Recently Viewed
Turtle Nesting Tour: An Unforgettable Experience on Hidden Beaches
4.4
61 Ratings
Tamarindo
Spend a truly unforgettable evening observing turtles nesting!
- Venture off the beaten track to beautiful, hidden beaches
- Look for turtle tracks in the sand that will lead you to their nesting sites
- Observe sea turtles making their nests on the beach above the high tide mark and laying their eggs, before returning to the ocean
Spend a truly unforgettable evening observing turtles nesting!
- Venture off the beaten track to beautiful, hidden beaches
- Look for turtle tracks in the sand that will lead you to their nesting sites
- Observe sea turtles making their nests on the beach above the high tide mark and laying their eggs, before returning to the ocean
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Playa Mina - We’ll pick you up from your location in Tamarindo before driving approximately 17 miles / 25km or 40 minutes through scenic tracks to a hidden beach, close to the beautiful Playa Minas. Once parked, the turtle nesting beach is only accessible via a 10-15 minute walk. As the beach is inaccessible by car it remains dark and undisturbed…
- Playa Mina - We’ll pick you up from your location in Tamarindo before driving approximately 17 miles / 25km or 40 minutes through scenic tracks to a hidden beach, close to the beautiful Playa Minas. Once parked, the turtle nesting beach is only accessible via a 10-15 minute walk. As the beach is inaccessible by car it remains dark and undisturbed for nesting sea turtles. This is why they choose to nest on this beach.
On reaching the beach we’ll walk looking for turtle tracks, which will lead us to where the turtles are making their nests. We’ll then sit facing the back of the turtle. observe them deposit their eggs and return to the water; a truly unforgettable experience!
It is possible to see more than one kind of turtle; including the green, black, olive ridley and if we’re lucky the leatherbacks too.
We respect the turtles at all times by closely following rules laid out by the government conservation authorities so as not to be noticed by the turtles while observing them very closely.
We’ll spend approximately an hour on the beach before returning to drop you off at your location in Tamarindo.
Minimum 2 bookings are needed for the tour to operate.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Flash Light
- Snacks
- Bottled water
- Flash Light
- Snacks
What's Not Included
- Gratuity
- Long sleeve top and trousers, must be dark clothing as not to distract the turtles
- Comfortable shoes for walking
- Mosquito Repellent
- Gratuity
- Long sleeve top and trousers, must be dark clothing as not to distract the turtles
- Comfortable shoes for walking
- Mosquito Repellent
Location
Pangas Beach Club
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(61 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Elizabethhn8647bo
Jun 1, 2024
Luis the Turtle Man! - Fantastic evening tour provided by Luis! We went on the tour 5/20/2024 which was stated to be the “last” evening tour within true turtle season. While we only saw one turtle after patiently waiting, that’s all we needed! We were able to observe a green sea turtle dig its nest and deposit its eggs up close! What an experience!! Everyone in our small group of 9 got great pictures and videos. Luis picked up some from the hotel in Playa Conchal, we followed and another car joined in along the route. Flashlights were provided (where allowed) and instructions were given as to not disturb the turtles. Luis provided education on what to expect, turtle behavior, stages of nest building and other interesting information. He was always very respectful of the wildlife and ensured his guests were as well, ensuring no one disturbed them with noise or lights. Snacks were provided at the end of the tour. Well worth the money, especially for such a show!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laetitia_g
Apr 13, 2024
Unforgettable tour - Had the best time ! We drove there and saw a beautiful sunset. Then we waited and the magic happened, we saw 3 turtles !
Review provided by Viator
Baptiste_m
Apr 9, 2024
The BEST guide - We saw both baby turtles coming out of their nest and later a mother turtle attempting to lay her eggs. The guide Luis was very knowledgeable and had an amazing instinct at guessing where the turtles would come. He was coordinating with other guides to locate the turtles and in the end all the other guides and groups had to come to us because he had made the right call. Luis is extremely knowledgeable about turtles and many other things about nature. He is a very wise and funny and unique man, I very much enjoyed spending time and learning from him!
