Tortuga Island Paradise with Snorkeling Included

Delivered as expected

We had a good time on this excursion met at the Porto azul hotel. Got checked in had a smooth boat ride where we got to see some dolphins along the way, a couple turtles and some spider monkeys before we got to the island. The captain and crew were very enthusiastic and were great at accommodating hosts. The lunch was good and overall is a great experience.

via Tripadvisor

Isla tortuga Tour

The tour experienced several delays and issues. Departure from the Puerto Azul Hotel dock was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. but did not occur until 9:10 a.m., and the return, scheduled for 3:00 p.m., was delayed until almost 3:50 p.m. During the boat ride to Tortuga Island, although we were warned we might get slightly wet, the captain appeared to intentionally make the ride much wetter than expected. The guide provided information that was not fully accurate, lacked depth, and gave unconvincing answers to questions about wildlife. Before reaching the island, over one hour was spent whale watching. While seeing whales was appreciated, this activity was not part of the service paid for, and the excessive time spent caused us to arrive at the beach around 11:20 a.m., much later than necessary. Additionally, after the whale sighting, both the guide and the captain repeatedly mentioned a “bonus” or tip and shook a box with coins several times, which came across as inappropriate and in poor taste. Food service was adequate, with fruit served at 11:45 a.m. and lunch at 12:30 p.m., but overall the poor time management and unprofessional behavior significantly reduced our ability to enjoy the day.

Response from the operator: For us, all opinions are very important to help us improve, but there are situations beyond our control. 1- Weather conditions are beyond our control. On this specific day, the tide took longer to rise, so we had to leave at 8:40 am (I have the marina records). Logically, by leaving later, we returned later to adhere to the itinerary. Furthermore, a message was sent to inform you that the departure would be delayed for this reason. 2- It was a bit windy that day. Our captain is very experienced and would never intentionally get you wet, but when the wind blows, it's logical that you'll get wet, and this was explained to you beforehand. 3- Our guide knows all the wildlife we ​​might encounter, but we can't dedicate much time to each animal we see. Wildlife sightings are part of our itinerary. This day, we dedicated 30 minutes to whale watching, as they were putting on a wonderful show. I don't understand your complaint? 4- Someone asked us if tips were included, which is why the coins were being waved around, but tips are never required as they are entirely voluntary. I remember that day they were even bothered by the sun!

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Fun Day on the Island

We went on the Tortuga Island excursion through Mardy Tours from a cruise ship. We had to take a taxi from the pier, but it was a short drive to the meeting point and we had no difficulty finding the tour group. Our guide was helpful and the crew provided a delicious lunch on the island. The beach area was busy as we were visiting on a holiday - but we still easily found chairs (rental price not included in the excursion) and enjoyed our time there.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your comment. We are very happy that you enjoyed your experience with us. Our staff always strives to give our best to our clients. Rentals and other tours on the island are optional as they are managed by other companies. Our description indicates what is included and what is not.

via Viator

Overrated, Undercommunicated, Misleading, Disgusting

Our snorkeling was supposed to be 40 minutes to 1hr as listed in the description. Instead we got only 30 minutes. This doesn't sound like a big difference, but when you account for the 10 minutes of setup time and swim from the boat to the snorkeling site, it's probably effectively only 20 minutes of snorkeling instead of 30minutes to 50 minutes. There were literally 40 boats anchored off the beach, some with 20ft of the beach. There was a constant churn of incoming and departing boats leaving a constant smell of exhaust fumes. The "exclusive area for our clients" turned out to be a series dilapidated old benches squished into an area of other tours ramshackle "dining areas". Some were cordoned off by worn out shipping pallets. Molded tarps covered in leaves were the overhead shelter. Feral hogs roamed the perimeter of the food area scrounging for scraps. The kitchen staff threw food trimmings out back for the hogs to consume. Ground ants were everywhere and several of us were bitten just for putting our feet in the wrong place. "Unlimited soft drinks" turned out to be a 5 gallon insulated jug of iced tea available for 2hrs. When we landed on the beach at 1130, the person from Jade Tours didn't speak any English, so other than the location of the bathroom he couldn't provide any useful information. In fact, he directed us to sit at the dining table but didn't tell us anything else. We sat around for 20 minutes before realizing that we should just go to the beach. The bathroom was $1 per use and was just disgusting. The beach was way overcrowded. From the viewpoint of sitting on the beach, if you did a 360 degree panorama photo, about 300 degrees of the photo would be covered by boats, or people on the beach. On the boat, the Mardy Tours guides told us there was hiking trails on the island. But we couldn't find where the trails where. The gift shop folks had no idea. The one place it looked like there could be a trail has cordoned off with signs warning that it was private property. On the plus side, -The staff was just awesome and enthusiastic -The boat was great. Clean and very fast. -Snorkeling was quite scenic, but too short

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Great staff and beautiful location

Our guide and our captain were amazing. Not only did they make it a trip to remember but they also cooked a “muy rico” lunch! Highly recommend. It was a spectacular location and we had a great time.

via Tripadvisor