico Jungle Grill and the past three years at Claro Que Sí. He achieved the senior cook position in 2015. Reimy is a graduate of the Professional Technical College in Quepos, where he studied food and beverage before continuing his culinary education, receiving his Class A certification from INA. His passion for cooking focuses on becoming one of the leaders of the emerging Costa Rican style of “sustainable gastronomy,” with its commitment to healthy, fresh, locally sourced products shaped by a combination of traditional technics and bold, inventive new approaches and recipes that are already transforming the Manuel Antonio restaurants experience for guests at Claro Que Sí.
Greentique Chef Olmos Dixon Cererino, affectionately known as Chef Dixon, was born in Panama into a family that came over from England and France. Trained at the Culinary School Academy in Panama City and at the Culinary Institute of America, he began his now 20-plus-year cooking career working for some of the great chefs in San Francisco and Seattle. In the Caribbean, he worked at restaurants in Barbados, St. Lucia, Antiqua, and St. Martin. As Executive Chef of The Great Room at Águila de Osa for the past seven years, Dixon has created a truly exceptional Costa Rica dining experience for guests from around the world. His passion for vibrant and flavorful food reflects his love of Caribbean, Indian, Italian, Thai, and vegetarian food, each an influence on his cooking style. A fierce advocate of the “closer is better” Greentique Sustainable Gastronomy philosophy, Dixon’s great tasting food starts with his hand selecting the freshest ingredients from farms around the Osa. He and his staff grow vegetables, herbs, and pinto beans in a hydroponic garden. They also make farmer’s white cheese and bake the breads and pastries on premise. And then there’s the seafood — caught locally by artisan fisherman, as well as hotel guest sport fishermen. Incredible fish make their way from the boat to your plate – with just a brief stop in Chef Dixon’s amazing kitchen in between.
Julia Solis is a member of one of the areas first families, her grandparents having settled in the Fila Chonta region when she was a young girl. She raised two sons, putting both of them through high school, then moved to Santa Juana where she joined Roxana as a Greentique Hotels employee in 2010. She is now the second cook at El Mirador and Head Housekeeper for Lodge operations. Her eldest son, Allan, also works for Greentique and helps with the family farm chores, which include raising much of the produce and other ingredients used in Julia’s recipes.
Roxana Vindas was born in San Marcos de Terrazu, and moved to Santa Juana as young girl to help her brothers and sisters run the family farm. It was there that she learned traditional cooking on a wood-burning stove. In 2008, she became the head cook at El Mirador, using local ingredients to create amazing “platos typicos” for the lunches on the Santa Juana Rural Mountain Adventure Tour. Roxana raises her own hens and chickens, which she uses in many of the authentic Campesino meals that delight tour and lodging guests alike. She teaches the Campesino cooking class, making tortillas from scratch, along with other guest favorites, including her pumpkin squash deserts, which are flavored with local sugar cane and seasonal tropical fruit juices.
