Costa Rica » Central Pacific » Puntarenas

Tortuga Island: Catamaran Snorkeling & Banana Boat from Jaco

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.94 (1,663 reviews) 97% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/12

Duration8h

GroupUp to 70

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

White sand and clear water: a full day on Tortuga Island, no planning required

You board a catamaran at Los Sueños Marina with breakfast already served, cross the Gulf of Nicoya in 45 minutes, and land on Tortuga Island's white sand with snorkeling gear, a banana boat, and an eco hike waiting. Lunch, margaritas, rum punch, and all drinks are included throughout the day. Transportation from Jaco is arranged in advance, and the crew handles the rest — you just show up and swim.

Step-by-step itinerary

Shuttle from Jaco to Los Sueños Marina
Board air-conditioned Costa Cat catamaran
Enjoy light breakfast onboard
Cruise 45 minutes to Tortuga Island
Snorkel in clear waters
Ride the banana boat
Take scenic eco hike
Relax on beach with chairs and umbrellas
Enjoy lunch with Costa Rican dishes
Drink complimentary Margaritas and Rum Punch
Return cruise to Los Sueños Marina

The Experience

The catamaran's hull cuts through the Gulf of Nicoya at a steady clip, and the island appears exactly where the crew said it would — forty-five minutes out from Los Sueños Marina. You're on the Costa Cat, a 55-foot air-conditioned catamaran that leaves daily from Jaco, and the crossing is smooth enough that you can already taste the margarita waiting on the beach. Breakfast comes onboard before you leave the dock, and by the time you step into the white sand, the crew has already set up your beach chair and umbrella. The snorkeling gear is there, the banana boat is idling at the waterline, and the tiki bar is stocked — nothing left to figure out except which activity you want first.

The snorkeling happens in water so clear you can see the sand thirty feet down, and the eco hike cuts through the island's interior if you want to trade the beach for shade and a view of the gulf from above. The banana boat ride is the kind of thing that sounds silly until you're holding on and laughing as it tips and spins, and then it becomes the thing you remember. Between activities, there's lunch — grilled chicken, rice, potatoes, salads — served buffet-style on the island itself, not back on the boat. Margaritas and rum punch flow all day, along with coffee and soft drinks, so you're never thirsty or hungry. The crew handles the timing; you just show up at Los Sueños or arrange a pickup from Jaco or Herradura, and they take it from there.

The boat leaves you back at the marina in the late afternoon, and you're the kind of tired that comes from sun and salt water and a full day of moving between water and sand. If you've got kids, the crew says infants can come in a stroller, and the fitness level required is whatever you want it to be — you can snorkel hard or float, hike the whole island or sit under the palms. The whole thing runs on a set schedule, which means you don't have to negotiate timing or worry about missing the boat back.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or marina pickup from Jaco, Herradura, or Los Sueños, breakfast onboard the catamaran, the 45-minute crossing to Tortuga Island, snorkeling equipment, a banana boat ride, an eco hike, beach chairs and umbrellas, a full buffet lunch on the island, and complimentary margaritas, rum punch, soft drinks, coffee, and tea throughout the day. You return to the marina in the late afternoon.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Costa Cat Cruises

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want a full Tortuga Island day without arranging transport, activities, or meals separately — the fixed schedule and all-inclusive format mean you show up and the crew handles the rest. Plan for a full day out, which is exactly what makes fitting snorkeling, a banana boat, an island hike, and lunch into one trip possible.