Tamarindo Birdwatching Crocodiles and Monkey Tour
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Head out to Las Baulas National Marine Park and keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of birds, American crocodiles, iguanas, monkeys, and more on this group tour of Tamarindo. All of the logistics are taken care of for you, so you don’t need to stress about any of the details. Hop into your air-conditioned transfer, then relax as you head out to the National Park for exploring the mangrove wetlands.
- Explore Tamarindo’s biodiversity with a naturalist, local guide
- Keep your energy level up with provided bottled water and snacks
- See how many species you can find, from hummingbirds, land crabs, and more
- Enjoy being in the heart of the mangrove, away from touristy spots
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Bottled water
- SnacksPineapple
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:30 am
Itinerary
1
Las Baulas National Marine Park
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Doug_C
1st you need to understand that this is nature so nobody on earth besides a zoo is going to be able to guarantee you see the specific animals you want. Crocs are going to be less prevalent in dry season than in wet season. Monkeys will be hot and sleepy during the day. Birds can fly so hit or miss. As for us though we saw a ton: howlers, young croc, herons, ibis, racoons, parakeets, swallows, egrids, and much more. Bring your binoculars and be proactive, you shouldn’t be reliant on a guide for everything because they also gotta drive the boat. 2nd Our guide David was great. Very informative and kind. Pineapple was great at the midway point. 3rd The driver was great. He was early and the company communicated its needs really well, picked us up right on the steps of our hotel. For the price point this was fantastic. Highly recommend if you want a short introduction (about 1 1/2 hours on the boat) to the wildlife here.
Reviews
4.7
based on 54 reviews
BrettW_R, Mar 2026
Christian was very knowledgeable! Saw Crocodiles, raccoons, monkeys, birds etc. thank you very much!
Doug_C, Mar 2026
1st you need to understand that this is nature so nobody on earth besides a zoo is going to be able to guarantee you see the specific animals you want. Crocs are going to be less prevalent in dry season than in wet season. Monkeys will be hot and sleepy during the day. Birds can fly so hit or miss. As for us though we saw a ton: howlers, young croc, herons, ibis, racoons, parakeets, swallows, egrids, and much more. Bring your binoculars and be proactive, you shouldn’t be reliant on a guide for everything because they also gotta drive the boat. 2nd Our guide David was great. Very informative and kind. Pineapple was great at the midway point. 3rd The driver was great. He was early and the company communicated its needs really well, picked us up right on the steps of our hotel. For the price point this was fantastic. Highly recommend if you want a short introduction (about 1 1/2 hours on the boat) to the wildlife here.
stephenpjones, Dec 2025
Juan Carlos was a great guide and captain. He was funny, helpful, and above all very knowledgeable about the area and animals. The tour was easily the most informative one we did this trip. Highly recommended.
Viator was not good and has not been good in CR. We booked 3 tours with Viator with pickup option. We tried various locations for pickup but the locations provided to us from Viator were incorrect. And the pickup company had similar issues with the addresses and locations provided by Viator. Additionally the pickup locations can only be selected in the app without knowing which is closest to a specific address. Sort of a problem if you are on vacation and don’t know what is close. So likely a problem for most people using Viator.
Because we could not be found easily our 2 hour tour was 15 minutes shorter than it should have been. Viator is in it to get their cut.
Book this tour directly and skip the Viator hassle and markup.
Derek_M, Nov 2025
The boat ride was very educational, and an interesting experience. Unfortunately we saw more wildlife by the resort pool than this ride, but the tour guide knew a lot about the Ecosystem and made the experience worth it. The fresh pineapple was amazing and a lot.
Jeremy_D, Oct 2025
What a fantastic tour and an incredible guide! Juan-Carlos has a genuinely impressive, deep, and passionate knowledge of the wildlife, the environment, and how it all fits into the larger world. We saw several crocodiles, a troop of monkeys, termite colonies, various insects, at least a dozen birds, several types of mangroves, and other various flora too, and Juan-Carlos seemed to know everything about all of them. Nearly forgot the osprey we saw dive for a fish and carry it right toward us! Can you spot the bats in the third photo? Juan-Carlos could from at least 10m away. I've had college courses that weren't nearly as informative, and of course we were seeing the subjects live in their natural habitat. Our whole group couldn't stop talking about it. Thank you!
