San Jose

Top San Jose landmarks

San Jose trip ideas

Book online or call: (888) 651-9785

Tortuguero National Park and Canals Day Trip from San Jose

Name: Tortuguero National Park and Canals Day Trip from San Jose
Brand: Destiny Travel Costa Rica
SKU: 24578P62
Price: 225 USD
Rating: 4.5 (67 reviews)

Recommended by 90% of travelersBadge of ExcellenceSan Jose, Costa Rica

Day Trip from San Jose to Tortuguero National Park Canals

12 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Full day to Monteverde from San Jose with Canopy and Reptil Amphibians watching

San Jose, Central Valley

4.7

(3)

Full day to Monteverde from San Jose with Canopy and Reptil Amphibians watching

from $178

Arenal Volcano Full-Day Combo Tour with Lunch and Dinner

San Jose, Central Valley

4.9

(3,137)

Arenal Volcano Full-Day Combo Tour with Lunch and Dinner

from $185

Full Day Tour in Poás Volcano and the Waterfall Garden

San Jose, Central Valley

5.0

(13)

Full Day Tour in Poás Volcano and the Waterfall Garden

from $220

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

If you’re short on time in Costa Rica but want to see the country’s famous biodiversity beyond the concrete capital, this day trip to the Tortuguero National Park is ideal. Travel through the canals and lagoons on a boat and look out for toucans, crocodiles, sloths, iguanas, and much more. The highlight, though, is seeing the sea turtle nesting sites on the beaches, which give the park its name.

An easy way to visit Tortuguero from San Jose
Breakfast and lunch will be provided
National park fees are included
Travel in comfort in an air-conditioned vehicle

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
Breakfast
Typical breakfast
Lunch
Caribbean Lunch
park fees

gratitudes

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We pick up passengers in all Hotels , B&B, Hostels, AirB&B located in San jose downtown, Heredia downtown and Alajuela downtown

Start time
.05:30 am

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Infant seats available
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
We require to get complete name and passport number from every person going in this tour. This is necessary for registering every person to the park ticket's system, otherwise it wouldn't be possible to enter the park. Please add your names plus nationality and passport number. We highly appreciate you to send us this information as soon as possible to avoid eventual troubles like missing the chance to visit the park, as there are limited tickets available everyday
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Questions?

Visit the Viator Help Centre for any further questions.

Product code: 24578P62

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Diane_P

Our guide was Arturo & he was fantastic! I would’ve loved to wander around the village, but my husband & nieto loved climbing all those stairs in Parque Carrillo to see the view from the mountain top.

Reviews

4.7

67 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 67 reviews

Tortuguero, My favorite place to see in C. R.

Diane_P, Oct 2024

Response from Host, Oct 2024

It is great to know that you had a great time during this tour. Thank you for your comments

Great River Trip thru Tortuguero National Park

Carmen_H, Aug 2024

Thanks to our tour guide, Jerry from Destiny Travel, our trip to Tortuguero National Park was amazing. Jerry was very engaging with our group; very knowledgeable about the park, animals and foliage. We hiked through the park to the top of a volcano.....it didn't rain in the rain forest, IT POURED! Jerry was very positive and encouraging the entire day. Definitely worth the full day we spent on this trip.

Great day at Tortuguero

Nicholas_I, Aug 2024

We had a great day at Tortuguero National Park. Edgar was fantastic and a lot of fun. Breakfast and Lunch were great! We saw Crocs, Iguanas, Toucans, Frogs and more.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Great way to see lots of wildlife

Nina_V, Jul 2024

This was a long day, but definitely worth the travel to get there from San Jose. Our tour guide Jose was amazing at spotting wildlife, always pointing it out and helping us see them and take photos, both on the drive and in the park. We saw sloths, monkeys, birds, and lizards, plus some cool mushrooms. The town was really interesting, and the food we got for lunch was by far my favorite food that I've had on a tour (I got jerk chicken and rice). We also got to spend a bit of time on the beach and saw the sea turtle nests, which was nice too. There is a bit of a walk up a good amount of stairs, so just be prepared for that. And definitely bring and use bug spray here!

Great guide

William_C, Jul 2024

The tour guide I think his name was Roberto and he was very informative and sharp eyes. He help to make the river and rain forest exciting for the entire tour.

Lovely Day in Tortuguero!!

Elizabeth_S, Jul 2024

We had an incredible tour with Jerry as our guide again! He was so knowledgeable of the area and incredibly accommodating. Our breakfast and lunch spot was delicious and everyone was so friendly. The boat tour was private, so we had a huge boat to just two couples. We saw so many animals on the tour - red and green macaws, toucans, monkeys, crocodiles, bats, and more! The hike up to the view above tortuguero was about 500 steps, but the view is incredible. We would recommend this tour if you are wanting to visit Tortuguero…which you should!!!

Great experience

Kedhar_P, Jul 2024

We had a wonderful day at the park. Edgar was very courteous and helpful tour guide. The boat ride thru the canals is the highlight. Able to spot many iguanas and one caiman. Enjoyed good food and tour of the town. Be prepared for 400 stair but worth it for a beautiful view point.

A wonderful trip

Xin_Y, Jun 2024

The tour guide is a very knowledgeable and guy! The whole trip was perfect! We saw so many wild creatures on the boat trip. The Tortuguero hill view is such an amazing one! For everyone visiting Costa Rica, Tortuguero park is a place you should never miss!

being stood up on one of...

