Tortuguero, Costa Rica: The Little Amazon of Costa Rica

Tortuguero, Costa Rica is one of the leading ecotourism destinations in the country.

With its long canals, lush rain forest and vast beaches, Tortuguero appropriately earns the nickname of the “Amazon of Costa Rica.”

If you’re planning to visit Tortuguero, Costa Rica, here is all you need to know about the town, Tortuguero National Park and surrounding area.

PS. We offer small discounts on Tortuguero tour packages. Click the link to request to book!

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Location

Tortuguero, Costa Rica is in the Northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in the Limon province.

Tortuguero National Park is right next to Tortuguero village.

How to Get to Tortuguero, Costa Rica

Since the village is on a sandbar with no connecting roads, the only way to get to Tortuguero are by boat or plane.

There are two main boat launch points that go to Tortuguero.

The biggest and closest one is La Pavona in the North Caribbean. The other much smaller one is Moin in Limon city.

Here’s a brief overview on getting to Tortuguero and you can read our in-depth guide on how to get to Tortuguero here.

Flying to Tortuguero

Sansa Airlines flies to Tortuguero. From San Jose, it is a 25 minute flight and costs around $120 USD one way with 1-2 daily flights from San Jose.

Then from the Tortuguero airport, you can take a boat to your hotel if necessary.

How to Take the Bus to Tortuguero

From San Jose, you must first take a bus to Cariari.

There is a bus every day from 6:30 AM, 9 AM, 1PM, 3 PM, 4:30 PM and 7 PM. This takes 2 hours and costs ~2,100 colones, leaving from San Jose Terminal del Caribe, Calle Central Ave 15.

Second, from the Cariari bus station, you must take another bus to La Pavona where the boat launch is.

The bus runs at 5 AM, 9 AM, 1130 AM and 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Monday through Friday, it runs 5 AM, 1130 AM and 3 PM.

The bus station is Terminal de Buses Coopetraca, 500 meters north where the Cariari bus drops you off.

Third, once you are at La Pavona dock, you have to purchase your boat ticket at the restaurant.

The boat from La Pavona to Tortuguero is 6 AM, 730 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM and 430 PM.

Shuttle

Shared and private shuttles are great options to get to Tortuguero, specifically the La Pavona dock.

A private shuttle is around $250 USD from San Jose to La Pavona dock for 1-6 people.

Shared shuttles are available from nearby destinations like La Fortuna and San Jose.

Want to book a private or shared shuttle? Contact us for quotes and availability!

Tortuguero Boat

At La Pavona, you need to buy a boat ticket. A boat ticket costs 4000 CRC (~$8 USD) per person each way.

Buy the tickets at the main entrance to La Pavona where the small ticket office is.

The boat ride is around 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the tide.

Make sure to go to the bathroom before and put on lots of sunscreen for the boat ride!

The bathroom is inside the mini market and costs 500 CRC or $1 USD.

Boat Schedule

The public Tortuguero boat schedule from La Pavona to Tortuguero is 6 AM, 730 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM and 430 PM.

The public Tortuguero to La Pavona boat schedule is 5 AM, 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM – This is for the public boat taxi from the boat launch in the village.

Make sure your luggage is packed securely and you can bring a backpack with you on the boat.

If you are taking the public boat, tell the captain where you are going so they can drop you off at your hotel or town.

Renting a Car

If you rented a car, you can leave your car in their parking lot at La Pavona for 6000 CRC (~$12 USD) a day.

For those who want to rent a car after your Tortuguero trip, most car rental companies can deliver the car to La Pavona dock. However, this can be a hefty fee.

The most common process is to get your car in Guapiles on the way back to San Jose.

Our partner, Adobe Rent a Car has an meeting point in Guapiles to make this process very easy.

Click here to get your Costa Rica car rental discount!

Tortuguero Tour Packages

Another option is to book a Tortuguero package with a tour company.

The tour company will take care of everything from hotels, transportation and food and also includes some activities.

Many people choose this option so they don’t need to deal with planning.

If you are interested, we have a small Tortuguero packages discount with Pachira from San Jose.

If you don’t want to deal with planning, the tour package is by far the easiest way to visit Tortuguero as they take care of all the logistics for you.

You can also find Tortuguero trips from Puerto Viejo. Contact us if you’d like to visit Tortuguero from Puerto Viejo and we’ll be happy to assist you!

