Tarcoles River Tour: Discover Ancient Reptiles

Embark on a thrilling Jungle Crocodile Safari and Bird Watching adventure on Tarcoles River. Discover the rich biodiversity of the region, spot ancient reptiles and over 50 bird species!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Jungle Crocodile Safari - Jungle Crocodile Safari provides an authentic adventure with engaging experiences through the breathtaking biodiversity of the Tarcoles River. Explore its mangroves, lush forests, majestic river mouth, and the vibrant wildlife that inhabit these remarkable habitats.
    Cruise along the renowned Tárcoles River and encounter…
What's Included
  • Expert bird guide
  • Professional bilingual guide
  • Engaging live commentary onboard
What's Not Included
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

During this two-hour journey, you will voyage across the Tarcoles River, cruising in a secure and cozy boat while gaining knowledge about the region’s abundant biodiversity. There’s an opportunity to witness magnificent, prehistoric reptiles that are more than 4 meters long, and to identify over 50 varieties of birds.
This excursion also comes with…

Location
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Transportation is an additional service.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(294 Ratings)
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Lund_m
Jan 19, 2026
Beautiful Day, lovely people - Friendly knowledgable staff and guide, he was humorous, smart and we felt very welcomed. The captain was lovely. Saw many crocodiles, fish, howler monkeys and beautiful birds some native to Costa Rica. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
Review provided by Viator
Knefknok
Jan 13, 2026
Great. Great. - A beautiful boat trip where we saw large and small crocodiles, iguanas, turtles and lots of birds. Birds were also mating or something, dozens maybe hundreds of birds in the trees and flies and all together, was also impressive. We were maybe lucky, boat was private, other boats were a bit fuller. It was a successful tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
233katey
Jan 13, 2026
Great for seeing birds - We did this tour on our drive back from Manuel Antonio to San Jose. I picked this tour because it specifically mentioned birdwatching. The guide handed us brochures as we entered the boat that listed all of the different types of birds that we might see on the tour, and he pointed them out throughout the tour and referenced the number so we could easily find them. We saw many crocodiles, including two very large ones, and two babies. The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. I also appreciated that they did not feed crocodiles like many of the other boats. The boat was comfortable and the ride was nice and cool with a good breeze. It was a really relaxing and enjoyable tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
L3513btpatrickd
Jan 12, 2026
Pura Vida Pur! - Really great experience. The guides are humorous, friendly and above all knowledgeable in their area. You notice the professionalism here compared to competitors 😃 Many birds - Many crocodiles - Turtles We also did not feel like we were stressing the animals, which was very important to us. Thank you Gustavo & the great captain ! Was an absolute highlight on our trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maeva_c
Jan 4, 2026
Great experience, the... - Great experience, the ride is very pleasant and everything is well explained, the life of crocs, birds, they each have a name .. we could see them very close!I recommend
Review provided by Viator
Sofia_m
Dec 18, 2025
Must Check out! - Great adventure with family/kids. Juan Carlos was an excellent tour guide. He gave more than enough time for bird watching, seeing the crocodiles, beautiful scenery and all long the river and went close to the ocean. I would highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Meander09594912746
Dec 13, 2025
Definitely recommend - Our guild was very knowledgeable, you could tell he really cared for the animals, which made it an amazing experience. I would definitely recommend this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adam_n
Dec 8, 2025
Great cruise on the... - Great cruise on the river! We have seen thousands of birds and many many crocodiles. Absolutely recommended! :)
Review provided by Viator
Gershwin12
Jan 23, 2026
A must do for Bird watches in Costa Rica; Jungle Crocodile Safari - We spent 10 days birding in Costa Rica with a group of nine adults. Visiting Jungle crocodile Safari was a highlight. We arrived one hour prior to our scheduled tour to have a typical Costa Rican lunch. The dining room was huge, had clean bathrooms, and a gift shop with local souvenirs reasonably priced lunch was ample and consisted of rice and beans, chicken, plantains, salad, and tortilla. The captain of our boat spoke English and verbalized well knowledge of the surrounding flora, fauna and other points of interest however, we had an excellent bird guid touring with us. We saw many shore birds, passerines, fly catchers, and Hawks. The turquoise mot mot , double stripped thick-knee and Amazon kingfisher were my favorites. We also birds that were familiar to us, like Ibis, Woodstock, and an and night herons to name a few and oh we saw the southern lapwing which was another life bird for us. As a result of going on this Safari, we added an additional 8 life Birds to the list of 320 new birds clearly seen and identified during our trip to Costa Rica. I highly recommend taking a boat tour of the Tarcoles River.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tsheley
Dec 26, 2025
This one was so so in interest - boarded another 50-passenger boat for the 16 of us, where the expert eyes of Andres and the boat driver pointed out all the wildlife and BIRDS / BIRDS / BIRDS. Part of an OAT tour of Costa Rica One of the LESSER interesting adventures of the trip!!!!!!!!!!!! = Seen lot of birds and crocks before!! We learned about the mangrove trees that have uniquely adapted to the water they grow in. The area is home to four species of mangrove trees, which are an important nesting ground for birds like the Scarlet Macaw and are located along the scenic shores. There were Crocodiles and more Crocodiles !!!!! Some were well over ten feet in length, many of which we observed were swimming the river or sunbathing along the banks. Tom always likes to stay on the right (starboard) side of the boat a couple of seats behind the driver, as the driver is the one that is familiar of the terrain and points out features. Andres noted:• Crocks can live up to 80 – 100 years. • They can hold their breath for an hour. • Global warming is affecting the Croc population as warmer waters results in more female crocks at birth out of eggs verses males. Wow there were a lot of birds along the shore, with Andres giving us a detailed description of each. The birders in our group were having a good time taking some EXCELLENT pictures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $40
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).