Night Turtle Nesting Tour From Tamarindo

Lived up to expectations. Excited to see few green sea turtle coming out of ocean and couple returning back. 2 baby turtles were highlight of tour.

We were very lucky on our tour! We saw 2 adult turtles one heading back to sea and the other we got to watch dig her nest. We also got to experience 2 nests hatch so for us it was an amazing experience! The shuttle ride was longer than expected and there are no bathrooms but other than that this was one of our favorite excursions

The pickup was in the centre of town. The guide was very clear on his instructions, and was very respectful towards the turtles! He took us to a remote beach where we saw 2 mama and a couple of baby turtles. It was an amazing experience would definitely recommend it!

We saw two turtle tried to dig the hole for nesting, but eventually the turtle gave up. Wish we had the luck seeing the nesting.

Natives Way did this tour and our guide Ivan was amazing -he was very knowledgeable and had an eagle eye to spot the turtles and ensure we had the best experience-we were lucky to see about a dozen turtles overall and one nest and lay eggs.

What a moving experience! We watched as two green sea turtles dragged themselves up the beach from the ocean. One of them started to dig in the sand, but then moved on to another location just a few feet away. The second turtle did not end up nesting, but we did watch as she made her way a flipper at time back into the surf. While the first turtle was excavating away, with sand flying, in another hole nearby we saw about a dozen little turtles making their way from their eggs to the top of the hole. Wow! Then back with the first Momma turtle, she had finished digging we formed a circle and watched her lay her eggs. What an experience!

Would definitely recommend. Ivan was our guide and he was awesome!! We initially went to a relatively easy area of a beach and our guide found 2 baby turtles that we saw come up from the area they had hatched and make their way all the way to the surf. Very inspiring. We also saw a large green turtle in the same area but she decided that tonight was not the night and made her way back to sea. But then our guide got the call that a sea turtle was in the process of digging her hole to lay eggs on an adjacent beach. This was going to entail going back in the bus for a short ride and a 20 minute walk to get there. We were all in. After trekking through a trail lit by a full moon, stars and some bats we witnessed an amazing site - an enormous green turtle digging out a large hole with her back flippers and then laying her ping pong sized eggs. Truly awesome.

Our tour guide, Ivan was very informative and really worked hard going up and down the beach to locate turtles. We only saw one female travel up to the shore, but she ended up returning to the sea without laying any eggs. That’s Mother Nature., you never know what will happen..

We enjoyed this excursion, where you got to be very close to giant green sea turtles on the beach. We took our kids ages 6 and 8 and they did okay but definitely would be better for older kids 10+. There was about an hour drive from Tamarindo to the beach (second half on dirt road, but driver was good) and once you arrive at the beach there’s a fair bit of waiting and patience for the turtles to arrive. We saw 2 turtles start the nesting process but they were in a rocky location so they didn’t lay eggs by the time we left the beach at 8:30pm, and we saw another turtle climbing the beach on our way back — it seems like you’d have to get pretty lucky to see a turtle lay eggs so early in the night. Our guide Antony was knowledgeable and respectful of the turtles — he was even policing others in the beach to make sure they weren’t shining lights that would interrupt the nesting process. We saw one other Group on the beach but we were mostly alone with our group of about 15 people and the guide. It was fun seeing the turtles and the beach at night was beautiful. We arrived back in Tamarindo at 9:30pm

What an absolutely incredible experience! We were fortunate enough to see multiple mama turtles as well as multiple baby turtles! It’s a little bit of a hike to reach the beach, but it is definitely worth it! Jesus was our guide and he was wonderful! He was well informed and very personable. Definitely a highlight of trip to Costa Rica!

Great to see the baby turtles. It was an experience to see the turtles come to lay eggs and watch them dig their holes.

