Central America
Costa Rica
Province of Alajuela
Arenal Volcano National Park
La Fortuna de San Carlos
La Fortuna de San Carlos Attractions
Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge
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Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge

See all things to do
See all things to do
Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge
4.5
About
Experience Arenal´s only wild frog sanctuary at night, when colorful tree frogs and other rainforest wildlife are most active and most easily observed. At least 28 frog species have made their home the ponds of Arenal Oasis. The Rojas Bonilla family carefully maintains native plants of Arenal, to create needed frog habitat in this private wildlife reserve of fresh spring water fed ponds; within a rainforest refuge connecting the rainforests of the Arenal Volcano and El Rio Burio. The night tour continues past the frog ponds along flat trails immersed in the noisy night rainforest. The guide will point out animals hiding from you. Support, enjoy and learn about the only wild frog sanctuary in the Arenal Volacano Area. Tours led by trained naturalist along flat rainforest trails start at 5:45pm at Arenal Oasis. Flashlights are provided and reservations are necessary. Included in the Tour: - Flashlights - Transportation Round Trip - Certified Naturalist Guide - Entrance Fee - Drinks What to Bring: - Camera - Closed Shoes - Long Pants - Raincoat - Confortable light Clothing - Big Smile
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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See what other travellers are saying
  • Isabelle S
    Ayen, France523 contributions
    It's a jungle out there...
    If you're a wildlife lover and especially a bird watcher, this place will enchant you. The ecolodges are set amongst a thick lush garden, a jungle even... At night, except for the path illuminated by soft "mushroom lights", it's pitch black. All you can hear is the wind shaking the trees and the rain dropping on the roof of your cabana. We had the lodge number 6 which seems to be the darkest one, the only downside of our stay. Otherwise, the bed was comfortable and the ceiling fan gave us enough freshness for the night. After all, you're only here for sleeping.The rest of the time you will be exploring the national park of dipping in the nearby hot springs... At breakfast, all sorts of colourful birds and other squirrels are feasting on the fruits displayed around the restaurant. Don't forget your camera! The staff is excellent, friendly and efficient. Before sunset, you can walk to the town, it will take around 30 minutes but best to pick up a taxi back.
    Visited March 2020
    Written 6 August 2020
  • Paige D
    Cleveland, Ohio48 contributions
    Frog-tastic Night Hike!
    My boyfriend and I did a night hike and saw SO many things! We saw a ton of frogs, especially my favorite (the red eyed tree frog!) insects & a snake! We probably walked around the refuge for 3 hours and were provided a water bottle and a flashlight to look for wildlife! It kind of felt like a “where’s Waldo” of wildlife, it was really fun. The amazing guide we had is a professional at taking night pictures and extremely knowledgeable. He was the best! We even did a little activity where he threw an army ant into a spider web. Totally not-geo up close! I highly recommend for anyone looking to view CR’s night-time friends!
    Visited February 2020
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 March 2020
  • axasal
    235 contributions
    Excellent night walk
    I wasn’t sure I wanted to go see frogs on a night walk but am so glad I went. This is indeed an oasis and magical. We had an excellent private guide (Jason from Desafio) who uncovered so many amazing frogs, a huge gecko, some snakes, and other critters. The oasis built by this family is beautiful with wandering paths, surprise ponds, and gorgeous foliage. It had rained the day we went but was clear at night, the perfect environment per our guide for frogs to lay their eggs. See the photos of the gorgeous red eyed tree frog couples; we saw several. Do a private tour rather than with a group if you can.
    Arenal Oasis Ecolodge
    Hello Friends What a pleasure to read these comments! It was a real pleasure to serve you, we are so grateful that you visited us, this really motivates us to continue giving the best possible service with dedication. Thank you for sharing your opinion and recommending us! We look forward to host you again. Good trip Friends
    Written 30 June 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2021
    Written 16 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
363 reviews
Excellent
287
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59
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11
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4
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2
mastaple
Limerick, Ireland193 contributions
Sloths Tour Around La Fortuna - Very Exciting
Jul 2023 • Family
so many sloth in the area around La Fortuna. guides were experienced and found sloths in the area and got us into position for pictures at every stop. Also saw howler monkey and lots of frogs
Written 20 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MissPerkyAK
Palmer,AK117 contributions
Naturaleza y paz
Jun 2023 • Family
This hotel is a nature lover's dream. The nature trail makes it feel like you are in the middle of the rain forest and the gardens are well maintained. There is a juvenile sloth that is currently hanging out on the property, and many bluejean frogs and toads can be found depending on the time of day. You can see Arenal volcano on a clear day in their garden it would make a beautiful spot for weddings.
