7 Costa Rica Kayaking Tours Worth Booking

1.Puerto Viejo Sloth Jungle and River Kayaking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 112 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $65Our pick

Walk the jungle trails of Punta Uva with guides such as Rob, Francisco, or Yara, watching for sloths, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and unusual plants. Then paddle a calm river toward the sea. The small group, local knowledge, viewpoint, and relaxed pace make this a strong nature outing for active adults and families.

“This was fun and engaging for nature lovers like us. Our guide Francesco was fantastic, very knowledgeable and friendly and passionate about the ecology of Costa Rica. We enjoyed the starting hike to a beautiful viewing spot and saw plenty of wonderful animals and plants on the hike and the paddle, which was very quiet and peaceful.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Damas Island Mangrove Kayaking Tour from Manuel Antonio

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

Paddle through Isla Damas mangroves near Quepos with a professional guide, watching for monkeys, birds, iguanas, snakes, and crocodiles. The roughly four-hour outing includes hotel pickup, bottled water, a typical Costa Rican meal, and a stop at the Tucanes Tours center. Kids 8 and older may join by sharing a kayak with an adult.

“The two tour guides told us a lot about Costa Rica, the surrounding area of ​​Quepos, the animals and the national park. Food and drink were enough and were pretty good.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Canoe tour dentro del Parque

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

Start at 6:00 am with Tortuguero Adventures for a three-hour canoe trip through Tortuguero National Park. Your multilingual guide helps you spot caimans, howler monkeys, and tropical birds. Binoculars, paddles, and rain ponchos are included. Carmen handles friendly booking communication, and groups are 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.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Bio-Luminescence and Sunset Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 82 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $67

Join a small group with guide Lino from Puerto Jiménez at 4:30 pm for a calm-water kayak trip through Golfo Dulce and nearby mangroves. Learn about local plants, birds, and coconuts, watch the sunset at Playa Preciosa, then look for bioluminescence in the water. Fruit, water refills, equipment, and a safety briefing are included.

“super cool and small group, even cooler guide who seemed to enjoy the tour as much as we did and was absolutely passionate about his job! really nice and long break with fresh fruit our guide cut open for us and after we all jumped in the water and he showed us to the bioluminescent bacteria!! definitely worth the money”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Adventure Canoe Tour in Tortuguero

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

Join an accredited guide such as Leroy, Norton, or Eric for a two-hour canoe trip through Tortuguero National Park’s waterways. Expect a small group of up to six, paddle-only travel, and close looks at monkeys, sloths, birds, caimans, basilisk lizards, and other wildlife. The park ticket and local transport cost extra.

“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.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Kayak Tour

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

Start at 6 a.m. in Tortuguero for about three hours of guided kayaking through canals near Tortuguero National Park. Guide Christian is praised for spotting wildlife and explaining the park, while Emanuel helps with park-ticket details. Kayaks, life vests, and paddles are supplied. Bring energy for a steady paddle and budget separately for the park entrance fee.

“Great few touring paddling through the canals. It was raining quite hard so the wildlife were hiding a little, but we spotted Cayman, a turtle, monkeys and lots of birds. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We felt kayaking in shorts and t shirt was a better option than huddling down in a boat in ponchos.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.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 canals. A licensed guide, including Hugo when assigned, helps you spot caimans, crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and birds. The group is limited to eight, and park entrance is extra.

Check availability →Read our full review