Turtle Watching Night Tours with Expert Naturalist
Badge of Excellence
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
- 3 to 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get up close to turtles in this intimate, nighttime experience at Las Baulas Marine National Park. Starting before the sunsets, meet up with your guide and learn about the 3-species found in this particular location. As night rolls in, quietly watch turtles in their natural habitat. If you’re lucky, you may see some laying eggs, or even some hatchlings.
Perfect for nature-lovers, and those wanting to see local conservation schemes in action.
- See turtles in their natural habitat
- Meet like-minded travellers in a capped tour group
- Stress-free pick-up and drop-off from select locations
- A memorable way to spend an evening
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Bottled water
- Flashlights
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours
- 01/11/2023 - 05/22/2027
Monday - Sunday : 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Itinerary
1
Las Baulas National Marine Park
3 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Lori_M
Oh my god luck was on our side with help from our amazing guide Christian. We started at one beach where there was nothing then headed to the second beach. We saw two mamas come in then go back out when they didn’t like their spot. Then we saw a group of baby turtles!!! Come up from their nest and race down into the water. Christian was great, super knowledgeable and patient, making sure we had a great experience :)
Reviews
4.6
based on 203 reviews
Colleen_I, Apr 2026
I would give the Turtle Watching experience three stars. The reason is this: my husband and I had trouble with this trip because he has low vision, and I have mild mobility problems. Neither of us was comfortable navigating the trail to and from the beach in the dark. The turtle viewing itself was amazing, and our guides were fantastic, making sure we got there and back safely. One of our friends got separated from the group, and the guides took steps to find him and make sure he was safe.
My recommendation is as follows. The write up about this trip mentions that it is not suitable for those with heart or back problems. The write up should also make it clear that the tour includes a 12 to 20-minute walk to the beach in the dark using flashlights. If guests are not comfortable with that aspect, then maybe the Turtle tour is not for them.
Sincerely,
Colleen Isherwood
(416) 844-1519
Denise_S, Mar 2026
Amazing! We saw a female turtle lay her eggs and we also saw baby turtles in their race to the water! Our guide Anthony was very informative, you can tell how much he cares about these turtles and he was very professional in making sure the turtles were not disturbed by us. It was a great tour.
Jennifer_A, Mar 2026
Tour was awesome, we saw baby and large turtles, but sadly the guide was not very pleasant. Still worthwhile
David_T, Mar 2026
It’s a little hard to walk on the sand but totally worth it for the experience. Amazing time! My wife and I both went. The stars in the sky while we were watching the Turtles was amazing.
John_M, Feb 2026
Moses truly loves what he does and is all about what is best for the turtles NOT the tour- that is phenomenal as turtles are sensitive to shadow and humans can impact their egg laying. Only 1 in 1000 turtles make it so if we disturb them they will not exist to even see! We had a remarkable experience at Pirate Brach seeing 6 green turtles come in from the ocean, make it into the trees and try and find a safe acceptable spot to lay her eggs. None of those turtles chose to stay ( 1 was due to a group of human shadows causing her to turn around (,she thinks that is a blocked path). But 1 turtle was already back in the trees digging ( it takes several hours) and wow what a sight!!! Then right when I thought we were leaving another group found 2 baby turtles trying to make it to the ocean! They are SO tiny you will freak you make accidentally step on one you can’t see… successfully saw the 2 finally make it to water … be prepared for lots of patiently waiting and amazing stars!!!
Run_L, Feb 2026
We saw four mother turtles during our tour, but unfortunately, none of them managed to lay their eggs. It was clear that the presence of the tours was badly disturbing the turtles, which is incredibly concerning for an endangered species. To make matters worse, our guide was aggressive and rude. If you care about animal welfare, please stay away from this tour.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Your conclusion that our presence “badly disturbed” the turtles is not supported by how sea turtle nesting actually works.
Sea turtles are wild animals. They will only lay eggs if environmental conditions are absolutely right — sand consistency, temperature, tide level, light, and their own biological readiness. If any factor is not ideal, they return to the ocean. This is completely natural and happens regularly, even on beaches with zero human presence.
We are a strictly observation-only tour.
No one touches the turtles.
No one interacts with them.
No flash photography is allowed.
No interference of any kind takes place.
We cannot — and would never — force a turtle to nest. If she lays, guests witness it. If she does not, that is nature. Wildlife does not perform on demand.
Blaming a controlled, regulated viewing group for four turtles choosing not to nest ignores well-documented nesting behavior. Unsuccessful nesting attempts are common in the wild.
As for the accusation of aggression, this is inconsistent with the overwhelming majority of feedback we receive describing our guides as professional, respectful, and knowledgeable. If you did attend our tour, please provide the date and guide’s name so we can properly review your claim. Without specific details, it is difficult to take such a serious allegation at face value.
Caring about wildlife also means understanding how it actually behaves — not drawing conclusions based solely on disappointment.
Our priority remains the protection of the turtles. Always.
