What Is Included in a Tortuga Island Tour? Line by Line
Almost every Isla Tortuga tour includes the boat, the snorkel gear, lunch and a guide. The interesting part is the short list of things it does not, including a beach restroom that costs about a dollar per use.
In the price, and not in the price
Both columns are taken from the published inclusion and exclusion lists of the six tours featured on this site, including the small on-island fees operators disclose in their fine print.
What is included in a standard Tortuga Island tour?
Round-trip boat transfer, snorkelling equipment, a beach lunch of grilled fish or chicken with rice, salad and fruit, snacks and soft drinks, a bilingual guide and captain, and life jackets. Many departures also include hotel pickup. That package is consistent across almost every operator running to the island.
The reason inclusions look so similar is that the island imposes them. There is no restaurant, no shop and no gear rental on Isla Tortuga, so everything you use during the day travels out on your boat and back again in the afternoon. An operator who did not include lunch would be delivering you to a beach with nothing to eat.
What varies is the edges: whether pickup is included or extra, whether the snorkel is a beach-entry session or a guided open-water reef swim, whether a wildlife stop is built into the route, and which small extras you pay for on the sand. Those edges are where the price differences live.
| Almost always included | Almost never included |
|---|---|
| Round-trip boat transfer to the island | Alcoholic drinks, usually sold on board or on the beach |
| Snorkel mask, snorkel and fins | Gratuities for the captain and crew |
| Beach lunch, grilled fish or chicken with rice, salad, fruit | International travel insurance |
| Snacks, fresh fruit, soft drinks, coffee or iced tea | Professional photography or printed photos |
| Bilingual guide and captain | Souvenirs from island vendors |
| Life jackets and onboard safety equipment | Towels and personal items |
| Hotel pickup on many departures | Optional activities such as jet ski or banana boat |
What are the small extras nobody warns you about?
The beach restroom costs around $1 per use on several tours. WiFi access and device charging run about $5 each where offered. Beach chair rental is payable on the sand. The Jaco departure lists a road transport supplement of about $20 to reach the Puntarenas dock. None are large; all are cash.
These come straight from the listings themselves, which is the honest way to find them. Operators disclose them, but they sit at the bottom of a page nobody scrolls to, and they are the most common source of mild irritation on the day. A dollar for a toilet is not a scandal. Discovering it with no small notes in your pocket is annoying.
| Extra | Approximate cost | Where it appears | Avoidable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach restroom | About $1 per use | Santa Teresa and Puntarenas speedboat listings | No, budget a few dollars |
| WiFi password access | About $5 | Santa Teresa listing | Yes, go offline for the day |
| Device charging | About $5 | Santa Teresa listing | Yes, arrive charged |
| Beach chair rental | Payable on the beach | Puntarenas speedboat listing | Yes, use a towel or a hammock |
| Jaco to Puntarenas road transport | About $20 | Jaco listing | Depends on your pickup point |
| Alcoholic drinks | Sold on board or on the beach | All listings | Yes |
| Optional scuba or discovery dive | Priced separately | Santa Teresa listing | Yes, an upgrade not a gap |
| Gratuities for crew | Your discretion, small notes appreciated | All listings | Customary rather than required |
Carry small US dollar notes or colones. The island has no ATM, no card terminal on the sand and no way to solve the problem once you are there.
Is lunch really included, and what do you actually get?
Yes, on every full-day tour. The standard is a grilled main of fish or chicken with rice, salad or vegetables, plantains and fresh tropical fruit, served on the beach. Soft drinks, iced tea, coffee and cookies come with it. Vegetarian and vegan options are generally available if you request them when booking.
The quality is better than the phrase "included lunch" usually implies, because the crew cook it on site rather than reheating something prepared hours earlier. On several boats the guides eat with the group, which changes the tone of the meal considerably.
Two variations worth knowing. The private Puntarenas charter lists a ceviche appetiser and afternoon coffee with cookies alongside a barbecue main, which is a genuine step up rather than a wording change. The Curu evening tour is the exception in the other direction: it includes fresh fruit and soft drinks rather than a full dinner, because it is a sunset and night-swim trip, not a beach day.
If anyone in your group has a dietary requirement, say so at booking. There is no kitchen on the island to improvise with and no shop to buy an alternative.
Timing is usually late morning to early afternoon, after the snorkel session and before the free beach hours. That order is deliberate: nobody wants a full plate before an hour in the water, and the afternoon is what the hammocks are for. Picky eaters and small children are worth planning around by bringing a snack, since the menu is simple by design and there is no second option.
Drinks deserve a separate note. Water, soft drinks, iced tea and coffee are included and generally unlimited on the full-day boats. Beer and cocktails are not included anywhere, and are sold either on board or at the beach. Most operators allow you to bring your own, which is the cheaper route if you care about it.
Is snorkelling equipment provided, and is it any good?
