Samantha M.
My favorite tour of the whole trip! Juan José was an excellent guide!
Costa Rica · Your next adventure
Damas Island Riverboat Wildlife Safari in the Mangroves
Your experience
Good to Know
Embark on the Damas Island Riverboat Safari, a serene yet captivating journey through Costa Rica's diverse mangrove ecosystem. Glide silently through emerald canals, observing a thriving wildlife theatre featuring crocodiles, caimans, White-faced Capuchin monkeys, sloths, and silky anteaters. This protected refuge is also a birdwatcher's paradise, offering sightings of Herons, Toucans, and vibrant Roseate Spoonbills. The expedition includes round-trip transportation, an expert bilingual guide, and a delicious meal, with tour times adjusted daily based on ocean tides.
Located on the Central Pacific coast, a little north of Manuel Antonio, the Damas Island Estuary is a great place to observe rare and exotic wildlife. This half day tour will take you through this interesting refuge on a covered riverboat, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the scenery and natural surprises around every turn.
The tour starts when you are picked up from your local area hotel. Most guests will be coming from Manuel Antonio, which equates to about a 20 – 30 minute drive. Those coming from Uvita, Dominical, or Jaco will have a longer drive. Once you reach the refuge, you will meet your guide and board the boat for your safari.
The riverboat is covered to protect from sun or rain. It is equipped with a quiet engine so you have a better chance of hearing the wildlife and guide. Your bilingual guide is certified by the ICT as a professional naturalist guide ensuring you receive the best information on the wonders you will witness.
The Damas Island Estuary is loaded with wildlife! It is not uncommon to see playful capuchin monkeys, silky anteaters, sloths, and other mammals. Of course, there are plenty of reptiles including boas, crocodiles, and caiman. Many coastal migratory birds stop in at different times of the year. Egrets, herons, and spoonbills are commonly observed.
The tour is tide dependent as it is on a coastal estuary. Because of this, transportation and meal times may vary. Be prepared to spend around 2.5 hours on the boat. On this tour you will enjoy a traditional Costa Rican meal at a local restaurant.
Your safari adventure includes transportation, bilingual guide, gear, and a meal. In total, the tour is expected to last 4 hours, though this is subject to change and longer if you are staying in Jaco, Dominical, or Uvita. Transportation from these areas is at set times. If you have to wait for the tide to come in or wait for the bus back to your hotel, don't worry, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the beach, or hang out in the restaurant; please be prepared for these eventualities.
NOTE: Since this tour is tide dependent, please do not coordinate other tour activities on this day when staying in Jaco, Domical, or Uvita.
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Highlights
- Riverboat ride through the Damas Island Estuary
- Chance to see exotic wildlife
- Enjoy a typical Costa Rican style meal
What to Bring
Insect repellent, binoculars, camera, and rain gear.
Includes
Transportation, bilingual guide, boat, fruits, and a meal.
Location and Availability
Available in: Manuel Antonio, Herradura, Jaco, Dominical, Uvita
Tour space is generally available when requested more than two days in advance and remains subject to confirmation.
Tour Times
Depend of the Ocean Tides
Tour Type
- Safari Cruise
Explore the location on the map
Location
Latitude: N 9° 27' 30.76" (9.458544)
Longitude: W 84° 12' 3.37" (-84.200935)
Recent Reviews
Overall
92%
Expectations
91%
Experience
92%
Guides
94%
Logistics
93%
Value
93%
Cindy M.
excellent tour and amazing guide and boat captain
Jennifer S.
Dinner should be optional - it made us late but was ok
Russell R.
Our guide pointed out various wildlife throughout the tour, enhancing the experience.
Shawn G.
Good guide, saw lots of animals and scenery.
Richard H.
A wonderful introduction to the Mangroves of Costa Rica. Got a good brief on the four species, the biology of esturine plants and animals and the effect of salinity on the different species.
Jeremy E.
Again, from pick up to delivery ´home » we so enjoyed leaning from our guide. It’s amazing how focused one becomes when in the nature setting. The lunch was delicious!
Debra B.
I doubt many boats would encounter crocodiles or sloths.
Laurie P.
