Tours and things to do in Golfo Dulce & Golfito

Featured

Sportfishing $$$$

Colio Sportfishing

Golfito

Owner-operated big-game charter run by Capt. Mike Hennessy out of Golfito and Puerto Jimenez. Targets blue marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, roosterfish, and cubera snapper across three fisheries: offshore seamounts, coastal inshore, and the Golfo Dulce. Trips are built around current conditions rather than fixed packages, with a single 35-foot boat and two captains.

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Kayaking & SUP $$

Aventuras Tropicales Golfo Dulce

Puerto Jiménez

Family-run adventure operator in Puerto Jimenez established in 1992, specializing in Golfo Dulce kayaking and mangrove tours timed to the tides for wildlife viewing. Tours run on the calm gulf waters near Puerto Jimenez. The company is listed with the Costa Rica Tourism Board.

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Sportfishing $$$

Banana Bay Marina

Golfito

Banana Bay Marina is a government-licensed marina, hotel, and sportfishing center on Golfito Bay that has served the Golfo Dulce boating community for over 20 years. It runs inshore and offshore charters on a fleet ranging from 25 and 28 foot single console boats up to 32 to 35 foot Contenders and larger sportfishing yachts. The marina restaurant cooks the day's catch for guests staying at the on-site hotel.

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Park & Nature Guide $$

Casa Orquídeas Botanical Garden

Golfito

A privately owned tropical botanical garden at Playa San Josecito on the Golfo Dulce, reached only by boat from Golfito or the nearby beach towns. Guided tours walk visitors through orchids, heliconias, palms, and fruit trees, with frequent birds and monkeys. Visits are by reservation.

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Whale & Dolphin Watching $$

Changing Tide Tours

Golfito

Family-run, marine-biologist-led boat tours in the Golfo Dulce, holding World Cetacean Alliance Responsible Whale Watching certification and FAADA Responsible Tourism Towards Animals certification. Humpback whale season runs late July through November, alongside the gulf's year-round resident bottlenose and pantropical spotted dolphins, with departures from Golfito.

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Turtle Watching $$

COPROT Tortugas de Osa

Puerto Jiménez

Community-driven sea turtle conservation project founded in 2018, protecting 8 kilometers of nesting beach across Carate, Río Oro, and Pejeperro south of Puerto Jiménez. COPROT runs paid morning and night patrol tours to spot nesting olive ridley and Pacific green turtles, plus a VIP overnight package with a stay at their Carate base camp, and registers roughly 7,000 nests per season. Tours require 48 hours advance notice by email or phone.

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Tour Agency $$$

Corcovado Hiking Tours

Puerto Jiménez

Corcovado Hiking Tours is a Puerto Jimenez operator led by naturalist guide Rodolfo, guiding in Corcovado National Park for over 20 years. It runs day tours to La Sirena and La Leona ranger stations, overnight hikes, night hikes, and whale-watching trips in Golfo Dulce, and arranges MINAET park permits and boat or car transport.

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Tour Agency $$$

Corcovado Tours

Puerto Jiménez

Corcovado Tours is a Puerto Jimenez travel agency listed with the Costa Rica Tourism Board, offering one, two, and three day guided trips into Corcovado National Park plus a marine ecosystem tour. The team advises on trail selection, physical demand level, and wildlife-watching goals, and coordinates logistics for visitors unfamiliar with the park's permit system.

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Sportfishing $$$

Costa Rica Peche Passion

Golfito

French-run sportfishing operation based in Golfito offering both inshore and offshore charters, rated 4.9 stars from 21 reviews and ranked among the top fishing outfitters in town. Guests fish for roosterfish, cubera snapper, and jacks inshore, or marlin, sailfish, and yellowfin tuna offshore, with lodging and meals arranged as part of multi-day packages. The company has run repeat annual trips for European anglers since before 2019.

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Sportfishing $$$$

Crocodile Bay Resort

Puerto Jiménez

Crocodile Bay Resort runs the largest private sportfishing fleet in Central and South America from its Botanika Osa Peninsula property in Puerto Jimenez, with 24 and 25 foot Boston Whalers and 33 and 35 foot Strike tower boats. Full day charters target offshore marlin, sailfish, tuna, and dorado, or inshore roosterfish, cubera snapper, and grouper, with captain, license, gear, and meals included. The operation has run continuously in the Golfo Dulce for over 25 years.

