When it comes to breathtaking beaches, stunning landscapes and fun water activities, Costa Rica has it all. There are several places in the country where you can experience all of that and one of them is Tortuga Island, Costa Rica.
Tortuga Island, or Isla Tortuga, one of several islands in the Gulf of Nicoya boasts white sand beaches, clear turquoise water and incredible views. A Tortuga Island day cruise is one of the best day trips from San Jose or Jaco to experience a gorgeous beach with the Bandera Azul Ecologica award, given only to the cleanest beaches in the country.
We have gone on the Isla Tortuga one day tour with Bay Island Cruises from Puntarenas a few times and had a wonderful trip. Read on to see what it’s like and click this link to get our special $10 Tortuga Island day cruise discount!
Bay Island Cruises
Bay Island Cruises is a Costa Rican company based out of Puntarenas where they take guests on a 1.5 hour cruise through the Gulf of Nicoya to Isla Tortuga. Guests then spend about 5 hours on the island and they provide various activities to enjoy.
They pick up from San Jose, Puntarenas and Jaco for free and include breakfast, lunch, snacks and fruit juice in the tour. They have two boats, a yacht and catamaran which they take out depending on the number of guests. On the beach, they have a designated area with lounge chairs, umbrellas and bathrooms and they stay on the island for a full 5 hours so guests can swim, snorkel, kayak and relax.
Tortugua Island Catamaran Cruise
As we were staying the night before in Puntarenas, we met the crew at their dock in town.
We got on the catamaran around 8 AM and set off into the Gulf of Nicoya with Bay Island Cruises. Their boat has two floors with an air conditioned main cabin and open upstairs deck. The upstairs deck has a Jacuzzi, seats, tables and is where the live music is.
It was a gorgeous day, super sunny with barely any clouds in sight. We went beginning of February which is during Costa Rica’s summer, so all the islands were yellow and brown from the dry heat. But it was still a beautiful sight!
We picked a nice spot at the front of the lower deck so we could lay down with the sun on our faces and wind blowing through our hair. Along the way, our captain shared information about the surrounding islands, Gulf of Nicoya and Isla Tortuga, he pointed out Isla San Lucas (the prison), Curu Wildlife Refuge (right behind Isla Tortuga) and Venado Island.
Live Music
One of the things Bay Island Cruises has that other companies don’t is live music. After we all get settled in the catamaran, the live band set up their spot on the top deck and started playing salsa, meringue and popular pop songs. It was a lot of fun to listen to and watch our MC dance and sing!
After about 1 hour, our captain announced that we were nearing Tortuga Island. As I looked out onto the horizon, I saw a brilliant white sand beach glittering right in front of me.
I could see why companies chose Tortuga Island as the final destination for the cruise, the beach is absolutely breathtaking! No other island we saw in the Gulf of Nicoya had such white sand or clear water!
Click this link to get our special $10 Tortuga Island day cruise discount!
At the Island
When we got close, the crew pulled down a ramp so that we could walk down right onto the shore. The band stood in front of us, happily playing their instruments, welcoming us to Isla Tortuga.
The crew showed us to our place on the island and gave us a brief introduction of what’s what and where’s where. After that, the day was ours. We had a full five hours to do whatever we wanted on the beach: swim, snorkel, relax, kayak, hike or take a nap!
Tortuga Island Activities
Tortuga Island actually belongs to a local family who rents out spots on the beach to tour companies and visitors can rent kayaks, jet skis, pedal boats, snorkel gear, stand up paddle boards and other activities from them.
You can purchase the package that includes a snorkel tour and the banana boat or you can purchase the activities when you get to the island.
Tortuga Island Snorkeling
For the snorkeling tour, they took us to a little dock next to a large rock where we snorkeled and swam with colorful tropical fish for about 1 hour. They do feed the fish which I wasn’t too keen on as it turns the fish into beggars.
Other people went on the banana boat, rented kayaks and went on the short hike. The owners created a sanctuary on the island so you can walk their trails to see peccaries, deer, birds and other animals.
We had lunch after the snorkel tour and they served us fish, chicken, salad, rice and dessert. If you are vegetarian/vegan, make sure to let the company know beforehand or else you will be stuck with eating rice and lettuce all day. The lunch was good but nothing amazing.
For the rest of the day, we relaxed and took a nap at the beach. We also brought our drone so you can see photos of Isla Tortuga from above!
Before we knew it, our five hours were up and it was time to head back to Puntarenas. Although I was sad to leave such a beautiful beach, I was ready to go back and the timing was perfect. We sailed back right during the sunset.
Click this link to get our special $10 Tortuga Island day cruise discount!
Video
You can watch a video of the Tortuga Island Costa Rica one day tour in the video below!
What to Bring
- Bring a day pack with your swimsuit, towel, sunglasses, lots of sunscreen and a hat.
- You can bring your swimsuit and change on the boat or on the island.
- If you want to do the hike, it is an easy trail that takes around 30 minutes. No hiking shoes required.
- If you want to do other activities like rent a jet ski, it is best to bring cash. Prices are quoted in USD and they take USD.
Mytanfeet Tortuga Island Discount
If you want to do this one day Tortuga Island cruise, we have an exclusive discount with Bay Island Cruises to give $10 USD off to all our readers! Click the link to book your tour with our discount.
Anna Nguyen says
Hi! Sorry 2nd question – what kind of alcohol do they serve with their package? Should we be worried about theft because we are planning on bringing a drone and snorkeling?