Wonderful tour! William was very informative and accommodating! We had a great time!
Steve D.
The tour was quite fun and more educational than I expected.
Angela C.
William was excellent enjoyed the homemade meal afterwards
Thalia P.
Fabulous tutorial on the eco system of MANGROVE swamp by William A Vargas G.and "eagle eye' the boat driver.Delicious lunch afterwards at family home.
Marie-Josée G.
Beautiful mangroves. Great guide! Lunch was perfect.
Dolores M.
The guides were great and the lunch we were provided was delicious but the overall riverboat experience was okay for me. There was nothing wrong with it but I enjoyed other excursions more than this one.
John F.
Excellent excursion. Very relaxing, lunch was very good. Our guide Raoul was so knowledgeable. A trained Naturalist
Antoine S.
The tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The scenery was impeccable
Arturo Z.
Saw some monkeys and various birds, was hoping for more but you can't control nature. The mangrove is beautiful and the tour was very relaxing. Would definitely do again.
Ruth B.
The same group of guides as for Manuel Antonio and both guides were excellent. The tour was calm and restful, not overly exciting, but we saw the small tree-climbing ant-eater and that was really great! Fun breakfast!
Ronald T.
Several bold Capuchin monkeys hopped on board. Probably on a dare from the other monkeys, the leader quickly touched my knee then backed away. Very interesting tour with lots of wildlife.
Lakshmi N.
Excellent and guide was very knowledgeable. The lunch that was prepared was also tasty and simple!
Gloria C.
I wish I'd seen more wildlife on the tour, but it was great nonetheless.
Brigitte D.
We got to see a variety of birds and the guide was very knowledgeable.
Alice C.
Enjoyed it very much - the guides again were knowledgeable and we saw a lot of wildlife.
Linda C.
We enjoyed the luncheon after the tour. We weren't expecting that! So nice! They were very accommodating in changing the time of our tour, when we asked if it could be later in the day.
Eileen F.
weren't expecting the delicious meal served at the end - a nice surprise.
Alice L.
Excellent tour with knowledgeable guide
Angela D.
Assume!
Sonya K.
Small group, relaxing, nice lunch and great guide.
Jocelyn M.
Loved that we ended up getting lucky and basically had a private tour. The guide was entertaining and really knew how to connect with his guests. The boat driver had such a good eye at spotting things so I would like to truly offer my thanks to him as well. He really helped make the experience better.
Jayne B.
Really enjoyable, nice guide
Stephanie V.
Appreciated the lunch included option, would like more of this in future trips. Appreciated the small group.
Paula B.
SUCH A GREAT LUNCH, ATTENTION TO VEGETARIAN DIET
Jen P.
Incredibly knowledgeable tour guide, learned a ton but he kept it lively even for teenagers.
Robert B.
The guide was excellent in describing the importance of the mangrove forests. The boat operator was very skilled in spotting birds and animals that most of us would have missed. The traditional lunch was great.
Sherry M.
Nice if you would just like to kayak. But not much wildlife.
Larry P.
This tour was not the most exciting one by any means. The guide was quite informative, but there wasn't that much to see. The best part of the tour was when we entered a narrow straight, where we were greeted by several monkeys who didn't really want human invading their turf.
Amy K.
The guide and boat captain were amazing at spotting the wildlife, and we learned a lot.
Cheryl P.
Tour with guide was great. Started out rough with a 50 min delay getting picked up. Again, lunch was at 4:00 - not lunchtime. This was misleading. I wished we had known.
John D.
Much better than our expectations. We saw a lot and learned a lot. the guide, Michael was very knowledgeable. and the whole trip was enjoyable.
Darusia C.
Very good tour....our guide was very good and personable. Even on the trip back to our hotel he stopped to point out scarlet macaws....wonderful.
Joseph R.
Guides knowledgible and spoke excellent english, Lunch provided simple but very tasty
Karen P.
We enjoyed this trip very much. The guides were good and again, we saw interesting wildlife. It was a relaxing trip.
Jeffrey S.
In general, less adventure, more passive an activity than most of the things we did
Sandy B.
Was a little excited at the end, thought the monkeys were going to get us. The meal was wonderful!