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Catamaran & Sailing $$

Doña Tere Catamaran Tours

Puerto Jiménez

Doña Tere is a private double-decker catamaran run by Osa Tourism that departs from the public pier in Puerto Jimenez for day cruises and sunset or bioluminescence tours across the Golfo Dulce. The boat holds up to 50 people, with a bathroom, barbecue grill, and a slide, and groups of 8 to 30 can book it for birthdays, weddings, or family gatherings. Smaller private boats are available for groups that do not fill the catamaran.

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Sportfishing $$$

Dos Mas Sport Fishing

Golfito

Dos Mas Sport Fishing runs a 31 foot Island Hopper center console out of Golfito and Puerto Jimenez, captained by Donald McGuinness. Half day trips fish inshore for roosterfish, cubera snapper, and jack crevalle, while full day trips run offshore for marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, and dorado. Charters include a captain and crew, meals, and both conventional and fly fishing gear for up to four anglers on standard trips.

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Park & Nature Guide $$

Ecoturistico La Tarde

Puerto Jiménez

Ecoturistico La Tarde is a private reserve and off-grid eco-lodge five kilometers from Corcovado National Park's Los Patos ranger station, with nearly 100 hectares of mostly primary forest connected to the park. It offers guided rainforest hikes and night walks for wildlife photographers and nature travelers, plus cabin lodging on site.

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Night Tour $$

Face to Face Night Walk

Puerto Jiménez

Face to Face Night Walk is a company of guides specialized exclusively in nocturnal wildlife walks, with a location in Puerto Jimenez as well as Tamarindo and Tortuguero. Guides carry spotting scopes and lights to find frogs, snakes, sloths, kinkajous, and spiders along rainforest trails after dark.

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Kayaking & SUP $$

Golfo Dulce Tour Operador

Puerto Jiménez

Local tour operator running combined gulf and mangrove-kayak trips from Playa Blanca near Puerto Jimenez, pairing dolphin and whale watching (seasonal), snorkeling, or artisanal fishing with a guided kayak paddle into the mangroves at high tide. Departures run twice daily and the company also offers bioluminescence tours and transport to Corcovado's Sirena station. Boats and kayaks are permitted and staffed with an experienced captain and guide.

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Mangrove Tour $$$

Magical Mangroves Boat and Kayak Excursion

Golfito

The Magical Mangroves excursion, run through Golfo Dulce Retreat, takes visitors by boat into the gulf to the estuary of the Rio Esquinas, where an extensive mangrove forest shelters birds, crocodiles, and other wildlife. Guests transfer partway into kayaks to paddle the narrower mangrove channels.

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Sportfishing $$$$

Marina Bahía Golfito

Golfito

Marina Bahía Golfito is an IGY-network marina in Golfito offering sportfishing packages in the Golfo Dulce alongside 54 yacht and megayacht slips. The marina books inshore and offshore charters for blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, snapper, and roosterfish, with November through June as its high season. It operates alongside the on-site Amaka Ocean Living Lodge and Paka Paka restaurant.

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Scuba Diving $$$

Oceans Pro Divers Golfito

Golfito

PADI 5-Star IDC Resort Center based at Banana Bay Marina in Golfito, offering reef and wreck dives in the Golfo Dulce alongside courses from Discover Scuba Diving through Instructor level. The shop also handles full equipment servicing and retail. It is the main dedicated dive operation covering the gulf's coral reefs and dive sites.

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Turtle Watching $$

Osa Conservation Sea Turtle Program

Puerto Jiménez

Sea turtle conservation pass run by the nonprofit Osa Conservation on Piro Beach, about 50 minutes from Puerto Jiménez toward Corcovado. The day-visitor program includes a guided sea turtle census on the beach, a hatchery visit with the chance to help release hatchlings, and a guided forest hike to and from the beach with breakfast at the Conservation Campus. The hatchery releases more than 10,000 hatchlings annually and the program runs year round, with the dry season (December to April) offering the most comfortable conditions.

