Tortuga Island Private Full-Day Boat Tour

Awesome experience- bilingual host and hotel pickup is appreciated

This is my first review but I wanted to make sure everyone who has the chance takes this tour. I have been on Roberts tour 4 times over the last 8 years and it is has been the highlight of our trip every time. Great host who provides a fun safe adventure and private tour to a great white sandy beach. He upgraded his boat and I am sure his service and friendliness will be appreciated by all. Bill from Iowa

Experience consisted of...

Experience consisted of boat ride, monkey island, snorkeling (beautiful fish), and time at Tortuga Island beach with lunch (very tasty). Water, beer, juice, and rum punch included. Captain very nice and knowledgeable.

Perfect!

Our captain, Eric was phenomenal. From start to finish, he made the trip perfect. He pointed out almost a dozen whales on our boat ride, which we got to see play, splash and jump! We saw sting rays and the famous monkey island!

Both the owner and the...

Both the owner and the tour guide were super friendly. The entire day trip was fun and exciting for all ages! It was an action packed day with time to relax as well!

Excellent Tour

This was one of the best days on our trip. We had an excellent guide, Eric. He timed everything perfectly. We were very comfortable.

Great day with Capt. Robert!

I booked our group of 8 a few months before our trip on June 17, 2024. Very easy to book and reliable communication all the way to the morning of our trip. Capt.Robert and Eric were great hosts to us on the boat! We had breakfast, drinks and a great lunch with tuna, rice and salad while we were on the beach! Rum punch was very good! We fed monkeys from the boat and went snorkeling for as long as we wanted! The beach at Tortuga island was beautiful with lots of palm trees etc. Capt. Robert had beach chairs so we could relax on beach. A nice boat ride and wonderful day! All 8 of us would highly recommend Capt. Robert and Eric. They were very personable and knowledgeable.

“Don't think, just do!”

My family and I had an unforgettable day with Robert! He was an exceptional Captain and I can't express enough how amazing our experience was! Robert picked us up from our Hotel, making traveling a breeze. The boat ride to our destination was so relaxing, and my kids absolutely loved it! Snorkeling was a blast, and lunch on Tortuga Island was absolutely delicious! My 6-year-old twins and 10-year-old son adored the sub wing! I went twice and felt like a mermaid swimming in the water. We were incredibly fortunate to see a pod of dolphins swimming alongside the boat on our ride home on water that looked like glass! When we come back, we will definitely hire Robert again! Thank you, Robert, for helping us create these precious memories! It was an incredibly memorable day!

Worth the whole trip

Robert is a great captain and host. We had the best time! He arranged transportation, took us to the best reef, arranged a great lunch once we were on Tortuga and was really great with our small group. Try the sub wings!

Our favorite day in Costa Rica

Robert was a great host! Laid back, easy to talk to, took great care of us. Our day was pura vida! We did full day to tortuga. Left at 7:30am, went to tortuga, snorkeled, then saw the spider monkeys, sub-finned, ate lunch at tortuga, loved the beach time there looking for crabs, good lunch, good company! Saw billfish and dolphins on the ride, took about 45 mins from Jaco. Well worth our money and time. Highly recommend! Pura vida Robert!

Great Day

It was a great day and everything we were promised was delivered. The subwing was fun too and we will want to do this excursion again!

Best Captain and experience

Robert was the best captain! Our family had a blast! I would absolutely recommend this tour and leave the crowds to everyone else.

Private boat is the way to go!

Robert Was Awesome! We loved the fact we weren’t crammed on a boat with a bunch of other people. We got to go snorkeling, swim at the private beach, feed monkeys, and try out the sub wing which was awesome. This was my favorite part of our Vacation!

Great day on the water

Well worth the money and Robert was a great captain and guide. His itinerary is flexible somewhat based on your group. We truly enjoyed ourselves.

Pura Vida por Mi Familia

Being with my family from Arizona was the best experience. Doing it on this boat privately, with nobody else made it even better. Highly recommend it we had a blast. All the amenities were great.

