Turtle Watching Experience at Playa Minas: Observe Nesting Turtles in Their Natural Habitat
4.3
90 Ratings
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: 1 day learn more
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 March 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 very rare leatherback turtles. The beautiful scene of the stars, the moon and the ocean makes the perfect set-up for this incredible experience with nature. Your guide will have infra red light, so that you will be able to clearly see the turtles and take your own pictures. Expect some waiting time and be prepared to sit on the sand. To make sure that you see the turtles it is sometime necessary to take a hike to a close by beach.
    What to bring: Walking shoes, dark clothes, insect repellent and *NO FLASH camera.
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 very rare leatherback turtles. The beautiful scene of the stars, the moon and the ocean makes the perfect set-up for this incredible experience with nature. In addition the guides will provide infra red light, so that you will be able to clearly see the turtles

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.3
(90 Ratings)
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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
E3031zydavidh
Jan 29, 2024
Evening with turtles - We were taken by our guide down the beach and saw a Pacific green turtle laying her eggs. After a short while there was a shout from further down the beach. There we were greeted by baby turtles hatching and running into the ocean. It was so magical! I very much suggest talking to Leo at the Occidental Tamarindo as he was very accommodating about my wife’s needs!👍👍👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Poossenjeetb
Jan 1, 2024
Don’t miss this - Awesome experience, once in a lifetime. But be aware you have to be able to navigate a moderately difficult terrain. However Juan Carlos did a fantastic job.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connector08941203489
Oct 7, 2023
Experience of a lifetime - This was the most mesmerizing experience I’ve ever had. Our guide (Alex) was polite, entertaining, and gave us an amazing experience. He was very respectful to both us and the animals- it was well worth every penny!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M0ntellm
Oct 7, 2023
Amazing experience! - We did the night trip to see if we could see turtles nesting on beech. They were wonderful to pick us up at hotel and the guide was so knowledgeable. The driver spotted frogs and a hedgehog which let us get some pictures. You must be patient waiting for the turtles but being at the beach at night was a beautiful experience. We even saw the lightning bugs. They finally spotted a turtle and Alex worked hard to inform us and let us know when we could approach. I really appreciate the team en outing is to be respectful of the wildlife (no lights low sound). We would have never seen the turtles if we didn’t have a guide. One of our best outings yet and we will use them again. Next time we are here in Tamarindo. Highly recommend this wonderful team!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthewandcherin
Oct 6, 2023
Leo delivered upon his promise to find a turtle - Our first time in Costa Rica and we were very glad to have experienced this Turtle Nesting tour. Leo was committed to finding us an active egg laying turtle. The first location was unsuccessful, there was a different tour group there and they didn’t see anything. So Leo led us to a different path to the beach (this way was challenging as we had to scale down rocks and it had just rained, so it was slippery). It was also very dark, and we used our phone flashlights to guide us until we got to the beach. Once at the beach, Leo used a red light to navigate. It almost seemed hopeless after walking for a while on the beach, flashes of lightning illuminating the way. It thankfully did not rain, there were no biting bugs and the night walk on the beach made the experience even more adventurous for us “city folk”. Leo did as he promised, and found a turtle digging her nest in the sand. We were fortunate enough to have been in a small group, there were 7 total (including 2 kids and Leo). The experience was humbling, watching Mother Nature do as Mother Nature does. We respectfully watched the Green Pacific Sea Turtle (about 200 pounds) lay her eggs in the sand. Leo was very knowledgeable about turtles and their process of their circle of life. We really enjoyed this excursion, but be ready to walk in the dark and have on good shoes. I had on athletic water sandals and my husband wore crocs and we did just fine. Also, please realize that the tour guides cannot control where the turtles are going to be. It is a shot in the dark, and the beach is huge. Luckily for us, we were able to experience a turtle laying her eggs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rolf_d
Dec 18, 2023
Amazing experience - Very special experience to see the turtle lay her eggs on the beach. Good guides with respect for nature and the animals.
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
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up to 9 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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