Elías Nature Tours
Costa Rica
We're a local team in La Fortuna — book any activity in the region through us. Expert guides, private transport, full coordination. One contact, zero stress.We organize every activity in the Arenal region — our own private wildlife and birding tours, access to top venues like Mistico and Ecocentro Danaus, adventure activities and door-to-door transfers. One trusted local team, 15+ years of experience, everything in one place.
15+ years operating in ArenalReply within 24hHand-picked from over 5 years guiding visitors around Arenal — these are the tours that consistently top reviews.
Most popular spots in one day: Hanging Bridges + Arenal 1968 + La Fortuna Waterfall
Volcano trail walk with lava fields, forest edges and classic Arenal viewpoints
Self-guided park entrance to the iconic La Fortuna Waterfall — explore at your own pace, swim and take photos.
16 hanging bridges through pristine primary rainforest — Arenal Volcano views, toucans overhead and sloths in the canopy.
Almost-guaranteed sloth sightings, trogons and easy wildlife photography on La Fortuna's most beloved trail.
A silent river float where sloths, spider monkeys and Agami Herons come to you — no effort, pure wildlife.
Share dates, group size and interests via WhatsApp or our form. We reply within 12 hours with a personalized, itemized quote.
Tours, transfers, timing — one itinerary, one team. We coordinate everything with venues, guides and drivers on your behalf.
Secure payment by card or PayPal. You instantly receive full confirmation with pickup times, guide contacts and your complete itinerary.
Co-owner · Lead Naturalist Guide · La Fortuna
Certified naturalist guide with 15+ years in the field. Former Operations Manager at Ecocentro Danaus. Born and raised in La Fortuna — knows every trail, species and season firsthand.
Co-owner · Wildlife Photographer · Expedition Leader
Internationally recognized wildlife photographer. Leads private photo expeditions across Costa Rica, Brazil's Pantanal and Ecuador. Specialist in macro, multi-flash and natural-environment hides.
Behind Elías and Yehudi is a full team of certified local guides, professional drivers and operations staff — all vetted, bilingual and fully insured. Every trip is coordinated by people who actually live here.
"Book any activity in the Arenal region through us — from our own private wildlife tours to partner venues like Mistico, Ecocentro Danaus and Baldi Hot Springs. One local team, full coordination."
Our long-term relationships with local venues and providers mean honest recommendations and a single trusted contact — no need to coordinate with multiple operators for your entire trip.
We've been operating in Arenal for 15+ years with deep venue relationships, local expertise and a full team — so your entire trip is handled by people who know this region inside out.
Our own tours, partner venue access, adventure activities and transfers — all bookable through one team. No juggling multiple operators or repeated paperwork.
Full coverageEvery experience is exclusively yours. No shared shuttles, no strangers, no fixed schedule. We adapt completely to your group's pace and interests.
Private-onlyBorn-here guides with 15+ years of local experience. The best sighting spots, real seasonal timing, hidden trails — knowledge no booking platform can replicate.
Born localYou communicate directly with the team — not a call center. Custom adjustments, last-minute changes, real answers. WhatsApp or email, always fast.
PersonalizedProper fieldcraft for birding. Macro in natural environments. Multi-flash and expedition-grade photography experiences co-led by wildlife photographer Yehudi Hernández.
Birding · Macro · ExpeditionDoor-to-door pickup from your hotel in fully insured private vehicles with professional drivers. Extend to airport transfers and inter-city routes across Costa Rica.
Country-wideHand-picked experiences loved by travelers visiting Arenal and La Fortuna.
Elías Peña
Co-Owner · Lead Guide · La Fortuna
Yehudi Hernández
Business Partner · Wildlife Photographer
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.
Trusted Local Operation
Registered in Costa Rica. All vehicles, guides and operations are fully insured and licensed.
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.
Expert-led wildlife encounters across Arenal, Manuel Antonio and beyond.
Specialized trips for photographers and birders — from day tours to multi-day expeditions across Costa Rica.
