Tortuguero – Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica

The Caribbean Coast is home to the beautiful town of Tortuguero and it's National Park. This sun drenched zone with its sparsely spaced coastal villages offers a completely laid back and relaxed

atmosphere. The culture is vastly different on this coast compared to the rest of the country with its prominent Afro-Caribbean influence notable as well in the delicious cuisine found here.

Hotels in Tortuguero

Getting to Tortuguero

Nearby Attractions

Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge

18km

Tortuguero National Park

1km

725 Visitor Ratings

Culture

Experience

Nature

Representation

Safety

Touristy

There are no roads leading to Tortuguero and is most commonly accessed by boat from the town of Moin found near the port town of Limon. From here you’ll take a boat trip on the canal to Tortuguero and its National Park. Another option is by taking a short plane ride from San Jose. The village itself is small with a collection of houses, a hand full of hotels, gift shops, and lots of wildlife attractions.

The Tortuguero National Park is one of the most varied parks boasting high rainforests to marshy lands, long stretches of beach, wide open canals perfect for crocodile spotting, and is also one of the most important breeding grounds for the Green Sea Turtle. The wildlife here is rich and diverse with unusually large populations of monkeys, birds and fish.

Though relatively small, Tortuguro offers a variety of activities. An absolutely awesome experience is to visit the nesting beaches at night with a guide and watch the turtles laying eggs or eggs hatching. Rent a canoe or Kayak and go exploring on the canal where you’ll be able to spot creatures such as the caimans, birds, and crocodiles. The park also offers various trails great for wildlife viewing and bird watching. Also popular here are fishing and sports fishing tours as well as the zip line and suspension bridges.

Top Destinations Nature Beach Rainforest

Comments

"I loved this destination. The tour guide was wonderful!! The day and night tours in the canals were spectacular!! We spotted a lot of monkeys and birds and reptiles on our tours. I enjoyed the interaction with other visitors also."

Apr 2013

"Trip of a lifetime - thank you for taking us here. "

Mar 2013

"My daughter, a biology student wants to look into the possibility of doing some research in Tortuguero. We just loved the place! My husband and I just want to go back and relax. He unfortunately was sick the one full day we were there, so he experienced all the tours only through our story telling."

Mar 2013

"Fun place with a ton of animals and a great little local town just a few miles of a walk along the beach. Good place if you like nature. "

Dec 2012

"Again - WOW. This is an outstanding place to visit, couple or family."

Apr 2013

"Very safe. Remote. Great for nature lovers. Great experience."

Nov 2012

"Tortuguero was a great experience. We felt safe, not too touristy, good place for nature lovers, good interactions with locals. You represented the area well in your descriptions."

Sep 2012

"Manuel our guide was charming! Turtle Nesting - watching the Green Sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs and return to the ocean was incredible!!! Very refreshing ride amongst the mangroves of the lush tropical rainforest canals!"

Jun 2012

"Loved the boat rides in the canals. Appreciate the extensive knowledge of our guide. I expected to see more wildlife, but understand that because we were only allowed in a small part of the park, the animals were not visible. This is not a bad thing because the park is being protected for posterity. Impressed with the care and responsible way that everyone takes care of the environment. "

Jun 2012

"Get away from all the crowd. Like a little Venice in Costa Rica. Beautiful'est' place. Go to Wild Ginger cafe to eat. "

May 2012

"Tortuguero was our favourite destination in Costa Rica. It was not overrun with tourists, and had a very local feeling. All the locals were very friendly, and we felt completely safe everywhere we went."

Mar 2012

"Great staff, guides and cleaning maids. Plenty of natural scenery and wildlife. All guides were very knowledgable and helpful."

Mar 2012

"We enjoyed our stay here very much. We were glad that this was our first destination as it prepared us for viewing nature throughout Costa Rica. I can not explain why but I don't think that we would have enjoyed it as much if it had come later in our trip."

Feb 2012

"This was the Costa Rica we were hoping to see, with lush jungle and tons of wildlife, all from a cozy and first-rate lodge as home base."

Feb 2012

"Great area full of diversity."

Feb 2012

"It was limited as to what you could do and it did not appeal at ALL to our 15 year old daughter"

Apr 2011

"Wonderful wildlife viewing, fantastic birdlife. Definitely a good destination. Bring plenty of rain gear and dry bags. It does rain a lot!!"

Feb 2011

"We fell in love with the quaint little town, the Sea within walking distance, and the wonderful "tipico" food! "

Feb 2011

"Our Tour guide was by far the best I have ever had anywhere and our time in Torteguero was by far the best part of our trip we have not one bad thing to say we loved it all- you all did a superb job in helping us plan an outstanding trip!!!"

Jul 2011