Turtle Nesting Tour

Badge of Excellence

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

3 to 4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6

· Oksana_T ·

Jan 2026

We had a great experience with Luis! We had seen 2 turtles on that night, one of them up close, which was nesting. Luis has provided a lot of info about the turtles, had offered a pick up in Tamarindo (our car could not go off road to the destination) and was overall fun with good vibes. I definitely recommend booking this tour.

· Heather_W ·

Jan 2026

Luis is brilliant and this is such a unique experience. I’m incredibly glad we did it, and although we were out on the beach for 4-5 hours it was well worth it! We helped a newly hatched sea turtle make it to the ocean. Once in a lifetime opportunity!

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Overview

Sea turtles nest on hidden beaches purposely kept off the beaten track near Tamarindo. This half-day tour takes travelers to one such undisturbed beach near Playa Minas in search of ridley and leatherback sea turtles and their nests. Get the chance to observe the animals deposit their eggs and return to the water while respecting government conservation rules at all times.

A small-group tour in search of sea turtle nests near Tamarindo
Observe the animals while respecting conservation rules at all times
Spend about an hour searching for ridley and leatherback sea turtles
Hassle-free round-trip transportation from Tamarindo

What's Included

Flash Light
Bottled water
Snacks

Gratuity
Long sleeve top and trousers, must be dark clothing as not to distract the turtles
Comfortable shoes for walking
Mosquito Repellent

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.5:00 pm

Itinerary

Playa Mina

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible

Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Oksana_T

Reviews

4.6

based on 142 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Saw 5 Mamma Turtles! Incredible!!!

Spencer_N, Mar 2026

Mamma turtles are my most favourite animal. It was amazing. Our tour guide Louis, was knowledgeable, he picked us up in tamarindo with his pick up truck and drove us to a secluded turtle beach where he knew the mamma turtles would be nesting that night. We saw a total of 5 big turtles! Some made a nest and some went up the beach and turned around. We got to see it all! Louis had special binoculars that noah other tour guide had so he could see the turtles quicker than any other group.

Sea turtle tour with Luis

Shannon_F, Mar 2026

Luis meets up with you and drives you to the beaches where the sea turtles go to nest. He is so incredibly knowledgeable and spends the 40 minute car ride to the beach telling you all about the turtles and their nesting habits. Using a special red light, Luis looked around spots that he knows the turtles visit and when he saw one he let us get as close as was safe to view them. We saw multiple female turtles coming up into the beach to look for a spot to nest. We also got to see a freshly hatched baby make his way to the ocean for the first time. It was an incredibly special experience and I can't recommend it enough.

Fascinating look at sea...

Robin_C, Feb 2026

Fascinating look at sea turtles and their remarkable life cycle. We saw several nests and experienced one releasing hundreds of eggs and then covering them with sand.

Amazing experience

Larry_W, Jan 2026

Our guide Luis was able to find three female turtles at various stages of building nests and depositing eggs. He taught us all about the process and then took us through the process. Luis emphasized the importance of respecting the turtles.

The turtle whisperer

Elizabeth_T, Jan 2026

Luis was a fantastic guide. I now call him the turtle whisperer. He took us to a beach that was remote because it required travel on a very rough road. He looked for turtles after dark and explained the turtle nesting process. Even after we saw one turtle he kept looking for others. It was a remarkable experience to see him find turtles in the different stages of nesting. We learned a lot and felt a lot of compassion for the difficult task of female turtles to safely lay their eggs. His respect and knowledge for nature was evident in the whole tour. It was a remarkable and unforgetable experience!

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thanks so much for your amazing review, It was my pleasure to be able to show the turtles and to share information with you. I enjoyed your company very much. I hooe you ll return soon! Blessings! Luis

Luis is brilliant and...

Heather_W, Jan 2026

Great tour and unique experience

Oksana_T, Jan 2026

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thanks so much for your nice review, it was great to spend with you.it was a real pleasure to be able to show the turtles. I hope you ll be back again. Blessings ! Luis

Amazing experience

Richard_D, Dec 2025

First of all Luis was super communicative and prompt. We learned a lot about turtles on our short and very comfortable trip to the secluded beach. Mostly in a vehicle then a short walk. When we got to the beach we saw the end of the sunset, then as the moonlight illuminated the area we saw at least 6 large turtles come on shore and nest. And, for the grand finale were able to observe very close up the whole egg laying process. AMAZING! This was a highlight of our trip, and Luis was really great from pick up to drop off. Would absolutely recommend for anyone looking for something amazing and real!

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Wow!thanks so much for your wonderful review, i am so greatful to have clients like you! Great to know that you had a great time. And i also enjoyed your company very much Best wishes! BLESSINGS! Luis

Although we saw no...

