Tortuga Island
Tortuga Island
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Alcatraz and Tolinga—two tiny islands that make up Tortuga Island, off the Costa Rican coast—make for a perfect day trip in the Puntaneras region. Take a catamaran tour from Montezuma to spot dolphins frolicking in the ocean on your way to the islands. When you get there, you can snorkel with fish in the turquoise waters or relax on Isla Tortuga’s white-sand beaches. There are plenty of rum cocktails for grownups to sip on. More adventurous travelers can go kayaking or hiking through the jungle. Beat the crowds by getting there in the early morning. – Tripadvisor
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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4.5
1,043 reviews
Excellent
603
Very good
222
Average
130
Poor
55
Terrible
33
Kristi K
Calgary, Canada17 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
We took a private tour to Isla Tortuga for nine people (five kids and four adults) from Montezuma. Getting on and off the boat with the waves at Montezuma was an experience. Dangerous would be the key word. I would not recommend this, particularly with young children (or older adults).
We saw dolphins on the way to the island -cool. Snorkelled right before we got to the island - terrible visibility and not many fish. Got to the island and enjoyed a nice lunch and playing in the waves. The sand is lovely. The beach was quite busy. Not lovely was the amount of garbage around the island and the needle we saw lying on the beach. Seeing the needle was extremely disturbing, particularly since there are so many families there.
I would not go back and would not recommend it to people.
We saw dolphins on the way to the island -cool. Snorkelled right before we got to the island - terrible visibility and not many fish. Got to the island and enjoyed a nice lunch and playing in the waves. The sand is lovely. The beach was quite busy. Not lovely was the amount of garbage around the island and the needle we saw lying on the beach. Seeing the needle was extremely disturbing, particularly since there are so many families there.
I would not go back and would not recommend it to people.
Written 31 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rory
London, UK108 contributions
Dec 2022 • Friends
If I could give this 0 out of 5 I would. We visited Tortuga Island for snorkelling on a weekday and there were a lot of other tourists to the extent it felt like human soup. The water was murky but, admittedly, we did see a lot of fish. However, the sheer volume of people made it very unpleasant. I’m sure better snorkelling is available elsewhere in Costa Rica. You would be better off saving your money and watching the charming romantic comedy ‘The Proposal’ starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.
Written 1 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fernando G
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Family
We took this all day excursion and it was a great experience. Very professional crew, friendly, made everyone feel at easy, replenishing drinks. Food was good and plentiful.well worth the money.
Written 8 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave
Amsterdam, The Netherlands397 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
It’s not that we didn’t like going to Tortuga, but we might have expected more with al the stories we heard and read.
Since we’ve been to Greece before this didn’t seem as the most exotic island.
What we liked most was the overall experience of the tour going there. The seeing of a whale and dolphins. The snorkelling and the lunching with the group.
The island itself is nice but there was a lot less area accessible then we expected, and it’s crowded…
It looked nice, but since most tours give you about 2-3 hours on the island itself it might not give you the most time to really relax.
Since we’ve been to Greece before this didn’t seem as the most exotic island.
What we liked most was the overall experience of the tour going there. The seeing of a whale and dolphins. The snorkelling and the lunching with the group.
The island itself is nice but there was a lot less area accessible then we expected, and it’s crowded…
It looked nice, but since most tours give you about 2-3 hours on the island itself it might not give you the most time to really relax.
Written 31 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Navigator42091645642
2 contributions
Mar 2023
The boat ride from Montezuma to Tortuga Island offers amazing views that would probably be unaccessible otherwise. We saw many dolphins on the way. The snorkeling is OK. My major complaint is you only get about 90 minutes total of snorkeling before you are left stranded on a very small beach with very many people for almost 3 hours. This is the majority of your day. Overall I did not feel it was best use of my day. I would have much rather gone home after the snorkeling.
Written 24 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom Parker
Nevada City, CA11 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
Amazing island, calm water, we we're a party of 8 looking to avoid the paked tours, tortuga island was geat. The only way to get there is by speed boat. It's is a ride of 45 min from Puntarenas, on way we saw spider monkeys. We sail on a Big boat with a small group of 12. From Puntarenas boat leaves at 8:30.
Written 28 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helena S
15 contributions
May 2022 • Family
Best day in Costa Rica. We travel with Turismo Maritimo del Pacifico, their private service was AMAZING 10/10, we saw spider monkeys, dolphins, we did Snorkeling for almost 1 hour. I decided to rent a boat for my family and with the boat we had our private Spot on the island without crowds (private bathroom, table also drinks) We stay on Tortuga Island until 4:30 pm. I highly recommend their private service.
