Complete Guide to the Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica
The Bogarin Trail in Costa Rica was one of the highlights of our month-long visit to the country. As we explored this trail in La Fortuna, we saw tons of sloths (including a baby!), along with other animals: toucans, colorful frogs, owls, baby alligators, and even a coati!
One of the things that I loved about the Bogarin Trail was its dedication to allowing animals to thrive in their natural habitats. The creatures we saw weren’t in any way caged to make sure tourists could see them. Instead, they were happily living in the wild, and spotting them depended on luck and keen eyes (not to mention an incredible guide who seemed to have a sixth sense for where they would be).
Imagine our surprise when we turned a corner at Bogarin Trail and saw this coati! Luckily, I was able to pull out my camera in time.
Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica: Overview
Located within walking distance from the heart of La Fortuna, the Bogarin Trail is an easy and fairly level walk through the heart of a small patch of jungle amid farmland.
The way we heard it told, this jungle was farmland too, a few decades ago. Its owners bought it, planted just a few trees, and the power of nature did the rest on its own. Today, it’s a thriving jungle full of wild animals.
This map of Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica gives you a sense of which animals you can expect to see.
As we walked, our guide longingly pointed across a stretch of farmland to the next patch of jungle. “If we could raise enough money,” he told us, “we could buy that farmland. And then the animals would have a bridge from this small area all the way to that jungle over there.”
While the trail itself is pretty short, with only a few possible branches, there’s an amazing amount of wildlife to observe along the way. Check out the map image to get a sense for what you can expect!
Bogarin Trail Entrance Fee & Tour Options
(Prices are accurate as of October 2019, and are of course subject to change!)
If you want, you can walk the Bogarin Trail on your own. If you choose to do so, the self-guided entrance fee is $10 per person.
With that said, we strongly recommend taking a tour! We’re the sort of travelers who almost always choose the affordable, do-it-ourselves option, but we’re so glad we splurged here. Our guide, William, was incredible; he answered every question I had about the animals and plants of the area, told stories of climbing the volcano and the devastating aftermath of its eruption, and gave us incredible insights that completely transformed our experience of Bogarin Trail (and La Fortuna in general).
Our guide, William, was amazing at spotting animals—and at teaching us about the local area.
Scheduled tours are officially at 6 AM, 9 AM, noon, 3 PM, 4:30 PM, and 6 PM every day. These cost $35 per adult.
Private tours (what we took, and would wholeheartedly suggest!) are $55 per adult, and can start any time.
While the price may seem steep for a few hours in a jungle, we thought every penny was worth it -- AND we were happy to be contributing to a good cause.
If it’s hard to spend that much on a tour for yourself, think of it as a charitable donation to an amazing organization. Maybe, just maybe, your fee will be the one that allows them to buy that farmland and connect the Bogarin Trail to the larger jungle nearby.
When we went, we just showed up without any reservations or advance notice. We were lucky enough that William was free for a private tour. We recommend, though, that you get in touch in advance:
Phone: +506 8420-3661
Email: bogarintrail@gmail.com
Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica: What to Expect
As you walk the Bogarin Trail, especially if you’re on a guided tour, you can expect to see a wide variety of amazing animals. If you’re interested in seeing something in particular (sloths, probably!), let the staff know so they can direct you to the most likely places!
The tour guides know exactly where to look and what to look for. We spent half an hour on a return visit searching for a particular frog without success, even though we knew exactly the right area to search. Our previous guide William, upon hearing our plight, sent over another guide to help us. Within a minute, he had found this frog for us!
A guide immediately located this frog for us at Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica!
The trail itself is relatively short and definitely not intensive hiking. It’s more of an easy, winding stroll through the jungle. With that said, we’d allow at least two hours (if not more) for exploring it, because you’ll see so much along the way!
In fact, we enjoyed our visit and guided tour so much that we came back twice more to wander the trail ourselves.
Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica: Will I See Sloths?!
Of course, no one can guarantee the answer to that! But I can tell you our experience.
If we had walked the Bogarin Trail completely on our own, we would have seen one or two sloths. (And we would only have spotted them because we saw guided tour groups looking at them.)
On our guided private tour with William, we saw nine sloths, including an adorable baby. I would be absolutely surprised if you took a private tour and didn’t manage to see any. So, if you’re there for the sloths, I would definitely recommend going on either a private or a group tour.
One of the many sloths we saw on our private guided tour at Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica!
Bogarin Trail, Costa Rica: What to Bring
Use common sense! This isn’t an intensive hike at all, but it’s also not a stroll through downtown Paris. You’ll be walking through a natural jungle, full of animals, mud, plants, and bugs. This means:
Wear closed-toed shoes.
Bring insect repellent.
Carry some water with you.
Wear lightweight clothes, with long sleeves and full-length pants. (I don’t recommend shorts; I made that mistake exactly once in Costa Rica, and itched from bites for weeks afterward.)
Prepare for rain. This means both a raincoat for yourself and a way to protect your electronics. (I always carry a plastic bag with me for my camera to protect it just in case.)
Bring a zoom lens if you have one. We saw some animals really close up, but I was glad that I was able to photograph animals high in trees or off in the distance too.
If you’re at Bogarin Trail at the right time of day, you have a good chance of seeing toucans.