Quepos

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Mangrove Kayak Tour | Manuel Antonio

Quepos, Costa Rica

3 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Explore one of the most important mangrove ecosystems in Costa Rica on this fun kayak tour. Just offshore from the popular Manuel Antonio National Park are thousands of acres of protected forest, home to all kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects. Your naturalist guide will tell you about the area’s biodiversity while you paddle peacefully in the shade of the mangroves.

Tour timings depend on the tides
All kayaking equipment is provided
Lunch and refreshments are included
A must for nature lovers who want to get active

What's Included

Lunch
Bottled water
All Fees and Taxes
Air-conditioned vehicle
Kayak equipment
Naturalist guide

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Costa Rica Jade Tours Manuel Antonio Park Tour
Rancho Grande, Provincia de Puntarenas, Quepos, 60601, Costa Rica
The guides have the Jade Tours uniform

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We can pickup at any Hotels, Vacation Rentals, Airbnbs... Please give us the name of the place for the pickup. Thank you! : )

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Peter_H

The mangrooves is a very beautiful and peaceful place. Armando is a very good and knowlegdable guide who his proud of his country’s nature. The lunch was in the restaurant in Quepos and it was delicious. We really appreciated free pick up from a Quepos hotel.

Reviews

4.5

244 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 244 reviews

Wonderful experience

Peter_H, May 2024

Nice but not worth the money

Lianne_C, Apr 2024

This was a very relaxing kayak tour. But I was expecting to see more wildlife. We saw a few birds and iguanas and that was it. Price was too high for what we got. We drove ourselves and didn't get any discount over those taking the your bus. Lunch was excellent. Our tour guide was ok. He wasn't overly friendly at the start but got better as the tour went on. I was expecting to have my own kayak but he doubled us up as couples. No monkeys. Other motor boats on the water so wasn't as secluded as I thought it would be. We went up and came back the same route. It probably says that in the description. If you're going for the kayak and scenery, it's very peaceful. But don't expect to see animals or interesting wildlife.

all good!

Rebecca_C, Apr 2024

we saw a few birds and a group of white faced monkeys and got to learn about the important ecological niche of the mangroves. guide was great and we split the group in english speakers and Spanish. dinner out afterwards was a nice touch. transportation turned out super easy since they picked us up and dropped us back at our hotel in Manuel Antonio

Super fun, definitely worth it

Carrie_A, Mar 2024

We really enjoyed it. There were no mosquitoes surprisingly. The staff was very supportive and helpful. If you have back issues choose a single kayak as the doubles have different back support, just so you will be more comfortable. Wear water shoes or keens and bathing suit with athletic shorts as you will get wet behinds. The guide took pictures of us all and air dropped them to us at the end. I thought that was nice. I wouldn’t plan anything else on the day you do this because the time may change because you have to wait for high tide so that varies. You might like a hat with the mesh face screen because there were gnats…But optional. The staff was super friendly and helpful. I definitely would do it again.

great kayaking

Kurt_M, Mar 2024

great kayaking thru mangroves able to see monkeys and a few birds but very quiet and relaxing excellent lunch in quepos stephanie was very good and pointed out a lot

Make sure there’s enough water to launch kayaks!!

Debra_S, Mar 2024

We get there and there’s not enough water to launch the kayaks. Mother Nature to blame, but tour operator actually hassled us about refunding! Viator says they’ll handle it.

Well below expectations

Bruce_B, Mar 2024

Not a satisfying experience. Pick-up was 20 minutes late. The guide, Stephanie, was nice but added very little to the trip. Apparently due to her lack of English skills and consequently her lack of confidence in speaking English she contributed very little while we kayaked. Even when we don't find flora and fauna on a guided trip, the guide will often contribute much in the way of information about the area, history, etc. Not the case here. Also, zero instructions were provided and no warning was given about the very slippery slope down to the kayaks. Lunch was fine but also seemed rushed: slop 'em and move 'em along. We expected better from this experience.

Could have been much better

Therese_J, Feb 2024

The tour was fine, however, a number of deficiencies: - shuttle bus had no air conditioning in 90+ heat (repaired on return trip) - one bottle of water (not cold, not even cool) provided for the entire outing - one toilet on site (to be expected), however as first group of the day, it was disappointing to use a facility that had not been cleaned (garbage can overflowing) - no orientation prior to getting into kayaks - sketchy loading/unloading area, challenging for many upon entering or disembarking their kayaks - after returning, the group sat around (on bus or outside) for at least 15 minutes while staff rinsed and locked up kayaks. The return ‘home’ was much better with the air conditioning repaired. The traditional lunch at end of tour was enjoyable.

