Turtle Watching Experience at Playa Minas: Observe Nesting Turtles in Their Natural Habitat

Experience the awe-inspiring sight of nesting turtles in their natural habitat at Playa Minas. Witness black turtles and rare leatherback turtles under the stars and moonlight.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Playa Zapotillal - Departure: 6:00 pm
    Playa Minas constitutes one the most important nesting sites in Costa Rica. Large numbers of turtles arrive from October until April and usually at night. For this tour you will be picked up at the hotel and taken to Playa Las Minas where turtles are nesting. You will be able to see the black turtles and if you…
What's Included
  • Air-conditioned vehicles
What's Not Included
  • Bottled water
Additional Information

Playa Minas constitutes one the most important nesting sites in Costa Rica. Large numbers of turtles arrive from October until May and usually at night. For this tour you will be picked up at the hotel and taken to Playa Las Minas where turtles are nesting. You will be able to see the black turtles and if you are lucky there will also be some of the…

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.2
(97 Ratings)
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Yvonne_t
Nov 30, 2024
Turtles watching - Tour guide was very informative. We didn't get to see the turtles but that was because it had previously rained and the tempreture changed and the turtles won't come out. A bit scary walking through the jungle at night. Not for the faint hearted!
Review provided by Viator
T7368
Nov 30, 2024
Definitely worth it! - At first, I didn’t think I was going to get to see the turtles nesting—this was because the recent tropical storm had flooded the access road and it was closed. The only way to get to the beach was an atv and a hike. But by the time we were nearing the end of our trip, the ground had recovered enough that I could go!! It’s a bumpy journey, to be sure. And once you get there, you’ll still have a small, although slightly treacherous hike to the beach itself. I say “slightly treacherous” only because you definitely need to watch where you walk because it’s rocky and you could fall if you don’t pay attention. But Leo provides you with a flashlight, so as long as you are careful, you’re just fine. Leo promises turtles, and he delivers! A couple of people on the tour has been there the night before but didn’t get to see any turtles, so Leo came and took them again for free until they got to see what they came for! Once at the beach, the white flashlights have to be turned off and you are led as a group by redlight flashlight. The tour companies work in concert, so we were easily able to find out where the turtles were. One had just left to go back to sea but the other one-a pacific green sea turtle-was just coming in to build a nest. We got to watch her pick her spot and dig it out—it was magnificent! Once she settled in to lay her eggs, we were able to get right up next to her and watch nature in action! They even propped her back legs open (which doesn’t hurt her in any way) so that we could watch the egg laying! Leo took video for every single person so we all have excellent photos and video of the experience! Highly recommend!!! This year was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kari_k
Apr 25, 2024
One of a kind experience! - Wow! What a truly remarkable experience! Antoni our guide was everything you’d look for in a guide. He made sure everyone in our group was ok and made sure we saw a turtle! We were lucky enough to see 2 mommas and even a baby! It is the end of the laying season for the green pacific sea turtle and we were all super happy and excited that nature gave us an opportunity! There was also a full moon which Antoni shared afffects the turtles when they are looking for a nest. We learned so much about the turtle laying process! Antoni was extremely kind and considerate of another group that was also observing the turtles. So happy to have been with this group led by Antoni! Thank you for an awesome experience!
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_d
Mar 25, 2024
Tortugas - Enjoyable adventure and passionate guides! Awesome to see baby turtles 🐢 race to the ocean and then the mama's who climb the sand to lay their eggs.
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_m
Nov 16, 2024
In the dark boot camp for idiots - No one in our group had a flashlight or the right clothes/shoes for the trek. Running for hours through rapid water sometimes up to your thighs in the middle of the night with no lights or sometimes assistance is not for the faint of heart.
Review provided by Viator
John_e
Oct 25, 2024
