Playa Minas: Sea Turtle Watching Tour

3.5517242 out of 5 stars
3.6
3.5517242 out of 5 stars
29 reviews
Activity provider:Side by Side ATV Tours & WILD LIFE
Playa Minas: Sea Turtle Watching Tour
3.5517242 out of 5 stars
3.6
3.5517242 out of 5 stars
29 reviews

Visit the beautiful Playa Nombre de Jesus to see the nesting site of the black turtles, and if you are lucky, the leatherback turtles.

About this activity

Free cancellation
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Duration 4 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English, Spanish
Pickup included
Driver will wait no longer then 5 minutes. Tourist van, driver and 1 or 2 trained bilingual guides in uniform will pick you up.
Small group
Limited to 10 participants

Select participants and date

Highlights

  • Marvel at the peaceful secluded beach under the stars
  • Witness the annual turtle nesting
  • See the region's black turtles and perhaps the rare leatherback turtles

Full description

You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to Playa Minas or a nearby beach that is home to nesting turtles. Playa Minas constitutes one of Costa Rica's most important nesting sites. Between October and April , large numbers of turtles migrate to this region. It remains one of the last untouched beaches in the world, giving it a remote paradise feel.

There will be a 700-meter hike in the dark with infrared flashlights provided by your tour guide. Once arriving at the beach, the guide will educate the group on how to respectfully navigate the area.

You will see the black turtles, and if you are lucky, the rare leatherback turtles. The leatherback sea turtle is the largest sea turtle in the world, weighing over 1,200 pounds and averaging almost 8 feet in length.

Includes

  • Bilingual tour guides
  • Transportation
  • Infrared flashlight
  • Food and gratuities

Not suitable for

  • Pregnant women
  • People with mobility impairments

Important information

What to bring

  • Passport or ID card
  • Insect repellent
  • Closed-toe shoes

Know before you go

  • * NO flashlight pictures

Customer reviews

Overall rating

3.6 /5

based on 29 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    3/5
  • Transportation
    3.9/5
  • Value for money
    3.8/5
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L
Larissa – GermanyJanuary 17, 2025 – Verified booking
It was great. We saw a turtle spawning. Very impressive. I can definitely recommend this tour.
D
Didier – SwitzerlandJanuary 1, 2025 – Verified booking
Bad organization which indicates a visit by small group but in the end it is an industry, and personally I am not sure that the fauna is respected
G
GetYourGuide traveler – GermanyNovember 21, 2024 – Verified booking
Unfortunately not recommended. Everything went well on the way there but as soon as we got to the first section of beach we had to move on because the tide was too high. As there was only one driver left, the group of around 18 people was split up and three fords were supposed to set off. We were in the first group. After a 15 minute drive we arrived in the middle of nowhere and were told we had to wait for everyone else. After waiting for another 20 minutes we were told that the others had gone to a different section of the beach because there were turtles there but they didn't want to pick us up. We then went looking on our section. About an hour later the guide hadn't found any turtles. We decided to abort and go back but were told that we would have to walk because the driver wouldn't come back down the route. So we walked for another 30 minutes in complete darkness up a steep, broken road.

Product ID: 391820

Activity provider:Side by Side ATV Tours & WILD LIFE

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