Tamarindo Estuary Tour

Though we missed the monkeys, the overall experience was enjoyable and we saw more than a few different species of birds as well as crocodiles

Some friends and I booked this experience last minute at 11pm the night before our chosen date to do the activity and they were still able to accommodate us. Communication from the trip provider was extremely good. We knew exactly where to be, at the right time and with the correct things, with multiple timings offered to suit our plans for the day. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and would ensure that the boat was positioned at locations so that we were able to get the best photos of the wildlife we saw. I would say it was extremely crocodile focused, however for those who do not have crocodiles or animals like that in their country, or who have children, it was an amazing experience as we were able to get so close to them. We were offered free bottles of water throughout and a very generous portion of pineapple midway through the trip. Considering all of this, I believe it was reasonably priced for the 1.5hr trip we experienced.

We really enjoyed our Tamarindo Estuary Tour! We took our two boys, 18 and 15, and even if it wasn't the high-flying / thrill-type activity we did later in the week, we all had a great time and learned a lot, all while enjoying the beautiful scenery and wildlife. Our guide was super knowledgeable, explaining the ecology of Costa Rica with great enthusiasm and good humour. He did a great job searching for wildlife for us (despite doing a mid-day tour when the animals tend to be resting, we still saw two crocodiles, along with iguanas, crabs, and various birds). Pick-up from our condo was easy and communication from the tour organizers was superb. This makes a great "starter" activity when you first arrive in Tamarindo to help you get a lay of the land - would definitely recommend!

This may have been a one-off, but our entire family (and at least two other groups on the boat) were deeply uncomfortable on the boat tour. Our guide, Juan Carlos, acted erratically, did not properly brief a couple who couldn't swim on safety/floatation precautions, talked to himself, and at one point left the boat for 15 minutes to "look for monkeys." At the end of the tour, he even took the freshwater craft OUT into the OCEAN, leaving all of us shaken. On top of this abnormal behavior, he did not deliver an effective tour, and instead monologued quickly about random series of facts. He also said that he was "unfortunately" from Costa Rica, which detracted from our enjoyment of the natural scenery and the overall experience. Our group didn't care that we barely saw animals; we cared about the guide's strange behavior, unsafe choices, and disregard for the comfort of all passengers.

Pickup was easy, guide was great - we saw 3 crocodiles, 4 howler monkeys, lots of mangrove crabs, and several species of herons. Much value for money! 5/5 to the team behind the trip. A slight minus of doing a croc trip in the Tamarindo area, is that the authorities translocates all larger crocodiles to other areas, to reduce the extremely slim chance of croc-tourist attacks. Dont exspect to see fully grown 4 m American crocs in this area of Costa Rica.

My husband and I were in Costa Rica for about two weeks, and this tour was in our top three favorites activities of the trip. We scheduled through Christian. He was very communicative and responsive. Based on his suggestion, we took an early 7:30 am tour that was less crowded, and we are so glad. Our guide on the boat, Juan Carlos, was very knowledgeable, and we saw quite a bit of wildlife including crocodiles, monkeys, and birds. Only downside was that the bathroom at the meet-up location was not so great. But the tour experience was awesome and we highly recommend it.

We had an extremely knowledgeable guide Juan Carlos who shared much about Costa Rico’s eco preservation as well as the animals we were seeing in the estuary- crocodiles, hawks, warblers, ibis, etc. Even though it was a hot day, it was very pleasant in the covered open air boat. There was a nice breeze and shaded over hang in the estuary. The cold water and fresh pineapple was an added bonus. Well worth the trip into the mangroves especially if you are looking for different animals.

It was great! Definitely take shoes you don’t mind getting wet since we did have to step in the water to get in the boat. We were able to see Crocodiles birds monkeys and crabs! Carlos was also an amazing guide and showed he genuinely cared for the animals and environment of this tour.

We had a great time! We got to see several crocodiles, a raccoon, several birds, howler monkeys. Our guide was great. Would definitely recommend!!

We had a great time on this tour, we saw crocodiles, monkeys, lots of birds and a shark! Our guide was super knowledgeable about the estuary and Costa Rica and we learnt a lot.