Fun, great service, beautiful scenery

We were a group of 5 from the US. We had an amazing time on the all day boat trip to tortuga island. We started the day with an exciting boat ride then loved snorkeling in calm water. My 2 daughters, ages 6 and 8, especially loved seeing the monkeys on the small island. Then the best part of the day was relaxing in chairs on the beach and swimming at tortuga island. Afterward, before the boat ride back to jaco, we tried the subwing which was fun to try. Robert provided great service with the day coordinated well. I appreciate that the trip included a morning snack, drinks, lunch, and the water activities like snorkeling and the subwing. It was great to have a personalized boat ride experience during our Costa Rican vacation!

Best day of the week long trip

Robert was an excellent tour guide - super chill. Meeting in the morning was super easy. We went snorkeling (great), saw spider monkeys (pretty cool), did the subwing (fun), saw humback whales (incredible) and hung out at the beach on Tortuga Island with a nice lunch and drinks for us. Went as a group of 6 friends and had an all around GREAT time.

Tortuga Island with friends

Robert was great! We enjoyed a viewing of spider monkeys, snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. Lunch was nice. Shaded reserved chairs were perfect for people watching.

Fun day w friends!

Robert was an amazing host. Tortuga island was beautiful, lunch was great, and snorkeling was pretty good. He took us everywhere we wanted to go. The monkeys weren’t out on monkey island but he had no control on that one. Overall, a fantastic day w friends! Wonderful to have our OWN boat!

Great trip. Do it!

Captain Robert was excellent boat captain and host. Smaller group made the experience more pleasant. Highly recommended!

An Excellent Day on Tortuga

Robert was extremely friendly and professional. He made the whole experience something we will remember always!

Awesome day at Tortuga Island!!

Captain Robert was a great host and our family of 6 had a fantastic time! We loved the snorkeling, seeing the spider monkeys, the relaxing time on the beach and delicious lunch. We also tried Subwing for the first time and had a blast! Also saw green sea turtles! Highly recommend!!

Book this charter. Your family, or group, will thank you.

Captain Robert provided a delightful day for my family. I recommend this charter very highly, and you will have one of your best days during your Costa Rica visit. Robert is a highly skilled captain and is very knowledgeable of the area. He has great relationships with the other vendors on Tortuga Island and Herradura, which affords his guests superior service and excellent hospitality. On Tortuga Island, for instance, a water taxi was waiting for us, there were reserved beach chairs and umbrellas right on the beach, and Captain Robert had arranged for a delicious meal of chicken, fish and fresh vegetables. A fully packed cooler of water, beer, juice and rum punch was always available. The tour originates from Playa Herradura and then it's a short trip across the Gulf of Nicoya to a wonderful snorkeling area just off Tortuga Island. The pace of the charter is very relaxed, and Captain Robert will accommodate whatever you wish to do. The Sub Wings are a really exciting activity, and you have never experienced moving underwater at such velocity. We also got to take a tour to a smaller island with Spider Monkeys that come right up to the edge of the water. The Tortuga Island portion of the charter is a relaxed party atmosphere with numerous stands offering food, cocktails and souvenirs. If you are so inclined, you can also buy 30 minutes of Wifi for $1. The Island also features real restrooms and some additional water activities. We enjoyed a lovely lunch (at Donde.charly, I believe it's called) in the shade and saw Tapirs roaming about at the edge of the treeline. Tortuga Island is a real delight and some of the best sand and gentle surf that we have found in Costa Rica. Overall, this charter is well organized, leisurely paced and just long enough that you will return tired and happy, but not so long that you come back exhausted. If you and your family enjoy the water then this is an excellent full day excursion to choose.

Great Costa Rican experience on the water.

This was a very nicely curated tour, with lots of flexibility. We started with a nice ride across the bay, arrived at Tortuga Island and did some pretty great snorkeling. From there we headed toward another island and saw a troupe of cool spider monkeys. Time on the beach at Tortuga was next (reserved beach chairs for all of us). This was a very nice beach with surprises like fresh scallop ceviche on the beach prepared by Costa Rican fishermen. Delicious. Finally, we saw a very large pod of playful dolphins on the way back to our drop off spot across the bay. Our host Robert was superb. This was a great day for the family.

