11/30/2022
Las Chorreras Waterfall at Rincon de la Vieja

See more, do more, travel more, thanks to the lower prices during Costa Rica’s low season

Whether you’re searching for a few must-experience Guanacaste tours or are simply wondering what to do near Hacienda Pinilla, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, we have a few we think you’ll love. From sloths and volcanoes to wetlands and underwater realms, these seven adventures take you into Costa Rica’s most wild and rugged landscapes – a natural world ripe for discovery and exploration. Enjoy!

Love the Highlights: Sloths, Frogs & Waterfalls

Happy baby sloth

If Costa Rica had a Greatest Hits reel, sloths, frogs, and waterfalls would definitely make a showing. So, welcome to what we like to call a highlight in Guanacaste tours: a nature lover’s dream of sloth and frog encounters, paired with a dip in a waterfall swimming hole.

One of our most popular sojourns from Hacienda Pinilla, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the Sloths, Frogs & Waterfalls Tour takes you on an incredibly special, half-day tour to see your outdoor bucket list: In addition to the aforementioned sloths and frogs, which you’ll learn to spot in their natural habitat (it’s harder than you’d think!), we hope to see toucans, butterflies, monkeys, and more – a veritable show, as only Mother Nature can do it!

And, of course, we’ll take you hiking into the rainforest and, just as you’re beginning to wish for something to cool you off, we’ll do just that: We’ll stop at a lovely waterfall, where water flows but doesn’t fall too powerfully. They’re the perfect conditions for taking a refreshing dip in the waterfall pool. To top it all off, we’ll also stop at a Costa Rican soda (similar to a diner), where you’ll dine on a typical lunch and get a true taste of Costa Rican tradition.

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Birdwatching and Nature Watching: Palo Verde National Park

Palo-Verde-Toucans

You may not know that Palo Verde National Park is a major watershed, a critically important dry forest, and a protected wildlife sanctuary, all rolled into one. But now that you do, you can likely intuit just how wildly diverse this park and its 15 distinct habitats can be.

That’s right, we said 15 distinct habitats! Indeed, our Palo Verde National Park Tour takes you into Palo Verde’s 45,000+ acres and diverse ecosystems, which were formed thanks to a confluence of geological conditions, chemical compositions, and varied topography. The result has created a wonderland of saltwater mangroves, deciduous forests, lagoons and marshes, savannah lands, rivers, and more.

Palo Verde is also a “Wetland of International Importance,” according to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: one of the world’s most significant wetlands and one of Costa Rica’s most ecologically diverse spots, where you can spot everything from crocodiles and howler monkeys to wildcats and the 300+ bird species (including Central America’s greatest concentration of shorebirds and waterfowl) that call the park home.

Welcome to one of the most astounding, nature-centric Guanacaste tours on offer!

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Volcano Watching & Waterfalls: Rincón de la Vieja National Park

Guanacaste waterfalls at Rincon de la Vieja National Park

It’s no secret (not at all) that Rincón de la Vieja is one of our favorite national parks. It’s the embodiment of everything it means to be both cool and steamy (literally), with some serious flavor, spirit, and myth all rolled into one.

Named for a long-ago princess of legend, Rincón de la Vieja National Park is home to a still-active (sometimes very active) volcano that fuels (again, literally) many of the park’s most astonishing attractions: boiling mud pots and steamy volcanic fumaroles, hot springs (most, too hot for humans) and mini-volcanos, plus waterfalls, scrubby moonscape, lush rainforest, and other natural wonders.

Our Rincón de la Vieja National Park Tour options are varied, allowing you to choose the adventure that’s right for you: Do you want to hike the Las Pailas trail, home to startling volcanic sights? Are you more of a hot-springs-and-volcanic-mud kind of traveler? Or perhaps you crave it all – perfect for our all-day adventure, which includes zip-lining, rock-climbing, river tubing, horseback riding, hot springs, a mud bath, and more!

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Awe-Inspiring Nature: Turtle Nesting & Hatching

Turtle Watching Ostional

There is nothing – nothing! – quite like watching a nesting mother methodically dig her nest. Or, on the flip side – observing her just-hatched young emerge from the sand and make their way to the sea. The cycle of life is a beautiful (and moving) thing.

Costa Rica is famously home to some of the world’s most important turtle-nesting beaches, including two right here, near Hacienda Pinilla!

On the shores of our North Pacific coast, both Ostional Wildlife Refuge and Playa Grande (within Las Baulas National Marine Park) welcome droves of nesting mothers: During Ostional’s jaw-dropping arribadas, or mass-nesting events, tens of thousands of olive ridley turtles (about the size of your carry-on luggage!) can lumber onto the sands at once. At Playa Grande, you’ll find far fewer numbers but just as impressive a sight, as massive (and endangered) leatherback sea turtles nest along Playa Grande.

Our Turtle Watching Tour (one of our most recommended Guanacaste tours) times your visit for the greatest number of sightings possible. Explore the beaches by night, when turtles are nesting, and learn all about these gentle giants and their annual pilgrimages to shore. Trust us, this is an experience you won’t want to miss!

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High-Flying Fun: Zipline Canopy Tour

Zipline Women

If you think ziplines are all about adventure and adrenaline, you’re only partially wrong. Because you’re right – there’s lots of adventure and adrenaline here! But that’s not all there is.

Nature aficionados, rejoice! Zipline tours are called canopy tours for a reason: This is your opportunity to get off the forest floor and hiking trail, and fly into a world that humans rarely have a chance to experience. High in the forest canopy, you’ll have a front-row seat to a new biosphere and ecosystem – it’s very different than just a couple of stories below! – not to mention, breathtaking aerial vistas and views.