Ingibjorg_J, Feb 2026
Great experience ! We managed to see a turtle, appear from the ocean, pick her spot, dig a hole, lay her eggs and cover it. Incredible sight. On the way back we saw baby turtles make their way from nest to the ocean and watched them till they managed. Moses the guide was great, respectful of the turtles and the delicate environment but also made sure everyone got a good look of all the process. Thank you !
Chelsie_H, Jan 2026
Literally one of the BEST experiences of my life! You have to go into it with an open mind, this is nature, they cannot command the animals to appear and perform for you. However, they do an amazing job of tackling the entire beach to find you a turtle nesting or baby turtles throughout the entire time! This tour fulfilled my dream of seeing baby turtles making their way to the ocean. Again, this is not a guarantee but they truly make the odds of seeing this so much higher! Our guide was Moses and he was the most knowledgeable and truly caring guide, the entire ride he told so much information about turtles and he truly puts the turtles well-being over the tour which I personally respect! If we ever come back we would book with this team again!
Janel_N, Jan 2026
Amazing adventure on the beach learning about leatherback sea turtles and their nesting habits. Saw a mama and 3 hatched babies as well, very unexpected!
Sydney_W, Dec 2025
Really amazing to be able to watch an animal so majestic laying eggs. We got to watch a turtle for a while and got to see her lay.
Bring bug spray & Turn your flash off! Our guide says this happens every night/every tour that someone disrupts the animals. Maybe they should only do the tours once every few days or something to give the animals space and limit the disruptions. I enjoyed how they gave each group time to watch her and we weren’t allowed to crowd around her unless otherwise told.
Carmen_Y, Dec 2025
Be patient and flexible and you won’t be disappointed! We arrived at one location, walked down to the beach, got word another guide had spotted a turtle, so we walked back to the bus, quickly drove to other beach, and waited. Within minutes we saw two turtles emerge from the water! We walked further down the beach where we had the luck of witnessing the full nesting cycle! A green sea turtle digging out her hole, laying eggs, and burying them! We turns around to see yet another emerge from the water and start her trek ashore. On the walk back we saw another, starting to dig, another laying eggs, and more tracks!! Chris and his wife were excellent tour guides!
Jean_B, Dec 2025
Our guide, Christian, told us to see turtles, we would have to be patient, as these are not staged events. After arriving at the beach, we waited a short while before another guide informed Christian that there was a turtle on the beach. She was returning to the ocean, without laying eggs. Just SEEING her was impressive with her struggle to "walk" back to the ocean. A short while later, we walked to another part of the beach and were rewarded with seeing another turtle returning to the ocean, also without giving birth. Then we waited quite a while, while Christian explored other parts of the beach and communicated with other guides. No luck. We were driving away, however, when Christian got a call and he asked us if we wanted to see more turtles. YES was the reply. Christian drove us to another beach where we were lucky enough to see a Green AND a Ridley giving birth!! It was a beautiful night. Yes, it was long night but thanks to Christian and the patience of our fellow group members and willingness to stay longer we hit the jackpot!. (2 in our group apparently left early, upset after 'only' seeing the 2 turtles returning to the ocean- and they lost out)
Filippa_S, Nov 2025
Good experience overall but our group joined with 2 other groups and there was a little bit of selfish behaviour from a guest. Out guide was ok but listening in to one of the other guides was more informative. . We had to walk in the water so bring shoes that you don’t mind getting wet.
Gina_D, May 2025
No response from tour guide asking for information plus last minute cancellation while waiting in the lobby.
Response from Host, May 2025
you were cancelled because of bad weather
you got called 3 hours previous to the tour and was notified about the refund next time please check your email
you went to the lobby beacuse you didnt check your email
i think that weather is something we cant control and you got an notification to your email 3 hours previous.....your comment makes no sense
it sounds more like, we got cancelled because of bad weather and we didnt check our email so we showed up to the lobby and thats when we checked out email so im complaining about me not being attentive to email notifications
Emily_W, May 2025
What an amazing tour! Our guide was awesome and it was nice to be with a manageable sized group to ensure we could see the turtles laying eggs without disrupting the process
Erik_T, Apr 2025
We loved the tortuga tour with Cristian and Antonio. They were excellent guides and very knowledgeable!
Lori_M, Mar 2025
Oh my god luck was on our side with help from our amazing guide Christian. We started at one beach where there was nothing then headed to the second beach. We saw two mamas come in then go back out when they didn’t like their spot. Then we saw a group of baby turtles!!! Come up from their nest and race down into the water. Christian was great, super knowledgeable and patient, making sure we had a great experience :)
Gary_S, Mar 2025
What a great experience. Our Guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the safety of the mama turtles laying their eggs. We got to see exactly that and we’re lucky enough to see a turtle walk back into the sea after trying to find a spot. Recommended!!
