Tortuguero, Costa Rica, which can be translated as Land of Turtles, is a village on the Northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in the Limón Province. It gave its name to the neighboring Tortuguero National Park. The village is situated on a sand bar island, separated from the mainland by Tortuguero River and bordering the Caribbean Sea. Tortuguero is renowned for its navegable canals that run through the rainforest in the national park, and has such earned the nickname of 'Central America's Amazon'.
The beaches around Tortuguero are key nesting sites for four species of sea turtle, including two critically endangered species. The National Park is also host to incredible biodiversity of insects, resident and migratory birds, and mammals, including jaguar and four species of monkey. Accordingly, there are four biological stations — the John H. Phipps Biological Field Station, the Caño Palma Biological Research Station, the ASVO station (ASociación de VOluntarios para Servicio en Areas Protegidas) and the GVI Jalova Biological Station — which operate from the area immediately around the village and concentrate on research and conservation of the local ecology, particularly the turtles.
The small village, which can be reached only by boat or airplane, is sustained almost entirely by eco-tourism. Population is estimated around 1200-1500, but more precise numbers will be available when the 2011 census results are published.
The area is not safe for swimming due to rough surf, strong currents, and sharks.
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The information contained in this section has been updated as of 2 January 2012. Fares, routes and schedules are subject to change.
Tortuguero is only accesible by boat or plane.
There is a small airstrip which serves daily flights from Nature Air via San José. Charter flights are also available with Nature Air or Sansa Airlines. The flight is on a small propeller plane, seating between 5 and 19 passengers, and lasts 15-25 minutes. Prices range from $70-$120 per person, one-way. It is important to arrange for water transport to and from the airport ahead of time. Your hotel may provide transportation, or they can help you arrange for a water taxi which will cost approximately ₡5,000 ($10.00) per person. The airstrip is on the island of Tortuguero, but walking to the village can take up to an hour on the beach.
Boat transportation is available via La Pavona to the North or Moín to the South. Traveling via Moín is only sensible if arriving from or continuing to the South Caribbean cities like Puerto Viejo or Cahuita.
The port of La Pavona is accessible via a 1-hour bus ride from Cariari de Pococí (not to be confused with Cariari de Belén), which costs ₡1,000 ($2.00). Buses leave at 6:00am, 11:30am and 3:00pm, and coordinate directly with the public boat. The boat trip lasts 45-120 minutes (depending upon the water level in the river and the horsepower of the boat engine), and costs ₡1,600 ($3.20). Boats leave Tortuguero at 6:00am, 11:30am and 3:00pm. Those traveling in rental cars should keep schedules in mind and be aware that there is a roughly ₡3,000 ($6.00) daily fee for parking at Rancho la Suerte.
To arrive from San José, one must take the direct bus from the Los Caribeños bus terminal at 9:00am. Tickets sometimes sell out by 8:30am, and cost approximately ₡1,200 ($2.40). From other locations in the Central Valley or the North of Costa Rica, one must find the bus route to Guápiles and continue on to Cariari. Buses from Guápiles to Cariari run every 20 minutes, and the trip is roughly one hour.
Boats from Moín are available once daily. Via public transportation, one needs to take a bus to Limón and a taxi from there to the docks at Moín. Make sure to book ahead of time and be sure of the boat schedules, as there is only one daily boat. The following information is secondhand and not 100% reliable: boats leave Moín and Tortuguero at 10:00am, and cost between $35 and $50. Prices are in USD.
There are many options for lodging in and around Tortuguero. Many lodges outside of the village offer all-included packages with transportation to and from San José, meals and tours. In the village, most options are budget hotels, and offer varying amenities. Customer reviews and ratings available on TripAdvisor.com. Be sure to also check the "Specialty Lodging" button on the left-hand menu, as many hotels don't show up otherwise.
Information for most of these hostels and hotels is available on [1] which has several pages provided by the business owners themselves.
Many restaurants offer the typical local fare, which includes a lot of rice and beans. Don't confuse the "casado" (white rice, beans, salad and meat of some kind or fish) with "rice and beans" (rice and beans cooked together with coconut milk, spices and chilies). There are a few options for more international fare. Customer reviews and ratings are available on TripAdvisor.com
As is often the case, there is a range of prices and quality for tours in Tortuguero. To be sure that you are getting a qualified guide, ask to see his/her ICT certification card. As of 2012, only certified guides will be allowed to conduct turtle tours. Don't run the risk of getting kicked off the beach and losing your money! Any excursions into the national park, either by land or water, will require a $10 park entrance fee. This ticket is valid for only one day, and you should personally purchase your ticket from the national park office at the South end of town (there have been cases of fraud with tickets purchased by local guides). There are multi-park, multi-day passes available for online purchase only through the Amigos de los Parques (Friends of the Parks) program.
The main reason why most people travel to Tortuguero is to see turtles lay eggs on the beach. Turtle watching tours are offered by nearly everyone (it seems) during the egg laying season, which spans April to May for leatherback turtles and July to October for green turtles. The tours leave in the evening and last 1-4 hours. Scouts find the turtles; you wait with your tour at the edge of the beach and are escorted to the right spot when a turtle is found along with all the other groups. This "turtle spotter program" is for the protection of the turtles themselves, and is 100% funded by sticker sales. Tourists are encouraged to buy a sticker for $4. You are required to use the spotters whether you pay or not, so it is strongly suggested that you buy the sticker. Although the likelihood of seeing at least one turtle is extremely high in season (late July to mid September), there's no guarantee or refund. You must be accompanied by a local guide to see the turtles.
During September and October many local "guides" will offer tourists the opportunity to "help" turtle nests hatch. If you would like to see baby turtles, you can walk the beach in the very early hours, but digging up nests or touching hatchlings can be detrimental to their survival. Rather than pay someone who is making a living off of potentially harming endangered species, walk South along the beach into the national park, and stay along the vegetation. Your chances of finding hatchlings are high at the right time of year, and you won't have to pay anyone.
The canals of Tortuguero gave the town its nickname of "Costa Rica's Amazon", and are a fantastic opportunity to see wildlife. Many guided boat tours leave Tortuguero and the surrounding lodges at 6AM to see the wildlife, jungle, and canals. Most of the lodges offer tours which use large boats with big motors and cannot get very far into the canals. A better option is a canoe tour. Canoes are basically silent and can go where the motorboats can't, allowing you to get away from the seemingly countless motorboat tours and see more of nature. Several people in the village offer canoe tours -- ask around.
Cerro Tortuguero has been officially closed by the National Park and National Reserve service due to overuse and habitat destruction. Many local guides will still offer tours, but be warned that by taking these tours you are not only violating park regulations but potentially damaging a fragile ecosystem. For hikers, Cerro Tortuguero is a small hill roughly 6 km north of the village, accessible only by boat. It's only 119 m high, but offers good views of the area. You can arrange a tour or charter a boat from the village, but it's also entirely feasible to go by yourself. The 11:30AM water-taxi will drop you off at a small community near the base of the hill on it's way to La Pavona, and will pick you up again around 2:30PM when it returns to Tortuguero. The path to the top of the hill is not marked, so you may need to ask for directions.
You may also walk along the straight jungle path within the national park that runs parallel to the beach, with or without a guide. Just remember that you are in the jungle and that it gets dark early!
There are currently two zip-line tours available in Tortuguero, both approximately $30-$35 per person
Several local companies offer sport fishing both in the canals of Tortuguero and neighboring towns Barra del Colorado and Parismina. Many lodges and hotels in town either have their own affiliated companies or will make the arrangements for you.