Curtis_B, Oct 2025
Get Juan Carlos as your guide. Amazing outing. We saw two crocodiles in a fight. Guide was extremely knowledgeable
Chris_M, Aug 2025
Wear comfortable shoes with thick soles. The hike may be challenging for youngsters or the elderly. Also, bring water. It’s a good distance but all worth it. The waterfall seim was the best part. Perfect after the long hike. Buffet was delicious and the hot springs were alot of fun for the whole family.
Judith_V, Jul 2025
Juan Carlos was an amazing guide. I loved his passion and knowledge about mangroves. He made it clear that it wasn’t a zoo so there were no guarantees but we saw 3 crocodiles, a raccoon, 3 howler monkeys, loads of iguana, land crabs, 2 species of heron. It was a great morning
Noah_D, Mar 2025
We saw everything that they advertised and more the guide was very knowledgeable about the area, we were in small groups of people which made it nice. Definitely recommend this tour
Francie_R, Mar 2025
The tour itself was decent. Relaxing boat ride, if you are new to the birds and things .. lots of fun.. However,, our guide( Christian jr. )was not meant to work in this industry. Before we left the boat landing he went on a Rant.. basically scolding us for saying avocados were expensive there.
Complained that we are Renting homes and eating at restaurants that are not owned by locals.. so It’s “our fault that things are pricey.. because tourists buy land there and charge too much and locals can’t afford to live!
Then stopped the boat to Yell at a woman that she got on the wrong boat . ( very easy to do as there is no organization by the boats . No one checked any tickets or anything. ) And that she paid someone else and he needs his money . There were some interesting things to see and it could have been a really fun day. But he was just awful..! I would never do anything if he was running it! His father also Christian , was our pickup
Driver and he was great!
EMILY_E, Mar 2025
Our tour was great! We got to see 3 alligators, different birds, a large sting ray, raccoons, bats, land crabs on the trees, & a family of howler monkeys. Our guide Juan did an amazing job educating us about the importance of mangroves in the eco system.
Kim_B, Mar 2025
Great tour! Our guide Moses was informative and pointed out Birds, raccoons, and he even found a couple crocodiles for us! Highly recommended this tour!
Kylie_L, Mar 2025
Chris was so knowledgeable, friendly, and showed us a great time! We got to see a variety of animals and learn about the ecosystem.
Alastair_B, Feb 2025
They collected us and time..our driver was really good. The boat captain tour guide..was really informative and friendly. Very funny and so passionate about his country..and it's environmental progress. Definitely worth doing this trip
William_S, Feb 2025
Told us so much about beautiful estuary and all the animals - local family business. Saw black hawk, howler monkeys and crocodiles
Joe_C, Jan 2025
Great relaxing and informative experience. Our guide, Juan Carlos had a professional and friendly presence. We saw crocodiles, monkeys, bays, and many species of birds. The pineapple was great!
Greg_H, Jan 2025
Luis was our guide. He is friendly, knowledgeable, and has Superman eyes to see point out birds and critters embedded in the forest. We saw 3 crocodiles, numerous colorful birds, raccoons, bats, monkeys, and fairly large iguana. Luis is very attentive the needs of tourists. The scenery is beautiful and peaceful. We are SO GLAD we did this!
Haige_C, Jan 2025
We were waiting for 25 minutes for 2 guests who were late. It’s a bummer and the agency needs to come up with better policy to keep us on time. Otherwise we enjoyed the tour. Our tour guide is knowledgeable. Good vibes, great nature! With late departure (9:55) we came back around 11:30am just fyi
Nick_G, Nov 2024
Very knowledgeable guide. Enjoyed seeing the crocs. We went at a strange time when the water was muddy but the guide still found lots of different animals for us to see.
Sean_S, Oct 2024
Moises, our guide, was fantastic. It was the off-season, so he gave us a personal tour and took us deep into the mangrove by boat where we saw crocodiles, herons, regrets, raccoons and other fauna. Most impressively he offered us to join him on a turtle migration event a couple hours south where he would have us follow him and his colleagues in our own rental car. Sadly, the road conditions were not great. While other guides may have pressed the issue to make more money, he had the integrity to prioritize our safety. If the other guides are as knowledgeable, friendly and trustworthy as he is, there is no reason not to take a trip with his family business.
