The 9 Kayak Trips in Costa Rica That Earn Their Price

1.Damas Island Mangrove Kayaking Tour from Manuel Antonio

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 89 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $75Our pick

You’ll paddle through Damas Island’s mangrove channels near Quepos for about four hours, with guides pointing out monkeys, birds, reptiles, and plant life. The trip includes hotel pickup, bottled water, and a Costa Rican meal at the Tucanes Tours base. Tide times control the actual start, so confirm your pickup time.

“It was very interesting to kayak the mangroves and see the monkeys. The tour itself was not impressive and not worth the money we paid for it. The time of the tour is not what is posted on the website but is dependent on the tide - in our case the pick up was at 12:40 (instead of 6am.). The guide was nice but a newbie - he was not very engaging, his english was adequate, and he was not very knowledgable. The kayaks were uncomfortable and the first double kayak in which they launched us quickly took on water so we had to get back - they didn't have…”

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2.Canoe tour dentro del Parque

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 86 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $28Top rated

Start at 6:00 am with Tortuguero Adventures for a three-hour canoe ride through Tortuguero National Park. Your multilingual guide points out caimans, howler monkeys, and tropical birds while you paddle quiet canals. Binoculars, ponchos, and paddles are included. The group is limited to 10 people.

“Die Tour war von Anfang bis Schluss perfekt. Sehr einfache und freundliche Kommunikation mit Carmen. Die Tour startete pünktlich um 6.00 Uhr - davor gab es noch Kaffee und Tee. Der Guide war perfekt - er erklärte uns alles im Detail und nahm sich die Zeit alle Fragen zu beantworten. Wir sahen super viele Tiere.”

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3.Wildlife Safari Float by Kayak in Peñas Blancas River from Arenal

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $88

Spend about four hours kayaking the Peñas Blancas River with a naturalist guide such as Christopher, Beto, or David. Watch for monkeys, crocodiles, sloths, toucans, bats, and iguanas, then visit La Cocina de Tita Yolanda for coffee, cacao, sugar cane, and a typical snack.

“The guides were knowledgeable about the animals in the area and kept an eye out for us to stop and take pictures. They were cautious about keeping us safe and they were very fun and kept us laughing. This was one of the highlights of our trip!”

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4.Kayak to the Heart of the National Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 79 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $65

Set out from Pangas Beach Club with guide Luis or Tom for a tide-timed kayak trip into Las Baulas National Marine Park. You’ll learn basic paddling, watch for monkeys, crocodiles, and birds, then leave the kayaks for a guided forest walk and climb to an indigenous archaeological site. Expect heat, mud, and moderate physical effort.

“Paddle was very cool up the estuary. We were taken into the park and on a short hike to see local flora and fauna. Would recommend to any nature enthusiasts. Luis was very knowledgeable.”

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5.Lake Arenal Private Paddle Board Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $70

Join Jose for a private 2.5-hour stand-up paddleboard outing on Lake Arenal near La Fortuna. You’ll receive a safety lesson, paddle in sheltered areas, look for birds, turtles, fish, and otters, and enjoy fruit, photos, and video. The pace is friendly and adaptable, with assistance available for participants with disabilities.

“Jose was a very friendly and professional guide. He taught the basics of supping very patiently and made us feel confident on the paddle board”

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6.Adventure Canoe Tour in Tortuguero

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $25

Paddle a canoe through Tortuguero National Park with an accredited guide such as Leroy, Norton, or Eric. The roughly 2-hour-15-minute outing is limited to six people and focuses on wildlife, including monkeys, sloths, toucans, basilisk lizards, otters, caimans, and more. Bring rain gear: the canoe has no motor, and you will paddle.

“We had a great boattrip watching birds, monkeys and caimans. Our Guide Norton was very nice and helpful to see this animals in the canals of Tortuguero.”

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7.Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $45

Start at 6:00 am in Tortuguero for about three hours of guided kayaking through the national park. Christian and other guides point out monkeys, caiman, sloths, turtles, snakes, and birds while you paddle quietly through narrow waterways. Kayak gear is supplied, but the park entrance fee is extra.

“Great trip, very knowledgeable guide, Christian. Saw howler monkeys, lots of cayman, black turtle, snake bird and lots of others. Everything very safe and plenty of time to take photos and soak it all in.”

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8.Canoe tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $35

Start at 6:00 am in Tortuguero National Park for a 2.5-hour canoe or kayak trip through the park’s canals. A licensed guide, including Hugo on some departures, helps you look for caimans, crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and birds. Groups are limited to eight, while park admission costs extra.

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9.3-hour canoe tour through Tortuguero National Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $24Best value

Join PabloToursTortuguero for a three-hour canoe trip through Tortuguero National Park. Guides such as Pablo and Abel paddle with you through quiet channels, pointing out birds, American crocodiles, caimans, monkeys, snakes, trees, and plants. The group has no more than eight people, and the tour returns to its starting point.

“Excelente día con Pablo. Se ha esforzado en darnos a conocer el entorno y mostrarnos la fauna y flora local explicando sus interacciones. Ha estado en contacto y pendiente de nosotros incluso antes de llegar a Tortuguero ofreciendo su ayuda para cualquier cosa que pudiéramos necesitar. Gracias Pablo por la fabulosa experiencia que nos has ofrecido.”

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