Lacking organization - My wife and I really wanted to like this excursion. However communication on desired pickup (whatsapp) time from resort was not given then told we were late, when following the duration of trip per booking. The group was transported to multiple locations to look for sea-turtles but the guide would ask you to wait under a tree at the beach while he goes and looks for turtles with his red-light (10-45min) and if found will call the group to look (in theory). We feel that each person should get a red-light flashlight and walk the beach with the guide, to feel more involved and if no turtles…possibly see some other CR critter. Or have spotters, ahead of the groups locating turtles/nests. . Maybe during peak season this approach works easily but October early turtle season spending multiple hours with zero sightings…or more involvement…not sure if id recommend trying out until peak season. The shuttle was clean, driver and guide were nice, friendly and tried locating turtles…just a little unorganized. Thank you for the trip and good luck growing!
Review provided by Viator
Some_tips_for_ya
Apr 29, 2024
Could have been better - Leonardo was very responsive in booking this tour, but unfortunately, our tour guide Antoni was not very personable. To his credit, he worked hard to find turtles nesting on the beach - it is the end of the season so there aren't too many around now. He did find two (with the help of another guide who drew us to the right location) and gave us some cursory information about the turtle's nesting habits. Despite there only being 4 of us in the group, we all had a bit of a hard time making out what Antoni was saying as he had a mumbling style. There was a lot of "down time" as we waited for him to scour the beach, which was to be expected, but when we finally found the turtles, there was a lot of time standing around when he was just chit-chatting with the guide from the other group instead of providing us with deeper insights about the natural phenomenon we were witnessing, which was disappointing. We also were given instructions to meet at a specific spot in Matapalo. The pick-up vehicle arrived 17 minutes late, stopped at a different spot around the corner, and was an unmarked car, which all felt a little bit sketchy. I'm glad we went but the information on the "tour" was not detailed enough, nor delivered in a clear manner.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cecile_c
Mar 8, 2024
It was a difficult walk for some of us - The walk….no one explained how far we were going and how difficult it could be for seniors. The guide was knowledgeable and obviously loved his job but…..
Review provided by Viator
524olua
Nov 27, 2024
Don’t make the same mistake we did. - Avoid this tour company at all costs. They are unprofessional, disregard safety, and seem to make things up as they go. We ‘specifically’ asked Diego, the person who sold the turtle watching tour if it was safe for pregnant women. He assured us it was, explaining that we should wear dark clothing and we'll simply drive to the ocean, take a short walk, and see turtles with no stress involved. When we were picked up, we mentioned to them my that wife was pregnant again, and they said congratulations and even offered her a seat in front of the car which we kindly declined. Things started to fall apart when we met Leo. Immediately Leo got in the front seat, he didn't introduce himself or acknowledge the passengers in car. It was pretty awkward and I stuck a conversation by asking for his name and said, it's nice to meet you. They drove us along a bumpy road to a forested area. Another group of older people was in a bus behind us and we were eventually divided into two groups (ours being smaller). Our group was taken through a muddy road. Later, we were dropped off at a remote part of the beach, and were asked to walk through the woods on steep slopes with thorns. The guide left us in pitch darkness for two hours, instructing us not to touch the trees while he went to look for turtles. This was around 9pm 9:30 ish at night. During this time, no turtles were spotted, and the guide contacted Leo (now guiding the other group) to come get us as the other group had found turtles. However, Leo ignored his calls and asked us to walk back. The guide of our group was livid because he was ignored and asked me to talk to Leo over the radio where I pleaded with him to come get us because my wife was so tired at that point. Left stranded, we were forced to trek back through rough terrain, mud, and thorns for 35 to 40 minutes to reach the driver. At this point, I was deeply worried as the tour company clearly had no plan for emergencies, which made the situation even more distressing. When we finally made it back, the tour owner, Leo, casually offered to try again the next day or continue for another 15 to 20 minutes on the radio, without an apology. Us including the German couple we were in the group with declined and asked for a refund. Getting our money back was another ordeal since we had paid in cash. This tour was a nightmare; unsafe, poorly organized, and completely lacking in professionalism.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justine_b
Oct 23, 2024
They promise us another... - They promise us another tour the day after because we saw nothing.. the road was in bad condition and the weather terrible We never go back with no news …
Review provided by Viator
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up to 9 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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