We went on the turtle nesting tour. Once we got to the beach, our guide disappeared for about 40 minutes. Other groups had their guides with them. Our guide might have been looking for the turtles, but who knew? We did see some turtles going for the sea, which was great, but only because other groups had their guides red lights and let the people use them. We also saw a turtle trying to nest, but again, very little explanation and most of the time the guide was turning away from the group. The write up said to wear dark clothing and closed toe shoes. Tevas would have been much better, we were on the sand the whole time. The write up said to bring a reusable water bottle, but then handed us a single use plastic bottle at the end.

We enjoyed the night Turtle Nesting Tour from Tamarindo. We saw 2 separate adult Turtles hauling themselves back down the beach into the sea after laying their eggs. Then we saw some tiny baby Turtles scurrying from the nest to the sea after hatching. Lastly we saw a female Turtles laying her eggs. Overall we were very satisfied.

This experience was amazing. One of the coolest things I have seen. The tour guide are super knowledgeable about how to find the turtles. We saw Turtles building a nest, laying eggs and baby turtles hatching all in one night. I was blown away. I highly recommend.

This was our first turtle egg-laying experience so I didn't know totally what to expect and I'm still not sure what is "normal" or "ethical". I'll start with the positives: Our guide was really kind and a great educator. He was full of knowledge and was eager to share with us. The transportation to the beach was very comfortable. We were so lucky to see a turtle laying her eggs on the first beach that we arrived to that evening. The less positives: It felt like there were too many people crowding around the turtle as she laid her eggs. People were disrespectful (getting too close, being too loud, using their flashlights after being told not to) and there were too many participants for our guide to keep track of and manage. There was also at least one other group of 15 who were there with us so we all got mixed in and it added to the chaos. I'm also not sure how I feel about the guides propping open the turtle with sticks.. I realize that is the only way that we are able to see the eggs dropping out but I am not sure about the ethics of it. Overall, it was a really cool experience but I am not sure that I would do it again unless I was in a smaller group.

We went into the tour knowing that there was a decent chance we wouldn't see turtles because every night is different and you can't predict what wildlife is going to do or where it will be, but we were ecstatic to see two turtles! We did spend quite awhile waiting for our guide, Ivan, to locate a turtle but it was such a gorgeous night sitting on the beach and stargazing that we didn't mind at all! It would have been worth it just for the incredible night sky! Ivan ended up taking us to a second beach to see a turtle who was in the process of nesting, and we were lucky enough to see a second turtle on her way back into the ocean as well! Please know beforehand that you might need to do some mild hiking to the beach to see the turtles and if your guide tells you to hurry so you can get to the location in time to see the turtle, out in some effort and HURRY!! Ivan was fantastic about finding us the nesting turtle, but there were people in our group who seemed to think we were just out for a casual night stroll despite being warned at the beginning of the tour about the potential for some rugged terrain and the need to walk very quickly. We got to see the turtle dig her next and lay more than 20 eggs before the biologists needed us to move out so they could scan her for GPS and relocate the eggs to a safer nesting area (her nest was in danger of the high tide). It was very nice to see the effort in protecting the eggs and this species. Absolutely incredible experience and we were thrilled with Ivan and his wife Esmeralda! Highly recommend!

Tour guides are knowledgeable and helpful to answer our questions. We saw 2 turtles nestling on beach and were lucky to see baby turtles going to the sea. Nearly the end of the tour, we were amazed by the sky full of stars. We are so happy to join this tour and will recommend to my friends.

Operator confirmed the tour, only to later tell us that the tour—that they Already Confirmed—would not happen. Due to not reaching the minimum booking number they said to upgrade or pick a later date; they didn't even offer refund as an option. As it was our last night, we told them to initiate a refund, which they claimed We had to initiate by cancelling. Since they cancelled on us, we refused. When I called Tripadvisor they told me that the operator had cancelled, but to initiate the refund it's required I call Tripadvisor.