Yes, mask, snorkel and fins are included on every snorkel-focused tour and handed out on the boat. The gear is clean and functional rather than premium. If you own a mask that fits you well, bring it, because fit is the single biggest determinant of whether a snorkel session is pleasant or a fogging, leaking chore.
Format matters more than kit quality. Some departures run a beach-entry snorkel in the shallows straight off the sand, which suits nervous swimmers and children. Others take you to a volcanic rock reef in open water with the guide swimming alongside, which is better snorkelling and asks more of you.
Guides earn their place here. Left alone, most visitors see fish. With a guide pointing things out, the same swim produces morays tucked into crevices, camouflaged flatfish on the sand and eagle rays crossing the gap between reef patches. That is a difference in the value of the inclusion, not just its presence.
Book an early departure if the snorkelling is your priority. Water is clearest before several boats have landed and stirred the sand, and Costa Rica's tourism board at visitcostarica.com is a reasonable starting point for checking seasonal conditions on the Pacific side.
Is hotel pickup included?
On many departures, yes. The San Jose full day includes round-trip air-conditioned transport with a pickup between 4 and 6 am. Santa Teresa includes a hotel pickup on the main road. Jaco starts with a 7:00 AM pickup. The Puntarenas speedboat does not include ground transport to the dock.
Read that last one carefully, because it is the most common gap. The $80 Puntarenas speedboat is the cheapest full day on the island precisely because it starts at the dock. If you are staying in Puntarenas that is fine. If you are driving in from San Jose or Jaco, you are arranging that leg yourself.
| Tour | Pickup | Start time | Where you meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose full day | Included, round-trip AC transport | 4:00 to 6:00 am | Designated meeting point or hotel |
| Jaco adventure day | Included in Jaco | 7:00 AM | Your Jaco hotel, road supplement listed separately |
| Santa Teresa and Montezuma | Included | Morning | Hotel on the Santa Teresa main road |
| Puntarenas speedboat | Not included | Morning | Private dock, Las Playitas neighbourhood |
| Puntarenas private charter | Not stated as included | 8:30 AM | Puerto Azul Boutique Resort and Marina |
| Curu bioluminescence | Not included | Early afternoon arrival | Curu Wildlife Refuge entrance |
How do the six listed tours compare on inclusions?
All six include the boat and some form of food or drink. The differences are the guided reef snorkel, the wildlife stops, the private beach spot and the facilities at the dock. The private charter includes the most per person; the Puntarenas speedboat includes the most per dollar; the Curu evening tour is a different product entirely.
| Tour | Price | Snorkel gear | Meal | Notable extras included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose full day | $115 | Guided snorkel, gear included | Lunch with fish, chicken or vegan option | Round-trip AC transport, fruit, soda, iced tea, coffee, cookies |
| Puntarenas speedboat | $80 | Snorkel tour, weather permitting | Full lunch and seasonal fruit | Showers and changing rooms at the dock, unlimited iced tea and coffee |
| Jaco adventure day | $115 | Professional equipment included | Traditional local lunch | Tarcoles crocodile stop, Negritos monkey stop, unlimited fruit and soft drinks |
| Puntarenas private charter | $125 | Guided snorkel tour, gear included | Barbecue lunch plus ceviche appetiser | Private beach spot, stone arch, monkey and dolphin watching, afternoon coffee |
| Santa Teresa and Montezuma | $152 | Professional equipment, open-water reef | Grilled barbecue lunch and fruit | Round-trip transport, bilingual guide, whale watching July to November |
| Curu bioluminescence | $60 | Snorkel equipment available | Fresh fruit and soft drinks, no dinner | Refuge entry, parking, bathroom access, sunset beach, night swim |
Read the Curu row as a different category. It is an evening wildlife and night-swim experience of roughly two hours on the water side, and it is not competing with the beach days. At around $60 it is also the cheapest way to see these islands at all.
What should you bring that is never included?
Towels, high-SPF waterproof sunscreen, a hat, polarised sunglasses, a dry bag for your phone, water shoes or sandals with grip, motion sickness tablets if you are prone, and small cash notes. None of these appear on any inclusion list, and the sun and the restroom fee will both find you without them.
- Sun protection first. The combination of direct equatorial sun and reflection off the water burns faster than most visitors expect, and the water feels cool enough that you will not notice until the boat ride home.
- A dry bag or waterproof case. Sea spray on the crossing plus the moment you forget your phone is in your pocket before swimming. Both happen.
- Small notes. Restroom, chair rental, drinks, tips. There is no card terminal on the sand.
- Your own mask if you have one. Fit beats quality every time.
- A quick-dry towel and a change of clothes. Only the Puntarenas speedboat returns to showers and changing rooms.
- Footwear with grip. Boat decks get wet and the rocks at the water's edge are slippery.
Pack light beyond that. Boat space is limited, you will be in and out of swimwear, and the island's whole appeal is that there is not much to carry.
