Private Excursions from RIU Guanacaste & RIU Palace, Costa Rica
Private · Personalized · Unforgettable
Yes — we pick you up at the lobby of the RIU Guanacaste or RIU Palace Costa Rica on Playa Matapalo for private, guided excursions, usually around 7:30 a.m. The ATV and buggy trails, the animal sanctuary and ziplining are about 15 minutes away, ocean days leave from the Gulf, and Palo Verde, the mangrove canoe, the Sloth day and the Rainforest Combo run as longer trips.
Staying at the Hotel RIU Guanacaste or the Hotel RIU Palace Costa Rica on Playa Matapalo? You’re in one of the best-placed spots on the whole Guanacaste coast — and we come to you. Guanadreams CR runs private RIU Guanacaste tours and excursions with door-to-door pickup right at your resort: no shared shuttles, no strangers in your group, no meeting points. Just your family or party, a private vehicle, and a local naturalist guide who was born and raised on this coast and has spent a lifetime reading this land — thirty years of it in tourism.
Both RIU resorts sit side by side on Matapalo Beach, just about 45 minutes from Liberia’s Guanacaste Airport (LIR) — and closer than you’d think to some of Costa Rica’s most spectacular wildlife and adventure. We pick you up at the door and bring you back to the door, every time.
And of all the resorts we serve, the RIU is the closest to the adventure side of Guanacaste: the ATV and buggy trails, the animal sanctuary and the zip-line canopy are all about 15 minutes away, so a morning of adventure barely touches your beach time. We usually collect you from the lobby around 7:30 a.m. — early enough for the good light and the cooler air. The ocean days, Palo Verde and the mangrove canoe all run beautifully from here; and if you want wildlife without the drive, the Sloth day and the Rainforest combo are your closest picks.
Arriving at Liberia (LIR)? We can meet you at the airport — see our private airport transfers to Guanacaste.
Which half-day excursions work from the RIU?
Close to the resort, easy on your schedule — a morning or an afternoon out, with plenty of time left for the pool.
Ocean Experiences from the RIU, Costa Rica
You're staying on Playa Matapalo, right inside the Gulf — the ocean is a short walk from the RIU Palace or RIU Guanacaste, and a few minutes more to the boat. A tender comes to the RIU beach, and you're sailing without ever leaving the resort's stretch of sand.
Which full-day tours work from the RIU?
The bucket-list days. We collect you at the lobby around 6 to 7 AM and have you back by evening — private vehicle and naturalist guide the whole way.
Not sure which tour suits your dates? See the best time to visit Guanacaste or tell us what you're after and we'll build the day around it.
Why Book With a Naturalist Guide
The tour desk is convenient — but it sells the same handful of tours to everyone. Here's what changes when you book the operator directly.
“Miller was great! He took my wife and I from Riu Guanacaste to the Borinquen resort. He was a great driver. We enjoyed talking with him throughout the drive and learning about the area. He knew just where to stop for pictures and was very accommodating… We feel like we got so much more out of our trip by going with Miller rather than going with a tour group.”
TripadvisorVerified review“Our hotel was about an hour away but Miller picked us up with a smile. He speaks very good English and gave us all kinds of useful information and some fresh fruit from a local stand… We didn't have to stay anywhere longer than we wanted as is often not the case with larger groups. The trip itself was awesome!”
TripadvisorVerified reviewOur Pickup Area
The RIU resorts sit on Playa Matapalo in Sardinal — right on our northern Pacific pickup corridor. Wherever you'd like to go, we start at your lobby.
Included in your tour: pickup and transport from the RIU — door to door, no extra charge.
Plan Your Day from the RIU
Tell us you’re staying at the RIU Guanacaste or RIU Palace and what you’d love to see, and we’ll build the perfect private day around it — and have you back in time for dinner at the resort.
More than 300 five-star reviews on Tripadvisor. Our guides’ eBird lists are public — you can read them before you write.
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By the Guanadreams team, led by Miller Contreras — naturalist guide, born and raised in Guanacaste.