Turtle Tour Near Samara Beach

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

3 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

This tour is for all nature lovers. In this tour, you will have the exciting and wonderful opportunity to watch turtle nesting. Accompanied by a bilingual guide, you will walk along the beach in search of the turtles and witness the turtle nesting process at either Camaronal, Corozalito or Ostional Beach.

It starts with the hole that the turtles dig, then lay eggs, cover them then go back to the sea. If you are lucky, you will see eggs crack open and see how baby turtles are born. This is a one-time experience you cannot miss.

Please refrain from using bright lights, bright clothing and loud sounds, since we are in their natural ecosystem, we need to be repecful and aware.

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Dress code: casual but avoid bright colors

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Professional guide

Bottled water

Snacks

Beverages

Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Samara Beach

September and October are the strongest months for turtle nesting. The pick up starts at hotels within the Samara-Carrillo Beach area.

Admission Not Applicable

Playa Corozalito

You will ride with a driver/guide to either Corozalito Beach or Camaronal Beach towards the South from Samara or if there is an arribada in Ostional Beach, the tour will be changed for no additional cost. Arribadas are when thousands of turtles come to shore to lay eggs. This happens once a month from 3 to 4 days after the last quarter phase of the moon. Your guide will explain all the safety procedures and will give the corresponding instructions of the tour. The experienced guide will walk you through the beach in search for the turtles. During the tour, the guide will provide information and you can ask for drinks such as water and juices while you look at the surroundings. Enjoy some fruit as a snack on the way back to your hotel.

Admission Not Applicable

Options

Turtle Tour Near Samara Beach

Pickup included

Reviews

4.62

55 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Mixed feelings
G1858FGdanielas,
Nov 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00
Think twice wether you really need to experience this event. I felt really disturbing on this amazing beach. Although we all had red torches and the guide instructed us never to use the flash while taking photos or videos, the baby tortugas gathered like moths in our torch light as they were misleaded by our light. Usually they head to the sea, which should be the brightest point at the beach. I can’t tell wether the nesting mother was disturbed by our group, but as she headed to the sea our group was standing in her way with the red torch light in her face for some seconds. Although, our guide was nice and very informative, he told us a lot about the tortugas and their life. We saw a snake and an anteater on our way back.
Truly Unforgettable.
Ryan S,
Nov 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
An absolutely magical experience...highlight of our lifetimes. Logistics were as easy as can be and our guide Christopher was magnificent. We were fortunate to see Olive Ridley turtles both nesting AND hatching. Christopher was always quick to make sure respect for the turtles came first. Please Samara Adventures, give this man a raise.
Amazing experience
Holly B,
Nov 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
The turtle tour was so amazing, we saw so many baby turtles and even got to see a turtle laying eggs. Would absolutely recommend to anyone traveling to Costa Rica! (Small caveat- the road to get there is very bumpy so if you get car sick maybe not the best option for you, someone on the tour with us did get ill)
Nesting and Hatching of Olive Ridley sea turtles
ErinPA 10,
Nov 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a smooth and wonderful experience with our guide Chris. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. He talked to us the whole way to Corozalita beach. Took 1 hour. Picked us up from hotel in Samara . Ride was very bumpy but interesting and my husband and I and two small kids (5 and 3) all felt safe . We stayed on the beach 2 hours with all the turtle activity . So round trip with driving 6-10 pm. Chris pointed out the bio luminescence which was incredible to see . The ground was also covered in hermit crabs… cool to watch. We saw multiple nest sites with emerging baby sea turtles . And we saw 1 large sea turtle (Olive Ridley) laying her eggs and later returning to the ocean . We left and were given water and cookies. It was such a beautiful night !! Highly recommend if you come this time of year . We went on November 9th, 2025
Turtle hatching tour
Robb P,
Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Excellent tour with very knowledgeable guides. Well ran, professional and very safe. Hundreds & hundreds of baby turtles hatching. So many you need to watch where you step. So many mommy turtles coming up on the beach laying eggs as well. Such a amazing experience.
It didn't happen as the trip was declined by the operator.
zape12,
Sep 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00
The trip didn't happen as the operator declined to provide the tour. Despite this l have had numerous messafes from tripadvisor telling me to prepare for the trip etc. etc. and finally after countless messages Tripadvisor have asked me to review the whole experience. Honestly l must have checked all these messages hundreds of times and wondered , was the trip back on ? The whole experience has been extemely infuriating.
Positive turtle tour, felt once-in-a-lifetime
IGWMemphis,
Aug 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A mind-blowing experience to respectfully witness the turtles up close (and seemingly unbothered) with well informed guides on a remote nature-reserve beach. It wasn't busy when we went, which helped in terms not feeling like an invasion of privacy for the turtle mamas. Kid loved the nighttime experience and red-light scouting, not to mention the up close views. Wow.
It’s a long bumpy drive....
Jared C,
Aug 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It’s a long bumpy drive. 45 minutes of nothing but bumps. But totally worth it to see turtles come ashore and lay eggs.
Fabulous choice.
Myria1,
Jul 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
What a lovely experience. We loved it from the start. Meeting Alan and then driving to the beach. Alan is a very good guide. He shared a lot of information about Olive Ridley turtles. We were lucky to see 2 turtles preparing their nests. Alan found one turtle who we could observe closely. Thank you Alan and Samara Adventures for a wonderful tour.
So excited to see the turtle laying her eggs.
Seaside547049,
Jul 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour and the guide were fantastic. We were able to see a turtle lay her eggs and return to the ocean. The van was very comfortable and the guide very knowledgeable. We were 10 minutes late due to the road conditions and the guide was very kind and accommodating. We only wished we had more time to see the other turtles laying their eggs. Also, we appreciated that the guides cared for the turtles safety as well. Highly recommend.