Wildlife & Waterways: Jaguar Rescue & Tortuguero Canals Tour
Description
Explore the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in one full day. Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center to see rescued animals up close, taste local coffee and cacao, and discover handmade crafts. Cruise the Tortuguero Canals, spotting sloths, monkeys, caimans, and tropical birds in their natural habitat. End the day at Playa Bonita, enjoying the ocean and Caribbean flavors at your own pace. A hands-on experience of wildlife, local culture, and coastal life.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Jaguar Rescue Center is a temporary home for sick, injured, and orphaned animals. With a focus on monkeys, sloths, other mammals, birds, and reptiles, the JRC provides veterinary services, 24-hour care, and comfort to animals that might not otherwise survive in the rainforest or Caribbean waters.
Explore a local souvenir shop with authentic Costa Rican crafts and enjoy a complimentary tasting of freshly brewed coffee and flavored cacao (like caramelized or cinnamon). When available, a short 15-minute walk through the adjacent garden showcases tropical plants such as pineapple, cacao, cinnamon, ylang ylang, and noni. The highlight is a live demonstration of how a banana plantation processing system works, an engaging look at one of Costa Rica’s most important exports.
One of the top highlights of the tour, this peaceful boat ride takes you through the Tortuguero Canals, often called the "Amazon of Costa Rica" for their rich biodiversity. As you glide along the calm waters surrounded by lush vegetation, your guide will help you spot wildlife such as sloths, howler monkeys, iguanas, caimans, and a wide variety of tropical birds. The boat features a roof, comfortable seats, and life jackets, making it an ideal experience for guests of all ages.
Our final stop is at Playa Bonita, a relaxed and scenic spot where you can unwind by the ocean. Whether you’re in the mood for a tropical smoothie, a cold beer, or a Caribbean cocktail, this is your moment to relax and soak in the view. Feeling hungry? We recommend trying the famous Rice and Beans cooked in coconut milk, or patacones, the crispy green plantain chips beloved across Costa Rica. It’s the perfect ending to a day full of culture, flavor, and discovery
As we drive through the heart of Puerto Limón, your guide will share engaging stories about the city’s history, culture, and Afro-Caribbean roots. You’ll pass landmarks like Parque Vargas, the lively Municipal Market, the Limon Cathedral, and colorful neighborhoods that reflect the unique rhythm of this coastal city. It’s a panoramic and informative ride that brings the spirit of Limón to life.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your tour begins inside the pier, where our guides will be waiting for you with a sign displaying your name. Look for our red shirts for easy identification. We offer pickup right inside the pier, so there’s no need to walk outside the facilities. Timing: Tours are scheduled 30 minutes after your ship docks, with the earliest tour starting at 8:00 AM. As the best local tour operator, we guarantee your return to the cruise ship
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Reviews(5)
Syl Travel Day Tours sucks. Don't use them or waste your money paying extra to go through viator/trip advisor. They did nothing. I paid about 10 times as much going through them. They begged for a review. I gave them a month to make things right. Total wrong communication between the vendor and viator/trip advisor or betweenSyl andthe guide. Driver was very dangerous....scrolling through photos while driving just to name 1. Dangerous vehicle. I only received half the tour that was advertised and that I paid for. Actually I received only 25% because I had to pay a 2 person minimum. We were supposed to make 4 stops. The guide was good but his employer did not tell him about all the stops. They refused to provide any refund, apologize, or make things right. Viator/trip advisor also refused. First and last time I use them. I had asked several questions and received answers via email in advance. Nothing was honored. I had also tried calling the tour company in advance several times. They never answered the phone or returned calls. Don't use them. The Jaquar Rescue Center itself was amazing. Definitely visit them and please take them powdered goats milk for the Rescue babies. They can only get what they need from people bringing needed items. The canal was enjoyable as well but the visit was not as long as advertised.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are truly sorry to hear that your tour did not meet your expectations and that you left feeling disappointed and frustrated. First and most importantly, we take your comments regarding driving safety very seriously. What you described is not the level of professionalism or safety we expect from our transportation partners, and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort this caused during your tour. We will be reviewing this matter internally with the driver involved. We also regret the communication issues you experienced before and during the tour. Clear coordination between our team, guides, and booking platforms is extremely important, and it is evident that in your case there were misunderstandings regarding the itinerary and included stops. We understand how disappointing it must have been to feel that parts of the advertised experience were missing, especially after making inquiries in advance to confirm the details. While we are glad to hear that you enjoyed the Jaguar Rescue Center and the canal experience, we understand that this did not compensate for the frustration caused by the overall organization and unmet expectations. Your feedback regarding unanswered calls, differences between the advertised itinerary and the delivered experience, and your concerns about value are all being taken seriously and will be used to improve our internal communication and operational processes. We sincerely apologize that we were not able to leave you with the positive Costa Rica experience we always aim to provide. Thank you again for your honest feedback.
We were a group of 14 on a cruise ship and booked this tour. Enrique was our guide and did a wonderful job. The places we stopped at and the things we did were very interesting. Enrique was very knowledgeable and you could tell he loved to share it with us. He was genuinely interested in nature and pointing many things out to us. Finding our tour when exiting the ship was easy. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend this tour and the company. Thank you.
We took the 6-in-1B tour in very early November, so I've forgotten the name of our guide but he was amazing! We expected others to be with us but it was just the two of us and our guide. His joy of life was contagious. We learned a lot about Costa Rica and what it's like to live there. Lunch was at an oceanside restaurant (not included in the price of the tour) and was delicious. We'd definitely recommend the tour to our friends!
<p>Fabiana and Alexander, our driver, were great. We ended up getting less tour due to time running out. We had to wait over an hour for people who never showed up for their tour. It wasn't Fabiana's fault, but we really didn't have enough time in port to do it all.</p>
