The Tortuga Island day trip from Santa Teresa and Montezuma in 2026: Zuma Tours and Tiko Tours prices, pickup times, what the boat, lunch and snorkel gear include, how visibility changes by season, and the cheaper alternatives.
A Tortuga Island day trip from Santa Teresa costs about $85 to $140 per person in 2026 on a shared boat, or $480 plus tax for a private boat for up to four with Tiko Tours. Pickup is 7:30 to 8:30am, the boat leaves at 9am, and you return by 4 to 5pm with snorkelling, lunch, and drinks included.
What the trip actually is
Isla Tortuga is a pair of small islands in the Gulf of Nicoya, off the tip of the peninsula east of Montezuma. The main island has a long white-sand beach, calm water on the lee side, and a volcanic reef where the snorkelling happens. It is privately owned and run as a day-visit destination, which means there is a restaurant, kayak and banana boat rentals, a short trail to a lookout, and vendors. It is beautiful and it is set up for visitors; if you are picturing a deserted island, adjust that now.
From Santa Teresa the day has four parts: a 40 to 60 minute drive to the boat, a 50 minute ride along the coast past El Chorro waterfall and the Montezuma cliffs, 60 to 90 minutes of snorkelling at one or two spots, and lunch plus free time on the beach before the ride home. Door to door it runs 8 to 9.5 hours, per Zuma Tours' own description on entercostarica.com. It is a full day and it eats your surf session, which is the first thing to weigh.
The operators
Zuma Tours (Montezuma)
Zuma Tours has run boats out of Montezuma since 1993 and is the operator most Santa Teresa hotels book you onto. Its Tortuga Island tour is sold as a full day, all-inclusive experience with pickups from Montezuma, Cabuya, Mal Pais, Santa Teresa, and Tambor. The boat leaves Montezuma beach at 9am. Included, per zumatours.net: captain and bilingual guide, snorkel gear, soft drinks, water, two beers per person, a tropical fruit spread, and a full barbecue lunch on the island with a fish, chicken, or veggie option, grilled potatoes, and homemade bread. Kayaks and the banana boat cost extra. Zuma quotes the tour at about seven hours from the dock.
On price, Zuma does not print a number on its page. Recent traveller write-ups put it at $80 from Montezuma and $99 from Santa Teresa, the Santa Teresa figure including the shuttle (jaywalktheworld.com), and third-party listings for the Santa Teresa pickup version run up to $137 on Tripadvisor. Message Zuma on WhatsApp for the current rate and treat $85 to $140 as the 2026 band. Adding a scuba dive to the day takes it to about $150 to $160.
Zuma's pickup in Santa Teresa is early, typically between 7:30 and 8:15am depending on where you are on the road, because the van collects along the whole stretch before heading over the hill to Montezuma.
Tiko Tours (Santa Teresa)
Tiko Tours is the Santa Teresa-based operator and it runs the island as a private trip from the Tambor pier rather than a shared boat from Montezuma. Per tikotours.com, the private tour starts at $480 for one to four people, plus 13% tax, with extra people at an additional per-person rate. It departs the pier at 9am with a naturalist guide, snorkels, has lunch on the island (vegetarian, chicken, or fish), and boards for the return at about 2:40pm, back at the pier at 3pm. Snorkel gear, soft drinks, beer, and water are included. Transport is not: it is $25 per person round trip with an 8:20am pickup in Santa Teresa, or you drive the 40 minutes to Tambor and park at the pier. Tiko offers add-ons such as a stop at Playa Quesera and needs a 50% deposit, with free cancellation up to 48 hours before.
For four people that works out to about $135 a head plus tax before transport, so it costs roughly what a shared boat costs while giving you your own captain, your own timing, and no waiting for thirty other people to finish lunch. For two people it is expensive.
Others
Montezuma Expeditions runs a comparable shared tour from Montezuma at a price it does not publish, so ask. Bahia Rica sells a Paquera departure from about $98 through Viator. Costa Cat and Calypso run big catamarans from Puntarenas and Jaco at $140 to $174 with a buffet and a hike, and those boats are the reason the island beach gets crowded between 11am and 2pm; they are the wrong start point if you are staying here. Some hostels, including Akih Pods, fold a Tortuga trip into longer surf packages.
What is included, and what is not
Every shared tour includes the boat, a guide, snorkel mask, snorkel and fins, soft drinks and water, fruit, and lunch. Zuma adds two beers. Tiko includes beer in the private price. Nothing includes kayaks (rented by the hour on the island), the banana boat, vendor snacks, or extra alcohol, so carry cash in small bills. Tips for the captain and guide are customary; $5 to $10 per person is normal. Wetsuits are not part of the deal and are not needed; the water sits around 27 to 29C year round.
The boat ride
From Montezuma the boat runs northeast along the coast for about 50 minutes. Within the first fifteen minutes you pass Playa Grande and El Chorro, the waterfall that drops straight onto the beach, which is worth having your camera out for. In open water the crew watches for dolphins, which turn up on most trips, and for manta rays and turtles. Humpback whales pass through the gulf on two migrations: the southern population from roughly July to October and the northern population from December to March, so a late September trip is inside a whale window even though sightings are luck. The ride is in a covered open boat with bench seating, and it can be bumpy in the afternoon chop on the way home. If you get seasick, take a tablet at breakfast.
