Things to do in Santa Elena

Top Things to Do in Santa Elena

Things to Do in Santa Elena


Book these experiences for a close-up look at Santa Elena.

Top Attractions in Santa Elena

These rankings are informed by traveller reviews—we consider the quality, quantity, recency, consistency of reviews, and the number of page views over time.

Other Top Attractions around Santa Elena





What travellers are saying

  • Albert B
    Cincinnati, OH395 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Big Surprise was the wonderful "fixed plate" lunch. Excellent from start to finish. Passion is the word the describe tour guides when they discuss coffee. Nice gift shop with decent prices. You all enjoyed the coffee tasting. Well worth the visit.
    Written 25 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • KMcClellan
    San Rafael, CA4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    This was a lovely little guided tour. I learned so much about orchids. Our guide was a delight. You need a reservation for a tour. Took one hour.
    Written 10 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Pam M
    15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Went for a night walk
    The guide was very knowledgeable. We saw a tarantula , a scorpion, a frog and other assorted insects. There is never any guarantee of what you might see on a night tour but it an experience in itself being in the rainforest at night.
    Written 16 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • m H
    Crystal River, FL22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great introduction to permaculture principles including rain water collection and distribution. If that is not your thing - go for the hike and lunch. All with the trip.
    Written 2 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Drew W
    Boston, MA39 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I highly recommend the Skywalk in addition to walking the trails of the Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. When we visited the Skywalk in the early morning we were able to spot monkeys and quetzals, which were incredible to see in wild. The views are stunning from the bridges.

    This Skywalk is operated and maintained by Sky Adventures. You buy your ticket at the same facility that operates the ziplines and tram. This is a modern facility with a nice restaurant and gift shop.

    Note that if you're fearful of heights, the Skywalk may not be your thing. There's six suspension bridge. The longest span is 700 feet with a height above the forrest floor or 160 feet!
    Written 4 April 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Travelbugreviewer
    new jersey74 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Overall a good evening nightlife tour. Luckily it did not rain (that would have been miserable!). Booked the tour on line and the company came and picked us up from our hotel and dropped us back afterwards (we were in a centrally located Santa Elena hotel). We went on the earlier evening tour - there were two time slots. There were a lot of people and they divided us into small groups - 8 in ours. They give you torches, but they are not the brightest, so if you happen to have your own bright torch, it's worth taking it. Our guide had eagle eyes and pointed out loads of animals and reptiles. He was very knowledgeable and passionate and clearly enjoyed taking people round. He had a spotting scope and helped take closer photos through the lens for people. He made sure everyone got to see things. He spoke great English. From a sleeping Toucan in the tree, sloths, an armadillo (amazing), spiders (several types), keel billed toucans, many bugs, ants and several snakes. There seemed to be snakes everywhere lurking in the trees or hanging above the frog ponds! The only negative is whilst we were a nice group with a lovely guide, there were quite a lot of other people on the property, so it was quite busy at times passing on trails, with lots of flashing torches. Overall I enjoyed it, but think I'd prefer a small quieter tour with less people around.
    Written 9 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Brenna K
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The coffee tasting was absolutely amazing! Chris is a coffee wizard and the experience was very informative. I learned a ton about the coffee making process and got to try the best coffee I’ve ever had. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone!
    Written 21 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Claire L
    2 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Was really fun to find the frogs. The guide was really knowledgeable and we learnt lots of frog facts. Great value for money and highly recommended going back at night when they are active.
    Written 12 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Fasturtle
    Vancouver, Canada13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This modest reserve offers a beautiful, quiet, and well-tended forest walk with decent birding. There’s an agouti hanging around the first section of the walk and some other animals, but the trees and plants are the real highlights.
    Written 4 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • m H
    Crystal River, FL22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice peaceful hike during the day, not real long or difficult I came back later for the night tour. The guide was knowledgeable and able to spot wildlife and use his zoom to take pics with our phones Good for a novice like me. You photogs will enjoy taking your own equipment. Small groups! Reasonable fee.
    Written 2 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • roadadvisor
    San Jose, Costa Rica79 090 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I was atrqacted by the name...we stop there and it was a great expereince

    People ther were incredible nic...we saw some nice pieces of local art
    Written 11 January 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.