Lush rainforests, refreshing swimming holes and waterfalls cascading over rocks in different styles are the highlight attractions of the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour from Manuel Antonio.
However, for me, the most memorable parts of our Full Day Waterfall Tour were jumping off the cliff into a waterfall pool and sliding down a waterfall, and also seeing Indranil go for waterfall jumping and sliding every chance he got and then repeating them!
Guided by trained professionals, the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour is a whole day of adventures in the captivating Costa Rica nature.
But even if you do not want to try the jumps and slides, the Full Day Waterfall Tour by Paddle 9 might just have to offer what you are looking for.
In this post, let us break down everything you need to know about the tour, from all the stunning spots you get to visit on a single day to how to book the tour, how much it costs and what does it include, what to bring, and most importantly, whether it is worth going for the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour.
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Do not have time to read this now? Here’s a quick summary for you:
📍 Where? The tour starts from Manuel Antonio and Quepos.
🎟️ Book your Full Day Waterfall Tour here on Paddle 9 website.
Use our promo code PARADISE and get 20% discount on tour price.
❓ Worth It?
✅ Yes – for an adventurous day of waterfall jumps and slides under the safe supervision of trained guides.
✅ Yes – for an organized guided tour with transportation and lunch included to visit some of the local secret spots.
Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour: Inclusions
On the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour from Manuel Antonio, you get to visit 3 different waterfalls in the Costa Ballena area, and finish off with a short visit to a beautiful beach in the area.
The tour price includes:
- Transportation
- Hotel pick and drop from Quepos and Manuel Antonio
- Lunch, Fruits, Water
- Life jackets (if needed)
- Services of trained guides
Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour Total Cost
💲 The tour cost is 140 USD + taxes.
💰 Save 20% by using our promo code PARADISE when you book online here
Apart from that, you need to factor in the following for your total expenditure:
💵 Consider tipping the guides at the end of the tour. The guides are really great and they put in their best efforts ensuring you enjoy all the adventures in a safe way. Colones or USD, either should be fine.
💳 A professional photographer from Paddle 9 will accompany the tour group, clicking away all the adventures in action. When you are shown the photos on an iPad, you will probably want to buy that Photo Package. You can pay by card.
Is the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour Worth It?
All the places you get to visit on this tour are lovely, letting you soak in the true essence of Costa Rica, that is, nature.
But I know what you are thinking. That’s a pricey tour! As much as the tour looked attractive, we had the same doubt as you.
Is the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour worth it?
Good thing is we have visited most of these sites, waterfalls and beach, on our own, without a guided tour, and as well as on this Full Day Waterfall Tour.
So, let us help you with the decision making: Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour – do it or skip it, and in what scenarios?
If you are looking for an adventurous day of waterfall jumps and slides led securely by professional guides, without a doubt, go for the Full Day Waterfall Tour. You will have an amazing day!
But, what if you are not planning on trying any of those stunts at the waterfalls? Is it still worth it? Well, depends on if you are renting a car for your Costa Rica trip.
On the Full Day Waterfall Tour, you get to visit some of the local secret spots in this part of Costa Rica, and they are not really connected well by public transport.
So, if you are not renting a car, book the Full Day Waterfall Tour for an organized tour with transportation and lunch included, and visit multiple waterfalls and a beach in a single day, without the hassle of planning the logistics.
Paddle 9 Waterfall Tour – Do it or skip it?
| Renting a Car | Not renting a car | |
| Want to try waterfall jumps and slides? | Do it! | Do it! |
| Do not want waterfall jumps and slides? | Consider it only if* (see below) | Do it. |
If you are renting a car (use our Costa Rica car rental deal) and are not planning on jumping or sliding down waterfalls, you can still go for this Full Day Waterfall Tour:
✅ if you want a break for a day from driving around on some not-so-smooth roads of Costa Rica
✅ for a hassle-free all-inclusive tour experience, visiting multiple beautiful local secret spots
✅ just to see the guides perform acrobatic dives and jumps and get entertained and awed, while relaxing in the Costa Rican tropical forests
How to Book the Full Day Waterfall Tour?
Book the Full Day Waterfall Tour online in advance here on Paddle 9 website.
💰 Use our promo code PARADISE and get 20% discount on the tour price.
If for some reason, you need to cancel your tour booking, you can do so up to 48 hours before departure time for a full refund, or for a 50% refund if cancelled between 24-48 hours before the tour time.
What to Wear and What to Bring on the Full Day Waterfall Tour?
For the tour, wear quick-dry lightweight clothes that help you hike comfortably in hot and humid tropical weather.