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Tour Agency $$

Osa Dreamcatcher Tours

Puerto Jiménez

Osa Dreamcatcher Tours is a small guiding operation run by local guide Pablo, offering Corcovado National Park day tours from Puerto Jimenez and Drake Bay. Travelers reach the guide directly for booking and route planning rather than through a storefront agency.

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Whale & Dolphin Watching $$

Osa Green Travel

Puerto Jiménez

Bilingual/trilingual tour operator based in Puerto Jimenez running dedicated whale-watching and dolphin-watching boat trips in the Golfo Dulce, with roundtrip departures from Puerto Jimenez or Golfito docks. Humpback whales pass through mainly between July and November, while spinner, bottlenose, common, and pantropical spotted dolphins are present in the gulf year-round.

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Tour Agency $$

Osa Wild Travel

Puerto Jiménez

Locally owned ecotourism operator in Puerto Jimenez founded by naturalist guides, running Corcovado National Park overnight and day treks, Golfo Dulce kayak and mangrove tours, whale watching, and local farm and cultural tours. Guides include biologists and tropical-biology specialists. Corcovado tours run with a minimum of two participants and require advance confirmation.

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Wildlife Sanctuary $$

Osa Wildlife Sanctuary

Golfito

Osa Wildlife Sanctuary is a rescue and rehabilitation center on a remote stretch of the Golfo Dulce coast, about 16 miles from Golfito and neighboring Piedras Blancas National Park. It cares for wounded, orphaned, and displaced wildlife from Costa Rica's southern zone and runs morning guided visits by reservation.

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Sportfishing $$

Pavones Fishing Tours

Pavones

Pavones Fishing Tours is a small sportfishing and boat tour operator based in Pavones, running inshore and offshore charters from the river mouth alongside surf boat trips. The operator posts regular catch reports for yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, and other pelagic species from its charters. Bookings run through WhatsApp and Instagram rather than a standalone website.

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Surf School $

Pavones Surf Shop & Factory

Pavones

Surfboard rental and custom-shaping shop located in La Hierba, a couple miles before the town of Rio Claro on the way into Pavones. It rents and sells epoxy surfboards and paddleboards and builds custom boards to order, run by Randy Walker and Arelys Zuniga. Contact is by phone or WhatsApp for board rental or custom orders.

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Sportfishing $$$$

Porque No Sport Fishing (Reckless Charter)

Golfito

A small-group fishing charter operating out of Fish Hook Marina in Golfito on a 27-foot Ocean Master, taking up to four anglers. Half- and full-day trips target roosterfish, marlin, sailfish, snapper, snook, tuna, and dorado. The boat is rigged with fish and depth finders for inshore and offshore runs.

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Canyoning $$

Proyecto Aventura

Golfito

Outdoor education company operating waterfall canyoning trips ten minutes from Golfito, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced routes rappelling six to nine waterfalls per outing. The same operator also runs tree climbing and tree-top camping, and sea kayak tours through the mangroves of Puerto Jimenez and Golfito. Guides are canyoning-certified and bilingual, running since 1992.

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Mangrove Tour $$$

Rio Esquinas Mangrove Kayak Expedition

Golfito

This mangrove kayak expedition, offered through Playa Cativo Lodge, tows kayaks by boat to the mouth of the Rio Esquinas and then guides paddlers through the calm mangrove channels of Golfo Dulce. The tour focuses on the estuary's birdlife and the quiet ecosystem where the river meets the gulf.

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Whale & Dolphin Watching $$$

Rio Leon Tours

Golfito

Private boat tours out of Playa Cacao in Golfito focused on Golfo Dulce's resident bottlenose and spotted dolphins, seen year-round, plus humpback whales during the gulf's double migration season (southern-hemisphere whales roughly July to November, northern-hemisphere whales December to April). Tours are fully private and often combine marine wildlife watching with snorkeling or a stop on a secluded beach.

