Samara Sea Tours
Samara Sea Tours
5
Scuba & SnorkellingBoat ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife ToursKayaking & Canoeing
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About
Samara Sea Tours specializes in planning tours and activities for the whole family or couples. We offer Nature tours , Snorkeling, Kayaking, Fishing, Watching dolphins, Horses and more. We have over 15 years working with many incredible families with who we shared many incredible experiences and adventures.
Playa Samara, Costa Rica
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
207 reviews
Excellent
192
Very good
11
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Jean and Dave
3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We had a terrific morning fishing with these guys. I caught the first Mahi Mahi within 20 minutes after leaving the beach and my husband caught an even bigger one about 20 minutes after mine. A while later we stopped to listen to whale sounds; I didn't realize until then that you can hear them while sitting in a boat. The whale came to the surface less than 50 feet from us, swam a little ways and then dove and flipped it's tail up; yippee!! Next we saw a sea turtle swimming on the surface. Our captain and first mate were great at spotting stuff. My husband then caught two smaller Mahi Mahi which we returned to the sea so they could get bigger. It was a super trip; I highly recommend these folks for you fishing trips.
Written February 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patricia Sabolsky
Liberia, Costa Rica13 contributions
Feb 2021
I went with a group of Intercultura students on a whale and dolphina and snorkeling trip. We saw so many dolphins and whales! Our guide and boat driver were both experts. Our guide explaned everything about these animals - their migration, mating, and general life. We learned that each male whale has a special song and much much more. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life!
Written February 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tara S
San Francisco, CA128 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
My mom and I enjoyed a nice morning kayaking to the island and snorkeling around the reefs!
Alfredo and his team were on time, professional and knew a lot about the local flora, fauna and even things to do during our trip (surf, yoga, etc).
While we didn’t see a ton of sea life (not their fault of course), we had a good time!
My only recommendation is to check the equipment- a few masks/fins were old and not perfectly functional. We made it work, but always good to check.
Alfredo and his team were on time, professional and knew a lot about the local flora, fauna and even things to do during our trip (surf, yoga, etc).
While we didn’t see a ton of sea life (not their fault of course), we had a good time!
My only recommendation is to check the equipment- a few masks/fins were old and not perfectly functional. We made it work, but always good to check.
Written April 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jet60131086513
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Couples
We saw tons of dolphins and two epic humpback whales, as well as some random turtled. Managed to get a nice tan too.
Obviously not by fault of the tour guides, the rain had caused the water to be hard to see through (we experienced the same scubadiving two days before) so snorkeling was turned into a simple, refreshing dive while the boat docked mid-sea where we saw another turtle swim by.
All I'll recommend is for a bit of a warning or question to the group before throwing out a fishing rod mid-trip, some of the guests were a bit dumbstruck seeing a wild "mahi mahi" or dorade being caught and then not being thrown back but let to die slowly, audibly struggling every now and then, albeit behind a cover. This wasn't a problem for me personally but definitely for others it was discomforting.
Anyhow, the guides knew a lot about which dolphins or whales we were seeing, and we got a lot of alone time with just the 5 of us and the 2 guides, with the engines shut down, amidst tons of dolphins jumping up and giving a show around us!
Also, at the $55 we paid per person, this was by far the cheapest option out there (85$ being what we saw everywhere else), let's not forget that in here 🙂
Obviously not by fault of the tour guides, the rain had caused the water to be hard to see through (we experienced the same scubadiving two days before) so snorkeling was turned into a simple, refreshing dive while the boat docked mid-sea where we saw another turtle swim by.
All I'll recommend is for a bit of a warning or question to the group before throwing out a fishing rod mid-trip, some of the guests were a bit dumbstruck seeing a wild "mahi mahi" or dorade being caught and then not being thrown back but let to die slowly, audibly struggling every now and then, albeit behind a cover. This wasn't a problem for me personally but definitely for others it was discomforting.
Anyhow, the guides knew a lot about which dolphins or whales we were seeing, and we got a lot of alone time with just the 5 of us and the 2 guides, with the engines shut down, amidst tons of dolphins jumping up and giving a show around us!