And here are the absolute essentials:
🩱 Swimwear – You will get the chance to swim at all the waterfalls and at the beach. My tip: Wear your swimwear as your base layer so that you do not need to get changed multiple times.
👣 Waterproof Hiking Sandals – We chose these over hiking shoes because much of the time was spent in water. Make sure you wear shoes with good grips, and not just flip-flops, because you will be walking on some rocky paths.
Consider bringing water shoes for comfortable landing on the rocky beds of the swimming holes at the waterfalls.
💦 Microfiber Towel – This is an essential in our daypack for Costa Rica nature adventures. A lightweight fast absorbing quick-dry towel.
🧴 Sunscreen – Do not forget to apply sunscreen and reapply every few hours.
💧 Reusable Water Bottle – Stay hydrated. The tour guides bring packaged drinking water bottles, if you need them. But why not bring your own reusable bottle?
➡️ Check our complete Costa Rica packing list here
Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour: Our Experience
If you are wondering how the Full Day Waterfall Tour experience is like, let me share our personal experience of how the day unfolded for us when we did this tour from Manuel Antonio.
➡️ Related Readings:
Starting the Tour
We were picked up in an air-conditioned minivan from our accommodation in Manuel Antonio at the stipulated time in the morning.
This is a group tour, so expect multiple pickups before the tour actually begins.
On the day of our tour, apart from the two of us, there was another family of 7 people on board and 3 guides from Paddle 9 and of course, the driver of the vehicle.
As we set sail on our way to the first stop of the tour, one of the guides introduced us to the Paddle 9 crew, briefed us about the tour and shared some insights about the geography of Costa Rica and history of the town of Quepos.
We were delighted to see Mambo in the crew, who was also one of our guides the previous day when we went on the Nauyaca Waterfall Tour with Paddle 9.
💰 You can use our promo code PARADISE to get a 20% discount also for booking the Paddle 9 Nauyaca Waterfall Tour.
❓ Wondering which waterfall tour to pick? Read this: Nauyaca Waterfall Tour vs. Full Day Waterfall Tour.
First Stop: Waterfall in Portalon
Within half an hour, we arrived at the first spot, a waterfall in Portalon. To get to the waterfall, it was a short walk from where the vehicle dropped us off.
We were told to leave all our belongings in the vehicle and wear only swimwear. We soon understood why.
A few steps down, we got off the road, entered the jungle and in no time, were walking in the river, in almost knee-deep water until we reached the top part of the waterfall.
From this part, the only way forward was a waterfall jump!
I was told that if I didn’t want to jump, I should follow one of the guides who would lead me through a safe path down the rocks to get to the river.
“Ok, I will do that”, I said, and then I saw Indranil already going into his first jump, making a splash in the river water.
Waterfall Jump #1
That is the rock from where we had to make the jump. I got excited and nervous.
The guide who was supposed to lead me an alternative way came up to me, and I made the mistake of telling him, “I feel like trying that jump, but I am a beginner level swimmer and I am nervous.”
Then there was no turning back from this moment. All the Paddle 9 guides made sure that I overcome my fears and take that plunge.
All of them were patient with me as I stood on the edge of the rock, fighting my fear of height and hesitating to jump for an embarrassingly long period of time.
But I did it!
For the last push, it took one long motivational speech from the guide Ismail who was standing next to me. Also, by that time, I had made up my mind that I was not stepping back.
So I jumped. And it felt magnificent!
So, when you go for the Full Day Waterfall Tour, if you are on the fence about trying this waterfall jump, may be, let your guides know about that and find out for yourself where that leads.
After the jump, I met Indranil in the river. Quick hugs and kisses later, he made his way up the rocks to the top again and did the jump one more time.
To continue with the tour and on to the second spot, we had to swim along the river for a bit and then walk up a few rocky steps to get to the road where our vehicle was already waiting.
Second Stop: Uvita Waterfall
The second stop on the Full Day Waterfall Tour is one of our favorite spots in one of our favorite beach towns of Costa Rica.
Uvita Waterfall is in Uvita, a beach town known for its famous whale’s tail beach and a rather long and impressive whale watching season.
But we were there for the waterfall during the tour, and all the adventures there.
Waterfall Slide #1
So, first things first. The Uvita Waterfall is known for being a natural slide. Yes, you can slide down the waterfall!
We have seen many people slide down Catarata Uvita but had never tried that ourselves before.
But on this day, when the guides asked us who all in our group wanted to go for the waterfall slide, both Indranil and I responded with firm “yes”, without any hint of hesitation.
Sliding down the Uvita waterfall was so much fun! See the video below. And of course, Indranil repeated the slide.
