Park guides, catamarans, sportfishing, ziplines, rafting, and more. Every listing checked against live sources.
Samara's 17 verified tours are led by 6 sportfishing charters and 5 surf schools, with Gladiator Sportfishing as the zone's featured pick, plus turtle-watching programs tied to the ASVO Buena Vista Sea Turtle Station.
Featured
Samara
Sportfishing charter based in Playa Samara running offshore, inshore, and shore trips aboard a 28-foot custom Super Panga. Captains Simone and Jonathan target marlin, sailfish, roosterfish, tuna, and dorado, and the operation is the only fly fishing guide service in town. Trips run in English, Spanish, and Italian.
Samara
ASVO (Asociación de Voluntarios para el Servicio en las Áreas Protegidas), a Costa Rican conservation NGO founded in 1989, runs a volunteer sea turtle station at Playa Buena Vista near Samara. Volunteers join nightly beach patrols, relocate nests to a protected hatchery, and monitor Olive Ridley and Green turtles as part of a national network of ASVO turtle stations.
Samara
Sportfishing charter based at Playa Buena Vista near Samara, running half day and full day inshore and offshore trips aboard a 30 foot center console boat. Captain Christian Chatard, previously a fisherman in France, guides trips for marlin, sailfish, tuna, mahi mahi and roosterfish.
Playa Carrillo
Carrillo Tours runs a guided night turtle tour to a nesting beach near Samara and Carrillo, timed to half tide during nesting season to watch Olive Ridley turtles come ashore, dig nests, and lay eggs. The company operates out of both Playa Samara and Playa Carrillo and books the tour alongside its other ocean and mangrove excursions.
Playa Carrillo
A yoga and wellness community on the beach at Playa Carrillo, established in 2010, offering yoga classes, retreats, and 200-hour teacher trainings alongside surf coaching and surf camps. It also runs stand-up paddleboard tours and lessons and surfboard rentals. The yoga shala sits above the Musmanni bakery in Playa Samara, with surf lessons held at Playa Carrillo.
Samara
Surf school on Playa Samara with ISA-certified instructors and more than 30 years of combined experience teaching beginner and intermediate surfers. Lessons emphasize safety and small groups, and board rentals are available.
Playa Carrillo
The longest established sportfishing operation in Playa Carrillo, running for 29 seasons under owner and captain Rick Ruhlow with mate Orlando. The Kingfisher, a 31 foot Palm Beach with a tower and outriggers, specializes in offshore trips for marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado and wahoo.
Samara
ICT-certified guide Berny Castillo runs night turtle-watching tours from Samara to Corozalito Beach and to the Ostional arribada, mainly for Olive Ridley sea turtles with occasional Green, Hawksbill, or Leatherback sightings. Nesting season runs June to November and hatching season September to December, with the guide checking current nesting reports before each departure.
Samara
Surf school in Samara founded by Wilson, an ISA-certified local instructor, offering lessons for all levels plus surf camps and water activities like kayak and boat trips. The team includes a French-speaking instructor and runs women-only lessons.
Samara
Family-owned surf school in the center of Playa Samara offering lessons for all levels with ISA and CPR certified instructors. They also rent kayaks and SUP boards, run kayak tours to Isla Chora, and offer multi-day surf camps.
Samara
Family-owned tour operator with over 17 years in Samara running catamaran cruises, ocean kayak and SUP trips to Isla Chora, dolphin and snorkel tours, fishing trips, and guided hikes. They also arrange shared and private transfers.
Samara
Family run sportfishing charter based at the south end of Samara Beach, offering inshore and offshore trips with local captain Helber. The operation also runs kayak and snorkel outings and airport shuttle service for anglers staying in town.
Samara
A local sportfishing operation running one fully equipped 25 ft Mako center console, Reel Fishy 2, led by Captain Frank. Inshore and offshore charters target mahi-mahi, tuna, and snapper in the Samara and Carrillo waters. Trips run as half-day, three-quarter-day, and full-day options for up to six anglers inshore.
Samara
A family-run marine tour operator at Samara Beach offering dolphin and whale watching, kayak and snorkeling, sunset cruises, turtle observation, and mangrove kayak trips. Tours are led by owner Alfredo and guides certified by Costa Rica's National Learning Institute, and run in English and Spanish with drinks, fruit, and equipment included. Whale watching runs in season starting around July.
Samara
Sportfishing charter operating two vessels, the Leviathan and La Sancha, out of Samara Bay for inshore and offshore trips. The company also rents kayaks and paddle boards and runs guided kayak tours to Isla Chora and Playa Carrillo.
Samara
A small surf camp run by owners Elena and Douglas offering personalized coaching from ISA-certified instructors with no more than three students per instructor. Week-long camps include two yoga lessons plus add-ons like SUP tours, kayaking, cooking classes, and Spanish classes. Guests stay in two treehouses and a glamping tent set in the jungle canopy a few minutes from the surf.
Samara
Surf school founded in 2008 located directly on Playa Samara between Gusto Restaurant and the Treehouse Inn. Instructors are ISA certified and also work as lifeguards, and the school keeps over 75 boards including softboards, hardboards, SUPs, and longboards.
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.
Yes, 6 verified charters serve the zone, including Gladiator Sportfishing, the zone's featured pick, and Buena Vista Sportfishing.
Yes, 5 verified surf schools serve the zone, including Choco's Surf School.
Yes, ASVO Buena Vista Sea Turtle Station is a verified turtle-watching organization in the zone.
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