This was my second time on this tour. The information that the guide shares is fantastic! He loves his country and he loves nature. Other guides just drive the boat--but our guide was informative, kind, and excited to share this with us. I cannot recommend this tour and this company enough!

This is a good tour. Scheduling was a little more difficult than other tours as a time was not given initially, but the tour company did reach out and confirm everything. The captain of the boat (Moses) was friendly and knowledgeable and provided a good experience. We saw on medium sized crocodile and some monkeys.

Amazing guide great pick up and drop off, got to see lots of crocs and birds!

Trip almost over before offered water. Saw almost no animals. I had a shade seat and was the first one on the boat but had to move forward to another seat in the sun. Was told we were going ashore but didn't.

Learned a lot from the tour guide Juan Carlos today about nature conservation efforts in Casta Rica.

Very knowledgeable, very personable travel guide. Fun time. Saw a couple crocs, monkeys, birds, crabs. You might get rained on but the boat has a roof.

Amazing tour of the mangroves in Tamarindo. Our guide was exceptional with incredible knowledge of the animals, plants, and environment overall. We saw crocodiles, monkeys, and halloween crabs. Boat ride is slow and the water is smooth so great for people who might otherwise get motion sickness on rougher, open waters.

very peaceful and pretty, wildlife depends on the weather. Our guide was a naturalist, which I highly recommend if possible!

I cannot rave about this tour more! And most of the praise has to go to Don Carlos!!! It helps when you have an eco science expert as your guide. Knowledgeable, kind, courteous, helpful, and informative, his guidance through the Tamarindo Estuary was perfect! We had several sightings of crocodiles, Halloween crabs, white faced monkeys, as well as interesting facts about the symbiotic plants and insects and the ecosystem of the area. Don Carlos expertly answered my question and invasive species and made the entire tour really enjoyable!

Great time exploring Costa Rica in a unique way. Loved the fresh fruit and waters provided. Bring sandals or water shoes for getting in and out of the boat.

We were picked up at the JW Marriott for 35-40 shuttle ride to the estuary just north of Tamarindo. We boarded the small covered boat(10-12 PAX) that then traveled inland from the ocean on the estuary for about 6 miles. Our guide was great. He started out by stating that he can not guarantee seeing any wildlife because we are not at a zoo but in a national park marine park. However, we did quite well, seeing 4 different small groups of howler monkeys up in the trees right off the shore. We also saw 2 small crocodiles as well as several blue herons and hawks. The colorful birds had already headed north for the summer. It was very quiet and peaceful on the estuary, except for hearing a howler monkey a couple of times. It was a very interesting, informative and beautiful tour for about 90 minutes. Note: shuttle is free only stay in the immediate Tamarindo area. We had a $50 surcharge for the round trip shuttle(40 minutes each way).

The Tamarindo Estuary Tour was a wonderful experience and a great way to explore the natural beauty of the area. We were lucky enough to see several crocodiles, a variety of birds, and even howler monkeys in the trees. The guide was knowledgeable and helped point out wildlife we would have otherwise missed. If you enjoy nature, wildlife, and a calm scenic adventure, this tour is definitely worth doing.

Great tour of the Tamarindo estuary! Our guide was very knowledgeable about all things. Highly recommend to anyone!

We enjoyed seeing and learning about the mangroves and wildlife including birds, crocodiles, monkeys and more. Our guide was knowledgeable and kind. It was the highlight of our time in Tamarindo.

Our guide was Juan Carlos and he was amazing. He is a naturalist and walking encyclopedia of nature and biology as well as being super friendly and fun. We saw crocs, a rare boat nosed heron, monkeys and iguanas. He truly loves his job and taught us respect for the mangrove.

The boat tour was incredibly informational about the habitat, wildlife, Costa Rica and the region. We saw crocodiles, monkeys, and rare birds. Our tour guide (Carlos?) was super knowledgeable and entertaining, would highly recommend. Also very good communication and worked very well with us on a pick-up.

Great overall experience! Our guide was knowledgeable and had the whole boat intrigued. We saw monkeys, a smaller crocodile, birds and other animals. Overall a fun experience for a more laid back type of excursion.