Tortuguero Village

Tortuguero village has a year round population of around 2500 people.

Nowadays, tourism is the backbone of the small town with locals working at hotels and restaurants, renting small cabins or as naturalist guides.

Before tourism, many locals simply lived off the land, with fishing as the main industry due to the rich ocean and river waters.

The village is very small.

The main strip is around 400 meters (.2 miles) long and runs from the main boat dock launch to the entrance to the national park.

There are some restaurants, souvenir shops, hostels, a park, a church and small hotels.

Tortuguero Beach

Tortuguero village is surrounded by the river on one side and beach on the other.

Although Playa Tortuguero is not a very photogenic beach, it is what put Tortuguero on the map as one of the leading eco-destinations in Costa Rica.

This is because Tortuguero, or the “place of the turtles” became famous in the 1950’s when an American sea turtle researcher discovered that it was the single most important nesting site for green turtles in the Western Hemisphere.

Thanks to this discovery, Tortuguero National Park was born to protect the turtles.

Since then, eco-tourists from all over the world travel to Tortuguero to see turtles in Costa Rica and visit Tortuguero National Park.

About Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero National Park is the 3rd most visited national park in Costa Rica.

It has a huge amount of biodiversity thanks to the various habitats ranging from mangroves, swamps, rain forest and lagoons.

The park encompasses 77,032 acres (31173 hectares) and forms another corridor with a protected area in Nicaragua.

Visitors can hike or take a boat ride in Tortuguero National Park. There are 3 trails in the national park ranging from 700 to 3500 meters (.4 mile to 2 miles).

It is highly recommended to rent rain boots if you are hiking in the park and to go with a guide.

Hours and Fee

The Tortuguero National Park entrance fee is $15 USD for foreigners + tax and is open 6 AM to 6 PM everyday. Purchase tickets online here.

Required for Sector Cuatro Esquinas, Cerro Tortuguero and Jalova.

Tortuguero Hotels and Resorts

Although there are not that many hotels, there are ones for every budget. Backpackers and budget travelers will want to stay in the village for the hostels, cabins, standard rooms and cheap hotels.

Some places are Tortuguero Hostel 7Backpackers, Casa Marbella, Valverde Glamping and Cabinas Tortuguero.

If you’re looking for something nicer outside the village, there are a few resort-like hotels in Tortuguero.

We highly recommend these if you’re not on a strict budget because they have more nature and the rooms and services are nicer.

We stayed at Evergreen Lodge near the entrance of the national park which was very nice with a huge swimming pool, a couple restaurants and free Wi-Fi. As the lodge borders the national park, there were so much wildlife!

Pachira Lodge and Aninga Lodge are two others with a similar set up (we have small discounts for Pachira/Aninga/Evergreen tour packages.)

Mawamba Lodge is another upscale lodge with their own entrance to the beach, a delicious restaurant, large property with gardens and cozy cabins.

Tortuguero Tours and Things to Do

Wildlife watching is one of the best things to do in Tortuguero National Park. Most people book a wildlife safari boat ride. The best time is early morning when the park opens.

There are some other things to do Tortuguero.

Night Walk

Go for a night walk in Tortuguero to see night creatures like frogs, snakes, insects and more. $20 USD per person.

Hike the National Park

You can hike the 3 trails in the national park or hike up Tortuguero Hill (Cerro Tortuguero) for an amazing view of the canals and beach.

It is recommended to go with a guide to Tortuguero Hill but you can hike the national park on you own.

Kayak

There are parts of the national park where motorized boats cannot go, only kayaks.

This was one of our favorite things to do in Tortuguero National Park because it was absolutely quiet with just us and the animals.

You can find canoe rentals and tours and kayak tours in town. When we stayed at Mawamba Lodge, they offered this tour as an extra $40 USD fee.

Book it fast when you get to the lodge because it’s very popular and they have limited spaces (can’t pre-book).

Turtle Tours

If you’re visiting in turtle season (May to October), you can take a nighttime turtle tour to see nesting mothers.

If not, you can go to the research center to watch a video and learn more about the conservation efforts for the turtles. (I’ll talk more about the tours in a minute).

If you stay at Mawamba Lodge, they are a beachfront hotel so you can walk onto the beach yourself to see the turtles, no tour necessary.

