Llanos de Cortés Waterfall Tours: Sloths, Coffee and a One-Hour Swim
20 tours, typically 120 to 250 EUR for 6 hours. Only one listing is the waterfall alone, in the 60 to 120 EUR band; the other 19 build a day around it.
Twenty tours stop at Llanos de Cortés, and only one of them is just the waterfall. The other 19 wrap about an hour at the fall in a day of sloths, coffee, a chocolate farm, hot springs or a horse ride, typically at 120 to 250 EUR for 6 hours. A Llanos de Cortés tour is really a Guanacaste day with a waterfall in it. This page reads the 20 listings one by one: what the day contains, what moves the price, what is and is not included, and the small print that separates one listing from the next. Eighteen of the 20 are filed under a beach resort rather than Liberia. The fall itself, its entry fee and its storm closures are on the Guanacaste page.
Prefer a wet hike to a long day? La Leona is a three-hour river walk from under 60 EUR. Want the volcano and the hot springs without the farm? Start with the Rincón de la Vieja and Miravalles page. For the place itself, meaning who runs it, the steps down and the cash fee at the gate, the Guanacaste page is the one to read before you pay for anything, and the Costa Rica page puts the whole country in one table.
Bijagua Rainforest Trails, Llanos de Cortés Swim and Family Chocolate and Coffee Farm
A full-day guided trip combining a Llanos de Cortés swim, rainforest trails in Bijagua de Upala, a family chocolate and coffee farm and a Costa Rican lunch.
Corobicí River Safari Float, Llanos de Cortez Hike and Sloth Search with Tico Lunch
Float the Rio Corobici looking for monkeys and birds, hike to Llanos de Cortez and search for sloths and frogs, with a hot Tico lunch and a naturalist guide.
Family-Run Llanos de Cortés Swim, Bijagua Sloth Walk, Coffee and Chocolate Farm with Lunch
A local family company founded in 2008 runs this 6 to 8 hour day with hotel pick-up, admissions, a waterfall swim, a farm visit and a traditional Tico lunch.
Full Day: Llanos del Cortés, Miravalles Horseback Ride, ThermoMania Springs, Coffee
Horseback riding on Miravalles Volcano, ThermoMania hot springs and volcanic mud, a butterfly trail and the Llanos del Cortés waterfall, 6 am pick-up in Coco.
Lifetime Travel CR: Llanos de Cortez Swim and Las Hornillas Walkable Crater with Mud Baths
Walk inside a live volcanic crater at Las Hornillas, then soak in mud and hot springs after a swim at Llanos de Cortez. Transport, lunch and fees are included.
Llanos de Cortés Swim, Rainforest Sloths, Coffee and Chocolate, and Río Celeste Stop
Hotel pick-up from Papagayo, air-conditioned transport and a bilingual guide for a six-hour trip of waterfall swimming, wildlife spotting and coffee tasting.
Llanos del Cortés Hidden Pool Swim, Donde Pipe Buffet Lunch and Liberia White City Walk
A buffet lunch at Donde Pipe, a guided walk through Liberia and two swims, one in a hidden forest pool and one beneath the Llanos del Cortés waterfall.
Llanos del Cortés Premium Waterfall Visit: A 65-Foot Cascade in Guanacaste
A visit to Llanos del Cortés, a waterfall about 65 feet high and 49 feet wide, where thin streams run over mossy rock with forest birds and monkeys around.
Llanos del Cortés Swim, Sloths, Frogs and Hands-On Coffee and Chocolate in Guanacaste
Make your own coffee and chocolate, eat a casado lunch and swim at Llanos del Cortés. Rain in September and October can close the pool to swimmers there.
Llanos del Cortés Swim, Tenorio Coffee Farm, Chocolate Tasting and Bijagua Sloth Walk
Swim at Llanos del Cortés, tour a Tenorio coffee plantation, taste handmade chocolate and search the Bijagua rainforest for sloths, frogs and snakes.
Llanos del Cortés Waterfall, Bijagua Sloths and Miravalles Volcano Hot Springs Mud Day
Swim at Llanos del Cortés, look for sloths near Bijagua, eat a casado and finish in the hot springs and volcanic mud of Miravalles Volcano in one day.
Llanos del Cortez Waterfall, Tropical Forest Wildlife and Volcanic Mud Exfoliation Tour
A day tour in three stops: the Llanos del Cortez waterfall, a rainforest with sloths, toucans, frogs and tapirs, and a volcano with mud and hot springs.
Private Bijagua Rainforest Reserve, Llanos del Cortés and Corobicí River Safari Float
A private guide leads a Bijagua reserve walk for sloths and frogs, a calm Class I-II river float for birds and monkeys, and a swim at Llanos del Cortés.
Private Bijagua Sloth Walk and Llanos del Cortez Tiered Waterfalls near Bagaces
A private visit to Llanos del Cortez near Bagaces and the Bijagua trails around Tenorio Volcano National Park, home to monkeys, toucans and sloths in the wild.
