Duration: Full Day · Price: From $225 USD per group of 1–4 · Difficulty: Moderate
About this tour
Braulio Carrillo National Park sits just 25 kilometers from San José, yet it feels like a different planet. One of the wettest places in Costa Rica, it receives over 4,000 millimeters of rain annually and hosts primary rainforest that has never been cleared. Rainforest Adventures built their Braulio Carrillo park inside this wilderness — 260 acres of operational trails, canopy infrastructure, and wildlife gardens — and the result is the most comprehensive single-day nature experience close to the capital.
The flagship activity is the zip-line circuit: 10 cables and 15 platforms threading through the rainforest at heights that occasionally cross over streams and secondary valleys. The cables range from warm-up lengths to a 400-meter run that crosses above the tree canopy and offers views toward the Caribbean slope. The aerial tram is the counterpoint — slow, silent, and revelatory. You spend 20 to 25 minutes gliding through five distinct rainforest layers as a naturalist guide identifies the bromeliads, orchids, and wildlife in each stratum. Both activities can be done in the same visit, and both are worth doing.
Beyond the two headline activities, the park includes a butterfly garden with 30+ resident species, an orchid garden with over 90 endemic and regional species, nature trails through secondary and primary forest where you'll spot toucans, poison dart frogs, and ctenosaur lizards, and a snake and frog exhibition that doubles as a conservation education center.
The park is 30 minutes from central San José on the highway toward Guápiles. Round-trip transportation is included in your package.
What's included
- Round-trip transportation from San José
- Zip-line: 10 cables & 15 platforms
- Aerial tram ride with naturalist guide
- Orchid garden visit
- Butterfly garden visit
- Guided nature trail walk
- Snake & frog exhibition
Not included
- Braulio Carrillo National Park entrance fee
- Lunch and beverages
- Gratuities
Good to know
- Minimum age 5 for aerial tram; minimum age 8 and weight 35kg for zip-line
- Maximum weight 120kg for zip-line
- Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes you don't mind getting muddy
- Light rain jacket recommended — the park averages rain most afternoons
- Located 30 min from San José on the highway toward Guápiles
- Free cancellation 48 hours prior