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Surf School $

Sea Kings Surf Shop

Pavones

Surf shop in Pavones selling new and used boards and renting NSP epoxy boards and Super Fish longboards from 6'4 to 9'2, at $20 per day with a $100 cash deposit. Owners Julie and Dan also stock wax, fins, leashes, and traction pads, and it is one of the few businesses in Pavones that accepts credit cards. Open daily from 8am to 4pm.

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Tour Agency $$$

Selva Connections

Puerto Jiménez

Selva Connections is a Puerto Jimenez based tour operator running day and night excursions across the Osa Peninsula, including a wildlife night hike, birdwatching with professional optical equipment, mangrove and bioluminescence kayaking, snorkeling and diving at Cano Island, and horseback riding near Matapalo. Every tour departs from downtown Puerto Jimenez and includes an expert bilingual guide.

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Tour Agency $$

Surcos Tours

Puerto Jiménez

Tour operator departing Puerto Jimenez with guided Corcovado National Park hiking tours and multi-day packages, including certified guide service and overnight stays at the Sirena ranger station. The company arranges logistics, transport, and certified naturalist guides for the Osa Peninsula. Bookings are handled directly via WhatsApp and the site.

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Waterfall Tour $$

Surcos Tours La Catarata el Secreto Waterfall Hike

Puerto Jiménez

This day tour run by Surcos Tours departs Puerto Jimenez for the Osa Conservation reserve and includes a five hour hike to La Catarata el Secreto waterfall, with chances to spot four monkey species, peccaries, coatis, and scarlet macaws along the way. The tour ends with lunch and a farm visit at the reserve before returning to town.

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Sportfishing $$$$

The Zancudo Lodge

Zancudo

The Zancudo Lodge is a beachfront fishing resort on Playa Zancudo built around a private fleet of 32 foot Contender center consoles. Guests fish inshore river mouths and offshore grounds for marlin, sailfish, dorado, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and roosterfish, with more than 70 IGFA records set from the lodge. The property, formerly known as Roy's Zancudo Lodge, includes the Gamefisher restaurant and beachfront rooms and suites.

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Sportfishing $$$$

Thumper Bluewater Expeditions

Golfito

Multi-day offshore marlin charter operating out of Golfito aboard the 60-foot Mikelson yacht Thumper, run by captain Bobby McGuinness, twice named World's Top Captain by the IGFA with over 300 world records. Trips run 3 to 5 days to the offshore seamounts and FADs, and up to 5 days to Hannibal Bank in Panama, targeting blue, black, and striped marlin, sailfish, and yellowfin tuna. Packages are all-inclusive with tackle, meals, and crew, aimed at serious anglers.

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Turtle Watching $$

Tortugas Preciosas de Osa

Puerto Jiménez

Community sea turtle conservation program on Playa Platanares (locally called Playa Preciosa), a few kilometers from Puerto Jiménez, run by the nonprofit IDEHS in partnership with the Amazon Conservation Team. Visitors join night beach patrols to record nesting olive ridley, green, hawksbill, and leatherback turtles, or early morning hatchery releases where baby turtles are guaranteed to be seen. Reservations must be made at least two days in advance.

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Waterfall Tour $$

Tuanis Tours Osa

Golfito

Tuanis Tours Osa is a Piedras Blancas de Osa based operator running guided hikes into Piedras Blancas National Park, including a waterfall hike at the El Bonito sector and the Dark Hill hike at Finca El Tobogan. It also offers the Golfito Wildlife Refuge tour, Corcovado National Park day and overnight trips, and mangrove and bioluminescence tours near Puerto Jimenez.

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Surf School $$

Una Ola Surf Camp

Pavones

Surf camp on the main street fronting the beach in Pavones, offering beginner lessons, intermediate coaching, and multi-day surf vacation packages for all skill levels. Located at the Pavones left point break, one of the longest left-hand waves in the world. Lodging and surf packages are booked directly.

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Tour Agency $$

Voyagez Futé au Costa Rica

Dominical

An independent, French-speaking travel agency and tour operator founded by Emilie Verhee, a 14-year Costa Rica expat based in Dominical. Books nature excursions, guided national park visits, and whale/dolphin tours across multiple regions, plus custom day-by-day itinerary planning as a standalone paid service.

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