Tortuguero Travel Guide

  Chestnut Mandible Toucans
by Homanded
 
  • Chestnut Mandible Toucans
      Chestnut Mandible Toucans
    by Homanded
  • River to Tortuguero National Park
      River to Tortuguero National Park
    by Homanded
  •   Tortuguero
    by mircaskirca
  •   Tortuguero
    by mircaskirca
  •   Tortuguero
    by mircaskirca
 

Pro

zrim profile photo

 a region isolated from roads and highways 


Con

BEETLE_VERTE profile photo

 It is going to rain 


In a nutshell

grandmaR profile photo

 One of Costa Rica's National Parks 

 

Explore Tortuguero

Things to Do  

MUST DO LIST in Tortuguero

MUST DO LIST in Tortuguero, Tortuguero

 alankorskey Says:  As with all exciting destinations, there are few things you DON'T WANT TO MISS if you come to Tortuguero; Here is a list of the most popular attractions:Turtle TourCanal TourWalk through the National ParkHike Tortuguero HillTurtle Museum at the Caribbean Conservation... 

Tour canals with a wildlife guide

Tour canals with a wildlife guide, Tortuguero

 no1birdlady Says:  Our tour provided wildlife tours with guides in small boats. These went out onto the canals of Tortuguero. The guides were excellent and we saw a lot of these Green Iguanas which are orange in the mating season. We also saw many Howler Monkeys, Green and Ringed Kingfishers... 

Visit a Banana Plantation

Visit a Banana Plantation, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  As part of our tour, we went to a banana plantation and saw the process there. Of course since it was Sunday, none of the machinery (photo 2) in the packing house was working. The guide explained that the process the banana production process consists of four major segments:... 

Hotels  

Manatus Hotel

 84 Opinions

Restaurants  

Dorling's Bakery and Coffee Shop: Homemade pizza and fruit smoothies

Dorling's Bakery and Coffee Shop: Homemade pizza and fruit smoothies, Tortuguero

 kgduke Says:  Dorlings is a cute restaurant that is open from 5am to midnight. They serve good pizzas - the smallest large enough to split with someone or take home for another meal. Their fruit smoothies (batidos) are also very good. They serve typical Costa Rican food as well. 

Nightlife  

La Cubra Bar: Disco Balls Live On!

La Cubra Bar: Disco Balls Live On!, Tortuguero

 Lidrokz Says:  There isn't much night life in Tortuguero. The local hangout is the La Cubra Bar, a long,narrow building that is built along the edge of the canal at the south end of town. We asked a local where we could sit & have a beer at 10 pm on a Sunday & he led us about 50' to the La... 

Transportation  

Bus and Boat from San José to Tortuguero

Bus and Boat from San José to Tortuguero, Tortuguero

 mircaskirca Says:  It is possible to travel from San José to Tortuguero by public transportation. In fact, it's rather challenging, a mini adventure in itself. You have to take a bus to Cariari, then another bus to La Pavona and finally a boat to Tortuguero. Buses to Cariari leave from the... 

Boats

Boats, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  There is very little in the way of roads in Tortuguaro, so most travel is either by boat, train or plane. There are larger slow moving tourist boats with canopies where the guides take you along the canals, which is the way we took our tour from the cruise ship. I have read... 

Jungle Train

Jungle Train, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  There is very little in the way of roads in Tortuguero. Until the late 1970s, train and canoe were the only means of reaching this area. Many of Costa Rica's sixty thousand black people that still predominantly live along the Caribbean coast trace their ancestry to the ten... 

Shopping  

Folk Art and Coffee: Tour Stop

Folk Art and Coffee: Tour Stop, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  This was a shop at the landing where the boats left for the tours. They had a nice selection, but it was a problem if you did not have cash and they would not ship anything. You had to take everything back with you and pack it home in your luggage. When I was in Costa Rica... 

Local Customs  

Music

Music, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  While we were stopped at the boat departure point, they had a little band there that played music for dancing. I suspect that the band was there specifically for the cruise ship tours and might not be there all the time. 

Turtle Nesting

Turtle Nesting, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  We were unable to see any turtle nesting as we were there in February, which is about the only time that no nesting takes place.There are several species of turtles that nest, and their nesting seasons overlap somewhat. Green turtles are the most important species that nest... 

Warnings and Dangers  

They MUST be Genetically Enhanced

They MUST be Genetically Enhanced, Tortuguero

 puravida_ Says:  The mosquitos in Tortuguero can suck the living blood completely from your body, leaving you bumpy, and more importantly, ITCHY. A local friend took me to la farmacia (the pharmacy) where I was told by the pharmacist to take Allegra. I was a little skeptical at first. I had... 

Tourist Traps  

Turtle spotting

Turtle spotting, Tortuguero

 Helga67 Says:  If you happen to be in Tortuguero around May, don't waste your money on turtle spotting.There are three kinds of turtles that lay their eggs on the beach of Tortuguero: leatherback turtle, green sea turtle and hawksbill turtle. From February to July it's the leatherback... 

Turtle's spawning

Turtle's spawning, Tortuguero

 endbegins Says:  I went to Costa Rica 14 years ago and in Summer 2004. Both times I went to see the turtles lay their eggs in the sand. It's completely different now. Everyone sould watch it, but 14 years ago we were 6 or 7 people in the whole beach and last summer we were a hundred waiting... 

What to Pack  

Jungle protection

Jungle protection, Tortuguero

 Helga67 Says:  Going on a package deal, you will leave most of your luggage in your hotel in San José and only bring a small bag with the necessary stuff for your 2 to 3-days stay. Bring light cotton cloths, a T-shirt with long sleeves and trousers for the jungle walk, slippers for the... 

Don't forguet

Don't forguet, Tortuguero

 endbegins Says:  Not many, as altough it's not a difficult trip you'd have to take a boat and all that. Bring lots of t-shirts cuz you're gonna be sweaty all day long. Bring repellent. It isn't really bad with mosquitos there but still... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Air conditioned internet access Tortuguero Village

Air conditioned internet access Tortuguero Village, Tortuguero

 lunarcolonist Says:  In the village of Tortuguero there is a house with small handprinted signs saying internet access. It`s a small house on the main street. They charge 1000 colones for 15 minutes internet access, and there are 7 outdated but very functional computers in a room that has air... 

Have a stop at the Delmonte factory

Have a stop at the Delmonte factory, Tortuguero

 Helga67 Says:  On your way from San Jose to the boat to Tortuguero, you will pass some banana plantations and a banana factory. This factory belongs to Delmonte. Have a short stop at the factory. It's an open factory where you will have a clear view how the bananas go from the tree into... 

Favorites  

Tropical Plants

Tropical Plants, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  One of the reasons that I wanted to visit Costa Rica is because it has many kinds of tropical rain forests. Tortugero is a lowland area with an altitude of only 20 meters above sea level and with a few volcanic hills with heights of 100-300 meters. The vegetation is... 

Reptiles: Lizards and Cayman

Reptiles: Lizards and Cayman, Tortuguero

 grandmaR Says:  When we were in Costa Rica in 1997, the reptiles we saw included alligator, iguana (photo 5), river turtles (photo 3) and cayman (photo 4). This time we saw mostly Jesus Christ lizards. That is the common name for the basilisk lizard which has webbed hind feet and can run... 

Comments

Map of Tortuguero