Great day on the water

I went with my sister and dad to the tortuga island tour. We had a great day on the water. We saw dolphins, monkeys, and turtles. We started off snorkeling and saw lots of fish. It is a very personalized experience and my family loves water activities so this was a great tour for us. When we got to tortuga island we had reserved chairs and a full lunch included. Robert has drinks and beer included as well. We did pay extra on the beach to get a piña colada in a pineapple. It was delicious and highly recommend! Most of the other tours I looked at did not include any of this. We were not interested in doing a big group tour. We were picked up at our hotel right on time and the process was made super seamless. Robert (captain) is from the Netherlands and is very easy to get along with. Highly recommend this tour my family really enjoyed it!

Full day on the water

We left early to get to the snorkeling spot before the masses. Great visit with the spider monkeys . Light lunch with paddle boarding. Robert was very a comodatimg to the group

Highly recommended for a fun day!

It was a wonderful day with my kids. The Subwing is like flying underwater. Make sure to tie your swimsuit tight and put sunscreen on the back of your legs. The fresh food at Isa Tortuga was very fresh and tasty. Captian Robert was a wonderful guide and his boat is perfect for private tours for families.

Boat Tour - Bachelorette Trip

My friends and I had the best time! Robert was so accommodating and easy going, he made the whole experience fun! Our whole tour lasted about 6 hours, but Robert is flexible and caters to your preferences. He offered fresh fruit, empanadas, beer and rum punch and we stopped at a beach front restaurant for lunch! We also snorkeled, swam and subwinged which was incredible, definitely recommending this tour to other people when they come to visit.

Pura Vida Experience!

We had an amazing time great experience with Mr. Robert he was very attentive with great service. The snorkeling experience was amazing. Thank you Mr. Robert for the unforgettable fun experience with my family.

10+ Guys Trip

Guys trip and the entire group gave it a 10 out of 10. Super fun day. We skipped the crowed Tortuga island Great decision to stay local. Roberto was easy going and planned our day to what we asked for. Late start at 11am and finish just after sunset. Perfect day with a stop for lunch and drinks at beach front restaurant (Note: the Spicy Margaritas and fresh Tarpon were incredible). Great job Robert! Our group looks forward to another trip with you!!!

The best way to experience Isla Tortuga

This tour is awesome! Robert is a fantastic captain. Very knowledgeable. Very friendly. You get a little bit of everything…snorkeling, wildlife, water sports, relaxing beach time, excellent casado, refreshments, and (most important) no annoying people to deal with…what more could you ask for? We started with a trip across the gulf to the snorkeling spot. We enjoyed some breakfast empanadas on the way (if you have special dietary wishes you should make that known ahead of time…Robert will be sure to take care of you). Then we got to play with the subwing (we even got visited by a pod of dolphins while we were on the subwing!) Next we zipped off to an island that is home to some spider monkeys…we got lucky again there and were able to find one. Robert brought some banana ammo to coax them out. Once we finished there, we headed back over to the beach at Isla Tortuga. Robert made sure we got there before the big, crowded tour boats arrived. He already had our chairs set up and reserved in the shade on the beach. Once you’re at the beach you can buy mixed drinks or an oyster/scallop appetizer (I definitely recommend that one), but you don’t need to because Robert packs a ton of beers and rum punch (and water). You can also swim or paddleboard around the rock outcropping to your right and get to another beach (Playa Tropical)…I’d recommend doing that too. You hang out for a while and then you get treated to a delicious lunch (Robert has an agreement with the best chef on the island). At about 2:30-2:45 you head back to Herradura Bay. A great day!

My Favorite part of my Costa Rica trip

I had an incredible trip to Costa Rica and the day trip/sunset cruise with Robert was my favorite part. The slow cruise back to our hotel, watching the sunset, drinking beers, and blasting our music is a memory I will never forget. I saw amazing fish while snorkeling, the subwing was an experience unlike any that I've had before, the remote beach was super relaxing and beautiful. I am so happy I decided to go with Robert instead of a catamaran with 50 other people. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone and I will most definitely be back ! Thanks Robert !!