We so looked forward to this tour but were shocked at what we experienced. Costa Rica seems to care about protecting nature and parks but when it comes to protecting turtles, the could care less. The beaches are open to anyone to tour. We saw old camp fires, dogs running around, etc. in the nesting area. Unlike Florida, none of the beaches are closed to the public during nesting season. We saw the smallest hatchlings struggle to climb out of deep footprints left by the public and wondered how many hundreds are killed by people wandering the beaches. Depending on the tour, you may have to traverse a very rutted road and/or walk over rough terrain. If you value nature/turtles, do no leave your footprints on these beaches. Wake up CR!

Dear native-tours operator! Your organized turtle tour was an absolute disaster and a shocking example of irresponsible behavior! The on-site organization was chaotic, and the guide didn't even introduce himself or explain the process and also a lot later at the meeting point that was given! Instead, five or more different groups of up to 40 people each were herded onto the same dark beach – without lamps! On a curt instruction, we were just told to start running; other participants panicked and raced off to not miss anything and grab the best spots. This led to utter chaos and panic. When a turtle was found, around 40 people crowded around it, staring and gawking – a massive intrusion on an animal in its natural habitat! This has absolutely nothing to do with ethical behavior; it's pure animal cruelty. We were told to wear closed shoes and be completely silent, while the guides wandered around in flip-flops, chatted loudly, and barked orders. No information on the process, the goal (observing a turtle until it lays and buries its eggs), or its behavior – all of which can be found online and was useless here. This tour is under no circumstances something I can't recommend in good conscience. It has destroyed my trust in "nature-friendly" providers, and I strongly advise against it! Best regards (but deeply disappointed)! ***

Had an amazing tour. Our guide was very friendly and helpful. Got to see a turtle laying and burying her eggs. Saw another 2 turtles come into shore but turned around. Then saw 1 more as it was leaving from the nesting sight. Such an amazing sight! Would highly recommend.

This was the best experience we had!!! Fabio and Irving were both amazing tour guides. They were so knowledgeable about turtles and their nesting process. We were able to see about 4-5 turtles and one give birth. It was a beautiful experience!

Wonderful Experience! The transport was comfortable and guide was very knowledgable. We saw two turtles laying eggs.

seeing the turtles was great but the organization was bad. On top of that they told us we wouldn't see the leatherback sea turtle which is the one they show in the pictures

This was an amazing experience, Ivan was very good guide, people need to listen when they say not to use your flash

Seeing the turtle cover her eggs was truly a spectacular experience. It’s Mother Nature so there was never a guarantee that we would see anything. I appreciate our guides eagerness to do the extra legwork to make it possible for us. However, if you get carsick this isn’t the adventure for you. The ride to the beach is WILD! A bumpy road on a bus was an adventure all on its own. We got to go on a hike to a second beach to see the turtle, which wasn’t explained and if you weren’t for a hike you may have been disappointed. However, we LOVED it. Just want people to know what they are getting into.

This experience was absolutely amazing! Shortly after dark we were able to watch a turtle go through the nesting process and lay her eggs in the sand. This process took a couple of hours & Luis was very informative and answered all of our questions while we watched. We were able to take video and pictures while being very respectful of the process. Once in a lifetime experience and highly recommend.

We are still waiting for our refund of the company cancelled trip. We were looking forward to the night turtle nesting tour on March 30 2025. Thank you Cal Ervin #122119247

This experience was good as was the company. We only saw 1 turtle as this was the end of the turtle nest season. I wouldn’t recommend going after the 2nd week of April as you may not see anything

Turtle nesting tour. From booking to delivery the team at Natives way were excellent. They contacted me a few days before the tour to advise me that we were right at the end of the nesting season and the chances of seeing turtles was very low. They offered options to cancel and claim a full refund, book an alternative tour or proceed with the original tour on the understanding that me may not see anything. We decided to stick with our original booking and we were so glad that we did. 3 baby turtles heading to the sea and 3 adult females arriving to lay eggs. We were very pleased with our guides ethics when it came to conservation and avoiding disturbing the turtles. This allowed us to thoroughly enjoy the experience without the worry that we were impacting the wildlife.

