Elías Nature Tours

    Costa Rica

    Elias Nature Tours
    Happy family with Arenal Volcano in full view — La Fortuna, Costa RicaSpider monkey leaping through the Arenal rainforest canopyArenal Volcano seen from the Observatory Lodge at sunriseKing Vulture portrait at Boca Tapada — bird photography in Costa RicaFamily at the Arenal 1968 lava trail with the volcano behindHummingbird captured with multi-flash photography in Costa RicaBoca Tapada full-day expedition — Great Green Macaws habitatPhotographers with telephoto lenses at the Boca Tapada hideCaño Negro wildlife refuge — boat safari through the wetlandsRed-eyed Tree Frog at night — macro photography in La FortunaFamily on a Mistico hanging bridge in the Arenal rainforestThree-toed sloth resting in a Cecropia tree — Bogarin TrailTropical bird perched in the Arenal rainforest — birding tourTwo-toed Sloth close-up — wildlife photography at Peñas Blancas RiverFamily on a hanging bridge in the Arenal rainforest canopyLa Fortuna waterfall in the rainforest
    100% Private · Daily Availability · Local Team

    La Fortuna, Costa RicaTours, Transfers &
    Custom Itineraries
    Local Team · Arenal Volcano · One Trusted Operator

    From a single tour to a full multi-day plan — with or without transport. One local team in La Fortuna handles it all.

    Just your group12h replyAvailable almost every day
    10+ years curating Costa RicaReply within 24h

    Book directly — most popular

    See all tours →
    Bogarín Trail – Sloths & Wildlife Tour#1 Most Booked
    From $115
    all incl.

    Bogarín Trail – Sloths & Wildlife Tour

    2 hours5.0
    Book Now
    Mistico Hanging Bridges – Wildlife WalkFamily Favorite
    From $135
    all incl.

    Mistico Hanging Bridges – Wildlife Walk

    2.5–3 hours5.0
    Book Now
    Ecocentro Danaus – Night TourBest Night Tour
    From $115
    all incl.

    Ecocentro Danaus – Night Tour

    2 hours5.0
    Book Now
    Papa's Place – Night TourNight Tour
    From $115
    all incl.

    Papa's Place – Night Tour

    2 hours5.0
    Book Now
    Mariolas Sloth Trail – Wildlife TourSloth Sanctuary
    From $115
    all incl.

    Mariolas Sloth Trail – Wildlife Tour

    2 hours5.0
    Book Now
    Safari Float – Peñas Blancas RiverSafari Float
    From $135
    all incl.

    Safari Float – Peñas Blancas River

    2–2.5 hours5.0
    Book Now
    Arenal Observatory – Birding & Wildlife WalkFor Birders
    From $129
    all incl.

    Arenal Observatory – Birding & Wildlife Walk

    3 hours5.0
    Book Now
    30+More toursBirding, night walks, rafting, hot springs & moreSee all
    Free cancellation 48h+Hotel pickup includedNo payment today
    900+
    Bird species in Arenal
    Photo
    Photography-first private tours
    Local
    Born-and-raised bilingual guides
    Most Popular in La Fortuna

    The experiences travelers book again and again.

    Hand-picked from over 5 years guiding visitors around Arenal — these are the tours that consistently top reviews.

    🗓️ Simple Process

    How Booking Works

    1

    Send Your Request

    Share your dates, interests, and group size via WhatsApp or our form.

    2

    We Confirm Details

    We check availability and suggest the best options for your group.

    3

    Secure Your Spot

    Confirm your dates with a secure payment. No hidden fees.

    4

    Receive Confirmation

    Get your complete booking confirmation with all details.

    ⭐ Top Experiences

    Most Popular Tours

    Hand-picked experiences loved by travelers visiting Arenal and La Fortuna.

    Elías Peña — Co-Owner & Lead Guide, Elias Nature Tours
    Elias Nature Tours

    Elías Peña

    Co-Owner · Lead Guide · La Fortuna

    Yehudi Hernández — Business Partner & Wildlife Photographer
    YH Photography

    Yehudi Hernández

    Business Partner · Wildlife Photographer

    About Us

    Two Local Experts. One Trusted Alliance.

    Elias Nature Tours is led by Elías Peña Ramírez and Yehudi Hernández — co-owners and business partners who joined forces to deliver Costa Rica's most personal wildlife and photography experiences. Elías, a certified naturalist guide with 15+ years in the field, previously served as Operations Manager at Ecocentro Danaus and built the operation from the ground up in La Fortuna.

    Yehudi is an internationally recognized wildlife photographer who leads our private photo expeditions across Costa Rica, Brazil's Pantanal, Ecuador and Colombia. Together, our team of certified local guides, photographers and professional drivers operates with fully insured vehicles and every license required for tourism in Costa Rica — bringing specialized knowledge in ecology, macro photography, and species ID that bigger companies cannot match.

    Today we organize personalized experiences across La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio, Bijagua and Boca Tapada — plus international photo expeditions through our alliance — offering seamless logistics, private transport and a genuine local connection. Whether you need a single tour or a complete multi-country itinerary, we handle every detail.

    Whether you need one airport transfer or a two-week birding journey across Costa Rica, we help build the right plan for your trip. Our team brings real local energy, flexibility and Pura Vida spirit to every experience.

