Cook Islands Semi-Private Turtle Tour

Discover the incredible underwater world of the Cook Islands on this guaranteed to see turtles tour. Look out for the majestic sea turtles and other sea life in the blue water. This is a guided tour which takes 6-8 max. If wanting a fully private tour please email us direct or book for 8 pax.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Rarotonga - We guarantee to see turtles. This tour is for those wanting a 5 star intimate experience swimming with turtles with top professional water safety standards and professional photos taken not on a GoPro .
What's Included
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
Location
Avaavaroa Passage
You will be emailed detailed instruction on where to meet after booking.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(40 Ratings)
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437jaymeew
Oct 17, 2023
Photos took 3 weeks - Beautiful experience - We originally had something else planned for our last day but our plans fell through last minute. It was 09:00pm the night before and we had nothing planned i had searched up stuff to do everywhere but everyone was booked out. I found charlottes page and send her an email asking if there was any chance she could fit me and my partner in for our last day, we did have a budget but were willing to pay for a good experience. The same night she got back to us and said she could fit us in for a private tour the next morning at 08:30am which we took the offer and went there in the morning. Charlotte was so lovely and awesome to talk to, we had a guy who took me and my partner (cant remember his name) but he was such a cool guy and they offered to take photos on the iphone camera or their professional camera. We had our own go pro so we decided to go with professional photos. We had such a fun experience and it felt super safe and saw beautiful ocean life. The only downside i did have was that it did feel rushed towards the end but I was cold so it doesn't even matter. We got our photos 3 weeks after the tour and they were absolutely stunning! Thank you!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F6048ofjennyb
Aug 30, 2023
Stunning tour with lovely guide - We had a private tour with Tonu (Baby Ray) and we loved every minute of it! He was a charming gentle guide to the turtles - and obviously cares about their wellbeing as well as our experience. We saw heaps of beautiful turtles flying past us and basking on rocks, several rays gliding past in the depths below and even a small reef shark. Laidback, fun, and stunning.
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Ellaquinn2022
Mar 6, 2023
Turtle tour with the beautiful Charlotte - This Tour meant the world to me & my husband, it was just big smiles all over. We were blessed to have So many turtles pop up to say Hi & our pictures captured by Charlotte are absolutely incredible, so special to have these moments captured so beautifully. The whole team are absolutely awesome, very professional & bring a strong sense of knowledge & respect to the turtles environment. And we all love Charlottes dad ha! I was a bit nervous to start with but once we got out there your in such safe hands that any fears melt away and the turtles are just so majestic. If your not used to snorkelling or diving under maybe get a bit of practice in the lagoon to help with your confidence first, I found this helped with getting used to snorkelling equipment & I could enjoy my time with the turtles even more. My 12 yr old & dad did a separate tour & they absolutely loved it, the team supported both my 12 year old and dad (he’s in his 70’s - they had the best time, they were on cloud 9 after !! Thank you so much Charlotte & your team - we will definitely be back 💗
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John
Feb 18, 2023
Great experience with the turtles - Awesome experience. World-class professionally organized. Not to miss activity. Swim and encounters were as advertised. Unique swim for all ages.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamiej206
Oct 2, 2022
Amazing Raro experience - We had an awesome time on the private turtle tour - the photos we got back were amazing and the kids were stoked being able to swim with turtles. The crew were super friendly and amazing with kids - we took 3 young kids 6,8,10 and the 6 year old is a less confident swimmer but there was plenty of help and floaties for the kids to hang on to so they could get involved. If you're going early or in winter I'd recommend a wet suit top if it's a bit cooler or windy just to make sure you keep warm while you're out there... A great experience and would definitely do it again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jillayneb1
Aug 9, 2024
Not quite the real deal - When we first came across "Papa Turtle" at the Muri market stalls we thought he was quite lovely. He had quite a line up of people he was giving his sales pitch to..one after the other. When it was our turn he explained that he would love to throw in some "extra" photos because we were newly weds, as long as he could use some as advertising.. which of course we were excited about! Turned up on the day, things were a little disorganized and Papa Turtle was quite a different person. We did head out and swim with the turtles. It was a little annoying being out there in the same spot with at least two or three other competing businesses, and swimmers were all bumping into each other.. Anyhow, after maybe 45 min or so we were heading back in..I asked him when he was going to take photos. He told me he left his camera at home! Yet when I overheard an older couple in their 70's ask him if there were photos, he told the woman that he couldn't take any because she was so busy watching a turtle that she didn't notice it was slowly taking her out towards the dangerous reef. So which was it Papa Turtle? You couldn't take photos because you were busy watching one of your customers? Or you left your camera at home?
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bexs558
Sep 2, 2023
Still not photos 4 months on. What a rip off artist - It is nearly 4 months since our turtle tour and we are still waiting for our photos that we paid a lot of money for. I have tried emailing, texting, contacting through instagram and Facebook and every contact is longer in use and bounces back. I feel very ripped off and just want our photos that we have paid for. Our trip was Wednesday 10th May. Can someone get back to me urgently
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Grainnequinnn
May 1, 2023
Scam, do not pay for this tour! - Papa Turtle and Charlotte Piho’s tour was an absolute rip-off. We met him at the markets and got talked into the tour, despite it being so much more expensive than others. The photos looked amazing, pity we never got ours! We went last October and despite several emails still never got our photos. Experience itself was also so overpriced. When we showed up, we were given snorkels and put into a queue for photos along with many other groups. Once in the water, it was all about getting a photo with a turtle and the experience itself was ruined. When your photos was taken, you had to move away from the turtles to let others go. We noticed that Papa Turtle himself quite rude to his staff. Do not use this tour- think they have since changed their names.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G8326smam
Feb 20, 2023
Scammed by Papa Turtle and Charlotte Piho Photography - PAPA TURTLE charged our group of 6 $500 to get photos snorkeling with turtles. said photos will be a mailed in 6 weeks and it’s been 5 MONTHS and nothing. Seeing the same reviews everywhere else and they’ve disabled reviews on their Facebook page. Absolute scam
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J6816snjoannep
Nov 13, 2022
No photos, no response to emails, poor customer service. - The actual trip on the day was quite good - but there were too many competing groups from another provider who appeared to take ownership of the area. The team who took us out were personable and we felt safe. Disappointingly nearly three months after our trip we have yet to receive our photos or have our emails responded to.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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