Nauyaca Waterfall Tours from Manuel Antonio, Quepos and Dominical
Only 2 of the 20 listings name Nauyaca in the title. The rest are Manuel Antonio day trips, and a typical day costs 120 to 250 EUR for about 6 hours.
Only 2 of the 20 tours on this page have Nauyaca in the title. The other eighteen are waterfall days around Manuel Antonio, Quepos and Uvita: a village with three falls and a family lunch, a hacienda with a jump pool, an ATV ride, a canyoning course. A typical day costs 120 to 250 EUR for about six hours, and 17 of the 20 include lunch. This page separates the two kinds of day. The Nauyaca trip depends on which of two park entrances your operator uses, and it decides the ticket and whether the upper fall is open. The Manuel Antonio trip is mostly a different waterfall altogether. The other waterfall areas of the country have their own pages, and the Costa Rica page compares them side by side.
Two listings are private, at roughly 60 to 250 EUR. The provider lists neither as a price for the whole group, so both read as per-person fares like the rest. The operators are many, 15 for 20 listings, and Paddle 9 alone holds a third of the reviews. Every number below comes from the 20 listings, read one by one on 22 October 2026, unless a source is named. Prices are in EUR and per person unless a listing says otherwise, and ratings are weighted by the number of reviews. If you read only one thing before booking, read the table of the two entrances, because the price depends on which of the two gates you use, and the two gates charge different amounts.
All-Inclusive Pacific Coast Waterfall Day with Local Guide, Secluded Beach and Casado
A local guide narrates the coast drive, then the day moves from a secluded jungle waterfall to a deserted beach, a surf town and the two-tiered Nauyaca cascade.
Amigos del Rio ADR Waterfall Park: Canyoning and 7 Zip Lines near Quepos
Seven zip lines, a free fall into a waterfall pool and a Tarzan swing, run by Amigos del Rio with bilingual guides, lunch and hotel transport from Quepos.
ATV Ride and Rainmaker Park Waterfall Walk near Manuel Antonio, Ranch Meal
Drive your own ATV through palm plantations and rural towns, then walk Rainmaker Park's waterfalls and eat a typical Costa Rican meal at the operator's ranch.
Dominicalito and Uvita Waterfalls Trip with Rocky Beach and Whale's Tail Sunset Lookout
Two to three waterfalls, a rocky beach, a fruit stand stop and a mountain lookout over the Whale's Tail at sunset, with swimming holes and spots to jump.
Eco Chontales 150-Foot Waterfall Canyon: Cliff Jumps, Waterslide, Blue Clay and Lunch
A 150-foot waterfall, a mini waterslide, jumps of 6 feet or 9 meters and a blue clay spa session, finished with a freshly cooked meal at the river restaurant.
Hacienda Ebano Double Waterfall Hike by 4x4 Safari Truck, Jade Waterfall Swim and Lunch
Ride a 4x4 safari truck up the mountains, hike a rainforest trail to two waterfalls and swim in the Jade Waterfall before a banana-leaf lunch by the river.
Los Campesinos Reserve Waterfalls and 127-Meter Hanging Bridge near Manuel Antonio
A community cooperative's reserve of over 33 hectares with 3 waterfalls, 2 swimming pools and 2 hanging bridges, plus a home-cooked lunch from a wood fire.
Mulguri Waterfalls Small-Group Trip near Manuel Antonio with Family Home Lunch
Three waterfalls and four natural pools at the foot of a mountain, about an hour from Manuel Antonio, then a Costa Rican lunch in a local family's house.
Nauyaca Waterfalls Guided Jungle Hike with Swim and Jump Spots, Manuel Antonio
A 40 minute jungle trek to the 80 foot and 160 foot Nauyaca falls with licensed, insured guides who help with climbs and point out optional jump spots.
Nauyaca Waterfalls Small-Group Day Trip with Portalon Falls, Playa Linda and Dominical
Capped at 10 people, this coastal route adds a deserted beach, a jungle waterfall and a surf town to Nauyaca, with a casado lunch at a local restaurant.
Osa Canyoning Adventures Half-Day Canyoning with 8 Waterfall Rappels in Balsar Abajo
Eight waterfall rappels and several smaller cascades to climb down on a half-day canyon descent, with a pre-packed snack on the way. Getting wet is guaranteed.
Paddle 9 Full-Day Waterfall Adventure in Quepos with Farm Lunch, 5 Stops
Five easy-access stops, a farm-to-table lunch and all safety gear included, for families of mixed ages and fitness levels. Guided in English by licensed guides.
Playa Ventanas Beach Caves, Uvita Waterfalls and Portalon: Natural Slide, Cliff Jumps
Walk into two 500 foot beach caves, ride a natural water slide and jump from low or higher cliffs, with a lunch stop in Dominical. It starts in Manuel Antonio.
