Snorkeling

Of the countries where we travel, all are located on one ocean or two, so wherever waters are calm, you will find snorkeling on our trip itineraries. Some places, like Costa Rica and Panama, you expect to snorkel. We can also suggest places you may have never considered.

WHERE MANY SNORKELERS GO

The Galapagos is snorkeling heaven for beginners and aficionados alike. Who can come home from their Galapagos tours and say they didn’t snorkel? You can’t, even if you have never snorkeled before. At some locations, you may be joined by marine iguanas and turtles grazing on pastures of algae, sea lion pups, Galapagos green sea turtles or Galapagos penguins at another, be passed by vast schools of colorful tropical fish, golden and spotted eagle rays, and in colder waters, sea horses. Some species that are the province of divers elsewhere may be seen by snorkelers in the Galapagos. Manta rays, fur seals, Galapagos sea lions, marine iguanas and green sea turtles are a spectacular and unexpected pleasure for a snorkeler accustomed to just seeing tropical fish. Visibility is better in some locations such as Genovesa Island, where snorkelers may be fortunate enough to observe some moray eels. Many snorkelers prefer the archipelago’s wet season between January and April when water temperatures are warmer and seas are calmer. Some vessels provide snorkel equipment, but many Galapagos passengers prefer to bring their own. Snorkeling is especially good on the northern tip of Floreana Island where some 50 different species of fish are found including moray eels, green sea turtles, marbled rays and white-tipped reef sharks. Isla Lobos on the west side of Isabela Island is an excellent spot to snorkel with sea lions. Travelers to Brazil compare Florianopolis and its surroundings to the Hawaiian Islands. Our 8-day Brazil multisport trip spends a day on Campeche Island where the snorkeling is divine, and the waters are popular with sea lions and sea turtles. Depending on the time of year, you may encounter the shallow-swimming southern right whales or migrating Magellanic penguins.

WHERE FEW SNORKELERS GO

An hour by boat from Colombia’s Caribbean coast lies Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo Natural National Park, the country’s only marine national park. Comprised of 30 islands with pristine, white sand beaches, the archipelago is surrounded by sea prairies and shallow, clear waters. Here you will snorkel in an area of multicolored sea grasses inhabited by 215 different tropical fish and innumerable invertebrates as well as 52 species of coral and 45 sponge varieties. This blissful experience is a day-trip from the walled-city of Cartagena, and included in our 6-day Cartagena and Tayrona National Park Colombia tour. If you love snorkeling and have never tried warm-river snorkeling, you have a treat in store. You can experience river snorkeling on either the Cardosa River during our 12-day Brazil’s Northern Beaches tour or on some of the world’s clearest waters, the Rio Sucuri, south of the Pantanal, on our 13-day Water Paradises of Brazil trip. It doesn’t get much more blissful than snorkeling in Panama. Some of the best spots on the Caribbean side are at the Isla Bastimentos Marine National Park at the country’s north end and the Kuna Yala on the south end where snorkeling is best around the region’s most the remote islands. On the Pacific side,there are numerous locations including the little-visited Azuero Peninsula and Coiba National Marine Park, comprised of many islands on the Pacific.

View our Snorkeling trip and tour options below:
9 Days $3,695
Arenal Volcano , Monteverde , Manuel Antonio National Park, Snorkeling, Tabacon Hot Springs, Ziplining, Kayaking
Stand-Up Paddleboard, Wildlife & Birding , Snorkeling, Biking, Hiking
Self Guided - Flexibility , Arenal National Park , Monteverde , Manuel Antonio , Tabacon Hot Springs
6 & 8 Days $3,995
Wildlife, Birding, Penguins, Hiking, Snorkeling
7 Days $2,695
Tortuguero National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, Pacific Beaches, Caribbean Beaches, Ocean Kayaking, Snorkeling
10 Day $7,995
Wildlife, Birding, Penguins , Hiking, Snorkeling, Sea Kayaking
Self Drive , Arenal Volcano area, Relaxation , Tabacón Hot Springs, Arenal Lake, Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Zipline, Beach, Surfing
Pacuare River Rafting , El Silencio Lodge & Spa, Cahuita National Park, Rainforest Exploration, Caribbean Beaches
8 & 10 Days $3,295
Wildlife, Biriding, Penguins, Hiking, Snorkeling, Sea Kayaking