We saw a large female turtle looking for a nesting spot, and multiple hatchlings making their way to sea. Aside from what we saw as in nature you can never be sure, our guide was great, knowledgable, thought about the wildlife itself, and gave us the best chance possible coordinating with other groups. If nothing else, the amount of stars visible in the sky from the beach are a view to behold

Amazing experience. Our family was able to see several new born baby turtles making their way to the ocean, as well as a mother headed back after laying eggs.

Fantastic tour!! Ivan was a great guide and we got to see a mother turtle lay eggs and even some babies make to the water. Highly recommend!

Fun trip about an hour from Tamarindo off the beaten track to an isolated beach where we saw four green turtles attempt to find a good spot to lay eggs but not successful. Filipe (I hope I got that right) were our guides and were great hosts. You also get a fantastic view of the stars which you can capture even on an old iPhone

Would strongly recommend. We saw a turtle digging the hole and laying eggs. Also saw a snake and scorpion on our walk to the beach!!

1 hour drive there, 20 minutes hike to the beach just to see the turtle for 52 seconds (i filmed the whole time i was watching her and that’s how long it is), and then 20 minutes hike back and 1 hour drive home - so although we saw a turtle laying her eggs which was incredible, i can’t help but be a little disappointed with those timings. our group was quite big and there were also two other groups waiting to look at the same turtle so that’s why we got so little time. the guide told us that recently they’d seen babies hatching and it was normal to see them every couple of days so i hoped we’d go looking for the babies too! but instead we just went home. the guide was great though, explained everything and answered all our questions. however overall i just feel like it wasn’t good value for money as we didn’t even try to see more.

Lots of walking in the dark. Very exciting to watch the turtles lay their eggs. Be patient for the digging of the nest takes a long time.

A great trip. You need walking shoes as it’s quite a hike to the beach. Chris our guide went to a lot of trouble to locate the turtles.

I did not know what to expect exactly and understood we may not see turtles. I believe we got lucky and ended up seeing 2 Pacific green turtles. One of them was digging her nest while the other one was in the process of laying eggs. From what I could gather, we were lucky. Essentially the tour is a bus ride to a trail that goes to the beach. We spent about 10 minutes watching each turtle do her thing then returned to the bus. The guide provided some information about the turtles. Expect lots of people and lots of crowding around the turtles. Most likely not the best for the turtles.

Ivan was so good. We didn't see any turtles initially and he spent so much effort to find them. Ultimately he took us to another beach where we could see them.

We strongly recommend this experience; we were able to see two sea turtles. Ivan, our guide, worked very hard to spot the turtles and was able to provide interesting and relevant information (e.g. the different phases between scoping out a potential nest location, actually digging the nest, and then laying the eggs). It is worth noting that the beaches the turtles like are rather rugged and off-the-beaten path; expect to hike for a bit (in the dark, but he had some flashlights) in the woods and on the beach to reach the needed locations. Additionally, the guides need to find the turtles, so expect for there to be significant down/waiting time.

We had an incredible experience on this tour. Our guide was committed to searching for turtles. It was the end of our tour and we had yet to see any. Then, baby turtles were spotted emerging from their nest. Our guide let us stay longer and we watched a baby turtle make it all the way to the water. Then as we were leaving, an adult turtle was spotted digging her nest. Our guide not only worked so hard to search for turtles, but allowed us to stay for this one in a lifetime experience. There is no guarantee you will see turtles, but we are grateful our guide did everything he could for this possibility!

Amazing experience!!! Me and my kids loved it. We saw baby turtles, mom nesting and lying eggs. Recommend to everyone!