Karen M.
While I understand that some of these tours rely on the 'luck' of finding the wildlife, we hit the jackpot! Lots of white faced monkeys and a golden furred anteater, among others. The guides were professional and knowledgeable and the great little breakfast afterward was a nice bonus. It was clear that our guide had grown up among the mangroves and knew the land and wildlife intimately. Great tour, highly recommended.
Yvonne L.
Enjoyed the tour and the guide was excellent. According to our itinerary, lunch was expected but breakfast was provided.
Randy H.
Was okay. Early start, understanding that you need to catch the tide, but didn't see much wildlife.
Amy H.
Very disappointed that we saw so little wildlife. We love the monkeys though.
Margo W.
Wonderful. Boat was noisy - (but hubby wanted motor boat, I think I'd have liked to kayak)
Randall was our guide and he was very informative . He has eyes like a hawk. The breakfast was delicious.
Absolutely fabulous, great guide.
Iguana Tours really exceeded my expectations. Randall remembered us from the night before and as this day was my birthday he had everyone sing to me. Really went out of his way to make my day and trip special. Andre the boat driver was always the best. We sat in the back with him and he pointed out things to us along the way. I would definitely recommend Iguana Tours again!
Randall and Andres are the BEST!!! We also took a night tour with them. They were super friendly and knew a lot about the mangroves. This was one of our favorite tours and it was because of them.
This was a good tour once again wish we could have seen more animals
Randall from Iguana Tours was very knowledgeable and personable. He really wanted everyone to see and love his country the way he did. We had some wonderful encounters with Capuchin Monkeys and learned all about the eco-system of the mangroves.
Fabulous tour - not strenuous - thankfully!!!! great wildlife!!
My wife and I both enjoyed this trip, it was excellent. The guide and boat captain were able to find lots of wildlife to show us.
Fascinating. Had a good time. Breakfast was a quality treat we weren't expecting.
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Before you go
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Damas Island Riverboat Wildlife Safari?
The Damas Island Riverboat Wildlife Safari is a half-day tour through the Damas Island Estuary, a diverse wetland sanctuary located on Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast, just north of Manuel Antonio. It offers a gentle riverboat journey to observe exotic wildlife in its natural habitat.
What kind of wildlife can I expect to see on the Damas Island Riverboat Safari?
On the Damas Island Riverboat Safari, you can expect to see a variety of wildlife including White-faced Capuchin monkeys, sloths, silky anteaters, crocodiles, caimans, and boas. It is also a prime location for birdwatching, with common sightings of Herons, Toucans, Egrets, and Roseate Spoonbills.
What is included in the Damas Island Riverboat Safari tour?
The Damas Island Riverboat Safari includes round-trip transportation from your local area hotel, a certified bilingual naturalist guide, a covered riverboat ride, and a traditional Costa Rican meal at a local restaurant. The tour is expected to last approximately 4 hours, though this can vary based on pickup location and tide schedules.
Why do the Damas Island Riverboat Safari tour times vary?
The Damas Island Riverboat Safari is tide-dependent because it operates within a coastal estuary. Consequently, the tour start times and meal service change daily based on the rhythm of the ocean tides. Your exact schedule will be confirmed once your booking date is set.
The people behind your vacation
Personal service from Pacific Trade Winds
- Highly trained Costa Rica vacation specialists
- Personal customer service and concierge services at the highest level
- TripAdvisor Hall of Fame recognition for service
- Ranked #1 in its TripAdvisor category
Make this tour part of your Costa Rica vacation
Request a vacation package including Damas Island Riverboat Wildlife Safari in the Mangroves.
Related Costa Rica Travel Planning
- Explore Manuel Antonio ToursBrowse the established tour guide for Manuel Antonio.
- Explore Manuel Antonio HotelsBrowse the established hotel guide for Manuel Antonio.
- Explore Herradura ToursBrowse the established tour guide for Herradura.
- Explore Herradura HotelsBrowse the established hotel guide for Herradura.
- Explore Jaco ToursBrowse the established tour guide for Jaco.
- Explore Costa Rica vacation packagesExplore vacation styles and itineraries for your Costa Rica trip.
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