Tortuguero National Park Ranks in Top Favorites in Costa Rica

The Tortuguero National Park is located in the Limón Province of Costa Rica in the northeastern part of the country. It is ranked among the top most visited parks in Costa Rica in spite of not being easily accessible. You can find eleven different habitats at the park that are suited to its  very humid and tropical climate. Sitting in a natural wetland of the Caribbean Coast, Tortuguero National Park covers an area of 31,174 ha (77,032 acres) including twenty miles of coastline. This is a perfectly protective place for sea turtles to lay their eggs. Tortuguero is the most important nesting site of the endangered green turtle in the Western Hemisphere.

Nesting season is from March to October with night tours available.

Saving the Green Sea Turtle

The drainage system of the park is replenished by rivers filled from the abundant rainfall of the region.The interlinked canals, waterways, lagoons and lakes create plains of sediment that are carried by the river system, These help to form the turtle nesting beaches of Tortuguero.

Tortuguero Village

Hispanic, Miskito Indian and  Afro-Caribbean cultures and their influences can be found throughout Tortuguero Village where both Spanish and Creole English are spoken. You will encounter lots of typical Caribbean architecture and artwork. For a fee, a  tour guide can show you around the sandy trails and raised cement walkways throughout the town, explaining the history of Tortuguero and its surrounding areas. You may feel like you are travelling back in time once inside this village of about 500 people where no cars are allowed. The hotels and lodges are just north, all of which include tour options making a planned visit easier. You can also arrange a tour to see turtles through the kiosk in the middle of the village. The best bet to see turtles laying their eggs is at night; a guide is mandatory to visit the beaches after 6:00 pm.

The Sea Turtle Conservancy

Formerly known as the CCC (Caribbean Conservation Corporation), the Sea Turtle Conservancy is located at the far north end of the village. The CCC was started initially in 1959 by Dr. Archie Carr of the University of Florida to study and protect sea turtles.  He is responsible for initiating the turtle-tagging program in 1955 which still continues today. Make a reservation for a Guided Sea Turtle Walk through the Sea Turtle Conservancy for $15 per person; space is limited to 22 people per night. Walks start at 9 pm and you may need to walk up to a half mile out and back in soft sand.

The Abundance Of Water

In addition to the green sea turtle, the freshwater creeks and lagoons behind the beaches of Tortuguero are home to seven species of river turtles and over 50 species of fish.

Take a trip on a tour boat or paddle a canoe through the freshwater canals to see Spider, Howler and Capuchin Monkeys and dozens of species of birds.  If you are lucky, you might spot an endangered West Indian Manatee. Atlantic Snook and Tarpon are two of the species that attract anglers fishermen to this region from all over the world. Among the hundreds of birds you can spy the endangered Green Macaw, Amazon Kingfishers, Egrets, Herons and Toucans.

A boat tour is the best way to see the wildlife in the surrounding jungles of Tortuguero. Hire an expert guide from the local village to take you in a canoe or on a motorboat. He will help you find the fauna you may otherwise miss.

Getting There

The fastest way to get to Tortuguero is to fly on one of Costa Rica’s domestic carriers like Sansa or Nature Air. Both make daily flights from the capital of San Jose, arriving in less than an hour to Tortuguero’s small landing strip. It’s a short boat ride from there to the village center or whatever lodge you have reserved. The cost is anywhere from $60 to $110 per person each way. The planes are small and you will fly low over some beautiful landscape.

If arriving by car, you will need to access a boat service from either the town of La Pavona or Moin. From San Jose, La Pavona is the best choice while Moin caters to those arriving from the Caribbean. You have both public and private boat options from each location. Hotels and shuttle services generally use the private boats as part of their packages. Public boats keep a daily schedule and are suitable if you will be arriving by either car or bus.

We are sure that you will emerge from your visit to Tortuguero National Park glowing from the natural immersion into the heart of the jungle.