Hailey_C, Oct 2025

Although we saw no turtles, it does not affect the 3-star rating of this review. Luis was very informative, nice, and helpful during our experience; however, I have never been more terrified in my life. This experience required getting in the car with a stranger and nobody else, driving through the worst roads we’ve ever experienced in the middle of nowhere, without service, and walking along a dark beach on high alert for both turtles and aggressors. I have never experienced more signs of a possible kidnapping. It was terrifying, but it ended up completely fine. We were given guidance to do this during peak season (January-April). Regardless, you should expect the bumpiest car ride of your life, but you will be perfectly safe and Luis is a good guide.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Hello, for those of you reading this i let yiu know Hailey is from Washington DC, so i understand her fears of kidnapping, bad roads dark beaches etc.but if you like adventures i guarantee you will have a great time, and its totally safe unlike Washington DC. no bad people here. Trust me i have done this tour for over 14 years, totally safe,i di the driving so dint wirry about the bad road is only 15 min abd keeps people away from turtles sobthey can nest safely. Hope to see you this can be the mosr amazing experience in Costa Rica. Dont miss this! Luis

Once in-a-lifetime turtle experience!!!

Katie_L, Sep 2025

We booked this tour at the last minute and in the off-season, fully expecting we might not see anything and that would be perfectly fine. Well, it turned into one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. Luis took us to a beautiful, secluded beach where the sunset alone was worth the trip — the sky was bursting with oranges and pinks. I even got to see & hold sea urchins and a had a little starfish that wrap around my finger. Luis shared fascinating facts about turtles and explained how so many conditions have to align for nesting to occur, and it is not always likely! Nature is unpredictable and the stars must truly align. Just as he said that it was unlikely and he finished telling us about these magnificent creatures…a turtle ACTUALLY emerged from the ocean right in front of us! It was like a movie! We quietly watched as she slowly crawled up the beach and laid more than 50 eggs; something I never imagined I’d witness. Not to be graphic, but we saw the amniotic fluid start to flow out and then the eggs! Again, the sunset alone is worth the trip! Even without turtles, this tour would have been amazing, but with Luis’s passion and knowledge plus the miracle we saw, it was absolutely a memorable & unexpected moment.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

WOW Katie,!!! Tthanks so much for your amazing and fascinating review, ons if the very best ever. Thanks for being there that night it was really magical. Hooe you ll come back again. Blessings!

Luis all the way!

Kristen_C, Jul 2025

We feel so fortunate to have had Luis as our guide. He shared so much sea turtle knowledge with us as well as other useful and interesting information about Costa Rica. If you can nab him for a private tour, I highly recommended! If you can’t, you won’t be disappointed in his group outings either! Our 8-yr-old son ranked Luis as his favorite thing about Costa Rica and man, was he up against some stiff competition: beaches, pool, horses, monkeys, lizards. Thank you, Luis! We will be back!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thanks so much for your super nice review. I really enjoyed your family company .i am looking forward taking you on more adventures when you reutrn. Blessings to all ,! Luis

MIssed the turtles...

Tammy_M, Jul 2025

We really liked our guide Luis. He had a lot information to share about turtles. Unfortunately, we did not see any turtles but we understand that nature is not guaranteed to happen.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

I am so sorry that turtles didnt show up at the time we were there, we do our best to make sure you have a good time, but nature has its. way and sometimes that does not happens . We offer you a free trip back anytime, anyday you want, i hope you ll come back and we can see turtles then. Thanks for your understanding. Blessings!

Amazing Turtle Hatching Tour

Nathan_A, Jun 2025

This was such a great tour! Recommend going with Luis. We got private transportation from our hotel, Luis showed us a green background filled with nature, and then showed us a private beach where turtles nest. Luis shared so much knowledge about the turtle and we saw so much wildlife in addition. We then saw a just hatched baby turtle wake up and crawl into the ocean! What a beautiful experience, well worth it

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thanks so much for your wonderful review, we try our best to our job abd make our clients happy. Come back again. Blessings! Blessings

Amazing!!!

Barbara_B, Jun 2025

Amazing time!! Got to see baby turtles make their way to the ocean. Once in a lifetime experience. Our guide was knowledgeable, and taught us so much..

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Thanks you Barbara for your nice review, we try our best to make our clients happy. Blessings!

It was raining and our...

Christopher_T, May 2025

It was raining and our guide waited patiently for it stop . We walked to the beach at night and our guide showed us turtle nesting areas and some eggs that were empty .,we waited for a bit to see if the turtles would beach but unfortunately they didn’t come . We traveled to another beach but no luck . That is nature for you it’s on their time ! Our guide was informative.