Private 8-Hour Central Pacific Day Trip: Waterfall Jumps, Beaches and Costa Rican Lunch
Certified guides help with the waterfall jumps, and nobody is pushed. Groups of up to 10 get water, drinks, fruit and a Costa Rican lunch over an 8-hour day.
Private Hacienda Ebano Waterfalls Tour with Big Mango Lookout and Short or Medium Hike
Private day at Hacienda Ebano with a 1 km or 2.5 km hike to two waterfalls, the Big Mango Lookout, a Jade Waterfall swim and a banana-leaf lunch by the river.
Quepo Canyoning Half-Day Rappelling and Waterfall Course on 80 Acres near Manuel Antonio
Rappel and canyon through 80 acres of protected rainforest, with snack breaks on the course and a typical Costa Rican meal after. Hotel transport included.
Quepos Full-Day Waterfalls and Beaches Trip with Lunch, Entrance Fees and Guide
Transport, entrance fees, a guide, fruit, cookies and lunch are included on a seven hour loop of waterfalls and beaches for up to 25 travelers per booking.
Quepos Rainforest Reserve Waterfall Hike with Hanging Bridges and Lunch in a Local Home
Swim under big waterfalls, cross hanging bridges and eat lunch with local people in their home. Guided in English or Spanish, up to 10 travelers per booking.
San Antonio de Damas ATV Ride to a Reserve Waterfall Swim, Palm Farm and Costa Rican Meal
A 15 mile ride past rice, palm and teak plantations and through two villages, a rainforest hike to a swimming waterfall, and a Costa Rican meal at the end.
Savegre River Whitewater Rafting, Class II-III, with Waterfall Stop near Manuel Antonio
Paddle Class II and III rapids on the Savegre with a safety kayaker alongside, then stop at a waterfall. Snack, lunch and hotel transport are included.
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Nauyaca waterfalls: two tiers, two doors
Nauyaca is a two-tier waterfall in the hills a short drive inland from Dominical, about 20 minutes on paved road to the Don Lulo entrance. Nobody agrees on how tall it is. One operator's listing quotes 80 ft for the lower fall and 160 ft for the upper one, another says 190 ft, and a travel blog puts the upper fall at about 45 m. We found no measurement, so we publish none. The listings do agree on the walk: about 40 minutes through forest to the lower pool, where the guide takes you into the water and shows you the rocks people jump from. Jumping is optional. Whether you can also reach the upper fall depends on the door you came through.
Same waterfall, two entrances, and a ticket price that changes a lot depending on which one you use.
| Don Lulo, the original entrance | Nauyaca Nature Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | About 20 minutes from Dominical on paved road | A longer drive, with the last 15 minutes on dirt |
| Ticket | A low entrance fee plus parking, or a higher price that includes the truck both ways | A higher entrance fee on foot; more with the truck one way (less for ages 3 to 11) and more again by truck both ways |
| Hours | Mon to Sat 7:00 to 15:30, Sun 8:00 to 15:30; last entry 14:00 | Daily 7:30 to 16:30; last entry 14:30; last truck 16:00 |
| Upper fall | Closed to visitors | Open |
| The walk | About 2 miles each way, around an hour | Shorter, about 15 minutes after the ranch; the climb back is steep |
So the entrance is the thing to ask your operator. The Paddle 9 Nauyaca listing says entrance fees are included but does not name the door. We found no official tariff page: the waterfall's own site came up empty, and a second guide, Costa Rica Experts, shows different figures, so the two sources disagree. That is why we date the blog and print none of its numbers.
The lower pool, and what a guide adds
The 7-hour Paddle 9 listing for the Nauyaca trip is in the 120 to 250 EUR band and includes lunch, snacks and the entrance fees. Its guides help you climb, point out where to jump and keep the group in order. Groups go up to 15, guiding is in English and Spanish, and it asks for moderate fitness.
The other Nauyaca day, from Bright Adventures, is capped at 10 people and sits in the same 120 to 250 EUR band. It stops at Portalón waterfall, Playa Linda beach and the surf town of Dominical before the main fall, so it is four stops, not one.
Swimming follows the season. The blog says the pool is calm in the dry season and that from May to November the trail turns muddy and swimming is sometimes closed. September and October are the wettest months on this coast, according to a Vamos Rent a Car guide updated on 4 September 2026.
Two tours say Nauyaca. Eighteen say Manuel Antonio
Paddle 9 runs three of the listings and holds 33% of all the reviews on this page. Its Full Day Waterfall Adventure has 1,605 reviews, a 5.0 rating and a price in the 120 to 250 EUR band, but its text never names the five stops. It promises very limited hiking and says it suits all ages and fitness levels. That is a different product from the 40-minute Nauyaca walk. Both can be good days. The chart shows how the price sorts them.
