Tortuga Island Tours

The tour to Tortuga Island from Montezuma or Tambor has become perhaps the most popular of all tours and activities in the area. This tour, which usually is all day from 9am to 4pm, offers a lot in one package.

First of all, the boat journey in itself is truly incredible. Looking at the map on the right, you can see how many interesting beaches, mountains, jungle, and other terrain that you’ll pass on the way. For a larger map showing all the coastal detail, click here: Montezuma Coastal Map

Very frequently you’ll see whales or dolphins, or both. Usually you’ll see a manta ray or school of eagle rays. You may see a sea turtle… there are several species that lay their eggs on the area’s beaches.

The usual pattern is that the boat will take the non-snorkelers in the group to the main beach, and then will go to the small rock shown on the map. Even though it might have a dozen boats and a multitude of snorkelers in the water, there’s usually still a remarkable amount of fish. But to really see a lot, you should swim around to the back of this island rock (to the north side). Over there you’ll usually find large school of fish.

The beach at Tortuga Island (actually named Tolinga Island) is some of the whitest in the area, and on sunny days is astoundingly beautiful. Unfortunately there’s now too much development on the beach, and they have added wave-runner rentals, which completely disrupt the peace and tranquility of the experience for many people.

There are hiking trails around the island, but you have to pay extra to access them. But it’s worth it because you can climb to the top to take photos.

Usually there are a couple of places grilling fish, chicken, etc, so you can buy food, or lunch probably comes with your Tortuga Island tour package. There are a couple of large gift shops here as well, inside tents.

Sea Kayaking is available also, and it’s a great place for it, because this is deep inside the Gulf of Nicoya, and behind the island there are few waves.

All things considered, the trip to Tortuga Island is a great experience that is highly recommended by most.