Arenal Kayaks

We offer rentals by the hour. (prices in USD) $10/hour for single kayak, $20/hour for double kayak. Tours are normally guided so please tip your guide.

Our tours range from 1-3 hours. Short easy floats along the shore watching wildlife and swimming are fun for families with young children and are usually 1-1.5 hours duration.

More energetic paddlers might like one of our island tours where we cover more distance plus beach the kayaks for a search of 2,000 year old potshards along the shore. These tours are in the 2-3 hour range and there are several islands nearby.

Special pricing is negotiable for tours over 4-hours or for put ins that are farther down lake. We also offer overnight tours for people who would like to camp on the lake. Please contact us to setup a customized tour for you. Email to info at arenalkayaks.com.

Family Float
Ideal for a family of 4 or 5 if there are 2 who will be taking the double. We'll put you in upwind, guide you to a large lagoon that usually has several birds to spot and sometimes has a nice swimming beach. After an easy paddle downwind for about an hour we pick you up and shuttle you back to your vehicle. 1-1.5 hours, easy

Island Tour #1
A more energetic voyage out to the middle of the lake where there is usually a small island to explore for 2,000 year old artifacts. Tour duration is at least 2-hours with some paddling into the wind on your return. This tour is best taken when strong winds are not present. The pickup point will be uplake a bit which is where you'll be taken by wind and water currents. 2-2.5 hours, moderate

Island Tour #2
Starts out in the same location as the Family Tour. We'll pass the pickup point and head out to an island that is sometimes part of the peninsula where Nuevo Arenal is located. Here we'll beach the boats and explore for artifacts. The return leg will circle this island as well as another on the way back where some string headwinds may make the paddling a little more strenuous for the last 15 minutes or so. We'll shuttle you back to you car. 2-2.5 hours, mostly moderate

Island Tour #3
This island actually has a name, Santa Elena, and is the largest island on the lake. We'll put in below Alturas Hotel and head out for a loop around the island. Stopping on the beach is a possibility and artifacts are also found here but often there is no place to pull out due to water levels and a rugged shoreline. Some challenging rough water and winds will be experienced as you come around to the windward side of this island. Lots of fetch so waves can be quite large but lots of fun for the adventurous sort. 3+ hours, moderate to heavy effort

Rio Aguacate
Put in below Alturas Hotel we'll cruise up the Rio Aguacate a ways. After that we'll paddle around the point and up into another channel where you can see an old ceiba tree, howler monkeys, birds, and otters. One trip scared up a tribe of white face monkeys. This tour is dependent on the lake level. Navigating the Rio Aguacate can only be accomplished when the lake is quite full. Return leg circles a small island. 2-3+ hours depending on sights and effort, mostly moderate to easy.

La Union
Put in below the pueblo of La Union, about 10Km from Nuevo Arenal. A nice river flows nearby that is navigable most of the time. Continue downlake watching for birds and wildlife up to a pull in spot where we can optionally walk up to Los Heroes, a Swiss owned hotel that has it's own train to the top of the mountain where a rotating restaurant with volcano views is waiting. The more energetic paddlers may want to cross the lake here at its narrowest spot to take a tour up Rio Chiquito where tour buses wait to shuttle people to Monteverde. 1-3+ hours, moderate to hard effort.