Private transfers, multi-day packages, and full trip coordination across Costa Rica.
cgrenwick
Leeds, United Kingdom · May 2026
Fantastic experience with Elias nature tours, right from booking the tour and having responsive, helpful communication, to the tour itself. We did the private night tour in La Fortuna, with José as our guide and we saw S…
La Fortuna Night Tour · Guide José
Sue B.
November 2025
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
Smoyel
Brooklyn, New York · March 2026
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
C W.
March 2026
Elias arranged two half-days of private birding around La Fortuna. Outstanding guiding, spotting and scope work. We added many lifers and learned so much about behavior and habitat. Communication and logistics were flawl…
Private Birding
Anal Dave
January 2026
I reached out to Elias 2 weeks ago for a photo tour during my stay at La Fortuna. He set up a birding tour, an amazing night photo tour in La Fortuna and a wildlife photo tour in Manuel Antonio National Park. Guides Gabr…
Photo Tours: Birding + Night + Manuel Antonio · Guide Gabriel, José "Chino" & Andrew
Nadine J.
Toronto, Canada · March 2026
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
Julie Tearle
February 2026
We had such an amazing experience with Elias Nature Tours from beginning to end. Elias took our whole wish list and booked everything: 2 night walks (Ecocentro Danaus and Papa's place), canyoning, white water rafting wit…
Full La Fortuna itinerary · Guide Luis & Gabriel
cgrenwick
Leeds, United Kingdom · April 2026
Fantastic experience with Elias Nature Tours, right from booking with responsive, helpful communication, to the tour itself. We did the private night tour in La Fortuna with José as our guide — SO many frog species (incl…
La Fortuna Night Tour · Guide José
Stephanie S.
February 2026
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
Sávio C.
February 2026
I highly recommend hiring Elias Tours. The entire team is spectacular, especially Chino and Roy, who guided us on fantastic tours.
Multi-day Itinerary · Guide Chino & Roy
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cgrenwick
Leeds, United Kingdom · May 2026
Fantastic experience with Elias nature tours, right from booking the tour and having responsive, helpful communication, to the tour itself. We did the private night tour in La Fortuna, with José as our guide and we saw S…
La Fortuna Night Tour · Guide José
Sue B.
November 2025
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
Smoyel
Brooklyn, New York · March 2026
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
C W.
March 2026
Elias arranged two half-days of private birding around La Fortuna. Outstanding guiding, spotting and scope work. We added many lifers and learned so much about behavior and habitat. Communication and logistics were flawl…
Private Birding
Anal Dave
January 2026
I reached out to Elias 2 weeks ago for a photo tour during my stay at La Fortuna. He set up a birding tour, an amazing night photo tour in La Fortuna and a wildlife photo tour in Manuel Antonio National Park. Guides Gabr…
Photo Tours: Birding + Night + Manuel Antonio · Guide Gabriel, José "Chino" & Andrew
Nadine J.
Toronto, Canada · March 2026
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
Julie Tearle
February 2026
We had such an amazing experience with Elias Nature Tours from beginning to end. Elias took our whole wish list and booked everything: 2 night walks (Ecocentro Danaus and Papa's place), canyoning, white water rafting wit…
Full La Fortuna itinerary · Guide Luis & Gabriel
cgrenwick
Leeds, United Kingdom · April 2026
Fantastic experience with Elias Nature Tours, right from booking with responsive, helpful communication, to the tour itself. We did the private night tour in La Fortuna with José as our guide — SO many frog species (incl…
La Fortuna Night Tour · Guide José
Stephanie S.
February 2026
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
Sávio C.
February 2026
I highly recommend hiring Elias Tours. The entire team is spectacular, especially Chino and Roy, who guided us on fantastic tours.
Multi-day Itinerary · Guide Chino & Roy
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La Fortuna, Alajuela, CR
Mon–Sun: 7 am – 9 pm
Last-Minute Request?
Subject to availability. Contact us on WhatsApp for the fastest response.
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