Written 3 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brett D
2 contributions
May 2022
Tell the customers how long it takes to get to the Catameran and then how long it takes to get to an island where the waters are not clear for snorkling. It is not a sandy beach it more of a broken sea shells and hard on the feet.. Almost 6hrs of travel one way and 6hrs of travel back. Not worth it at all.
Written 6 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gregory B
Topeka, KS220 contributions
Jun 2022
Spent one day here on a day tour from my hotel in San Jose. From San Jose it takes about one and one half hours to reach the island.
These islands are the nesting place for sea turtles and are off limits to tourism during certain time frames of the year.
The tour I took was on a catamaran and offered lunch, games and a full service bar.
This area is Costa Rica nature at its best.
All the tours vary in price and activities. Just shop around for the one that you think you would like the best..
These islands are the nesting place for sea turtles and are off limits to tourism during certain time frames of the year.
The tour I took was on a catamaran and offered lunch, games and a full service bar.
This area is Costa Rica nature at its best.
All the tours vary in price and activities. Just shop around for the one that you think you would like the best..
Written 20 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ruth C
29 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
TORTUGA island is beautiful. Know that the only way to go is by a tour, and these are VERY touristy and designed for folks who are going to party and get drunk. It’s a college party atmosphere. Loud music and lots of people flirting with the boat crew. It’s not really for people who want to convene with nature or local culture. As long as you understand what you’re getting into and you are ok with it, you can make what you want of the experience. The boat ride was nice but don’t expect to see wildlife on the trip. The snorkeling was also pleasant, but the reef is mostly dead coral. You will see fish but sadly not much other life on the reef; like most of our coral reefs globally, these are dying. The coastal scenery is the highlight of the trip, along with deer and iguanas on the adjacent forest trail. The food was also very good and the kids who crew the boat did a great job taking care of everyone.
Written 14 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kimberly N
Tibas, Costa Rica
Buenas tardes, mi consulta sería su se pueden llevar perritos a la isla
Written 23 August 2023
We're staying in Manuel Antonio, San Bada Hotel. Can we book a Tortuga trip from there, being picked up from the Hotel?
Thank's for a useful answer.
GB
I
Written 11 February 2020
Hola! Quiero saber como se llega a Isla tortuga desde Puntarenas, si hay alguna embarcación pequeña o lancha.... si, si cuáles son los horarios y costos por favor!...no me interesa adquirir ningún paquete. Gracias!!!
Written 23 July 2019
Buenos d{ias Magali.
Muchas gracias por vistar nuestro perfil. Para mas confort, atenciones y seguridad le recomiendo nuestro tour a la Isla Tortuga, tenemos salida desde Puntarenas los d{ias de miércoles a domingos, la va a pasr muy bien y puede contactarme al mail: ventas01(arroba)islatortugacr(punto) com para mas detalles. Muchas gracias y esperamos su visita a Isla Tortuga.
Written 5 September 2019
How much do the activities cost? Wondering how much money to bring. Do they accept USD?
Thank you.
Written 21 July 2019
I think I paid 100.00 for the tour and paid everything through Expedia. I think you can book the same tour local in San Jose.
Written 23 July 2019
Hola se puede cruzar a isla tortuga en otro medio que no sea un barco ?? Ósea en una lancha o algo más económico ??
Written 27 March 2019
Me parece que si, había unas lanchas de Zuma tours que parece ser más económico que un catamarán. Suerte.
Written 7 April 2019
hola, como estas? desde donde cruzaste hacia Isla Tortuga?? gracias
Written 26 March 2019
Buenos días Sr. Joaquin.
La hermosa Isla Tortuga solo es accesible por vía marítima, si gusta nos puede contactar ventas01(arroba)islatortugacr(punto)com para mas detalles para que pueda disfrutar de Isla Tortuga.
Muchas gracias.
Written 5 September 2019
After travelling there last week I can now answer my own question for anyone else who is curious! Yes, they have a few lockers to rent for $3 in you want to make sure your stuff isn't laying out while you hike, go swimming, snorkeling, etc. Everyone there was with a tour group so it seems safe but the lockers are a good option for added peace of mind!
Written 4 March 2019
Desde montezuma se puede llegar?
Written 17 February 2019
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