Sammi says
National beer (Imperial and Pilsen) and for liquor, J&B, Johnny Walker Red, Centenario, Cacique, Flor de Caña and Bacardi
Anna Nguyen says
Hi! We are interested in doing this on 12/26. We have a rental car and will be coming from Mirador. Is it possible to just meet them at where the boat dock is or do we need to drive to San Jose or Jaco?
Vivek says
Hi Sammi, is it possible to also do Curu Wildlife reserve on the same day trip? I understand it is a 10min boat ride from Tortuga Island?
Sammi says
Hi Vivek, unfortunately not on a day tour like this excursion. They have a set schedule to only Tortuga Island.
Emma Soglin says
Hi all!
My friend and I will be staying in Santa Teresa and wanted to go to Isla Tortuga. Is there an easy way to get a tour from the Penisula?
Thanks!
Emma
Sammi says
You can check with Zuma Tours, I believe they offer pick ups in Santa Teresa for the Tortuga island 1 day.
Kelsey says
Hi Sammi,
My boyfriend and I will be staying in Jaco and I have just a few questions before booking. Is it possible to be picked up from Jaco and have a package that will include drinks and snorkeling (if so, how much $)? Also, I was wondering how much the jet ski rentals are? Lastly, will we be dropped off at the same location as pick up?
You’re blog has been extremely helpful when booking our trip, thank you so much!!
Sammi says
Hi Kelsey! There isn’t a package with drinks and snorkeling but from Jaco, snorkeling is included in your package and then you can purchase drinks at the bar on the boat or on the island as you like. They do have an option to purchase a separate drinks package that is $25 for 5 drinks (local and international beer, drinks and cocktails with Johnny Walker red, J&B, Centenario rum, Flor de Can rum and Bacardi).
Jet ski rentals are not operated by Bay Island Cruises, you can book them at the tour desk on the island and they are $120 for one hour, $70 for half an hour and $35 for 15 minutes.
From Jaco, you’ll get picked up and dropped off at your hotel. They also offer interconnections to San Jose and Puntarenas which you can select in the form. If you’re changing hotels for some reason in Jaco, you can request to get dropped off at a different hotel too.
Let me know if you have other questions!
Tammy says
I wish I would have read this post before we booked our tour with the Double Tree Inn at San Jose. We thought we were going on a snorkeling tour with Calypso Cruises and were surprised to find people drinking so early in the morning on the way to the island. When we got to the beach they didn’t tell us about any of the amenities like renting equipment or taking hikes. When we went out to snorkel they didn’t provide us with fins and the ocean current was so strong that the crew spent the whole time retrieving people that would drift out of the designated area. The current was so strong that it kicked up silt and you couldn’t see anything but had to keep swimming just to stay still and without swim fins it was exhausting and an exercise in futility. They also charge us for chairs I am pretty sure it was $12.00 a chair after we had spent $300.00 for the trip…I was also concerned about all of the activity on the island as the beach was littered with coral that I figured was being broken off by the boats, banana boats jet skis etc…it seems that there needs to be some sort of regulation to protect the reef. I have really enjoyed all of your posts. Thank you and keep them coming.
Sammi says
Hi Tammy! I’m sorry to hear about your experience, that doesn’t sound very fun 🙁 Thank you for your feedback though, we’re always looking to hear our readers feedback on their experiences.
I hope you had a great rest of your time in Costa Rica otherwise and thank you for reading our blog.
Sue says
Hi! Thanks for the informative post! We are
Planning a trip april30-may9 next year and wondering if this is a good time to go? Water temperature okay for swimming?
Sammi says
Yes! Always warm 🙂
Yuniel Sardinas says
Hello,
Would be possible to pick up 2 people in San Isidro and after the tour drop us off on San Jose?
Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Yuniel, the tour company only picks up in San Jose. You will need to find your own transportation to San Jose for the tour or go to Jaco as they pick up at Jaco and drop off in San Jose for free.
Sammi says
Hi Elizabeth! There is a cost for kids 3-11. The tour company can pick up at some hotels in Heredia like Hotel Bougainvillea so you can taxi/uber there and get picked up and dropped off from there.
Here are the prices from San Jose (they have 3 different packages).
Option 1: Adults $135.00, Kids $105.00. Includes beach chair and umbrella
Option 2: Adults $150. Includes beach chair and umbrella and 5 drinks (cocktails and national beer)
Option 3 3: Adults $155, kids $125. Includes beach chair, umbrella, banana boat and snorkel.
Then we have a $10 discount off those prices above. Let me know if you have other questions! Here is our booking form to get the discount
Elizabeth says
Hi! My husband and I and our two sons (age 3 and 5) live in Heredia. My parents will be visiting in February, and we would like to do this tour then. Is there a cost for our sons? Also, how much is the snorkeling? Could the tour bus pick us up in a Heredia location? (We actually live in Belén).
Sammi says
Hi Kathy, that would be a possibility except the pick up time in Jaco is 6-630 AM so if you can arrange with your car rental company to return the car by that time, then you can go to a hotel near your car rental office and get picked up from there to do the tour with Bay Island Cruises. But you can actually also get picked up in Manuel Antonio for the tour and get dropped off in La Fortuna since you have more than 4 passengers which is the minimum amount they need for the interconnection. We have a partnership with Bay Island Cruises to give $10 off (you can get the discount and book the tour here) and they can do this interconnection with your group.