Also, at the $55 we paid per person, this was by far the cheapest option out there (85$ being what we saw everywhere else), let's not forget that in here 🙂
Written August 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melissa F
1 contribution
Feb 2020 • Family
We had a great experience on the dolphin safari tour. Alfredo was very accommodating in planning our trip with prompt answers over email and working with our schedule to set up our tour. The tour was great for all family members (6 adults and 4 kids ages 2-8 years old). Alfredo and his colleague were very informative and had a good sense of humor. We saw lots of dolphins and even had a whale sighting. Following the dolphin and whale viewing we went snorkeling. Alfredo provided fresh fruit, juice, and water. I highly recommend this tour for families and visitors of all ages!
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe A
4 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
These guys are amazing. Within a 4 hour boat trip, we saw a humpback whale, many dolphins, several sea turtles, and caught ~20 fish including grouper and red snapper. Marcos and Adonis engaged our teens to pull the fish in, and served fresh fruit and drinks/beer to calm seasick tummies on the way home. Reasonably priced and an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended!!
Written June 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrea N
9 contributions
Feb 2022
Our group of friends had a private sunset tour and were blown away by the evening! Not only was the sunset perfect but we saw dolphins, whales and swam in the warm ocean. Our guides were both great, especially Alfredo who shared a fun and knowledgeable view of Samara. They really made sure the tour was what we wanted. Everything was easy from scheduling to pick up and drop off. We were given recommendations for places to check out after which added to one of the best days of our trip.
Highly recommend ! We had an absolute blast.
Highly recommend ! We had an absolute blast.
Written February 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lara B
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Friends
It was a great experience! We saw 4 whales, 3 seaturtles (it was not the season for them at all) and at least 80 dolphins. Nice boat, enough space. We got picked up und driven back to our hostel which was a great service. Alfredo is super nice and shares a lot of facts about the animals. He knows a lot and it really seems like he loves his job. He himself took pictures and videos and said after 20 years of doing that he is still impressed every day. Moreover, i loved how much he respects the animals! He knows exactly what he is doing and he drives close enough for bis guests to have an incredible experience. But at no point he stresses them! They even turned off the engine several times to not stress the animals by the noise. In the end we did some snorkeling and had fresh pineapple, watermelon and Cookies, Water and ice tea. I just loved it!!! Would recommend a 100%! :-)
Written March 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oene van Meer
Leiden, The Netherlands63 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We went on a tour, to spot Dolphins, but we saw so much more, even whales!
What I liked most is that he finds a perfect balance between coming close enough to have a good look, and keeping some distance avoiding to disturb wild life too much. Unfortunately not every tour operator does so.
After that, we had some time for snorkling. Great day for us and the kids!
What I liked most is that he finds a perfect balance between coming close enough to have a good look, and keeping some distance avoiding to disturb wild life too much. Unfortunately not every tour operator does so.
After that, we had some time for snorkling. Great day for us and the kids!
Written August 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara S
3 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
It was a really awesome tour. The guide was very friendly. The kayaking took about 15 minutes and the guide already found some turtles. After that we reached a small island. Luckily it was not very crowded this day. There we had some time to look around, go snorkeling and were provided with fruits and drinks. The water was very clear, we saw many colorful fishes and could even swim with a sea turtle. We would definitely recommend this trip.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Barbaras
We very much appreciate your review and we are happy that you have enjoyed your kayaking tour with us. luckily we were able to find some turtles and we hope we made your stay in samara even more remindable. We look forward to welcome you again!
All the best, Alfredo and the Samara Sea Tour team
Written January 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We are staying in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica this Dec and are looking for a tour group that offers whale & dolphin watching--did you find this tour group was pleasant to work with? Was it kid friendly--we will be traveling with our 9 & 7yr old children? Did they pick you up from your resort? Thank you,Regina
Written April 13, 2017
This tour group was awesome to work with. I would highly recommend them. They did pick us up from the resort.
Written April 13, 2017
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