Turtle Watching Tour

A unique and wonderful experience!! Everything very well regulated and controlled so as not to disturb the turtles!

We experienced something you only ever see in nature documentaries, Olive Ridley sea turtles coming up from the ocean to nest on Playa Ostional, by the hundreds, with the unexpected surprise of witnessing hours old babies making their way back to the ocean. A truly unique and breathtaking experience, our tour guide Lester was a gem, very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend this tour, you will not regret it!

We drove approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to attend this turtle watching tour for the scheduled 6 p.m. meeting. The meeting point was on the roadside beside a small grocery store. It was raining torrentially, and we were parked in a massive puddle. The operator was not there. He called us on WhatsApp to say he was delayed by traffic and would arrive in another 15 to 20 minutes. By then, it was pitch black. During that conversation, he explained that the tour involved four hours on the beach. Given the torrential rain, the conditions at the meeting point and the prospect of spending hours on the beach in those conditions, we felt unsafe proceeding. We called to cancel and made the stressful 90-minute drive back in the dark. We made a considerable effort to attend this tour. This was not a casual change of mind. We reached the meeting point and decided that we were not comfortable continuing under the circumstances. We requested a refund through Viator, explaining what had happened. Viator declined, stating that the operator had not approved it. That response was disappointing. We did not participate in the tour, so this review concerns the meeting arrangements, communication and handling of our cancellation. Before booking, I would urge other travellers to clarify what happens in severe weather, how much walking is involved, and whether transport is available. If you are driving yourselves, factor in the return journey on unfamiliar roads after dark.

Amazing experience, helped baby turtles get to the ocean and a mama turtle came out of the ocean to find a spot to lay her eggs.

+5

Leo and his team are extremely kind, versatile, knowledgeable and accommodating, my family and I booked 4 tours with them, we always felt safe and I have a severe wheat allergy that was accommodated at tours that offered food. We can not thank Leo and his team enough for our amazing experiences

+1

We saw dozens of baby turtles make their way into the pacific ocean, and a Momma creating her nest to lay her eggs. Our tour guide Lester was super knowledgable and caring to us and respectful to the delicate process of the lifecycle of the turtles. A wonderful memorable experience for my daughters ages 9 and 18.

We had a great time on this tour. Our guide, Lester, was very knowledgeable. He pointed out turtle nests and turtle tracks and worked very hard to find turtles for us to see, taking us to 3 beaches. We did not see any adult turtles or eggs, but did see some babies making their way to the sea, and were able to watch one emerge from its sand nest and run down to the ocean. Lester was very apologetic that we did not see adult turtles, but we were so thrilled to see the hatchlings, and the time watching the sunset on the beach was so enchanting, it was no big deal. It really wasn't the best season for turtle viewing. We are grateful to both Lester and Leo of Side by Side ATV Tours and Wildlife for setting up this tour for us. Pura Vida <3

Lester and the driver were amazing, we got to the beach early to watch the sunset and take photos. We got the see everything and it was very informative about the turtles and the hatching process. Defiantly recommend this guided tour cause with the red light flashlights and making sure we didn’t disturb the turtle while she was laying her eggs.

We had a great experience with this tour, from beginning to end. I booked this tour for a family group of eight. Booking was easy, and we were immediately put in touch with Leonardo, with whom we were able to arrange pickup from where we were staying, and confirmed our pickup time. Prior to pickup, our guide Lester contacted us to confirm pickup time and location. Lester was extremely knowledgeable and clearly cares about the well-being of the turtles. During the short ride to the beach he told us what to expect and answered all our questions. The first two beaches we visited we did not see any turtles, but were lucky to see both mother and baby turtles at the third beach (the three beaches were very close to one another). It was a great experience for everyone of all ages and was one of the highlights of our stay in Costa Rica. Highly recommend.

Lester was absolutely amazing!! I highly recommend! I would do this again in a heartbeat. He was so knowledgeable about the turtles and it was so nice chatting with him. This was a major highlight of our trip.