Greenway Nature Tours

A San José agency covering Costa Rica since 1999

Greenway Nature Tours is a Costa Rican travel agency and tour operator based in San José that arranges private day tours, cruise shore excursions, school trips and tailor-made vacation packages across Costa Rica. Its About page says it is a travel agency certified by the Costa Rican Tourist Board, with a certification in sustainable travel, and that it was founded on October 25, 1999; the homepage calls it a fully licensed operator with over 25 years of local expertise. The region menu covers La Fortuna and Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Guanacaste, Tamarindo, Jaco Beach and Puerto Viejo Limón, plus tours from San José, and shore excursions from the cruise ports of Puerto Limón and Puntarenas (or Caldera). Prices are in US dollars.

How the tours are delivered matters here. The About page says its private tours were designed by its collaborators, and its privacy policy says it processes bookings "on behalf of a travel services provider" and passes the traveler's details to that provider. So Greenway arranges and sells tours, some delivered by partner companies, rather than presenting itself as the sole operator of each activity. It lists memberships in ACOT (the Costa Rican Tour Operators Association), SYTA, ASTA and Grupo Proimagen, and says TripAdvisor gave it a Certificate of Excellence in recent years.

Day tours by region

The private day tours page is long and shows most tours with two prices side by side, without saying which applies to what. Examples include the Arenal Volcano Hanging Bridges at $220 and $295, the Arenal Volcano Zipline & Hot Springs at $260 and $385, the Arenal Volcano Lava Trails at $199 and $289, the Arenal Volcano ATV Tour at $320 and $395, the Arenal Sloths Tour at $225 and $350, a Beach Tour from San José at $190 and $265, and the Manuel Antonio National Park & Sunset Catamarán at $395 and $295. Single-price tours include the Arenal Volcano Helicopter Tour at $1250, Pacuare River Rafting at $150 and a 2-day rafting trip at $380. The page also lists Poás and Irazú volcano trips, coffee tours at Doka Estate and Britt, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and a Tortuguero day tour, and several tours show a "10.0 Superb" rating.

The La Fortuna page lists a long run of shared and private tours at lower prices, such as the Rainforest Hanging Bridges Walk at $132, a La Fortuna Waterfall Hike at $116, the 1968 Lava Trail Hike at $141, Rio Celeste Nature Expedition at $188, a Lake Arenal Sunset Birding Tour at $160 and a bus-boat-bus lake crossing at $85. The Tamarindo page lists a Las Baulas National Park kayak tour at $175, a surf lesson at $150, the Marlin del Rey catamaran sailing and snorkeling at $175 and $195, a four-beach ATV tour at $225, a canopy zipline at $150, a sunset sail at $200 and a mangrove boat safari at $125.

Shore excursions, packages and student travel

For cruise passengers, the homepage says Greenway prices its shore tours about 20% less than booking with the cruise line, promises a guaranteed back-to-ship policy, and states full refunds if a tour is cancelled or the ship misses port. From Puerto Limón, it lists tours to the Tortuguero canals, Cahuita National Park and cacao farms, including a Limón Highlights 6 in 1 private tour at $165, a Puerto Limón chocolate tour at $135 and a sightseeing drive at $69. From Puntarenas, it lists zip-lining, Tárcoles River crocodile boat safaris and a coffee tour at $110.

Vacation packages run from 2 to 14 days, grouped as 02-06, 08-10 and 11-14 day packages. The homepage shows the Amazing Costa Rica Expedition (8D/7N) at $1800 and $3400, the Best of Costa Rica Vacation Package (12D/11N) at $2700, Classic Costa Rica (8D/7N) at $1945, the Corcovado and Arenal Volcano Expedition at $2050 and a Costa Rica Adventure Vacation (9D/8N) at $2195. The company says it handles logistics, hand-picked hotels and private transportation. A separate Luxury Vacations menu offers luxury packages and luxury eco experiences, and the footer links to the company's environmental commitment and a code of conduct against child abuse. For student groups, the About page offers school trips with hands-on activities, volunteering, educational lectures and visits to scientific and ecological sites.

On the day

The homepage describes its guides as "100% professional, bilingual, ICT-licensed naturalist guides", and the About page says tours run in small groups with certified naturalist guides. The private tours page promises private air-conditioned transportation, and the La Fortuna page says every tour there includes round-trip transport from every hotel in the La Fortuna and Arenal area. The private tours page says its eco-adventures cover "every fitness level", which is the company's description; the site does not rate individual tours by difficulty, set age limits or give group caps.

Booking, payment and cancellation

Bookings are confirmed on the site, and the privacy policy says a credit or debit card is needed to guarantee the booking by paying a deposit or the full amount. It also says guests receive booking confirmations and pre-trip reminder emails. The footer links to a Terms & Conditions / Cancellation Policy page and a FAQ, and the homepage notes that all pricing and itineraries are subject to final confirmation. Contact is by email at info@greenwaytours.com, WhatsApp on +(506) 8530 2973 or the office on (506) 22970889.

What the pages leave open, and who it suits

The dual prices on the tour list are not explained, and the deposit amount and the cancellation window for day tours and packages are left to the separate terms page; only the shore-excursion refund promise appears on the homepage. The pages also do not say which activities Greenway runs with its own staff and which it books with partners, so it is worth asking who will be running a given tour.

Greenway suits travelers who want one Costa Rican company to arrange private transport and naturalist-guided day trips in several regions, cruise passengers at Limón or Puntarenas who want a back-to-ship guarantee, and school groups planning an educational trip. Its long, priced catalog and 25-year history are clear strengths. Travelers who want fixed group sizes or a single all-in price per tour should confirm details before paying the deposit.