Private journey to Tortuga Island

Captain Robert was Awesome! We had a party of 5 and wanted just our party to journey over to Tortuga Island. Robert was very accommodating and took us around the island to see the monkeys , snorkeling as we passed on that but enjoyed the scenery. He took us to the island where we enjoyed a relaxing day. Would highly recommend Captain Robert for your private boat ride. He was very personable and we learned quite a bit about Costa Rica from him. We were provided lunch, rum punch and beer unlimited and even got some American Football throws with him on the beach. We will definitely use him again on our next trip here! His communication was very quick and detailed!

No such place as "monkey beach", but a great time.

We booked the "monkey beach" private boat tour for a group of 4. Overall this was great. The pace was relaxed and our host provided, safe travel, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, the subwing, and good company. However, there is no such place as "monkey beach". "Monkey Beach" is Playa Blanca and Playa Mantis, which are at the base of 2 large hotels in that area, and in no way "remote". Since we thought monkey beach was a real place we had paid to uber to these beaches the day before, and my friend went again a few days later. There were no monkeys on any of these days. If there were, they are probably there to dig through the trash of beach goers. When I asked the host about this he basically said, "monkey beach" is the name he made up for it. Overall we probably would have booked this tour anyway, it just would have been helpful to know what we had actually signed up for.

SubWing Costa Rica with Robert

Robert took our family and friends out to Isla Tortuga in difficult water conditions. Even with choppy waters he found a way to have us snorkel and use the SubWings in good spots. His set up and experience allows so much more flexibility than the other large tours seen in the area. The kids and all of us had a blast!

JUST A JOY RIDE

Robert is a great person, with a delightful personality. He goes the extra way to make sure his guests are well taken of and provides a service like no other in the area. His private boat tours have been operating for over 8 years and comes highly recommended by local tour sales people. ANYONE who gets to experience the day with him or his services will be grateful they did.. FROM the time you get on his boat for either the day, a few hours, or just out for a sunset ride, he is very caring in all he does... He served snacks, water, fruit and a few drinks while out with him. A private taxi to and from shore and will even set up a ride from where ever you are to pick you up and drop you off after.

A do not miss, impeccably curated Costa Rica experience!