Robert_R, Sep 2024
Three of us went on the boat tour. It takes you down a river and into several small branches. The tour guide was truly knowledgeable and skillful at spotting wildlife. He showed us many exotic birds species, crocodiles (which we were able to see up close) and howler monkeys. He also pointer out medicinal herbs and local fauna. It was an excellent tour that is well worth the cost.
Hannah_W, Aug 2024
This was so fun! Our guide Juan Carlos made the trip even more incredible. We saw monkeys, crocodiles, birds and crabs. Juan Carlos was so knowledgeable about the animals and you could really tell he cared about the animals and the area we were touring. Definitely recommend!
Michelle_C, May 2024
This was the worst tour I have ever been on. It is a complete waste of money. The driver was late, we weren’t even on the boat for the full 2 hours even though they kept telling us we would be. We barely saw any animals and our tour guide kept telling us how other companies were doing dangerous things to see the animals and how dangerous it is to be to be on land around the monkeys. At the end he then told us that if we want to see the monkeys we have to hike to see them which is not mentioned in the tour explanation. Also it was very frustrating that he talked about how dangerous it was to see them and then offered to see them at the end at our own risk. It was very disappointing. I would not recommend this tour to anyone. We wasted our time and money.
Garry_W, Apr 2024
For me the most memorable part of any of my tours are finding new birds to add to my life list along with getting great photos of birds and other wildlife. This tour was no exception as I captured 3 new bird species. "Lifers" a Muscoy Duck, Reddish Egret, and a Plumbeous Kite. Our guide and captain was Juan Carlos again and with my trip to Costa Rica back in Nov 2023 it was nice to see him again. His friendly demeanor, English, knowledge and professionalism as a guide is absolutely amazing. Thanks again Juan Carlos.
Deborah_S, Mar 2024
The tour was nice a relaxing boat ride on the river. Especially if your day before was long. Our guide(apologies I do not know his name or his assistants). We're both so gracious and we enjoyed listening to our guide. A little snack of fresh pineapple, always the best when fresh. We saw birds, monkeys and crocodiles. Mangrove trees are beautiful. Learned nice facts about the trees I never knew.
If you need a laid back day I suggest this tour.
Peter_S, Feb 2024
Very informative guide.
Crocodiles were very shy and we only saw part of a baby hiding in the mangroves
Howler monkeys were sleeping, so no howling.
Not as many birds as I had hoped, just a few herons.
Linda_F, Feb 2024
Our group of 6 had a fabulous time on this tour. Moises was an excellent and knowledgeable guide who shared his knowledge of plants and animals in the mangroves. It was evident that he cares deeply for the environment and shared the ecological importance of the area. I would highly recommend the tour if you want to see crocodiles, monkeys and an abundance of birds in their natural habitat.
Garry_W, Dec 2023
This tour was worth doing, Close to our resort the ride was short and the driver extremely friendly. Once on site we met the boat captain Moses and to my surprise the guide was Juan Carlos who I met on a birdwatching tour a few days earlier. He was extremely knowledgeable and fluent in both languages provided the guests with many opportunities to see wildlife. Knowing that my focus was birds while he was looking for monkeys for the other guests to see he located a Juvenile Long-tailed Manikin (type of bird) for me that I was able to capture. The trip was great. The only thing that I wish they could change and they probably offer if I asked them is the opportunity to go earlier in the morning and spend more time looking for birds where we went to see the monkeys.
Jeanie_F, May 2023
Moises went out of his way to make sure we all enjoyed the tour. We saw plenty of wildlife and the pineapple was delicious. Highly recommend.
Catherine_M, Feb 2026
We didn't see much, moreover we had asked for a trip in Spanish and it was conducted in English so we didn't understand anything about the explanations of the guide.
Auto-translated
From $50.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Tamarindo Birdwatching Crocodiles and Monkey Tour
54
2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$50.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
Attractions in Tamarindo, Costa Rica
More attractions near Tamarindo, Costa Rica