Evening mangrove tour

Leanne_S, Feb 2024

The tour was nice overall. Communication about the departure time could have been better. A reminder email the day before would have been very helpful since the departure time is based on high tide. The tour operator had estimated 3 pm when I reached out 3 months before to book, but all of the other emails afterward kept the default departure time of 10 am so, forgetting that they had mentioned 3 pm 3 months earlier, we arrived ready to go at 10 am. Not a huge deal but an extra reminder of the up to date departure time would have been really helpful. Otherwise the tour guide was nice, the mangroves were pretty. We mainly saw birds, not much other wildlife. The meal after the tour was excellent. Overall I would recommend.

Disappointed

Cathal_M, Feb 2024

Really disappointing. The guide really upset my partner to the point of tears. There was no communication from the guides about what to leave in the van and what to bring in the kayak. My partner had never kayaked before she asked if we should go first and the guide, in front of the entire group, rather than reassure her seemed to take this as an insult. He then proceeded to call her out in front of the entire group as being disrespectful and made a petty comment that because of her disrespect our double kayak would now wait until the end and go last. A few minutes later the guide apologised, that he was having a difficult day and that it was hard work taking out all the Kayaks by himself and the driver had forgotten the water and this compounded his reaction. While miscommunication ans misinterpretation is of course possible, (English is neither person's first language) this was the most strange behaviour I have ever witnessed from a guide and made the kayak trip very unpleasant to the point that we chose not to eat with the rest of the group. I messaged the company with this feedback and received no acknowledgement.

Not worth the Money paid

Shayne_D, Feb 2024

Would not book through Jade Tours again. There was no air conditioning in the van to go on the tour which was very unpleasant. We had to bring our pack sack with us on kayak as no storage available. Guide was not very knowledgeable. Not a relaxing tour as we were paddling almost the whole time.

Meh. Spend money elsewhere

Terrisa_L, Feb 2024

Hot and uncomfortable Saw a couple of monkeys but that was it for wildlife. Virtually no information from guides. They were nice but overall it was not a fun way to spend the day nor the money

Mangrove Tranquility

Michael_G, Feb 2024

It was so peaceful in the mangrove forest. We really connected with the land and water. Our guide Eli was excellent and shared his knowledge passion of the area with us. Highly recommend!

Peaceful Mangrove

Judy_S, Jan 2024

A white face monkey troop provided quite the show! Very entertaining! Kayaking in the mangrove was quiet and peaceful especially after the hustle busltle of Manuel Antonio park.

Enjoyed our kayak tour

James_W, Jan 2024

Eli was a great guide as we paddled through the mangroves. He was knowledgable about the ecosystem and was quick to point out the wildlife.

Peaceful kayak through the mangroves

Jennifer_N, Dec 2023

Our guide was Anderson and he was wonderful. So passionate about nature and love for his country. He provided a good education along the way and kept a good spirit as it rained during our tour. The rain was a welcome way to cool us down and made the mangroves even more magical. Courteous transport both ways from/to hotel.

This Kayak Tour was an absolute highlight

Lena_B, Nov 2023

The Kayak Tour with Roberto was a highlight of our vacation! It was even better than our visit at the Manuel Antonio National Park. Roberto is an expert of the local nature and wildlife and told as a lot of interesting facts. The tour itself was easy-paced and is absolutely doable for beginners. We saw many birds, iguanas and monkeys. After the tour we had a lovely lunch. I would the it again!!

Great kayaking experience

Joyce_G, Aug 2023

Had a great time with my two kids, aged 11 and 13. The guide was extremely helpful and very nice (patient) whilst we learned to navigate through the mangrove - none of us had done kayaking before. The equipment was good and the organisers very efficient from start to finish. The meal at the end was a surprise (in the heart of town) and very delicious. They also picked up & dropped off at the hotel, which was super convenient. We got to see monkeys up close too, which was a bonus. Would definitely recommend!

Awe inspiring

Neil_Y, Aug 2023

We felt so privileged to watch the monkeys playing with each other. I was particularly transfixed as one tiny monkey played with half a coconut shell in the water. Roberto our guide was so knowledgeable and went above and beyond to ensure our safety and enjoyment was paramount at all times. He was a gentleman.

Peaceful Mangrove Kayaking

Devyn_E, Jul 2023

The kayaking was very peaceful. The length of the journey was perfect.The guide was very knowledgeable.