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Turtle Nesting Tour: An Unforgettable Experience on Hidden Beaches
4.6
142 Ratings
Tamarindo
Spend a truly unforgettable evening observing turtles nesting!
- Venture off the beaten track to beautiful, hidden beaches
- Look for turtle tracks in the sand that will lead you to their nesting sites
- Observe sea turtles making their nests on the beach above the high tide mark and laying their eggs, before returning to the ocean
Spend a truly unforgettable evening observing turtles nesting!
- Venture off the beaten track to beautiful, hidden beaches
- Look for turtle tracks in the sand that will lead you to their nesting sites
- Observe sea turtles making their nests on the beach above the high tide mark and laying their eggs, before returning to the ocean
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Playa Mina - We’ll pick you up from your location in Tamarindo before driving approximately 17 miles / 25km or 40 minutes through scenic tracks to a hidden beach, close to the beautiful Playa Minas. Once parked, the turtle nesting beach is only accessible via a 10-15 minute walk. As the beach is inaccessible by car it remains dark and undisturbed…
- Playa Mina - We’ll pick you up from your location in Tamarindo before driving approximately 17 miles / 25km or 40 minutes through scenic tracks to a hidden beach, close to the beautiful Playa Minas. Once parked, the turtle nesting beach is only accessible via a 10-15 minute walk. As the beach is inaccessible by car it remains dark and undisturbed for nesting sea turtles. This is why they choose to nest on this beach.
On reaching the beach we’ll walk looking for turtle tracks, which will lead us to where the turtles are making their nests. We’ll then sit facing the back of the turtle. observe them deposit their eggs and return to the water; a truly unforgettable experience!
It is possible to see more than one kind of turtle; including the green, black, olive ridley and if we’re lucky the leatherbacks too.
We respect the turtles at all times by closely following rules laid out by the government conservation authorities so as not to be noticed by the turtles while observing them very closely.
We’ll spend approximately an hour on the beach before returning to drop you off at your location in Tamarindo.
Minimum 2 bookings are needed for the tour to operate.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Flashlight
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Flashlight
What's Not Included
- Gratuity
- Long sleeve top and trousers, must be dark clothing as not to distract the turtles
- Comfortable shoes for walking
- Mosquito Repellent
- Gratuity
- Long sleeve top and trousers, must be dark clothing as not to distract the turtles
- Comfortable shoes for walking
- Mosquito Repellent
Location
Pangas Beach Club
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(142 Ratings)
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Spencer_n
Mar 21, 2026
Saw 5 Mamma Turtles! Incredible!!! - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Spencern584
Mar 15, 2026
Saw 5 turtles with our awesome guide! - The guide was sooo nice! Very knowledgeable. He picks you up in his truck from where is convenient to you. His Communication on WhatsApp was quick. He took us to a turtle beach about 30 minutes away from tamarindo. We got to see about 5 big turtles making their nests in the sand! He has special binoculars so he can spot them right away. He also dropped us off right at an ice cream place in tamarindo hahah. It was fantastic! There is a bit of hike. 10 minutes but not hard at all. Felt safe. About 2 hours total.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scottdh4442wr
Mar 13, 2026
Amazing Experience - What an amazing experience! Saw 4 large turtles and dozens of little babies scurrying along the beach into the ocean!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
189siobhanm
Mar 3, 2026
Baby green turtle hatchlings and mamas coming to nest - This was an absolute highlight of my time in Costa Rica. As everyone says Luis is an absolute legend. Not only did he take us to the exact spot on a pretty much secluded beach where several turtles came right to, he taught us so much about green turtles and their mating and nesting behaviour. It was a wonderful night with a beautiful sunset, an almost full moon and beautiful stars on its own but then just at sunset was when the magic happened. We spotted a turtle swimming towards the shore and then a guide from another group spotted some hatchlings. We saw at least four hatchlings in total and then when it got dark several female green turtles came to shore. Most turned around to return to the sea which Luis will explain all about but one started to dig and test the sand. It was incredible to see them so close! I highly recommend this tour for Luis' knowledge and because it's a small group going to a beach only few guides go to.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shannon_f
Mar 2, 2026
Sea turtle tour with Luis - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Eflo34
Mar 2, 2026
Turtle Hatching - Our guide Luis was great. He was very knowledgeable. We got to see baby turtles! We got to see a few turtles make their way up the beach but didn’t lay any eggs. Overall was still an amazing experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
531moiram
Feb 26, 2026
Magical experience watching turtles nest - We waited 1.5-2 hours before any turtles appeared, but once they did, it was magical. We were able to watch multiple turtles coming up and leaving the beach and two nesting next to each other. Luis is extremely knowledgeable and was kind to our young children.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yanishew
Feb 25, 2026
Fabulous evening with turtles - We watched baby turtles being released before sunset. Then after dark we witnessed two mother turtles come inshore to lay their eggs. Our guide Luis was extremely knowledgeable. What a fantastic tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gillefond
Feb 20, 2026
Saw lots of mama turtles! - About a 30 min drive from the meeting spot. Then a 15 min hike in the dark through the woods (you can hear monkeys!) to the beach. Once there we turned off our lights and our guide Luis found multiple large green sea turtle mamas nesting or returning to the sea.
There is a LOT of walking and some members of our larger group had trouble keeping up.
The tour felt very respectful of the animals. No bright lights or getting too close to them.
Also you can wear shorts and t shirts, rec hiking shoes or sneakers. Clothes need to be dark colored.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janeta1188
Feb 19, 2026
Great Educational Experience - Great educational experience. This tour helps to conserve the endangered green turtles of Costa Rica.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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