We booked our first trip to Costa Rica confident that we would have an amazing adventure; but, had zero idea as to how it would all come to fruition. Our research started with a NatGeo book here, a web search there, and a good number of back-and-forth emails with our resort. Thanks to the latter, we had a general sense of the incredible opportunities awaiting us…so much to see, and literally only four full days to do it. But how?! The two of us ranked the various available excursions and identified our absolute musts, maybes, and skips for our first trip. Sadly, our hotel showed no availability for some of our musts…undeterred, we found our way to good old Google and TripAdvisor. When we discovered Subwing Costa Rica, I was instantly intrigued and hopeful. Our musts which we could book elsewhere, were here, shining bright on our screen, waiting for an inquiry. So off I went…sent a quick little note of excitement to the tour operator and hoped they would be quick to respond. Not only were they quick to respond, it was the same evening with a quick note to let us know they received our inquiry and that the following day they would send us a detailed response. And detailed it was! At last we found our way to have our first trip to Costa Rica include all the musts we had hoped to experience. Okay, let’s get to the good part. First and maybe most important is the owner of Subwing - Robert Kort. Robert is amazing. An excellent and responsive communicator, but also, super knowledgeable about Costa Rica, and quite connected. He spoke Spanish with the locals with ease, which makes a huge difference. Despite positive reviews on reputable sites like TripAdvisor, there’s always a bit of a leap of faith when booking these things. In this case, there was no reason to fear. Actually, we felt like we had the secret hookup to the best tour operator in town…the cat’s out of the bag, and we are happily sharing so others can have an amazing curated experience like we did! We easily switched from email to WhatsApp for ease of communication, which I really appreciated. (Even while in Costa Rica, we found WhatsApp invaluable…from corresponding with Robert and the hotel concierge, to local and very friendly local taxi drivers - it’s a must have tool when in CR!) Quickly, we booked our Isla Tortuga experience and sports fishing excursions - our top two musts for this trip. When we arrived, Robert sent a welcome note and then met us in our hotel lobby our first afternoon to finalize the rest of our itinerary. Horseback riding, zip lining, massages, walking through the flora and fauna of this gorgeous country, maybe a waterfall, maybe some crocs… A beach horseback ride was a must for us while staying in Jaco Beach. Robert was able to get the two of us set up for a private sunset ride on the beach and up the mountain at the top of Mount Miro our first day. We were afforded spectacular views…from the diverse and lush greenery to butterflies, an adorable capuchin monkey and the best birds’ eye view of Jaco Beach, where we just rode our horses with the glimmering sun setting in the clouds and the horizon beyond. Our second day arrived with private transportation from our resort in Jaco to Manuel Antonio. Our dream of seeing a sloth seemed unlikely, yet we dared hope. Well our personal guide, Julian, was passionate and so incredibly knowledgeable about everything from sloths, grasshoppers, bats, trees, crabs, and all the lush landscape you’d expect to see…we hit the sloth jackpot! And with Julian’s expert eye and effective scope, not only could we see them up close, we could take pictures on our iPhones quite easily - an extra bonus! Almost right out of the gate, Julian was able to show us a rare sighting of a two-toed sloth. He had seen them before, but never had an opportunity to see its face. Then we saw three-toed sloths, some mommas with their babies throughout our walk. The gang of monkeys swinging through the trees snacking on berries, to the rarely seen Mot-Mot bird with its beautiful plumage, or the green tree frogs and bats sleeping under various palm fronds. We couldn’t believe our luck in both our guide Julian, and the lovely subjects of our tour of Manuel Antonio. Our tour wasn’t done! Our driver Sergio was waiting for us to take us to the Sanchez Soda in Quepos for a traditional casado for lunch. One word - delish! Please, if you don’t do a similar tour, please check out a local soda for a meal; you won’t be disappointed. After refueling our stomachs, we made the drive back to our resort, all in time for a massage. Robert’s track record was already 100%, but the massage referral to the Nazareth Spa in Hotel Pumilio kept that going. A quick note about the hotel - it is darling and on our list to stay at on a return trip to Costa Rica. Outdoor kitchens, infinity pools, jacuzzi suites, and the beautiful sounds of the vibrant nature around. We arrived after a quick taxi drive to Hotel Pumilio where Warner greeted us…he led us back past the pool, down some stone steps and up to an open-air pergola with two side-by-side massage tables. Diana and Rebecca were amazing and helped us forget where we were and melted all of our muscle aches away. So much so, we decided to book another session the afternoon before flying home. This is definitely a great way to focus on self care upon arrival and departure. This spa and hotel are on the list of Jaco musts! Unfortunately we weren’t able to go on our offshoring sports fishing due to unexpectedly getting food poisoning. Such a disappointment but nothing you can do. Luckily though, we were able to continue on with our Isla Tortuga tour the next day. What a day that was! We had such a quick journey across the Gulf of Nicoya. Robert provided water, beer, and rum punch and some tasty empanadas which we had no problem enjoying! While we didn’t see any dolphins this particular trip, we did manage to see a couple of sea turtles - very cool! We arrived around the bend from our ultimate destination to be treated to a nicely maneuvered ride under a rock arch in stunningly turquoise waters which happily provided this girl with a photo opp! We continued on to a great snorkeling spot…just the two of us in the water. We saw spotted eagle rays, a moray eel, sea urchins, beautiful fish, and even coral (less common). After getting our fill of snorkeling, we left to enjoy the Subwing as the late risers started to show up to this popular snorkeling destination. Timing matters! The subwing was a cool way to submerge under water, as much, or as little as you wanted while trailing behind the boat. Definitely adds some athletic moments and excitement to any underwater adventure. Afterwards, we headed to this private beach and secured two shady beach chairs with a perfect view. Robert brought us incredibly fresh and juicy fruit to enjoy as we lounged listening to music and enjoying nature’s beauty. Another traditional Costa Rican lunch was served - salad, beans, rice, veggies, potatoes, and chicken (for me!). So tasty…it really hit the spot for our day excursion to Isla Tortuga. We had fun swimming in the protected cove and just relaxing. In fact, an impromptu game of soccer broke out (a day after the World Cup championship no less, making it even more fun) - men, women, and kids all joined in. Theatrics, leaps in the sand and water, ending in a shoot out all made for a wonderful and unexpected show! While I can’t promise that will happen on your visit, there are volleyball courts and plenty of opportunities for unexpected fun anywhere! Our last day ended with a zip line tour Robert arranged for us at Vista Los Sueños which did not disappoint! Ten lines took us through the canopy with a couple of fun photo opportunities. We both opted for the upside down shot…which believe me, isn’t as hard as it sounds! A must for a memorable experience, no matter if this is your first (his) or fourth (mine) zip lining experience - or fitness level. Fresh fruit awaited us yet again and a quick ride back to our hotel - all included! We then made our way back to Hotel Pumilio and Nazareth Spa for our final session of massages…a perfect book-end for an incredible adventure. An incredible vacation in Costa Rica where the people were kind, the food was delicious, the views simply spectacular, the flora and fauna incredible beyond compare, and the memories - well, let’s just say our cup runneth over - we made memories together for a lifetime! Truly, we cannot thank Robert enough for his thoughtfulness in curating a personalized itinerary based on our wishes. Without hesitation, we recommend him - for one or all of your Costa Rican adventures. We can’t wait to go back! And we can assure you, we’ll be reaching back out to Robert and Subwing Costa Rica tours!

