Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica)

Discovering Tortuguero National Park (days 5 and 6 of our 15-day self-guided trip to Costa Rica).

Next stage of the adventure was Tortuguero, a remote village in the wetlands of northeast Costa Rica which can only be reached by boat. I’d booked a shuttle by minibus, up the coast to Moins quay and by launch through the canals to the Tortuguero Conservation Area.

Jungle-lined canal from Limón to Tortuguero Conservation Area — Canal from Limón to Tortuguero Conservation Area.

The journey through the canals was amazing, the boatman acted as an impromptu guide stopping every now and again to point out the fauna – crocodiles and caiman basking in the sun, and various monkeys swinging from the trees including the Howler (have you ever heard one? I thought it was a jet flying overhead at first, they’re that loud).

Caiman on the banks of the canal that leads to Tortuguero.

There were so many different species of bird that I lost track of the names! I do love nature but I am no expert.

Herons posing on the Limón Canal, Costa Rica.

Tortuguero National Park is unique! The village lies on a sandbar island between the sea and Tortuguero River. It’s one of few places in the world where giant marine turtles come back every year in September to lay their eggs. Although this is the Caribbean, the force of the sea is influenced by the mighty Atlantic and roaring waves crash along the immense deserted sandy beaches.

The beach in Tortuguero National Park beach where giant turtles lay their eggs. — Tortuguero National Park, beach where giant turtles lay their eggs.

The endangered sea turtles come ashore to bore holes in the sand where they leave their eggs. When the thousands of tiny turtles hatch they make their way into the roaring sea in the darkness of the night; the few who survive predators and the elements swim far away across the Atlantic only to return the following year to repeat nature’s ancestral process. Guided night trips are available during the main nesting season, September to October, to see the phenomenon.

Entranceway to Tortuguero National Park. — Tortuguero National Park.

Everyone wears wellies in Tortuguero (you can loan or borrow them), it rains that often and the National Park trail is very muddy even in the dry season. The path winds through lush vegetation that borders the coast but it’s actually easier to walk along the beach – the protected parkland has over 20 miles of sandy coastline – and it’s free!

Very muddy path through Tortuguero National Park. — Path through Tortuguero National Park.

We were here at the end of March during the Costa Rica summer so unfortunately couldn’t see the turtles. After dark we went on a guided walk with torches to see the wildlife. Although it wasn’t amazing it was good fun, we learnt where to find insects and snakes (and how to avoid inadvertently disturbing them), and we saw the brilliantly coloured red-eyed leaf frog.

Paved path through Tortuguero Village. — Tortuguero Village.

Another early start to catch the riverboat, we continued our breathtaking adventures through a maze of waterways backed by mangrove swamps.

A shared shuttle met us at La Pavona quay and took us straight to our next destination Arenal Volcano!

Tours in Tortuguero National Park

A friendly and very helpful local guy called Roberto runs Kuluchs Tours. The office is in Tortuguero village.
He’ll personally take you out on the night walk, arrange the boat and shuttle bus connections to Arenal (or other destinations), book excursions, suggest accommodation, and generally give any advice you may ask for.

Photos of the canals and Tortuguero