Lauren_M, Mar 2025
This was a fantastic experience that I recommend to animal enthusiasts and nature lovers. Moses was an informative guide about the mating, nesting, and survival of the turtles. We saw 2 females and 2 babies. What I appreciated most is that our group had 4 people. There were other groups on the beach that had up to 16. Our smaller group allowed us to move more quickly and quietly to view the turtles. The company prioritizes the well being of the turtles since a large group can disrupt the nesting. That was an important feature for me. The only downside was the larger tour groups who were noisy, not giving the turtle ample space, and using phone light which the turtles are sensitive to. If you are not comfortable walking on a beach in the dark with uneven terrain, this is not the tour for you. There is a hike to and from the beach and flashlights are provided for the return. If you are not physically able to walk in the dark on a rocky trail with limited light, skip this. Otherwise I would highly recommend and would go again.
Jennalyn_S, Feb 2025
Super cool to see wildlife in such a natural and peaceful setting! Recommend to anyone who wants to see some turtles!!
Yael_P, Feb 2025
Wow! Juan Carlos is absolutely a phenomenal guide. Super knowledgeable and very passionate about the wellbeing of the turtles and the group. My kids were giving me a hard time when they heard we were going on this tour, but by the time they saw the turtle laying eggs and the little ones making their way to the water - their jaw nearly hit the floor with amazement. This is a once in a lifetime experience and a memory that will last a very long time.
Joe_C, Feb 2025
Our guide, Moses, put us right on a mama green turtle laying eggs. He was very insistent on not disturbing her and we only came up when she started laying. We stayed long enough to see her covering the eggs up as well. Great outing. Such beautiful animals!
Shannon_K, Feb 2025
I loved this tour. Christian is so knowledgeable and a great guide. This was a wonderful experience!
John_R, Jan 2025
Very rough road going out and back, more like 1 hour each way. Trail down to beach very rugged and dangerous at night. Never told in ad that wait to see turtle could be up to 2 hours with no where to sit. Guide didn't really keep the whole group up to date on what was going on. Finally after 2 hours 1 turtle came out and spent 30 minutes digging hole. Whole excursion lasted over 5 hours, didn't get back to hotel until well after 11pm. Not recommended for seniors unless in very good shape.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
hi hi hi John
we appreciate your review and bussiness but please dont lie. we have 4 emails in where we talk about the trail terrain, conditions, length, duration, i reached out first since you listed all members as seniors, i explained the situation well, i offered a full refund of your tickets, but you still wanted to assist on the tour. the guide, before you got on advised for your group to not go as none looked fit for the experience and still offered the refund, you insisted on participating on the tour...we assisted you as much possible during the walk. the fact that we get to the beach and a turtle is not waiting for you is part of nature we cant control how fast the activity will take place, we are bringing you to the right place,right time of the year, right time of the night, right season, but cannot control how fast you will see the turtles. your group got to only see 1 turtle dig, but the other part of the group who actually was engaged on the tour and the information provided by the guide got to see 2 turtles with complety nesting process....and thats not ALL!!!!!! the other turtle we got to see and you guys didnt was the amazing leatherback, the most endanged sea turtle in the entire world.....it was a privilage for the other 4 members of the group....they were sooooo happy that they were not peer pressured to leave withing the first hour because you guys wanted to convince everyone from returning to the hotel...they mentioned it as the high light of their vacations and best decision they every took of not leaving early because you guys didnt want to wait at all. there is a review previous to yours left by the the other couple on the tour who came to celebrate the anniversary and they left a very very different review.....they recommend it and say that patience was paid by being able to see such a amazing turtle like the leatherback........it would have been faster but we took out time observing and appreciating the leatherback thats why we took so long, one of our tourist even started to cry from how special of a night....
KerryAnderson, Jan 2025
We saw one turtle that couldn't find an acceptable nesting area to lay her eggs so sh went back in the water. There were 5 groups there. ,3 left then but our guide Fabian asked if we'd like to stay. We did and had an incredible experience as we found a turtle making a nest and then we saw as she laid 20+ eggs right there as we were 5 feet away watching this incredible site. Highlight of my trip.
Malti_S, Jan 2025
The experience started off not so well, as the company forgot to pick up my son and myself, but the owner was extremely apologetic and offered to take us on a tour the next day but we were flying out. He sent his colleague Moses - who was amazing, he was able to get us to the beach in time to see a turtle nesting and laying eggs and another turtle had just arrived on the beach to start the nesting process. Not everyone is as lucky as sometimes you have to wait for the turtles to arrive and decide if its a spot they want to nest at.
laura_m, Jan 2025
My daughter and I did not know what to expect from this experience, but it far exceeded what we were expecting. The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and it was such an amazing experience and we really lucked out because we got to see two turtles and one was actively laying eggs. I would highly recommend this to anyone with interest.
Fadi_A, Jan 2025
Way over capacity. Per tour description, this tour has maximum of 15. On our tour, I counted 24! This can lead to 2 drawbacks: limited viewing time per person and uncomfortable ride to park. The guide, Juan Carlos, was very professional and knowledgeable. He made it more tolerable.
Amanda_D, Dec 2024
The road is wicked. If you have motion sickness beware. But the staff was AMAZING. Could not say enough about how wonderful they were. We did see nesting turtles which was a huge highlight of our trip.
Andrea_P, Dec 2024
Cool experience, we were lucky to get to see 2 turtles nesting, bring proper shoes for comfort though
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