About Us

We didn't choose this place. We were born into it.

Who We Are

Our Story

Sierpe Tours was founded by Angie — a woman who grew up watching her father build one of Sierpe's first sport fishing operations and her grandmother pioneer her own business in a small river town where almost nobody thought tourism was possible. Entrepreneurship was never explained to Angie as a concept. It was just what the women in her family did.

José came to guiding through a lifelong obsession with animals and ecosystems. He is a certified naturalist guide, an agricultural technician, and a specialist in holistic land management — which means when he explains why a troupe of spider monkeys prefers one side of the river over the other, he's drawing on decades of observing how living systems actually work. Not from a textbook. From this river.

Together, we run every tour ourselves. We have a son, which means we understand exactly what a family needs to actually enjoy a full day in the jungle — the pacing, the questions kids ask, the moments that make parents look at each other and think: this was worth it.

Our Purpose

Why We Do This

We live in one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. The Sierpe River alone — the gateway to the largest mangrove wetland in Central America — hosts a density of wildlife that makes biologists stop mid-sentence. Add Corcovado on one side and the Pacific on the other, and you have an ecosystem so complex and layered that even after years of working here, it still surprises us.

Our community made a choice. Where people once cut mangroves and panned rivers for gold, Sierpe now protects its forests. Tourism was part of that shift — and we take that responsibility seriously. Every tour we run is a quiet argument for why wild places are worth more standing than fallen.

But beyond conservation — José believes it is no longer enough to protect what remains. The goal has to be regeneration. To restore what was lost. To learn from ecosystems instead of just managing them. That perspective shows up in how he interprets the forest for guests: not just 'what is this animal' but 'why is it here, what does it need, and what would disappear if it did.'

The Difference

What Makes Us Different

  • We Are Both Certified Guides

    José and Angie both hold official ICT naturalist guide certifications. More importantly, we have spent our entire lives in this specific ecosystem — that is a depth of knowledge no certification can fully capture.

  • Your Group Only. Always.

    We do not combine groups. We do not sell individual spots on shared tours. When you book with us, the guide, the boat, and the entire experience belongs to your family.

  • English Is Not a Barrier

    Both of us speak excellent English. Conversations on the boat are real conversations — about the animals, the ecosystem, the culture of Sierpe, whatever you're curious about.

  • Professional Binoculars for Every Guest

    We bring quality binoculars for every person on every tour. The difference between a blur in a tree and a squirrel monkey staring back at you is the right glass.

  • Private Dock. Free Parking.

    We depart from our own dock in Sierpe — no crowds, no waiting, no confusion. If you're arriving by car, parking is free and secure.

  • A Family Business. Literally.

    Sierpe Tours is not a franchise. There is no headquarters elsewhere, no operations manager you'll never meet. When you contact us, you speak to Angie. When you go out on the water, you go with José or Angie. That's the whole company.

Your Guides

Meet José Zúñiga & Angie Chaves

About José Zúñiga

Naturalist guide & wildlife photographer

José Zúñiga is a certified naturalist guide, agricultural technician, and specialist in holistic ecosystem management. He has spent his life studying the wildlife and landscapes of the Osa Peninsula, and brings a rare cross-disciplinary lens to every tour — understanding animal behavior not in isolation, but as part of a living system. He is also a professional wildlife photographer, which means he knows where the animals are before you arrive, and how to position you to see them at their best.

His purpose, in his own words: not just to help conserve — but to regenerate.

About Angie Chaves

Founder & ICT naturalist guide

Angie Chaves founded Sierpe Tours carrying forward a family tradition of building something from nothing in a place most people overlooked. She is an ICT-certified naturalist guide with years of field experience across every ecosystem the Osa offers. Guests consistently describe her as warm, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable — someone who makes you feel genuinely cared for from the first WhatsApp message to the moment you say goodbye on the dock.

She also has an exceptional instinct for children: knowing when to engage, when to let a moment breathe, and how to make a six-year-old feel like the most important naturalist on the boat.

Sierpe Tours — Costa Rica
Chat on WhatsApp