New Tours come to Lapa Rios

A few months ago we announced the launch of our brand new Lapa Rios Guide School for guests.  Now this August, we’ve got the binoculars ready, the rubber boots polished, and we’re excited to welcome our very first group of budding naturalists to the lodge.  But for our many guests checking in for the traditional Lapa Rios experience, there’s some good news too – we’ve been working on our tours.  We’ve updated our in-house hikes, we’ve tweaked our external adventures, and we’ve even added some special, uniquely Osa experiences into the mix.

Much to our guests’ delight, our revamped Tour Book has become something of an impressive encyclopaedia.  We’ve managed to meticulously curate an “ultimate experience handbook” for all things Osa Peninsula – that means the opportunities for exploring our rainforests and wider region go deeper than ever and even further from the beaten path.

Introducing the new Authentic Osa Experiences

Our new experiences go beyond the boundaries of the Lapa Rios reserve and out into the community.  They go into ancient, indigenous territories, and long-abandoned gold mines; into remote farmland and tiny villages where only a few residents remain.  Each has been designed to offer a most memorable taste of rural Costa Rica, and above all, immerse our curious guests in the local history and showcase the grit with which the people who live in this mega-biodiverse region have carved out an existence.  Here in the Osa, everyone has a story to tell and we’d love for them to be heard.

Our new rural tours are led by our senior Guide School students who share a passion for showing off their beloved Peninsula and its people.  All are local staff members of Lapa Rios and expert naturalists in training – accompanying guests on the following tours provides them with the necessary experience to eventually graduate as qualified naturalist guides.

Rancho Raíces Tour
Meet Herman Quiroz and his family, the local pioneers of organic farming in the tropics.  They’ve opened up their farm to proudly showcase the fine art of organic chocolate production.

Visit a Local Ngöbe Indigenous Family
Meet members of the Ngöbe tribe – one of the last remaining indigenous groups in the country – and learn about their ancient culture and customs at the boundary of Corcovado National Park.

Finca Las Minas Tour
Try you luck with panning into the gold vein under Juan Cubillo’s house at the long-forgotten mine abandoned some 30 years ago when extracting gold was made illegal.

Traditional Lunch with Juan López
Listen to the stories of this Osa old-timer and his wife over a traditional Costa Rican lunch. More than 40 years after starting a life in the Miramar community, they’re amongst the very few people who still live here.

Looking for an authentic way to experience rural Costa Rica?  Browse our Tour Book for the complete list of complimentary in-house nature tours, community-led external adventures, and our newest Osa Experiences.  Chat with us or drop us a note at [email protected] and we’ll help you design a bespoke itinerary that will thoroughly immerse you in both nature and culture.