Private Heliconias Lodge Hanging Bridges, Spring Paradise Reserve and Llanos del Cortés
A private guide leads guests across the hanging bridges at Heliconias Lodge in Bijagua, then through a protected reserve to Llanos del Cortés waterfall.
Private Llanos de Cortez, Miravalles Hanging Bridges, Hot Springs and Mud Baths Tour
A private guide, hiking and hanging bridges, hot springs and mud baths in the Miravalles Volcano area, starting at the Llanos de Cortez waterfall swim.
Private Spring Paradise Sloth Park, Coffee and Cacao Farm and Llanos de Cortez Waterfall
A private tour with a 5-minute walk to Llanos de Cortes, trails at Spring Paradise in Bijagua, a coffee and cacao farm and lunch at El Sabor de Doña Carmen.
Private Tree Chocolate Farm, Spring Paradise Wildlife Walk and Llanos del Cortés Swim
A private day at the Tree Chocolate Farm, where guests join every step of chocolate making, plus a protected rainforest reserve and Llanos del Cortés waterfall.
Sloth, Monkey and Dart Frog Day with Llanos de Cortés Hike, Tico Lunch and Guide
A guide collects guests at Guanacaste beach hotels in a private vehicle for the Cortés waterfall hike, a hot Tico lunch with fruit juice and wildlife.
Tenorio-Miravalles Corridor Hike, Coffee and Chocolate Farm, Butterfly Lunch and Falls
A leisurely hike to see two kinds of sloths, a private coffee and chocolate plantation, lunch among butterflies and a relaxing waterfall swim on the way back.
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Llanos de Cortés tours: what the day is made of
The listings sort into four shapes. Thirteen are wildlife and farm days: a sloth walk, a coffee and chocolate tour, sometimes a river float or hanging bridges. Five are hot-spring days that add volcanic mud at Miravalles, and one of those puts the waterfall on a horse ride. One pairs the fall with a walk around Liberia. One, the Premium listing, is the fall and the drive, nothing more. The biggest listing runs 6 to 8 hours depending on your hotel, which tells you how much of the day is road.
| Shape of the day | Listings | Typical price band | Median length | Private |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildlife and farm: sloths, coffee, chocolate, river | 13 | 120 to 250 EUR | 6 hours | 9 of 13 |
| Hot springs and volcanic mud, sometimes a horse ride | 5 | 120 to 250 EUR | 8 hours | 2 of 5 |
| Waterfall and Liberia city walk | 1 | 120 to 250 EUR | 6 hours | Private |
| Waterfall only, with private transport | 1 | 60 to 120 EUR | 5 hours | Private |
Why a waterfall tour comes with sloths
Because the fall is short. A tour has to justify a long drive from the coast, so the day is stacked. On the most reviewed listing, in the 120 to 250 EUR band with 997 reviews, the first three stops are an hour each: Llanos de Cortés, a sloth walk, then a coffee and chocolate farm, with lunch after. The sloth and farm stops are in Bijagua de Upala.
Whether you see a sloth is up to the sloth. One listing says "with a bit of luck"; another guarantees them on the grounds that sloths do not leave their habitat. If the animals are the reason you are booking, read the sloth stop, not the waterfall, and ask where the animals live.
What moves the price
Length does not set the price
At six hours alone, listings run from roughly 120 to 500 EUR. What sets the number is whether the group is shared or private. The seven shared listings all sit in the 120 to 250 EUR band at 6 to 9 hours. The 13 private ones run from under 120 to more than 250 EUR, and the four above 250 EUR are all private: three from one operator, one from another.
The chart makes the gap visible. A shared seat at 120 to 250 EUR and a private day above 250 EUR can have the same stops and the same six hours.
Private tours here are priced per person, like shared seats: Viator lists all 13 that way, and none quotes one price for the whole group. The private listing we opened, above 250 EUR, requires two adults and applies a child rate only when children share with two paying adults. For a couple that is double the listed price, a good deal more than two shared seats. The private median and the shared median both sit in the 120 to 250 EUR band, the private a little higher, so the cheapest private listings cost about what a shared one does. Multiply by the size of your party before you compare.
A private tour above 250 EUR is a luxury; one in the 120 to 250 EUR band is usually just a smaller group.