Length explains most of the price. Trips of 3 to 5 hours reach down into the 60 to 120 EUR band. The seven-hour full days sit in a tight band higher up, and the highest dot, at 6 hours, is the zip line and canyoning park. The table sets the formats side by side.
| Format | Tours | Price band | Typical price band | Lunch included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-day shared waterfall trips (6.5 to 7 hours) | 7 | 60 to 250 EUR | 120 to 250 EUR | 7 of 7 |
| Village and reserve trips (4 to 6 hours) | 5 | 60 to 250 EUR | 60 to 120 EUR | 4 of 5 |
| Adventure: ATV, canyoning, zip lines, rafting (3 to 6 hours) | 6 | 60 to 250 EUR | 60 to 120 EUR | 5 of 6 |
| Private trips (4 and 8 hours) | 2 | 60 to 250 EUR | 60 to 120 EUR | 1 of 2 |
Manuel Antonio: the waterfalls that are not Nauyaca
The Mulguri listing drives about an hour from Manuel Antonio to a property with three waterfalls, one drop and four natural pools, reached by steps. It sits in the 60 to 120 EUR band for 5 hours and includes a lunch cooked by a local family at their home. At Hacienda Ébano the listing is in the 60 to 120 EUR band for 4 hours: a 1.6 km walk, a first pool the listing puts at 4 m deep with a jump from 8 m, and a second, shallower pool for children. Only lunch is included. You meet at the hacienda's reception, 150 m from the Nauyaca Waterfalls office, and you need your own way to get there.
Manuel Antonio as a base, and why it matters
Most of these tours leave from Quepos or Manuel Antonio, because that is where the hotels are. Paddle 9 and Amigos del Rio both start from offices on the road into Manuel Antonio, and Bright Adventures uses Marina Pez Vela in Quepos. 18 of the 20 listings include pickup, usually for selected hotels only.
The distance is the cost. On the map Manuel Antonio is well over 30 km from Dominical, and the road is longer. That is one reason these trips run seven hours.
Quepos and Manuel Antonio, top left, are where most departures are. Dominical and Uvita, bottom right, are where Nauyaca and the Uvita waterfall are. The Chasing Waterfalls listing, the cheapest here, works from the Uvita end: two or three falls and a sunset lookout, with private transport and fruit but no lunch.
Adventure days: ATV, canyoning, zip lines
In the six adventure listings the waterfall is a stop, not the point. Costa Rica Jade Tours sells a 3-hour ATV ride in the 60 to 120 EUR band with 1,373 reviews. Amigos del Rio sells the biggest package: 6 hours at 120 to 250 EUR with a dry rappel, a waterfall zip line, a free-fall rappel, a Tarzan swing and seven cables, in a private park 35 minutes from its office. The minimum age is 6 and the largest harness fits a 42-inch waist. Rafting on the Savegre (in the 60 to 120 EUR band) and two half-day courses in the same band, a rappelling morning and a canyoning run at Balsar Abajo, fill out the group.
For canyoning with a volcano behind it, see La Fortuna and Arenal. For more ATV days, see Jaco, where nine of the twenty listings are ATV tours.
When to go
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
What the title and the price do not say
The entrance is not always in the price: the Mulguri and Nauyaca listings say it is, the Hacienda Ébano listing names lunch only, and the Uvita one transport and fruit. A Manuel Antonio day is not Nauyaca, which is easy to miss when the biggest listing never names its stops. Shoes matter, since the Ébano and canyoning listings say no flip flops. And a private listing can sound like a vehicle price, but the provider lists neither as a group price, so both are per person.
Questions about Nauyaca waterfall tours
Can you visit Nauyaca without a tour?
Yes. A travel blog updated in April 2026 describes two entrances you can use on your own, Don Lulo and the Nauyaca Nature Park, with different prices and hours. A tour adds transport from Manuel Antonio, a guide, lunch and usually the entrance. With a car and a short day, going alone is the cheaper route: either entrance costs far less than the two Nauyaca tours, which are both in the 120 to 250 EUR band.
Which entrance does a tour use?
The listings do not say. The Paddle 9 Nauyaca tour includes entrance fees and describes the lower pool and the upper fall, but it does not name the door. Ask the operator before you book, because the blog we cite says the upper fall is closed to visitors at Don Lulo.
Can you swim at Nauyaca?
The tour listing describes taking you into the swimming hole of the lower fall. A travel blog says the pool is calm in the dry season and that mud and strong currents can close swimming from May to November. Dry season is the safer bet.
Is a Nauyaca tour suitable for children?
It depends on the listing. The Bright Adventures day and the Paddle 9 Full Day Adventure say they suit all fitness levels. The Paddle 9 Nauyaca tour asks for moderate fitness and warns about heart conditions. Read the listing you book.
Comparing Nauyaca with the rest of Costa Rica?
The Costa Rica page sets Río Celeste, La Fortuna, Guanacaste and Jaco against each other on price, access and season.
Data verified on . Twenty tours read on 22 October 2026. Entrance prices from Two Weeks in Costa Rica (30 Apr 2026) and Costa Rica Experts; seasons from travel guides, not official.