Waterfall Jump #2
After the Uvita waterfall slide, we continued walking further along the trail.
There are various spots to relax by the river and swim in the natural pools, and you will get to a spot for yet another jump at Uvita waterfall premises. Well, technically, this wasn’t a waterfall jump.
It was a jump into the river from a platform at an elevated height. I chose to sit out of this one, but Indranil did it. Twice!
Snacks Break
After this fun trip to Uvita waterfall, we followed the trail back to the entrance. Here you will find a restaurant and restrooms for use.
On a table in the open area next to the restaurant, Paddle 9 team had already laid out pineapples, watermelons and bananas for us. All tasted fresh and delicious.
A Note about Uvita Waterfall Entrance
For accessing Uvita waterfall, Paddle 9 waterfall tour used the second entrance.
➡️ If you go on your own, you can pick between either of the two entrances to Uvita waterfall. Read our Uvita Waterfall visit guide to for details about both.
Third Stop: Cascada El Pavon
Our third and final waterfall for the day was Cascada El Pavon in Ojochal. Here the water flows around a roundish rock oddly stuck between two bigger rocks.
Surrounded by lush rainforest, dipping in the fresh water turquoise pool and listening to the sounds of the flowing water, calls of birds and rustling of leaves, this place felt serene.
We always love visiting Cascada El Pavon and over the years, have introduced this local’s favorite spot to our families and friends visiting Uvita.
But on this day, on the Paddle 9 Full Day Waterfall Tour, one thing was different and new. Yes, you guessed that right!
Waterfall Jump # 3
On this tour, there is an opportunity to jump at Cascada El Pavon.
This jump is quite high and the guides don’t recommend it for everyone. From our tour group, Indranil is the only person who went for this one.
He had to walk back on the trail, go around from the forest side to get to the jumping point. The guides were standing next to him for the briefing.
By this point, after having done so many jumps on the Nauyaca Waterfall Tour and the Full Day Waterfall Tour, Indranil went in for this highest jump of the day like a casual leap!
Lunch Break
After this relaxing time at the waterfall, we walked across the street to a restaurant where our lunch was served.
There were various options to choose from, but both of us ordered what this restaurant is best known for, grilled whole trout.
The fish was fresh and well-cooked, and tasted delicious. It was served with rice, salad, patacones and fried yuca for a wholesome filling lunch.
Fourth Stop: Ventanas Beach
Our fourth and final stop was Playa Ventanas. It is a beautiful beach near Ojochal, and again, a local’s favorite.
So, on weekends and holidays, expect to see dozens of Costa Rican families and groups enjoying here with their full beach day setup of camps, tents, chairs and food. You will also find some vendors selling local snacks and beverages.
This beach gets its name Ventanas, Spanish for windows, due to the cave like formations on the beach.
We hung out here for about half an hour, skipped the ocean swim, enjoyed the late afternoon breeze, appreciated the scenery and spent time people watching, before heading back to the minivan.
Concluding the Tour
The ride back to Manuel Antonio was smooth and relaxing. The mood the guides set for us for this journey was to chill while listening to the music, and even encouraged taking a nap.
Everyone was dropped at their respective hotels in Quepos and Manuel Antonio.
This Full Day Waterfall Tour was a great fun day, filled with plenty of adventurous and relaxing moments, and with all that swimming, sliding and jumping, we felt fresh and exhausted at the same time, ideal for getting a good night’s sleep.
Can You Visit the Places without a Guided Tour?
Yes, it is possible to visit all the places on your own if you rent a car. Otherwise, not all the spots are reachable by public transport.
➡️ Related Reading: How to Get Around in Costa Rica
🚗 Rent your car with Adobe Rent A Car and get 10% discount and other freebies →
However, if you want to try all the waterfall jumps and slides and enjoy a day of adrenaline rush in Costa Rica nature, accompanied by skilled guides for a safe experience, we recommend you to book the Full Day Waterfall Tour. Remember to use our promo code PARADISE to avail the 20% discount.
If you decide not to go on the Full Day Waterfall Tour but plan to visit one or some of these spots on your own, check out our dedicated visit guides about them:
All of them are worth visiting and are some of our favorite places in Costa Ballena.
As part of our partnership with Paddle 9, we were hosted by them on this tour. However, all opinions, observations and recommendations about the tour, in this article as well as in all our published media about the tour, are our own.
Travel Resources
- Flights: Skyscanner
- Hotels: Booking.com | Expedia
- Tours: Viator | GetYourGuide
- Travel Insurance:
- Heymondo (get 5% off)
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
- eSIMs:
- Transfers: Bookaway. Code PARADISE5 for 5% off
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