Tamarindo Estuary Boat Tour
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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OverviewAuto-translated
What's Included
- Bottled water
- SnacksSeasonal fruit at the end of the tour
- The tour depends on Marea. Check schedules
- Naturalist Guide
- FREE roundtrip transportation of Tamarind and Lobster
- Gratuities
- Transportation outside the Tamarindo and Lobster area is at an additional cost
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 04/24/2025 - 09/14/2027
Monday - Sunday : 6:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Itinerary
Las Baulas National Marine Park (Pass By)
Tamarindo (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 122 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Such a great experience!! Would definitely recommend, Moses was so knowledgeable on everything and made us feel so safe and confident welcome!
This was an excursion so worth the money!!! Our guide was so knowledgeable. He truly loved his job and made it fun for us. Seeing monkeys so many of them! Thank you
We saw monkeys and crocs. A lot of birds and crabs. Toward the end of tour we jump onshore into the woods to see a lot of wild life. Highly recommend experience. My two year old daughter is very happy with the animals and pineapples.
Juan Carlos was an amazing guide - incredibly knowledgeable and we loved his bird calls. We saw crocodiles, birds, and monkeys! Just the best time. Thank you!
What a great experience! We got to see crocodiles, a raccoon, crabs, monkeys, etc! Our tour guide/Naturalist Juan Carlos was so knowledgeable and funny!
Trip through the Tamarindo Estuary was beautiful and our guide, Juan Carlos, was very knowledgeable. We got to see lots of birds, crabs and few small crocodiles. Our entire family enjoyed the tour very much.
Wonderful! We saw so many animals! What a special way to end our trip to Costa Rica. Juan Carlos was our guide. He was AMAZING!!! Very knowledgeable and so welcoming!
The guide/naturalist Carlos was the main factor for a fact filled and educational experience. Gliding through many branches of the mangrove bordered estuaries was amazing and peaceful. Wildlife sightings were beautiful but sparse. Carlos found a howler monkey family. Observing them was a highlight of the excursion. Bringing along binoculars makes observing birds, crocodiles, monkeys more interesting.
Our guide made the experience so incredible. We were able to see an uncommon heron that we didn’t think we would actually see on our trip (boat billed heron). We also saw multiple crocodiles, learned about the role mangrove trees have in the estuary and even got to see monkeys. Our guide was a great person who wanted us all to have a great time-and we did!
This estuary tour was well-coordinated and led by an exceptionally knowledgeable guide. We learned about the vital ecosystem of the mangrove forest and Tamarindo River and also about the wildlife. Our guide showed us howler monkeys, crocodile, land crabs, and a variety of birds.
We saw monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, land crabs, and birds. It was neat to see the animals. I'm glad we did it.
Very serene, tour guides have exceptional knowledge. If you like nature and wildlife this is for you.
Not much to see at 10 in the morning. An earlier trip would have been better if the tides had allowed for it. We did see monkeys a small crocodile, a heron, a trogon and a family of raccoons. Learned a lot about the country.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your feedback! As this is a natural estuary tour, wildlife activity can vary depending on the tides and time of day.
We’re very happy you were still able to see monkeys, crocodiles, raccoons, birds, and also learn more about Costa Rica during the experience. 🌿
Pura Vida! 🇨🇷
Loved this tour! Our guide Moses was incredibly knowledgeable and funny and had so much interesting information to share. We saw crocodiles, rare birds, sharks, and even a sting ray fly into the air. Highly recommend!
I went with my 4 boys on this tour. We did see a couple alligators, a heron, and a raccoon. We had to get off the boat to see some monkeys. We went at 8:30 in the morning and none of the animals were active.
I did have an issue with communication. I contacted them after booking in February because I noticed I couldn’t schedule a time. They say they can’t give you a tour time until the monthly tide schedule comes out. Our tour was April 7. On April 1 I contacted them and asked if we could book a time because I wanted an early morning time so the animals would be out and active. I heard nothing back. Tried contacting them again April 3, and they said they could do 8:20 or 2:50. That bummed me out and I didn’t understand why they only had 2 times available when I had mentioned several times I wanted an early morning. I took the 8:20am. Then they contacted me at 9pm the night before and asked if they could switch me to 9:20am due to tides. How did tides change during the course of one day??
I have to really plan out my days because I track with a toddler and a special needs adult. Communication about scheduling and about transportation were a bit difficult.
Overall, it was something to do. Not overly exciting.
