It was an unique experience,Leonardo was great Explaining every step that turtle did. He did great explaining in both languages ;Spanish and English.

From July to October, varies species of sea turtles nesting at night in the Tortuguero island. It is highly advised to attend one of the tours organized in the Tortuguero Village. As each tour operator has a maximum capacity of 10 people, you may want to secure a spot earlier in high season. We attend the tour in the low season of October, as there are less guests, only one tour at 9pm is offered. We were told that during high season, two tours (one at 8pm-10pm, the other at 10pm-12pm) are offered, though the later tour usually has better chance to see turtle nesting. The tour operator will lead the group to a gathering point, where they will wait for signals to identity where the turtle nesting took place. Special ecologists are hired by the tour operators to identity turtle nesting event. Only after the sea turtle start to lay eggs, the tour group is called to witness the Turtle Nesting at dark. The reason is that if the tour group is called upon earlier, the sea turtle is scared and can return back to the ocean. But once the sea turtle starts to lay eggs, it will commit to continue the whole egg laying process, even it is aware that people are watching nearby. Usually, a special red flash light is used to avoid disturb the sea turtle as much as possible. Because the egg laying process is only about 30-60 minutes long, once the sea turtle nesting event is identified, the tour group will need to walk quickly to the nesting side. This can be a long quick walk in the dark, and may not be suited for elder people. Once at the egg laying site, you will witness the laying of the egg, and the later cover up of the egg laying site by the sea turtles. Usually, multiple tour groups (so full of people) will be around, to take turn to witness the sea turtle nesting event. Once the sea turtle starts to camouflage the egg laying site, the tour group is usually asked to leave so to leave the sea turtle alone. The baby turtles will hatch in about 2 months after the nesting. So in September and October, it is possible to witness the birth of the baby turtle and it is heading towards the ocean. The best time to watch this is either before dawn (say 4am) or after dusk (6pm?). We didn’t get a chance to see baby sea turtle rushing towards the ocean, though we are able to see plenty of sea turtle nesting sites (evidenced by sea turtle egg shells left by the baby sea turtle), and tracks of both the mother turtle come shore for nesting, and the multiple tracks of baby turtles rushing to the ocean.

This was a wonderful experience and you can tell Leonardo really cares about the turtles and their conservation. We also saw some other wildlife and learned so much about Tortuguero before, during, and after viewing the turtle on the beach. Things to note: this experience requires patience and you must be prepared to move quickly and be willing to walk a significant distance to see a nesting turtle. Our legs were tired by the end of the experience but it was absolutely worth it. Also, don’t forget to bring cold water and insect repellent.

Lonely planet recommends Leonardo as a tour guide but after our experience he doesn’t deserve it (anymore?). Unfortunately we would ‘recommend’ him for spanish speaking people only. We were a group of english and spanish speaking people, but unfortunately 4/5 of explanations were only in spanish. He even went so far to do jokes about us ‘Gringos’, jokes we could not understand obviously. Seeing the turtles was definitely interesting and worth it, but for what we did you can book other companies. There was a clear lack of respect and professionalism.

Amazing night tour Turtle Nesting. exceeds your expectations of an unique experience. Guide makes sure that you respect turtles and nature.

From what I can gather, pretty much ALL tours involve a maximum of 1 turtle. There are government spotters on the beach who allocate various groups to a turtle with a view to minimise the impact on the turtle nesting in general. I.e. so hundreds of turtles aren't scared away by hordes of tourists. You are NOT guaranteed to see a turtle! This tour is run by Leonardo. He was enthusiastic, informative and fun. We were lucky enough to see a turtle laying eggs and covering them over. As well as a boa constrictor and other wildlife on the way through the jungle to the beach. It was an adventurous and fun couple of hours.

Leonardo was an amazing leader: funny, knowledgeable, full of energy. We got to the site while a turtle was laying and then covering her eggs, and he was as excited as we were! I’d give him ten stars if i could.

Fantastic wildlife spotting with Leonardo and Abel! We did 3 tours with them - Night walk, then Turtle Beach tour, plus nature walk the following day. So special to see a turtle laying her eggs, plus 3 species of monkeys, sloths, snakes, frogs, iguanas, agouti, river otters, a caiman and lots of birds! Definitely recommend getting an experienced guide if you want to see plenty of animals!!

I was too late in the season, and we did not see any turtles. Even so, it was interesting to observe the process and care given to protecting the nesting beach. I considered my fee a contribution to the local economy.

Knowledgeable and friendly guide. Lot of factors that changed the times so that we would see what we were going to see and communicated very well. Going back tonight for a different tour as well.

Leo was exceptional as a guide and as a professional! We are seniors all and not as fast as we used to be. When we needed to stop to rest Leo had so much information to share! His eyes were sharp and spotted a sloth in the trees,leaf cutter ants crossing the path, a butterfly at rest and a caterpillar! A possom crossed our path and Leo spoke if the many creatures that threatened the eggs and the hatchlings. No matter how often we needed to stop he was patient and encouraging. When we came to our spotter location he prepared us for the do's and don'ts that were in place for the safety of the turtle and the egg laying process. Leo made sure we had great angles, great views of each phase. Our experience was exceptional! Leo is personable and high energy! He is knowledgeable and professional. Thank you Leo for a great experience

Guide was super knowledgeable and we got a once in a lifetime view of the turtles nesting! Would recommend

We truly enjoyed this experience. We were lucky to see a turtle lay eggs on the beach at 9pm. Leonardo was knowledgeable and very friendly. He did not rush us throughout the adventure. This was fun and very different from anything else we have ever done when traveling!

Caimans, Spider Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, snakes, basilisk lizards... we saw an awesome variety of wildlife with Leonardo! We did a complete package of canoe tour, night tour, and nature walk. Leo had an excellent knowledge-base of the local flora and fauna. He did a great job of engaging our kids (6 and 11), and gave them plenty of time to see things in his binoculars. Our favorite was seeing two caimans close-up and fully out of the water. They camouflage so well, we would have completely missed them on our own! Leo is as excited as we are to see the wildlife and share knowledge, and he was able to locate wildlife that other guides were missing. Thank you, Leonardo, for a great visit to Tortuguero! Best of luck this season!

We found Leonardo by the main peer in Tortuguero. From the beginning, he was friendly, informative, helpful and pleasant. We booked the boat tour with him and his communication throughout was very good. He picked us up on time from our hotel and helped to pay for the park passes (as I mistakenly purchased the wrong ones). The tour was unforgettable; not only because of the animals and flora we got to see, but also his attention to detail and knowledge. His English is excellent and he also speaks some German, French and is looking to learn Mandarin. It shows that he loves what he does and it was lovely to see him bring his 14 year old son along to learn the profession. Lastly, he helped us by giving us recommendations on places to eat (we asked) and also helped arrange the “sea bus” to pick us up for a hike we wanted to do. Very happy we found him and highly recommend his tours.