Response from Host, May 2025

Hello Christopher, we cannot control nature, i am sorry turtles didn't show up while we were there. We saw them the following day! I ll would love to take you again for free! Let me know if you come again to costa rica. Blessings to all!

You can't predict nature!

Sue_C, Mar 2025

Luis was friendly and informative He collected me on time and we headed to the beach in time for the sunset, we walked the length of the beach and saw many empty nests, lots of crabs and some broken egg shells but we waited and out of the water the turtle came I think she was unhappy with her chosen location or maybe intimidated by the groups present as she turned around and went back to the sea I needed to get back but others stayed and saw more, but my mission was accomplished so I was happy to set off when I did

We got to see three sea...

Colette_G, Feb 2025

We got to see three sea turtles returning to the sea after scoping out the area for potential nesting spots.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thanks for your review, It was really enjoyable to show you the turtles. Hope you ll come back again. Blessings

Driving Issue

Megan_G, Jan 2025

We were a little disappointed in our experience on this trip. We were greeted by our guide who was very nice, but then informed us that his van had broken down and that another family had to volunteer to drive the rest of us. It made for an awkward drive and it wasn’t fair for the other family to have to drive the 45 minutes to get there. When we arrived at the beach, it was an easy walk getting to where we were going and a great sunset. The guide gave us lots of great info about the turtles, but unfortunately there were none that came to this beach while we were there. So, he took us to another beach that was a somewhat difficult hike for our younger kids. They did find a turtle nesting so we had to wait about a half an hour until the turtle was done so we could go see it. Watching the turtle was amazing! We would have loved to see more, but unfortunately it wasn’t our night. The highlight for one of my children was the bioluminescent plankton on the beach.

Sad… No Turtles :(

Beth_L, Jul 2024

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.

Fun but disappointing

Ben_B, May 2024

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.

Unforgettable tour

Laetitia_G, Apr 2024

Had the best time ! We drove there and saw a beautiful sunset. Then we waited and the magic happened, we saw 3 turtles !

The BEST guide

Baptiste_M, Apr 2024

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!

A Must-Do Turtle Tour with an Unique Guide

Wanjing_Y, Apr 2024

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!

Such a special evening

Laurie_D, Mar 2024

It was so cool to see dozens of baby turtles head to the ocean and one mama. Luis, our guide, was quite the character and made sure we saw as many as possible. He was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. It was nice to have snacks with vegan options and water. On the downside, the road to get there is a little rough so those with car sickness may want to reconsider.

See turtles in Costa Rica

robert_g, Feb 2024

We had a great guide in Luiz who explained a lot about all turtle species in CR and found a hatching nest. Later on we watched three moms come on shore to investigate nesting sites. Highly recommend this tour and our guide.

After viewing an amazing...

DeAnne_M, Feb 2024

After viewing an amazing sunset and watching baby turtles come out of the nest and make their way to the water, a few minutes later saw a female turtle come up on the beach and dig her nest! Our guide Luis new the best spot to go and timed it so we saw all of this before the crowds arrived. Could not have had a better experience

Good tour. Recommended.

Mahesh_H, Jan 2024

Good tour. We got lucky and saw baby turtles hatching and heading into the ocean, and we saw one mother turtle as well. The guide was knowledgeable and answered all our questions, but could have been more proactive in helping us learn more about the turtles.

Terrible Tour

Francisco_O, Nov 2023

Tour description shows that we will be picked up. Tour guide had a pick up truck and had 2 other customers in his truck. The road on the way to the beach was horrific. Thank goodness I had a rental SUV that was a 4x4. But did bottom out which caused damage to the rental car. We was able to see turtles but with 3 or 4 other tour groups. Thankfully the other tour guide was talking to his group about the turtles that we overheard. If it wasn’t for that guide we would’ve never learned anything. Don’t recommend

Worth it!

Anabel_G, Sep 2023

It was an adventure! Our guide was patient and knowledgeable. We got to see a turtle and it was a beautiful thing.

A Great Experience - thanks to the people we met.

Kenny_B, Apr 2023

We had a very kind, older "guide." He walked us to a beautiful beach where we found some baby turtles - very cute. Then, he suggested we stay at our of the beach and keep exploring while he went his own way. Eventually, we met up with another group led by two guides who were MUCH more engaging and informative. They were digging tutles out of the sand, explaining why and how they were doing it, how important presevrvation is, etc...they were REALLY dynamic. We (and our guide) stayed with them for the remainder of our visit. He seemed to rely on them for guidance and information. Eventually, we walked back to the truck, which is when he offered snacks and water. A nice man, but not nearly as engaging and informative as the other groups (I don't know where they were from). Also: when he sent me a message about where to meet him, he reminded me to bring tip money, which always rubs me the wrong way.