Hi Sheplife!

Thanks so much for your interest in DIY Costa Rica! 🙂

This is a great question and one that we receive often. The honest answer is: you could do either. Assuming you can still find availability, it is possible to make reservations for tours/activities/excursions last minute.

My strong recommendation, however, is to book tours/activities/excursions in advance. I recommend this to all travelers who plan to travel at any point during Costa Rica’s high season (typically mid-December until April) but I strongly recommend booking in advance for visits during the last week or two of December and the first week of January, which is the busiest period of the year. Tours/activities/excursions can and do sell out, if not for the entire tour/activity/excursion then for the time of day you’d prefer, the tour guide you’d prefer, or the particular experience you’d prefer. When people ask me how soon they should book their tours/activities/excursions in advance, I usually suggest booking as soon as they identify which tours/activities/excursions they want to experience. Some travelers like the idea of selecting, booking, and paying for tours/activities/excursions in advance to limit the amount of cash they need to carry with them while traveling, or to limit the number of foreign transaction fees/currency exchange fees that some credit card companies apply when cards are used in Costa Rica. If paying for tours/activities/excursions in advance is a concern, Some tour operators don’t require full or even partial prepayment, they just want an official booking in advance to hold your spot. Also, it’s worth mentioning that booking in advance is typically a lot cheaper, as advance reservations open the door to discounts. For example, with the discount posted here (https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/sky-trek-canopy-tour-ziplining-adult-la-fortuna-sky-adventures/) for the Sky Trek zipline tour in La Fortuna/Arenal, you can save $10.00 USD per adult off the cost of this tour simply by placing a reservation in advance.

As an added resource, and for more information about booking tours/activities/excursions in advance, you may find my related blog post “Costa Rica Day Tours: Should You Book Ahead Of Time Or Wait?” helpful: https://costaricatravelblog.com/when-to-book-costa-rica-day-tours/

Pura vida! 🙂