Of all the tours we did in Costa Rica this tour was by far the worst. Every other wildlife tour we went on clearly put the animals first but this tour was more about making money and not about the wellbeing of the turtles. We were told not to use our phones or flashes on our cameras because it confuses the turtles but the first thing they did was give all the children flash lights, this meant there was constant lights being turned on. Additionally we were told at the beginning that turtles can feel vibrations on the ground and to sit down and be still because it can put them off nesting. However with the huge size of the tour group and the guide wondering off to find turtle nest, people were lining the waters edge and kids were running around in the dark where tiny babies were being born. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some trodden on. We saw multiple female turtles come to the shallow waters and then turn back. Finally when a turtle did eventually come in to nest the tour guide not only kept telling everyone to get closer and closer around the turtle but used a stick to hold the turtles flipper out of the way whilst she was laying her eggs. It felt so invasive and we felt completely uncomfortable with the whole experience. I’m surprised and so sad that this beach isn’t protected as a national park like other wildlife habitats in Costa Rica.

This was an absolutely amazing tour. We were lucky enough to see baby turtles making their way to the ocean as well as watching a mother slowly make her way back to the ocean after laying her eggs. March is not supposed to be the best month for seeing baby turtles hatching, but we were so lucky! I highly recommend taking this tour. It was the highlight of our trip.

Disappointing. We saw about 7 recent hatchlings crawling to the ocean and that was all. Nesting season essentially ends at the end of February so chances of seeing an adult coming to nest are much reduced in March. Our group had a family with children that were allowed by the parents to play in the sand on the waters edge further reducing the chance that any turtles would come on shore. No interference from our guide. Another guide in the area tried to say something and then took his group to a different beach.

Iban was great. He worked really hard to find us a turtle laying her eggs. We got to see one and watch her climb from the sea, create her nest and begin to lay her eggs. He was incredibly generous with his time. We also saw a nest hatch and 40 or 50 babies make their way to the sea.

We were fortunate to see both the nesting and the hatching. Our guide was patient and the tour even lasted a bit longer than expected in order for us to experience this amazing process. Also, everybody was respectful to the turtles and the nature

Seeing turtles in the wild was a dream of mine, so when I saw this tour, I didn't hesitate one second to book. I'm not sure if the problem was the tour or the company itself, but it wasn't quite what I expected. First, the receptionist was rude to us when we arrived for the tour, ignoring us while talking on speaker phone. Then, the bus left to take us to a secluded beach where turtles nest. Our guide didn't speak to us for a long time after departure, which felt very awkward. On the way to the beach, we made a stop so the guide could talk to some random people on the side of the road, for unknown reason. We lost some time waiting for him. Luckily, we got to the beach just on time to see hatched baby turtles run to the sea.... a magical moment! But we almost missed it. Also, people were running to the babies, not realizing that they might have been stepping on more! At least 3 guides should be present for this tour in order to keep the visitors in check and protect the animals. Afterwards, we had to wait an hour and a half for the arrival of a mama turtle. The wait wasn't a problem, it's quite normal and we can't control nature. But I wish our guide would have used this time to tell us more about turtles and answer our questions instead of leaving us to go have a chat with his friends. The beach filled up during that time and 2 other groups joined in. We ended up more than 50 people gathered around a poor turtle desperately trying to dig her nest and lay her eggs. Half the people were noisy and disrespectful, and the guides allowed the visitors to get too close to the turtle. I thought I would enjoy seeing this majestic animal, and I did, but I also felt like we were disturbing her and that too many people had been allowed on the beach simultaneously. The turtle was visibly troubled, and after trying to dig two different nests, seemed too exhausted to lay her eggs. We ended up leaving without having seen the magic happen, but at this point, I didn't care anymore. All I wished was for this poor turtle to have peace. I don't know what I expected from this tour, but it wasn't this. I don't think such big crowds should be allowed near turtle beaches. Also, tours should have strict rules and guides should make sure that the people are calm, quiet and respectful. If you want to see turtles up close, choose another way, or another company. This one doesn't seem to have the turtles' well being as their top priority.