They have formed a group, agreed on a set price structure and work to share the benefits of ecotourism with all of the guides and the village. The prices and rules are posted on the walls of all the hospedajes. This is ecotourism at its best where income from visitors benefits local populations and gives them an economic incentive to protect the reserve. When you figure out what you want to do, the head guide will make the arrangements for you. Guides are highly recommended even for day hikes due to the possibility of getting lost on the faint jungle trails and close encounters with very poisonous snakes.
Overnight hikes require twp guides.
All prices include whatever food and equipment the guide should need. The trips upriver from Las Marias are an amazing adventure in the pipantes. The river is too shallow in many places to use a motor so the boats are propelled as they have been for centuries by paddle and wooden pole. Pushing the boat upriver against the current, even through small rapids, is a labor intensive chore that requires 3 guides per boat. Two visitors and their gear will fit in each boat with the guides.