Tortuguero National Park

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Tortuguero National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
View from Tortuguero Mountain
Location	Costa Rica
Nearest city	Tortuguero
Coordinates	10°32′28″N 83°30′08″W / 10.54111, -83.50222
Area	312 km²
Established	1975
Governing body	National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)

Tortuguero National Park is a National Park within the Tortuguero Conservation Area. The reserve is also included in the Humedal Caribe Noreste, a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.^[1] The park is located in the Limón Province of northeastern Costa Rica. It is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica, despite the fact that it can only be reached by airplane or boat.^[2]

El Gavilan Trail through Tortuguero National Park

The park has incredible biological variety, due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats, including rainforest, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. It is located in a tropical climate, is very humid, and receives up to 250 inches (6,300 mm) of rain a year.

The park is located on the Caribbean coast, and its beaches are key nesting ground for endangered sea turtles, such as Hawksbill, Loggerheads, Green and Leatherbacks. The rivers within the park are home to sensitive populations of manatees, as well as caimans, crocodiles, and Tropical Gar, which is considered a living fossil. The forests are home to jaguars, three species of monkeys (spider, howler, and white-faced Capuchin), and three-toed sloths. Basilisk lizards and poisonous frogs also inhabit the area, along with 375 species of birds including kingfishers, toucans, blue herons, peacocks, and parrots. There are more than 400 species of trees and approximately 2,200 species of plants.

There are a number of facilities at the park, such as Cuatro Esquinas Headquarters and the Mawamba Lodge, both of them located in the village of Tortuguero, in the northern part of the park. The Sector Jalova Station is further south near Jalova Lagoon and the town of Parismina. Aguas Frias Station is on the western edge close to the town of Cariari.

Boat trip into the canals of Tortuguero

Beach at Tortuguero National Park

North of the park is the smaller Dr. Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge and then the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge. The latter refuge contains habitats similar to those found in Tortuguero National Park, although much of that refuge is even less accessible. To the south the park is bordered by the Parismina River and the Cariari National Wetlands. The park has worked with the neighboring village of Tortuguero to help its inhabitants understand that preserving their natural resources is the key to burgeoning eco-tourism.