Private Days
Private Rainforest Days in Braulio Carrillo
A private day in the Braulio Carrillo rainforest built around real trail time and a proper lunch, not a transfer day with a five-minute photo stop.
From$160Recommended Day from $160
- Duration
- 7 to 8 hours
- Group
- Up to 5 guests
Why This Day Works
A lot of San José day trips turn into a transfer with a ten-minute stop. Braulio Carrillo doesn’t have to work that way if the day is built around actual trail time. That’s the idea behind this family: get you into the rainforest, keep the driving reasonable, and leave room for a lunch that’s worth stopping for.
Our recommended version, Rainforest & Local Flavors, uses the Quebrada González trail system and sizes the walk, short or medium, to whoever’s in your group. It’s a moderate day, meaning real walking on maintained trails, not a stroll and not an expedition.
If your group would rather skip the hike, Aerial Tram & Gardens is the easier alternative, running at an easy activity level and giving you the forest canopy from the tram instead of the trail. The trade-off is that we need a confirmed slot with the tram supplier before we can lock in your date, and we’ll tell you plainly whether that slot is private or shared once we know.
Either way, we’re honest about what we can’t control. Rainforest weather is real weather, and wildlife shows up when it shows up. What we can guarantee is a private vehicle, a driver who knows the road, and a day paced around your group instead of a bus schedule.
Recommended Day
Rainforest and Local Flavors
RecommendedOur recommended day. We start on the Quebrada González trail system, size the walk to your group, short or medium, and end with lunch at a place we actually eat at ourselves.
Activity level: ModeratePace: Balanced7 to 8 hours
Your Way & Welcome private-day price
$160 USD
Party size: 1
Make It Yours
- Trail length on the Quebrada González route, short or medium, set to your group's pace
- A specialist naturalist guide added to the rainforest day if you want one
- Swap the trail for the aerial tram and gardens if that fits your group better
- Lunch spot chosen around what your group actually wants to eat
- Works as a solo day, a couple's day, or a family day with mixed ages and mobility
What stays fixed
- The aerial tram slot has to be confirmed with the supplier before we can book that version of the day
- Whether the tram runs private or shared depends on the day, and we confirm that format before booking, not after
- Park or tram admission, meals, and a specialist guide if added are paid separately from the W&W price
- We can't promise wildlife or clear canopy views. It's rainforest, and the rainforest does what it wants
Photos from this day
If you want something else, we build it
These are the days we already have ready, and they are not the only ones we can run. Tell us what you have in mind and we will work it out with you.
What's Included
Way & Welcome normally includes:
- Private vehicle
- Bilingual host and driver
- Fuel
- Ordinary tolls and parking
- Route planning and coordination
- Standard-zone pickup and return, or approved hotel drop
- Standard hospitality items
Paid Separately
These are paid separately from the Way & Welcome day price:
Park admission, meals, the specialist guide when you choose one, and any extra activity you add to the day.
We do not add these into one combined trip total, and there is no processing surcharge.
What to Expect
- Guest duration
- 7 to 8 hours
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Pace
- Balanced
- Group
- Up to 5 guests
- Pickup and endpoint
- We pick you up and bring you back in Alajuela and around it, Heredia, and San José as far as San Pedro. If you are staying past that, in Cartago or Tres Ríos for example, write to us and we will look at it.
- Privacy and format
- The vehicle and the host are yours alone. The park, the specialist or the venue run on their own format, and we tell you which before you book.
- What the walking is really like
Best For
- Solo travelers who want a real forest morning without a long drive
- Couples who want to walk and eat well without overplanning the day
- Families, including mixed ages and mobility levels
- Anyone short on time who still wants a legitimate rainforest experience close to San José
Good to Know
- No wildlife or sunny-canopy guarantee. Rainforest weather changes fast and we plan around the morning we actually get
- The aerial tram option needs a confirmed supplier slot, and we disclose whether it's private or shared before you book
- Park or tram admission, meals, and a specialist guide if you add one are paid separately from the W&W day price
- The W&W vehicle and your driver are private to your group on either version of the day
- There's no processing surcharge added to the final price
Seasonality
Braulio Carrillo is rainforest almost by definition, so some rain is normal year-round and we build the day around the trail conditions that morning rather than a forecast.
We plan around the conditions we actually get that day. We never guarantee weather, wildlife or views.
Questions Travelers Ask
Will we actually see wildlife on the trail?
We can't promise it. Sightings depend on the day and the trail, but the walk itself and the time in the forest are real either way.
What's the real difference between the two options?
The recommended day is a trail walk sized to your group plus a local lunch. The aerial tram version swaps the walk for the tram and gardens, an easier option that depends on us confirming a supplier slot first.
Is this a good fit if someone in our group has trouble walking long distances?
The rainforest trail day is moderate, but the trail length is flexible, short or medium. The aerial tram day is the easier option since it's built around the tram instead of a hike.
What's actually included in the W&W price?
Your private vehicle and driver, and the day's coordination. Park or tram admission, meals, and a specialist guide if you want one are paid on top, separately.
Your day, your party size
Selected style:Rainforest and Local Flavors
Your Way & Welcome private-day price
$160 USD
Whole-party total in USD.
This option is not open for booking right now, so we are not showing a price for it. Tell us what you have in mind and we will take it from there.
The Way & Welcome vehicle and host/driver are private to your booking. Third-party experiences may operate privately, in a shared format, or in public spaces depending on the experience you choose. We confirm the applicable format before booking.
If you want something else, we build it
These are the days we already have ready, and they are not the only ones we can run. Tell us what you have in mind and we will work it out with you.