The staff are very kind and helpful.
We ate breakfast and dinner at the restaurant and were pleased.
They offer a variety of tours and are very accommodating.
The wifi was usable.
The rooms were always clean. The beds were comfortable.
Cons: These are very much rustic cabins as in no insulation. Bugs get everywhere despite the bug nets on the windows. The fans for the rooms only pushed the hot air round. It was cooler outside than in the rooms. If the hotel bought stand up fans or portable fans for the bedrooms so it wasn't so miserable to sleep I could have given them 5 stars. I knew what I was getting into with the bugs, but this gringa no puede aguantar tanto calor.
Written 9 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Salaamus
Turlock, CA151 contributions
Great night walk, knowledgeable tour guide.
Jun 2023 • Family
Night tour though the jungle was great, we seen lots of different frogs, spiders a tarantula, and to top it all off we seeing a huge ant eater, walking on path then darting up a high tree. Guild was great much knowledge of the rain forest. Night time is a whole different ecosystem. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Written 8 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
avid_traveler_2007
Mountain View, CA135 contributions
Unique place for wildlife viewing
Feb 2023
Did two tours here, one night hike to spot frogs, insects, and reptiles, and one early morning bird watching with delicious breakfast. Both tours were excellent and we learned so much from our friendly and informative guides.
Written 24 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ADS20092009
New Mills, UK84 contributions
A wonderful nature tour.
Feb 2023 • Family
Brilliant frog tour with an incredibly knowledgeable guide. We saw maybe 12 different types of frogs and our young children (7&8) absolutely loved it! Just make sure you are covered and have bug spray on as there are all the mozzies.
Written 20 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan C
10 contributions
To many people at once
Dec 2022
Lot of frogs to view. Our guide was very informative, friendly and amazing at spotting the critters.(Luis) Path was a very easy stroll with not that much elevation. A disappointment was how many other people were on the same trail- it was quite a mass of humanity for Wednesday night. Sometimes surprising to see any animals at all due to the high traffic volume and having to move along or out of the way for other groups to pass.
Written 16 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Departure658823
San Jose, CA22 contributions
Engaging night tour
Oct 2022 • Friends
Our hotel helped us book this the same day and we were very happy they made the recommendation! Our guide Juan was informative and helped us take great pics of the vipers, frogs, toads, spiders and cicadas. They provided flashlights and a bottle of water too. I was still in shorts from the day so wished I had come in pants. Insect repellent and closed toed shoes also recommended.
Written 7 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chaletaria
London, United Kingdom540 contributions
Best place to see Costa Rica’s famous frogs
May 2022
Although the frogs (bats, snakes, etc) are all wild, they are protected in this well set out sanctuary. The area feels very natural with a selection of pools, and I got the impression most visitors saw some of the most iconic frogs of Costa Rica; we certainly saw Red-eyed Tree frogs, Glass Frogs, Rain frogs and even watched a Fer-de-Lance capture a bullfrog. The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful (ask if she/he will take photos using their scope + your phone for amazing pictures). Obviously this is a night tour, so dress accordingly. Transport to/ from the hotel was provided.
Written 9 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emileah M
World6 contributions
Great experience and loved Juan
May 2022
It was awesome, our tour guide Juan was great. Saw lots of cool frogs, spiders, insects, plants and learnt a lot from our guide. He was really knowledgable and answered all our questions. He also went above and beyond and gave me great recommendations for other experiences in La Fortuna and Monteverde. Thanks Juan and definitely recommend doing this tour!
Written 31 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosie A
3 contributions
Very informative, but too high a price for what it is
Mar 2022
Our guide was very informative and we saw various types of frogs and insects, but it is way too highly priced for what it is! A tour like this should be half the price of what it was. I have participated in a few tours around Costa Rica and this was by far the most expensive considering how long the tour was and what it consisted of. Also they had a few different groups out on tours at the same time. Sometimes other groups would catch up with us because we were finding animals and wanting to take our time looking at them. When the other tour groups caught up with ours, our tour guide would hurry us along, even though some people wanted to take a bit longer to study the animals. So it felt a bit rushed in parts.
Written 5 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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ARENAL OASIS WILDLIFE REFUGE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge
We recommend booking Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 2 Arenal Oasis Wildlife Refuge tours on Tripadvisor