Best snorkeling/boat tour in the area!

What an awesome trip for our family! We had a private tour for basically the same price as the big group tours. The other tours only do snorkeling, but with Robert/Subwing Costa Rica we got to snorkle, ride underwater subwings, and he took us to another island to see spider monkeys up close. He was fantastic and took great care of us. We ended the afternoon at an amazing beach with great food and drinks, which were all included in the tour. Would absolutely do again without hesitation. He even had paddle boards for us to use at the island!! Our kids are in their late teens and they all loved it. They were wiped out when we got back to our room since they picked us up at 7:30am and we didn’t get dropped off until a little after 4pm. It was an all day activity. Since we started the day early, we were the first ones to arrive to the snorkeling area and didn’t have to face crowds. We were able to spot sea turtles, many types of fish, and even a shark. Thank you Robert, It was a fantastic day!

Excellent fun trip

Excellent trip! Robert is great. The Subwing is super fun. Tortuga island is amazing and the snorkelling is great.

Fabulous amazing private trip to tortuga

Robert you are amazing and we all had a great time! Thank you! He went out of his way to make sure we all were happy. He had breakfast and drinks for us, we went snorkeling! My husband and him went exploring to looking at sea life. My husband did the subwing and said it was a lot of fun! We then went to the island where private chairs were waiting and fruit and lunch was served. He was never rushing us he just wanted to make sure we were happy . He customize the trip for what you would like. If we lived in jaco we would meet Robert out for dinner and drinks every week. He really is awesome. Thank you Robert for your hospitality . Ladies he has a nice Accent too (sorry Robert if making you blush lol) definitely give Robert a call if you want a more personalized amazing trip to Tortuga Island! Thank you again! Hope to see you again !

Un día de relajo

Una experiencia increíble , todo fue gracias a Robert , que nos dió instancias maravillosas para nunca olvidar . El que sea privado nos otorgó la oportunidad de aprovechar al máximo el tiempo en la isla , disfrutando del lugar .

Superb Sunset

We took a private tour with a superb boat with two wonderful crew, our captain Fabrizio and the Jordan crew. They gave us great moments. THANKS.