Best of all, our favorite Tamarindo zipline is right next door to Hacienda Pinilla! Take on the challenge of 8 ziplines, 10 suspended platforms, a hanging bridge, a thrilling Tarzan swing, and a heart-pounding bungee jump for the brave of heart. There’s that adventure and adrenaline we were talking about!

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Underwater Adventures: Scuba & Snuba

Scuba Diving Guanacaste tours

Experienced diver? Never strapped on an oxygen tank? We got you! Our Scuba and Snuba Tours are available to both certified and non-certified divers, making these Guanacaste tours an underwater exploratory adventure suitable for anyone who’s ever hoped to be part of Ariel’s world.

Certified divers will tank-up for the Catalina Islands for a guided dive at one of Costa Rica’s best dive sites: a watery wonderland of incredible marine life, including giant manta rays with incredible wingspans up to 20 feet. Non-certified divers will begin with scuba training before heading out into the deep blue.

Non-certified and love the idea of exploring the Pacific, but want to skip the training? Welcome to snuba! This tour blends nature with adventure, equipping you with a floating raft of oxygen supply and an air-hose: dive in and explore the depths, thanks to your oxygen “leash” – all the fun of scuba, without the required certification or know-how!

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New Perspectives: Nature from Above!

Costa Rica helicopter tour

Helicopter tours are a relatively new addition to Costa Rican adventures and Guanacaste tours – and we couldn’t be more on board, if you’ll forgive the pun!

Costa Rica’s varied topography, rushing rivers, backroads, and other hurdles can make it difficult to truly explore the width and breadth of our countryside. Enter a Helicopter Tour, which rises above the obstacles to explore Costa Rica’s landscapes from above.

Truly, there’s no better way to discover and explore Guanacaste’s landscapes than in a versatile helicopter: Fly over the coast and cherry-pick which beaches (including the hidden ones) you’d most like to visit. Zip over to a volcano and peer into its steaming cone. Hover suspended over the Pacific, in that perfect medium between fluorescent sky and ocean sunset.

Costa Rica by air is a different place. Whether this is your first visit or your tenth (although, especially if you’re a repeat visitor), a helicopter tour welcomes you to sights, views, and insights that you’ll have never seen before. Join the few who have!

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Where to Stay in Hacienda Pinilla, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Wondering where to stay? These two spectacular homes put you close to all the action, including your favorite

Casa Navidad

4 Beds | 5 Baths | 12 Guests

Casa Navidad Hacienda Pinilla Guanacaste Costa Rica

Welcome to everything you could want for your vacation: a luxurious retreat that combines minimalism and coziness, to create hygge (an environment of quiet comfort) and high design. Best of all, it’s just 200 meters (0.2 miles) to a secluded beach, accessible only to guests.

There is much to love about this spacious and upscale home. We’ll start with the bedrooms: There are four, each with ensuite bathrooms, king-sized beds, and TVs with cable. Here, no one draws the short straw! And then, there is the spacious and fully equipped kitchen, the inviting living room, and the incredible outdoor living spaces, which include a shaded terrace, outdoor living room, and indoor-outdoor dining with a grill, wet bar, ice maker, and wine refrigerator.

Welcome to where you’ll never want to leave! Because it gets better, thanks to your private pool and pickleball court! And did we mention? Your reservation includes a dedicated housekeeper, who will be available Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to noon (holidays and some restrictions may apply).

>> Inquire Here <<

Casa Hamacas

6 Beds | 6 Baths | 20 Guests

Casa Hamacas Hacienda Pinilla Guanacaste

Infused with the energy of the sea, Casa Hamacas is the kind of place that bids you relax and enjoy the hammocks. That is the genesis of the name, naturally: Hamacas accent the dreamy hammock garden, which encompasses elegant swings and cozy hammocks and surrounds this private paradise of sleek lines, a Balinese-style rancho, gentle lighting, and decadent luxury.

And if  “dreamy hammock garden” hasn’t already sealed the deal, know that this is only one magical element of Casa Hamacas’s overall setting: a tropical home to parrots and butterflies and hummingbirds, plus expansive outdoor entertainment, including dining, grilling, lounge furniture, and one of our favorite roofed patios in the country. Deal, sealed. 

Indeed, Casa Hamacas strives to meet and then exceed every expectation. Recent remodeling has upgraded its gourmet-ready kitchen, six spacious bedrooms, and sleek design, which combine to define and exemplify Costa Rican tropical luxury.

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Don’t Know Which Guanacaste Tours Are Your Favorite?

Did you know that, when you reserve your Hacienda Pinilla vacation home with us, you gain access to our full concierge services? And by that, we mean an on-the-ground expert whose job is to explore, engage, and do everything. Cris knows her Guanacaste tours!

We know it’s a hard job, but someone had to do it, see it, and experience it all to decide on a few musts. And hey, if it has to be us… well, we accept! Because here at Luxury Villas Pinilla, it’s our job to know Hacienda Pinilla and our surrounding area. And we know a lot!

When you book with us, we’ll get in touch to help you plan all the details of your stay. Our job is to get to know you, so we can help you plan the trip of your dreams. Whether you just need help arranging transportation or would like a full itinerary – everything from your airport shuttle to a full trip’s worth of activities, private chef services, and golf cart rental – we’re happy to help.

Even better, our concierge services are always free. So, why wait? Get in touch and let’s get started!