Snorkelling: what to expect by season
This is where the honest part lives. Tortuga's reef is a volcanic rock reef with schools of tropical fish, moray eels, porcupine fish, angelfish, and spotted eagle rays, plus sea urchins everywhere on the rocks, so watch your feet. Visibility ranges from 5 to 30 metres depending on season, per the dive site notes on divenavigator.com, and the clearest water comes in the dry months from December to April, when rivers stop pushing sediment into the gulf. Our snorkelling and diving guide puts the best days at up to 25 metres, which is far better than anything you can reach from the beaches at home.
Late September is the other end of that scale. Green season rain washes silt into the gulf and the big south swells stir it up, so on a typical late September day expect 5 to 10 metres, a green tint, and fish close up rather than a wide reef view. Two guide rules for the green season: the second snorkel spot is usually clearer than the first, and a morning after two dry days beats a morning after a storm. If the snorkelling is the main reason you are going and your dates are flexible, wait for the dry season. If you are here now and want a boat day with a beach and a lunch, the trip still delivers, with the snorkelling as a bonus rather than the headline.
What to bring
Towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. A rash guard or long-sleeve swim shirt for the snorkelling, because the sun on your back over a reef is fierce. Water shoes or fins for the urchins. A dry bag for your phone. Cash in small bills for kayaks, vendors, and tips. Motion sickness tablets if you are prone. Your own mask if you have a good one, since rental masks fog. Leave passports and anything you would hate to lose at your accommodation; the boat has no lockers.
Is it worth it for a short trip?
If you have three or four days in Santa Teresa and you came to surf, the answer is usually no. The island costs you a full day and a morning session, the water is murkier in green season, and the beach is busy at midday with catamaran arrivals. Spend that day on the Cabo Blanco hike or the Montezuma waterfall, both closer and cheaper.
If you have a week or more, or you are travelling with kids or non-surfers, or you have already had four days of green season swell and want flat water, it earns its price. The lunch is good, the crew are professional, dolphins are likely, and a calm turquoise beach is something this coast does not otherwise offer. Families in particular tend to rate it as a highlight, because everyone gets something: snorkelling for the confident swimmers, sand and kayaks for the rest.
Alternatives that cost less and take less time
The day trips guide covers each of these in full.
| Option | Cost (2026) | Time | Why instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabo Blanco reserve | $12 entry, $60 to $80 for a driver shared by a group | Half to full day, Wednesday to Sunday only | Primary forest, howler monkeys, and an empty beach at the end |
| Montezuma waterfall | Free by the river trail (parking about 2,000 CRC), $5 for the upper trail via Sun Trails | Half day | Swimming holes and a town lunch, 40 minutes away |
| Bioluminescence tour | From about $36 with Zuma, similar with Tiko | Evening, 3 hours | Night kayak or boat in glowing water, no lost surf session |
| Curu Wildlife Refuge | About $100 with Tiko including guide | Half day | Monkeys, trails, and a quiet beach on the gulf side |
| Snorkelling from Mal Pais or Cabuya | Ask the local boat captains at the Mal Pais port for a same-week price | Half day | Closer, cheaper, and on a good day the same fish |
FAQ
How much is the Tortuga Island tour from Santa Teresa in 2026?
About $85 to $140 per person on a shared boat with Zuma Tours, which includes the shuttle from Santa Teresa, snorkel gear, drinks, two beers, and lunch. A private boat from the Tambor pier with Tiko Tours is $480 plus 13% tax for up to four people, with transport an extra $25 per person.
What time does the Tortuga Island tour pick up in Santa Teresa?
Between about 7:30 and 8:30am. Zuma's van collects along the Santa Teresa road before driving over to Montezuma for a 9am boat; Tiko's transport leaves Santa Teresa at 8:20am for a 9am departure from the Tambor pier. You are back in Santa Teresa around 4 to 5pm.
Is the snorkelling at Tortuga Island good in September?
It is fair, with visibility of roughly 5 to 10 metres on a typical late September day because green season rain and south swell cloud the gulf. The best months are December to April, when visibility can reach 25 to 30 metres. In September treat the snorkelling as one part of a beach and boat day.
Can I get to Isla Tortuga without a tour?
Only by hiring a boat privately, which is what Tiko's $480 trip is. There is no ferry or water taxi that drops you on the island for the day, and the island is private property run for organised visits, so a tour is the practical route for almost everyone.
Which is better, Zuma Tours or Tiko Tours?
Zuma if you are one or two people and want the cheapest all-inclusive day on a shared boat from Montezuma. Tiko if you are a group of four to six, want your own captain and schedule, and prefer leaving from the Tambor pier. Both include snorkel gear, lunch, and drinks.
Is Tortuga Island worth it if I am only in Santa Teresa for a few days?
Usually not for surfers on a short trip, because it costs a full day and a morning session, and the closer options such as Cabo Blanco and the Montezuma waterfall are cheaper. It is worth it for families, non-surfers, and anyone staying a week or more who wants a calm-water day.
Browse every tour operator with current pricing at the /directory/activities hub, and see the things to do beyond surfing guide for more ways to spend a flat day.