We had the best time with Juan Carlos! He did such a good job with giving history and information about Costa Rica and the wild life. We saw lots of birds, an alligator and some monkeys. He truly made it such an amazing experience.

Moises, our guide, was informative and interesting. He was able to show us numerous crocodiles, monkeys, and cute raccoons all in their natural habitat. It was a great experiences and I am happy that we were able to see this beautiful part of Costa Rica!.

The mangroves were excellent - even more stunning in real life. We were fortunate to see various types of birds, crocodiles, monkeys and of iguanas.

Very good tour of the river. We saw Crocs Monkey's exotic birds.

Great adventure, the guides were excellent. They provided waters and pineapple throughout trip. We booked the 10 o’clock trip, so it was very hot by the time we started We were able to see crocodile, multiple different birds and monkeys throughout the trip.

Two hour tour through the mangroves where we spotted 4 crocodiles of different sizes, large group of monkeys, raccoons, several species of birds. Our guide was very experienced and did great howler monkey calling’s.

The tour guide Carlo was very engaging and knowledgeable. We saw some herons and a crocodile lazing on the mangrove. A few other birds as well. Howler monkeys greeted us at a few points along the way. Wear waterproof shoes or be prepared to remove them to walk a short distance across rocks to the boat.

Our guide was very nice, knowledgeable and cared a lot about the environment. He made sure that we got to see some wildlife like crocodiles and howler monkeys. He had a really good eye for spotting things! Even if there were no animals at all, it's stil nice and relaxing just to cruise around the mangroves but we saw a bunch of wildlife. I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone who likes boats, nature, knowledge and wildlife.

The mangrove safari tour with Carlos, was very educational, interesting, and fun! Carlos made us laugh with his humour. And knew lots about the importance of the Mangall! Definitely worth it. Good for kids and adults.

The bus and boat were both comfortable. The guide was both knowledgeable and passionate about Costa Rica. We saw everything they advertised.

We really enjoyed the estuary tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. We saw monkeys, a raccoon, crocodile and multiple birds as well as learned a lot about the mangroves and other interesting facts about the environment.

Amazingly knowledgeable and friendly captain! We saw every animal promised on the website. Very friendly and timely pickup service as well! Would definitely return.

A nice relaxing tour. We went first thing at 720am and got out before most of the other boats with Juan Carlos. He was knowledgeable and made the experience great.

We toured with Victor Hugo. He was a great guide. We had 9 people in our tour… including 2 young kids. The tour is a great speed for families. We went at 8am which was before the heat of the day. Saw a crocodile, a family of raccoons, monkeys, lots of water fowl and other birds as well as fish and crabs. Great time. Highly recommend for groups looking for something educational and young family friendly.

We had an awesome time on the Estuary tour with Christian. We saw so much wildlife; 4 crocs, a plethora of birds and other animals (many stickadiles too). Christian is honestly the best guide we had throughout our whole trip - super knowledgeable with a great sense of humour. Highly reccomend

Great tour. Knowledgeable guide with a fun attitude. We learned a lot about Costa Rica and the habitat we explored. Juan had eagle eyes and we got to see two large crocs and a little baby croc. Plus, bonus of monkeys napping in trees.

What an amazing tour. Moses shared his knowledge of the estuary and its inhabitants. Highly recommended!

My partner and I were both disappointed. We didn’t see as much as we hoped in our Estuary Tour. The only 2 things out of the ordinary were monkeys and a crocodile. We would have paid more and gone one a longer tour just to see lots more variety and broader range of animals and habitats.

Fun estuary tour on a boat with a knowledgeable guide. Guide was very informative about local wildlife

Great experience! The guide was very funny and dynamic! You must see that mangrove at least once. The nature is beautiful :)

Our tour guide Juan-Carlos was AMAZING!!! He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about the local flora and fauna as well as the geography and history of Costa Rica, plus he spoke slow, clear, articulate English which was helpful for us as a few in our party are hard of hearing and struggle with accents.

The communication with the operator was smooth and friendly. The tour guide and captain is very knowledgeable about the ecosystems and mangroves. We saw crocodile, birds and Howler Monkeys. It's a easy and relaxing boat tour. Beautiful scenery. Enjoyed.