Deborah_N, Apr 2024

being stood up on one of our tours and days that ran 16 hours. i will be in touch not happy want contact with u

Response from Host, May 2024

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Your comments greatly help us to improve any detail that helps provide better service to our customers.

Great views good host bad price

JorgedeJess_M, Apr 2024

Great guide (Charlton), amazing views in tortuguero. The tour I liked the most in Costa Rica. Very expensive, though.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Wished there was more free time.

YanLin_Z, Mar 2024

Breakfast and lunch took too long. I rather they gave us free time to walk around the tourist spot. Breakfast was ok, lunch was more delicious. Unfortunately we didn’t see anything amazing on our day and it was really hot. Note: bathroom requires 1 dollar each use when you get to the park.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Your comments greatly help us to improve any detail that helps provide better service to our customers.

Best way to see the park

Daniel_N, Mar 2024

Incredible journey through the waterways of an incredible national park. Our guide was great. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We are happy to know you enjoyed the excursion. thank you for your comments.. Pura vida

Great Vacation Experience!

John_U, Feb 2024

Great experience! So happy we decided to go. Manual the guide was professional, friendly and very informative. His friendly driver provided, good safe transportation on a very dicey route to and from the Torguero National Park.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

thank you for your comments. We are glad to know that you had such a great time during this excursion. Pura vida

Great way to see some wildlife!

Samantha_C, Feb 2024

I went on this trip with my mom and we had a great time! We ended up having a different tour company cancel our trip last minute, but Destiny Travel was super accommodating and allowed us to switch our original tour to an earlier date. The tour itself was wonderful, we saw all sorts of wildlife including: Toucans, red frogs, iguanas, Caymans, hummingbirds, spider monkeys, and a three-toed sloth! The 500 stair climb might be difficult for some, so that might be something to keep in mind, but we enjoyed the view from the top even though it was pretty cloudy. Tortuguero was a really cute town and the lunch we had was delicious and very filling. The only downside to our trip was the van... if you're on the larger/taller side you're likely going to feel a little cramped. The AC also didn't work well and the back window was stuck and wouldn't open, so the van felt pretty hot and stuffy for most of the day.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you for your comments, we are glad to know that the service and the excursion were to your satisfaction. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Ended up getting a...

Bridget_B, Jan 2024

Ended up getting a private tour with our guide, Ricardo. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, pointing out many animals and plants on the tour. Lucked out and had a beautiful day in Tortuguero! There were so many animal sightings, including crocodiles, turtles, a poisonous frog, and both howler and spider monkeys. The hike was beautiful and the ascent to the viewpoint at the top of the volcano was challenging but doable with stairs. The village of Tortuguero was picturesque and lunch was absolutely delicious. My husband couldn't stop praising the fish plate and the fresh watermelon juice hit the spot. Be sure to use bug repellant, though. Highly recommended!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

It is good to know you had such a good time during the excursion. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Excellente

LutringMoser_M, Jan 2024

Small group, very lovely guide. Very interesting natur and animals, insects. All perfect! Recomended!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for your comments. We are glad to know you had a great experience !!

Awesome trip, even got rain in the rainforest!

George_S, Jan 2024

The animals were awesome. Our guide Aturo was the best, he found so many animals. The driver was very professional.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

It is good to know you had such a good time during the excursion. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Best money spent

Brandon_H, Jan 2024

We were blown away by what we were able to see and do in a day. Before we even made it to breakfast, we had already stopped along the road to see sloths and other wildlife. The boat tour was also very impressive. The guide and operator were tremendous in finding wildlife and giving us opportunities to see and photo it. The meals were simple, but very good and authentic. I think if I had to do it again, I would not do the up and back climb to the lookout point, but the fresh coconut water and coconut we bought after were some of the best we have ever had.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for sharing your experience during the tour. We are very happy to know that you were satisfied and that you admired the beauties of this place as well as its wildlife.

Great tour

Julie_J, Dec 2023

It was great, breakfast and lunch were good and the places were beautiful, the tour guide, Fran, was very nice and keen to teach us about the country

Response from Host, Dec 2023

We are very happy to know that the tour was to your complete satisfaction and that the guide Francinie did a good job giving her best for the satisfaction of our clients. Pura vida

1 traveler found this review helpful

Don’t recommend

Jason_S, Nov 2023

Absolutely awful tour. We didn’t even get a chance to visit the Caribbean coast and see the famous turtles nesting on the beach. This tour is over-marketed and the reality is you won’t see monkeys or crocodiles on the river cruise but only birds and insects. It was also very unsafe - the driver of the tour bus had an angina attack midway up the mountain ranges and refused to stop driving placing every single passenger at risk of an accident and the bus rolling down the narrow roads and mountains. It was only until we insisted he stop the bus that the tour guide agreed to take over driving duties - they clearly don’t care about customer safety. This tour promises a lot but delivers very little, is heavily overpriced and not worth it.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for sharing your comments, which are very important to us. We are very sorry for your rating of the tour. However, I must tell you the following: IN the description of the tour it does not indicate that you will see the turtles nesting on the beach, since this one you mention is a tour that takes place only at night. For this purpose it is necessary to stay in the park for at least 1 night (July to October only), you cannot see the nesting on the one day tour. (during daylight) Regarding what happened on the return trip, we are aware that the driver had a health problem due to something he ate in his lunch and did not feel well. However, our guides are trained to drive vehicles and in this case the guide very responsibly took over the driving of the vehicle to take you back to your Hotel safely. These are things that can happen and cannot be predicted. Once again we regret this situation or rather the misunderstanding with the interpretation of the excursion.