Coastal Kayaking and Snorkeling - Iguana Tours
Overview
Are you ready to go kayaking along the beautiful Manuel Antonio coastline? If so, this is a great tour for you! The day starts off when you are picked up from your Manuel Antonio area hotel and brought to the Pez Vela Marina at Quepos. When you arrive, your guide will provide you with a life jacket, double-seat kayak (singles available on request), and then a quick safety and operational lesson for the kayak.
As you paddle along the coast, you will pass by the beautiful Manuel Antonio coastline. An emerald jungle covers the hillside that rolls down to the coast. And out in the Pacific Ocean, small tropical islands teem with nesting birds. Truly a gorgeous sight to see!
Eventually you will reach Playa Biesanz, a hidden beach that few tourists get to see. There, white sand meets the green jungle frequented by plenty of wildlife. While on shore you can take the opportunity to walk the beach, go for a swim, and use the snorkel gear that will be provided. Manuel Antonio is not known for great snorkeling, but you will likely see some colorful fish and during certain times of the year, dolphins, turtles, and whales have been sighted.
After some fun in the sun at the beach, a group consensus will be taken on whether to kayak further to observe nesting coastal birds or return to the marina. When you do return to shore, a hearty lunch will be provided to replenish your energy.
It must be noted that this activity is performed on the ocean so there can be strong waves and currents at times. Experience with above seat ocean kayaks is preferred. Participants should also be reasonably physically fit. Children 7 years old and up may go but might be placed in a double kayak with an adult.
After the tour, you'll be returned to your hotel. Including round trip transportation, the tour is expected to last around 4 hours, though this is subject to change. In addition to transportation, this trip includes guide, kayak, snorkeling gear, and lunch.
What to Bring
- Insect Repellent
- Clothes
- Water Sandals
- Waterproof Camera
- Bathing Suit
- Towel
- Hat
- Sun Block
Location and Availability
The Coastal Kayaking and Snorkeling - Iguana Tours is available from Dominical, Herradura, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, and Uvita
Tour Times
- 8:00am
- 1:00pm
Tour Type
- Beach
- Snorkeling
Cancellation Policy
Recommended Ages
7 and up kids might have to use double kayak with parents.
Location
Latitude: N 9° 24' 14.76"
Longitude: W 84° 10' 6.88"
Reviews
- Overall 83.9% (59 Guest Ratings)
- Experience: 84.5%
- Expectations: 82.9%
- Guides: 83.6%
- Logistics: 84.7%
- Value: 84.9%
02/26/2023
I always love kayaking and snorkeling, so definitely enjoyed my morning. However it was quite a big group and there was more waiting around at a number of points during the tour than there should have been, which diminished the experience.
01/18/2022
Good workout and fun snorkeling. It was just us and one other couple so like a private tour. Very knowledgeable guide. Meal afterwards was marginal though.
01/16/2020
Was fun, was hoping to kayak a bit further. Spend much time at the beach instead of snorkeling kayaking. Guide Warner was very quiet, but friendly.
03/28/2019
Seemed unorganized. Didn't know what we were doing? Guide didn't speak english very well.
12/25/2018
Fun. Loved the beach. Great meal
07/01/2017
My favorite.
06/22/2017
there were only two of us in the tour, the guide was friendly but very layback, the tour itself is kind of disappointing, I thought we are going to see more but only stopped at one beach for a very short time
12/31/2016
This was a fun element that was kind of different than the other things we did in CR. Snorkelling was fun, but the little jelly fish stung a bit. No bueno. But, Pura Vida. We say an eel, an octopus, and many variety of colorful fish. Then we went to the shore and enjoyed rock hunting and wading.
12/23/2016
Enjoyed!
12/13/2016
guide was really goood
07/28/2016
Wonderful nice staff. Very helpful with our needs.
03/22/2016
Fantastic!
12/28/2015
Very fun, arms were very sore!
12/13/2015
This was so much fun. Neither of us had ever ocean kayak'd or snorkeled around tropical fish before, so both were great experiences. The views from the ocean were absolutely amazing.
The pineapple we had while we took a break on the beach was the best pineapple i've ever had it my life.
08/16/2015
Really enjoyed this tour! Kayaking was a blast and we enjoyed both spending time at the beach and snorkeling. Luckily, we arrived before the big boats with lots of people did, so we enjoyed our time. We haven't done much snorkeling (and I know it pales in comparison to the Caribbean), but we still had fun. Lunch was good too.
06/22/2015
Just a kayak from one side of the bay to the other with a short snorkel. Guides didn't help make it more interesting- no information on local history or fish etc. Worst part of the whole trip
06/13/2015
It would be nice if the kayaks had foot controlled rudders as other's I've been in like in HI and AK had, and really the water is a bit cloudy to have much of "snorkeling" component but the guides were very good and took care of everything well.
04/21/2015
Kayaking was fun, but the snorkeling was not as expected. Water was very cloudy hard to see much of anything.
03/11/2015
A fun ocean paddle and snorkeling experience. We saw many fish and enjoyed our time on a beautiful beach post-snorkeling.