Our drivers and tour guide were friendly
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your feedback and for joining our tour with your family. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed our friendly drivers and guide. 🌿
We understand the schedule changes were frustrating. As mentioned before the tour, our estuary tours depend completely on the tides, and sometimes schedules must be adjusted even shortly before departure for safety and navigation reasons.
Wildlife activity also varies daily since this is a completely natural environment, but we’re glad you were still able to see several animals during the experience.
Thank you again for your visit and your feedback. Pura Vida. 🇨🇷
The boat tour was incredibly informational and my kids (10 and 7) had a blast seeing crocodiles, raccoons, monkeys, and rare birds. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and entertaining, would highly recommend.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Great tour. Guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. We saw lots of birds, crocidiles, and monkeys.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
I enjoyed the estuary tour we only saw one crocodile , saw a cute raccoon family, saw egrets, a vulture, and monkeys and . Our tour guide shared his knowledge of eco-tourism , and the volcanos and thermo electric, among other information of the border countries
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Enjoyed the estuary tour very much. The guide was excellent at explaining the dynamics of the river ecosystem . He was soooooo good at spotting the wildlife. It was a most enjoyable experience.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
A wonderful ride in the beautiful estuary and into the mangroves. A little tough for older folks to get on the boat but worth it. You will need to remove your shoes so I recommend water shoes or flip flops. Our guide was very knowledgeable and fun. I give it a four because wildlife is hit or miss. All in all I would do it again
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Christian was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgeable about the animals and the ecosystem they are in. He took the time to answer questions and was very approachable.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
This was an amazing experience. Both drivers picking us up and taking us back to Riu Guanacaste (Christian and Pablo) were very kind. Christian gave us great information about his country and the area. Our boat tour guide, Moses, was a wealth of information about the river and its inhabitants. We saw howler monkeys, crocodiles, crabs, all sorts of birds, and even a couple of cute raccoons playing. I was with my 4 grandkids and they all had a great time! I highly recommend but there is an additional travel fee if coming from outside the Tamarindo area so be sure to ask. The travel fee was very much worth it as we also got to see other beach communities with their own vibe along the way and went through the mountains.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Great tour approx 2 hours long . Lots of seats . Tour guide was personable and funny . Listened to what ppl wanted and tried to find the animals requested
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us! 🌿✨
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida! 🇨🇷
Juan Carlos found crocodiles, sharks,, herons, iguanas, howler monkeys and more while maintaining an entertaining and informative narrative about nature and Costa Rica. Good fun!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and travelling through the estuary was super interesting. The two-hour experience including boat boarding and departure and the pickup of another family at a different location so the viewing experience was actually closer to 1.5 hours. We did get a bottle of water at the half way part of the tour.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback and for joining our estuary tour. We’re very happy to hear that you enjoyed the experience, found the estuary interesting, and appreciated the knowledge of our guide. 🌿
We would also like to clarify that our tour duration is approximately two hours in total, including the boarding process and navigation through the estuary. Occasionally, short stops may be made for operational reasons or guest coordination, but these do not significantly reduce the wildlife viewing experience.
We truly appreciate your comments and your perspective, as they help us continue improving the experience we provide to our guests. Thank you again for visiting us and we hope to welcome you back in the future.
Pura Vida!
I would tell other travellers that it is a great tour to take we saw lots of wildlife and our tour guide Juan Carlos was very informative.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us! 🌿✨
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida! 🇨🇷
Quiet and peaceful in early morning trip with Juan Carlos, who is a personable and knowlegable guide. Saw beautiful herons, vultures, a mean looking crocodile and monkeys in trees. A memorable trip. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Guide was extremely knowledgeable and made the experience a complete joy. FYI you will get your feet wet lol Would take the tour again!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Great family activity. Our guide, Juan Carlos, was a biologist and literally an encyclopedia of information about the estuary - the guy was wicked smart, and great with the kids. We only saw one crocodile, but numerous birds and big troop of howler monkeys.
I’d highly recommend the 6:20am tour - you’ll have the estuary to yourself (and possibly the whole boat); after 8am it gets quite crowded.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
This was so much fun and our tour guide was very informative about the history of Costa Rica, the wildlife and the rain forest. We saw crocodiles, monkeys, crabs, birds, etc. It was super fun and relaxing!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience with us!
It truly means a lot to our team. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Tamarindo Xperience and we hope to welcome you back again on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Member Pricing
From
$44.65
per personWas $47.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Tamarindo Estuary Boat Tour
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