Pops' Travel Guide, Jose's Crocodile River Tour

Did you know that there are wild crocodiles in Costa Rica? One place to view them is as you are driving south along the coast to Jaco make a stop at the bridge crossing the Tarcoles River. There you will see 18 foot or longer crocodiles resting along the bank of the river.

To really experience the crocodiles you need to go on a crocodile river tour. There are a few that leave from Tarcoles. Some are larger pontoon boats and some like Jose's are smaller boats. The smaller boats mean you can get closer to the action.

Jose grew up in the area and is more than familiar with the river and the crocodiles. It looks to be a small operation with Jose and his partner on the two tours I have done. What I like about Jose is his personality, sense of humor, and his experience. The smaller boat, not too small, gets right up to the crocodiles. His partner will even get out of the boat to hand feed the crocodiles. It is a terrific experience to see. The tour takes about 2 hours and the boat ride is very relaxing. Not only does Jose take you to the crocodiles but also follows the river to the Pacific Ocean and then takes you into some mangrove areas to see other life such as brightly colored crabs.

Jose has a website and takes reservations. I would suggest giving him a call when you are in the area and make a reservation. His tours leave about every 2 hours.

www.crocodilerivertour.com

Here is a link to a video we took.

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10203658370435433