Fra Puntarenas: Turtle Island Day Tour

It was difficult to find the location. We walked off our Cruise port to the address but their was no signage that identified the name. Eventually a motorcycle drove up and waved to us. He opened the large metal gate and we asked if this was the place for the tour and he said yes. The Tour was on a fast boat with about 20 people signed up. We did snorkeling by a small island, water was not that clear since it was early November. On turtle island we had lunch went in the water relaxed on the lounge chairs and saw wild pigs. The individuals on the tour from the Princess Cruise where on turtle island and we spoke to some of them and they said their boat went really slow. The boat ride back was bumpy, we did see Alligators in the water close to the dock where we exited the boat.

To start, we were told to be at a set of GPS coordinates at 8am. We stayed at the nearby Hotel Cayuga. If you are driving here the day prior to your tour, this is a nice place to stay. They have a locked garage to store your car while you are on the tour and it's a 6 minute walk from the dock. We arrived at the coordinates, and there was a locked gate. We were hanging out, looking for a business. There was no sign. Finally a local came by and said 'This is the place you are looking for' and he pulled a string on the gate and unlocked it. We walked to the back of the building and there were some boats and a couple workers getting ready for the tour. About a half hour later, a bus showed up from a cruise ship with all of the other people in our tour. We rode about 45 minutes in the boat to the island. They told us if we wanted to go snorkeling, stay on the boat. A few people got off and went up the beach. The rest of us were taken to a small rock sticking out of the ocean where 5 other boats full of snorkelers were anchored. Everyone jumped in the water and were thrashing about. It appeared many people have never snorkeled before and I got kicked 3 times. The small rock that everyone was snorkeling around was about 60 feet long and 20 feet across. There were surprisingly many fish, but the water was pretty murky. Water was warm, about 84 F. After about 45 minutes, we got back on the boat and returned to the beach. There is plenty of shade to stand in, if you want to sit in a beach lounger, you have to pay $11 USD. If you want to use the bathroom, you have to pay $1. If you want to take a nature hike, you have to pay more for that too. There is a small gift shop, and the people there are very nice. Our tour included lunch which was fantastic. The only complaint was the size of the drink cups, they were about the size of a shot glass. they had Ice Tea which was very good and cold water, but the small cup meant you had to stand by the dispenser and drink and drink and drink. It was pretty warm when we went and those people who didn't pay for a beach chair mostly stood in the water. It gets boring after lunch because there is nothing to do but stand in the water. The nature hike took about 20 minutes and includes a paper guide that points out different plants. I was actually glad to leave. There were so many people, and we were here in the off season. Each tour boat had it's own tables for eating lunch. You can sit at the tables for free!

Great tour. We saw dolphins and alligators. Snorkel was great. They weren’t the fanciest tour around but was definitely good value

Muelle Inside Tours Costa Rica delivered what was promised. They gave us precise directions to the boat pier and we walked from the cruise port in less than 20 minutes. They have the fastest boats which made the trip to Tortuga Island in around 30 minutes. We got to the island before the crowds and had our choice of seats. The food was good and fresh. The snorkeling was average and the water was clear. Alonso our guide was very attentive and knowledgeable of the island. Very enjoyable day.

Great overall experience at Tortuga Island. Snorkeling, dolphins, spider monkeys, beach, lunch, fresh fruit, coffee, cookies, and more.

Beautiful experience, amazing scenery and attention from the guys spectacular, very good vibe and energy.

I was looking for options on the web and it was maybe one of the best prices, the bus was comfortable and the service excellent (maybe it could improve the food a little, but it was still excellent) Highly recommended, I would do it again without hesitation. Recommended. Thank you very much for allowing me to give you my opinion.

Although the island name would lead one to believe there would be turtles, there were none and the water was very murkey. The staff were very polite and the lunch was good. Wild boars, peacock and other animals were quite interesting.

We had the best time! Our tour guide, Memo was fun, entertaining and very knowledgeable. Steven was great assisting us with the snorkeling. The lunch was fabulous! The captain returned us safe and sound. The only thing that would make this tour better is to have pickup right off the pier. It was difficult getting to the departure point. Memo made sure we were transported back to the pier. Thank all of you for a wonderful, memorable day.

Wonderful experience, especially the tour guide. My husband is disabled and the guide treated him as if he were his much loved and highly respected grandfather. The level of care he took with my husband was so appreciated. He brought him his lunch, he helped him out of chairs, help him with his shoes…made the day better for us both. Highly recommend this tour and tour company.