Hacienda El Viejo Wetlands

Great tour of the river, saw crocodiles, birds, monkeys, was really fun and interesting. The tour guides did a great job stopping and pointing things out. Was very impressed with the food, the steak was delicious and the service was great. The last stop was the rum tour and enjoyed learning so much about Rum from and tasting it made it even better. We got to make our own rum which was so cool and they give let us choose a label for it! Worth the drive out here to this beautiful land!

Hacienda El Viejo birding with Henry was great. We saw Jabiru storks, monkeys, crocodiles and more. Took a boat ride in Palo Verde NP, toured the wetlands and had a delicious lunch at the historic hacienda. Saw a number of life birds.

My family and I spent all day here yesterday. We did all the experiences and all were wonderful. I highly highly highly recommend this outing. My kids (11 and 12) would have been happier to skip the rum and beer portions, but the cultural experience, lunch and the boat tour were right up their alley. My parents (in their 70s) loved every second, as did my husband sister and I. Details for people interested: The morning started with a restful period on the deck of the hacienda enjoying coffee, fruit, and juice. There were local pottery artists demonstrating the traditional pottery methods and selling their lovely artwork. Then we went on a cultural tour of how the plantation made sugar from sugar cane back in the day. Including many opportunities to participate, taste and touch. Very hands-on. It also included staff in period costuming, a delicious snack of home made tortillas (some made by the tour itself) and cheese and fruit. We saw monkeys playing in the trees and also learned about several of the local trees and fruits. The run experience had many stations explaining the rum making process from field to bottle and then a chance to taste a personally curated rum. Then we went on the river boat tour where there were birds galore, crocodiles, monkeys and all sorts of lizards. Our captain was great at sporting and we had a lovely guide who gave us great info about the animals Then back to the hacienda for an amazing local lunch and finally the beer tour. This one was more of a short class about beer and then a tasting and foodpairings. The entire day had the most beautiful background of the hacienda and grounds. An absolute must do. Thank you to all the wonderful guides and hosts!

Beautiful spot to learn about local history, see some animals and have some delicious food. This place is a must visit if you're in the area.

Really enjoyed all the things here. The hosts were engaging and actually seemed to like their roles. This was the best sugar cane exhibit we went to (and we went to 3 throughout our tours) fingers crossed for their rum making startup, it really is very good quality. The food and service was also great. It was neat to make tortillas as well!

My boyfriend and I did the full day tour, and it was a super fun and informative day!! Incredibly well organized and the Hacienda is such a well maintained and gorgeous space. The boat tour was a highlight - the guides were amazing at helping us spot monkeys, crocodiles, birds, iguanas, etc. There was also enough time on the full day tour to relax on the porch with some fruit and coffee, which was really nice. Lunch was delicious, and we loved the brewery experience a ton (they were really generous with their pours, the beers are excellent, and the brewery space was spotless and beautiful). One word of caution: if you’re driving here yourself like we did, the roads leading up to the Hacienda are ROCKY. We managed it in a small sedan but you’d be better off with a sturdier AWD car!!! We almost gave up on the drive in and I’m truly so happy we toughed it out. This was a highlight of our trip to Costa Rica.

An excellent boat tour on the river with Ernan. A very knowledgeable guide who took time to show us the wetlands after the boat trip. Lunch was very good. A must do trip for wildlife lovers.

Fantastic experience. The hacienda is breathtaking as are the grounds. We appreciated the coffee, juices and fruits presented to us upon arrival. The river tour was worth every penny and we stopped to watch the white faced monkeys do their thing! Big thank you to Henry and Miguel. Lunch afterwards- well, probably one of the best meals we had in Guanacaste. Outstanding staff.