Review provided by Viator
Wanjing_y
Apr 4, 2024
A Must-Do Turtle Tour with an Unique Guide - If you're visiting Costa Rica and have a love for sea turtles, this turtle tour is a must-do. Led by our incredible guide, Luis, the tour was an eye-opening journey into the world of sea turtles. Not only did we learn about the vital role these creatures play in the ecosystem, but we also witnessed them in their natural habitat, which was an experience of a lifetime. Luis showed his professionalism and passion for his work.The tour itself was well-organized, starting on time and with clear instructions and more. Luis tried his best to look for the turtles for us, very impressive. Strongly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Nils7
Mar 30, 2024
Does not disappoint- the turtles are incredible! - Well worth the time and $50. Free pick up and interesting truck ride thru rural areas for 45 minutes. A short hike thru woods down to a secluded beach. Beautiful sunset and our guide Luis was extremely knowledgeable and personable. We saw 3 large turtles come up out of the water and many tiny babies hatch and return to the water (from other mommas 60 days prior)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Regenw2022
Mar 30, 2024
turtle nesting - amazing time!! i have always wanted to see baby sea turtles and i got to see multiple come out of their nest and see the mama turtles come up the beach! luis was an amazing guide who was super knowledgeable about the turtles and cares about them which i appreciate a lot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ben_b
May 10, 2024
Fun but disappointing - Luis our guide was very knowledgeable and nice. We didn’t get to see any turtles but he showed us a nest and egg remnant. We also saw old tracks which was pretty cool. The hike to the first beach was hot and long so be prepared. Luis brought us snacks and water.
Review provided by Viator
I8963vuvanessas
Apr 14, 2024
Great tour with turtle view and persistent guide - Our tour guide Luis contacted us immediately after booking and wrote us important details about the tour. He organized a meeting point near our accommodation and picked us up there. There were only two of us and so Luis was able to tell us a lot during the trip.
He only answered questions briefly, but his experience with the turtles was clearly noticeable.
When we arrived at the beach after about a 40-minute drive, he gave us time to take photos of the sunset.
When it got dark, Luis walked up and down the beach either with us or alone to look for a nest.
As we were not the only ones on the beach and the tour guides are all connected by radio, a nest was quickly located. We were able to watch the turtles hatch with the other large group, which was a bit annoying. A unique experience.
Then it was all about finding a mother turtle looking for a nest. At first there was no chance of that. But Luis was super persistent and didn't give up until we found one.
All in all, a successful tour. Luis is a bit strange, but very nice and experienced. He knows the animals and respects nature, which was very important to us. That wasn't the case with the other tour group, for example.
We were satisfied and the price of the tour was definitely worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Babus1955
Jun 25, 2024
Disappointed - As the date of our turtle tour approached, I texted Luis to ask if there was any turtle activity visible. He offered alternative activities but I let him know it was the end of our holiday and I was only interested in seeing turtles. My research told me we were a bit early ( June) for the turtle season in the Tamarindo area. The day before, I asked if I needed to cancel. We went ahead with a visit to Playa Junquillal. Unfortunately we saw nothing but hermit crabs. Luis was very knowledgeable about turtles and we enjoyed listening to him on the drive. I appreciate that he rode a bike up and down the beach so we didn't have to walk and search with him. But I feel the guide must know whether we are too early in the season or not. Although he will say we can't control nature, we wasted a lot of $ and time. He offered a free tour if we return in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Beth_l
Jul 4, 2024
Sad… No Turtles :( - We were so excited to see the turtle nesting. My daughter had been looking forward to it since we came to Costa Rica, and we were extremely disappointed in our experience. To start off, the tour was scheduled for 5pm and he pushed it back to 730pm (changing our plans for the day). We were not all together in a bus or a van, half of the group had to follow the guide in their own car while the other half sat in the back of his truck for 40 minutes. Upon arriving to the beach, there were only 3 flashlights among the 11 people in our group. There were crabs all over the beach and without light it was nearly impossible to see where you are walking. We walked for over an hour up and down the beach in complete silence and there were no turtles at all. We didn’t see anything remotely worth the time and money it took for us to get there. After we didn’t see any turtles he went out alone while we sat by the car for 40 more minutes and waited for him to come back. He came back reporting there were still no turtles. If he knew there weren’t going to be any turtles because of season, there shouldn’t be a tour in the first place. Overall, he was a very kind guide but this tour was unacceptable.
Review provided by Viator