Interested in staying at Mawamba Lodge? Contact us to help you book your stay!

Tortuguero Weather

Since Tortuguero is on the Caribbean coast, the climate is very hot and humid. T

emperatures stay around high 80°s F (32° C) for most of the year with a very high humidity level. Additionally, it is one of the wettest places in Costa Rica!

The Caribbean also does not adhere to the dry/rainy seasons like the rest of Costa Rica.

Even though the driest months are September, October and February, it can rain at any time of the year. December and January are rainy months.

Read more about Costa Rica weather here.

We visited in November and it was very sunny in the mornings and rained in the late afternoon and night. When we visited end of September, we had beautiful sunny days and clear skies.

During our time in Tortuguero, we had on and off downpours, light rains and sunny skies. The most important item to bring to Tortuguero is a rain jacket or poncho, do not forget!

Tortuguero Animals

The wildlife in Tortuguero is astounding and you can see wildlife that aren’t seen in many other places in Costa Rica.

Although turtles take the spotlight in Tortuguero, there are plenty of other animals to see!

We also saw crocodiles, caimans, river birds, monkeys, sloths and lots of iguanas. Manatees are also found in Tortuguero, though rare to see.

Tortuguero Turtle Season

Four different species of turtles nest on Playa Tortuguero. Leatherback turtles nest March – May and Green turtles nest July – October.

The best time to visit Tortuguero to see turtles is July – October with September and October being the best months.

If you visit in November, nesting season is over but you may see baby turtles hatching.

When we visited mid-November, we saw two nests of baby turtles hatching. When we visited in September, we saw four Green turtles nesting on a night time turtle tour.

Tortuguero Turtle Tours

Turtle tours are offered only at night in Tortuguero and you must go with a guide. Unaccompanied visitors are not allowed. Turtle tours start around 7 PM and lasts a couple of hours.

Guides will take visitors to the designated sector where turtles have been nesting for observation and share information about the turtles, hopefully seeing it all in action.

Cameras are not allowed and guests have to wear dark clothing.

I went with Pachira Lodge and we boated over to the airport. From there, we walked to the beach and saw four Green turtles nesting.

We got to see them crawling up the beach, digging a hole, laying eggs, covering the nest and going back to the ocean. It was absolutely incredible!

Turtle tours are $20-35 USD per person.

Tips for Visiting Tortuguero

• Pack appropriately for humid weather. Since it is normal for it to rain in that area, bring appropriate waterproof equipment, especially if you have cameras. Check our packing list for rainy season. A rain jacket, waterproof backpack and fast drying clothes are a must.
• Make sure to bring plenty of mosquito repellent and sunscreen. This area has a lot of mosquitoes!
• Bring Costa Rican colones. Tortuguero now has one ATM in the village near the boat docks but bring plenty of colones. It is also better to use Costa Rican currency than US dollars.

Best Time to Visit Tortuguero, Costa Rica

The best time to visit Tortuguero is July – October for the turtle nestings. For the best weather, September and October are the best times to visit Tortuguero.

The busiest times of the year in Tortuguero is December, July and August but it may rain a lot in December.

You really don’t need more than a few nights to get an incredible experience in Tortuguero. Since this area is very small and remote, most people stay 1-2 nights.

Even if you are not going during turtle season, you can still visit Tortuguero. Wildlife is present all year round and the canals are amazing!

You can see a plethora of native animals in the national park, on the boat ride, even from your front door. Tortuguero offers an unforgettable experience in the Caribbean jungles for nature and wildlife lovers.

Video

Here is a short video we made about our trip to Tortuguero, Costa Rica.

Don’t forget to get our Tortuguero tours package discount to save some $$!

Costa Rica Vacation Checklist

• First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
• Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
• Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
• Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
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Read our other national park guides here!

Corcovado National Park: National park in Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Excellent hiking and wildlife.

Irazu Volcano National Park: Highest volcano in Costa Rica. Small national park to see the craters and crater lake, in Cartago about a 1.5 hour drive from San Jose.

Carara National Park: National park near Tarcoles and Jaco, great for hiking and birdwatching.

Rincon de la Vieja National Park: National park in Guanacaste with a volcano, rivers and waterfalls. Great for hiking and adventure.

Cahuita National Park: National park in Cahuita, near Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast. Has big coral reefs, beautiful beaches and hiking trails.