What is in the price, and what is not
Lunch and pickup are nearly universal: 19 of 20 include each. Pickup points run along the coast, from Liberia to Tamarindo; one listing lists Liberia, Coco, Hermosa, Papagayo, Flamingo, Brasilito and Tamarindo, another meets in Coco at 6 am, and the Río Celeste combo collects at Papagayo at 7:30. The waterfall ticket is usually in the price: two listings say so outright. One does not: the horse and hot-springs day flags its Llanos stop as carrying an extra fee. Tips are never included. Ask about the ticket before you pay, because the town charges cash at the gate.
| Listing | Price band | Length | What the day holds | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sloth Watching, Coffee, Chocolate and Waterfall | 120 to 250 EUR | 6 hours | Llanos, a sloth walk and a coffee and chocolate farm, an hour each, then lunch | Free until 24 hours before |
| Llanos de Cortés Swim and Liberia City Tour | 120 to 250 EUR | 6 hours | A forest pool and the fall, a lunch buffet in Liberia, a guided city walk | Free until 24 hours before |
| Waterfall, Sloths and Miravalles Hot Springs | 120 to 250 EUR | 8 hours | Llanos swim, sloths, hot springs and volcanic mud, a casado | Free until 24 hours before |
| Full day: horse, sloth and waterfalls | 120 to 250 EUR | 7 hours | Llanos, hot springs, a horse ride, a coffee tour; 6 am pickup in Coco | Final sale |
| Waterfalls, Rainforest and Coffee Tour | 250 to 500 EUR | 6 hours | Llanos, a sloth walk, a coffee tour and Río Celeste; 7:30 am pickup | Final sale |
| Llanos del Cortéz Premium Tour | 60 to 120 EUR | 5 hours | The fall only, with private transport, drinks and snacks | Free until 24 hours before |
Where the tours start
Eighteen of the 20 are filed under a beach resort, nine at Playa Hermosa, six at Playa Flamingo and three at Tamarindo, and most collect you there. The biggest listing also picks up in Liberia, the town nearest the fall, and one more departs from Liberia. So this is mostly a beach-hotel product: a pickup in a coastal resort, a drive into the interior, a return to the coast. The biggest listing collects from Liberia, Coco, Hermosa, Papagayo, Flamingo, Brasilito and Tamarindo and says the day lasts 6 to 8 hours depending on the hotel. Another meets in Coco at 6 am. Ask for your pickup time before you book, because it decides how much of the morning you have at the fall before the crowds.
Who runs them
Sixteen operators sell the 20 listings, and the evidence is lopsided. Four of them hold 87% of the 1,754 reviews: Pure Nature Private Tours with 997, Seven Sense Costa Rica with 275, On The Road Costa Rica with 139 and On The Beach Tours with 113. The other twelve share 230. Fourteen listings have fewer than 25 reviews, and many of those carry a perfect 5.0 on a handful of votes. The name Pure Nature Private Tours is worth a second look: its 997-review listing is a shared tour, one of the seven shared seats on this page.
How to choose a Llanos de Cortés tour
Decide what the other stops are for. With children, the shared day is the sensible default: it is the one with the reviews, and each stop is an hour. For hot springs, take the hot-spring day and expect eight hours. For the water itself, the fall-only listing is the one that does not spend your day elsewhere, though its itinerary has a single stop and no lunch. At least one listing describes a short walk through forest to a hidden pool before the main fall, led by a local guide: ask whether yours does.
Group size is the other tell: most listings we opened take up to 15 travelers per booking, and one takes 12. Then read the cancellation line. Two of the 20 are final-sale, and both are the ones with the most moving parts.
Mistakes people make
They book a "Llanos de Cortés tour" to swim and find it is one stop in six, with about an hour at the water before the bus moves on. They multiply a private price by the wrong number of people. They book from Tamarindo or Flamingo without counting the drive. They go in September to November without a plan for rain: one operator says swimming then depends on water conditions and promises to tell you in advance. And they pick the final-sale listing without noticing, because it is a button further down the page.
Questions about Llanos de Cortés tours
How long does a Llanos de Cortés tour take?
The 20 listings run 5 to 10 hours with a median of 6. The fall is about an hour of that. The biggest listing says 6 to 8 hours depending on your hotel, and pickups are early: 6 am in Coco on one listing, 7:30 in Papagayo on another.
Is the waterfall entrance fee included?
On the listings we opened that mention it, yes. One horse and hot-springs listing flags the Llanos stop as an extra fee. A March 2026 visitor guide gives the town's own entry as 4,000 colones for adults, cash only, so ask which side of the line your listing falls on.
Can you swim at Llanos de Cortés on a tour?
Usually, yes. Several listings sell it as a swim stop. The Guanacaste page covers the roped area and the storm closures. One operator warns that from September to November swimming depends on water conditions and says it will tell you ahead if it is unsafe.
How is a private Llanos de Cortés tour priced?
Per person, like a shared seat. All 13 private listings are quoted that way, and none gives one price for the whole group. The private listing we opened, above 250 EUR, needs two adults and has a child rate. Multiply by your party before comparing it with a shared seat.
Can I get a refund on a Llanos de Cortés tour?
Most listings refund in full up to 24 hours before departure. Two do not: the Río Celeste combination and the horse and hot-springs day are final-sale. Check the cancellation line before you pay, especially in September to November.
Prefer a river hike to a long day?
La Leona is a three-hour guided walk from under 60 EUR, and the cave swim at the end is the whole point.
Data verified on . 20 Viator listings read 22 Oct 2026, nine opened in full. Entry fee and closure details from a March 2026 visitor guide and from the listings.