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Tortuga Island Sunset & Bioluminescence Tour Santa Teresa

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.75 (4 reviews)

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/9

Duration7h

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Tortuga Island at dusk: when the water starts to glow

You board an air-conditioned boat at 4pm and ride 45 minutes out to Tortuga Island, where you snorkel with provided gear and eat fresh-cooked fish tacos as the sun sets. After dark, the ocean comes alive with bioluminescence — glowing organisms that light up when disturbed — and you watch from the boat as the water pulses with blue-green light. The whole trip takes 7 hours and includes two beers, filtered water, and a guide who knows the marine ecosystem. You're back by 11pm.

Step-by-step itinerary

Boat ride and sunset bioluminescence

Take 45-minute boat ride to Tortuga Island
Observe dolphins, manta rays, turtles, whales
Enjoy late afternoon tour on Isla Tortuga
Watch sunset at Tambor Bay, Playa Vivos
Experience bioluminescence phenomenon at night

The Experience

There's something about the idea of watching the ocean light up on its own that makes you want to go. You're curious, a little skeptical maybe, but curious enough to book. The Tortuga Island sunset and bioluminescence tour from Santa Teresa answers that pull — it's a 7-hour evening trip that leaves around 4pm, when most of the day boats have already turned back and the island feels quieter. The 45-minute boat ride out follows the Nicoya Peninsula coast, and the water is often full of dolphins or manta rays, though you never know what you'll see. What you do know is that the boat is air-conditioned, the ride is smooth, and you're heading somewhere specific.

Once you reach Tortuga Island, you have time to snorkel if you want — mask, fins and snorkel are all provided. The guide knows the reef and the marine life, and will point out what's actually down there instead of just letting you guess. Around the time the light starts to change, the crew cooks fresh fish tacos right there, along with plantain chips and fruit. You get two beers per person, filtered water in reusable bottles, and the kind of meal that tastes better because you're sitting on a boat watching the sky turn orange. The sunset itself happens over Tambor Bay at Playa Vivos, and it's the kind of thing that photographs badly but stays with you.

After dark is when the bioluminescence starts. The water glows when it moves — when the boat cuts through it, when you trail your hand over the side, when fish dart underneath. It's not a light show in the theatrical sense; it's quieter than that, almost like the ocean is breathing. Your guide explains what's actually happening (it's dinoflagellates, tiny organisms that produce light when disturbed), which somehow makes it more interesting, not less. The boat heads back to Santa Teresa around 11pm, and you're tired in that good way, the kind where you sleep deeply and wake up still thinking about the water glowing in the dark.

What’s included

Air-conditioned vehicle pickup from your Santa Teresa hotel.
45-minute boat ride to Tortuga Island with views of the Nicoya Peninsula coast.
snorkel mask, fins and snorkel gear.
time to snorkel at Tortuga Island.
fresh-cooked fish tacos with chicken or veggie options, plantain chips and fresh fruit.
two beers per person.
filtered water in reusable bottles.
expert guide with knowledge of local marine ecology.
sunset viewing at Tambor Bay.
bioluminescence display on the return journey.
return to Santa Teresa around 11pm.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by Zuma Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see something genuinely unusual — bioluminescent water — without spending the whole night arranging transport, timing the sunset yourself, or figuring out where to eat. The 7-hour window and fixed schedule handle all three, and the boat leaves late enough that you're not rushing your afternoon in Santa Teresa.