    Operated directly by a local team based in La Fortuna — with deep coverage across Arenal, Manuel Antonio, Bijagua & Boca Tapada.

    Private ToursTransfersTravel CoordinationBirding & PhotographyWorkshopsCustom Multi-Day Trips
    Certified Naturalist Guides
    Full-Service Tour Operator
    15+ Years of Experience
    Sustainable Tourism
    Fully Insured Fleet & Guides
    Multi-Region Coverage
    Private Transport Fleet
    PYME Costa Rica certified local operation

    Trusted Local Operation

    Registered in Costa Rica. All vehicles, guides and operations are fully insured and licensed.

    🌳 Our Services

    Everything You Need for Your Costa Rica Trip

    From private tours and photography expeditions to transfers and full multi-day packages — we curate experiences with care, not just sell activities. Your trip, your pace, our local expertise.

    Naturalist-Guided Tours

    Expert-led wildlife encounters across Arenal, Manuel Antonio and beyond.

    • Birdwatching & wildlife observation
    • Rainforest ecology walks
    • Night wildlife tours
    • Family & private group tours

    Photography & Birding Travel

    Specialized trips for photographers and birders — from day tours to multi-day expeditions across Costa Rica.

    • Wildlife photography sessions
    • Multi-day birding itineraries
    • Macro & landscape photography
    • Workshops & specialized experiences

    Transfers & Custom Travel

    Private transfers, multi-day packages, and full trip coordination across Costa Rica.

    • Private transfers across Costa Rica
    • Custom multi-day itineraries
    • Family travel coordination
    • Multi-zone logistics & planning
    ⭐ What Our Guests Say

    Trusted by Travelers from Around the World

    · 114+ verified reviews ·

    Brooklyn, New York ·

    TripAdvisor

    Great Manuel Antonio park tour with Andrew! He is very knowledgeable and patient, and helped us spot so much wildlife we would have walked right past. Highly recommend.

    Manuel Antonio · Guide Andrew

    TripAdvisor

    Loved our tour of Mistico Hanging Bridges! Luis was a fantastic guide. We have an almost three year old and Luis was very patient and engaging with him. Very knowledgeable about the birds, animals and Costa Rica as a who…

    Mistico Hanging Bridges · Guide Luis

    TripAdvisor

    Our early morning nature tour at the Mistico hanging bridges with Raul was the very best start to our trip we could have hoped for. Raul is a qualified naturalist and made the rainforest come alive with his knowledge of…

    Mistico Hanging Bridges · Guide Raul

    Rik Huijts

    Google

    We have done two tours with Elias. First a birdwatching tour in the morning with Raul — he has been doing this for 25 years and knew everything about the birds, spotting them from so far away. Absolutely amazing. The nig…

    Birdwatching + Night Tour · Guide Raul & José

    TripAdvisor

    I highly recommend hiring an Elias Tour. The entire Elias team is spectacular, especially Chino and Roy, who guided us on fantastic tours.

    · Guide Chino & Roy

    U. V.

    Google

    What a fantastic experience! Today we went on a private birdwatching tour with Elias. His passion for nature, birds and all other living creatures in his homeland of Costa Rica is truly inspiring. We had the opportunity…

    Private Birdwatching Tour · Guide Elias

    TripAdvisor

    Elias arranged two half-days of private birding around La Fortuna, taking into account our goals and some physical limitations. We had a different guide each day, Ignacio and Luis, both terrific — super knowledgeable, en…

    Private Birding · Guide Ignacio & Luis

    Geneva, Illinois ·

    TripAdvisor

    From booking to tour the entire experience was excellent. This was a private photography tour and the guide knew exactly where to find what I wanted to photograph and helped with camera settings and composition for the c…

    Photo Tour

    Toronto, Canada ·

    TripAdvisor

    We had an incredible experience with Miller at the Mistico Hanging Bridges. He found us so much wildlife we hadn't seen before, and was really focused on finding us a yellow-throated toucan — which he finally did! I'd hi…

    Mistico Hanging Bridges · Guide Miller

    Jacob Sawyer

    Google

    Elias is the finest that Costa Rica has to offer! We started with a night tour at Danaus and loved it — he is so intelligent about Costa Rica's flora and fauna. We also booked a daytime sloth tour at the Bogarin trail. R…

    Night Walk + Sloth Tour Bogarin · Guide Raul

    ← Swipe to read more →

    Read all reviews on

    FAQs

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Get in Touch

    Let's Plan Your Experience

    Send us your dates, group size, and interests — we'll get back to you with availability and a personalized recommendation.

    Location

    La Fortuna, Alajuela, CR

    Office Hours

    Mon–Sun: 7 am – 9 pm

    Last-Minute Request?

    Subject to availability. Contact us on WhatsApp for the fastest response.

    Contact via WhatsApp

    All bookings must be made at least 36h in advance. Between 12h–36h: validated before confirmation. Under 12h: not accepted.

    📱 Mobile number only (for WhatsApp)

    Add your phone for faster WhatsApp response — optional but recommended.

    Tour 1
    Adults (11+)
    1
    Children (5–10)
    0
    Infants (0–4)
    0

    Tentative — we'll confirm by email/WhatsApp.

    100% Private Tour — only your group, never mixed with strangers.

    If you don't know the exact hotel name, paste the Google Maps URL of your location so we can verify it.

    Taxes and 3% card processing included in the final total (same for Card or PayPal).