Guide To Tortuguero National Park Costa Rica

I love the wild, back-sand beaches of Costa Rica so even though I’d explored a few already (Cahuita was a favourite), I still hadn’t had my fill. What makes this black sand beach special was its expanse. In season, it’s where the turtles nest and hatch. Off-season it’s still a splendid swatch of volcanic matter.

You might want to start with the usual basics, you know – underwear, toothbrush etc. – I have a full packing list with a printable checklist here.
It was just a matter of decades ago that hunting green sea turtles (for food – turtle soup and eggs) led to their near extinction. In the 1970s, Tortuguero National Park was established as a protected area for the turtles to nest. The park has become a tourist attraction with visitors stopping by in the thousands to see the thousands of green sea turtles during nesting season.
There are three short trails in the park (up to a couple of miles each). Since I only had a couple of days in the park, I prioritised the water-based activities and suggest you do the same. From what I heard, there isn’t a great deal of wildlife to spot on the trails so, if you do go, taking a guide for their expert spotting skills. I had a (very) short walk around the small trail in the grounds of my lodge and the main wildlife I encountered was mosquitoes. Pack repellent. (See my packing tips below).
Here’s where you can book private transport to Tortuguero, using Exploradores Outdoors.

Guide To Visiting Tortuguero National Park

The Only Packing List You’ll Ever Need (with printable checklist)

Let’s start with some quick facts about the park…

Quick facts about Tortuguero National Park

It’s located on the northeast coast of Costa Rica.
It’s Spanish name is Parque Nacional Tortuguero.
Tortuguero means nesting turtles and the park is so named because it’s a popular nesting ground for turtles.
The park is around 20,000 hectares and has been a conservation area and protected nesting sanctuary since the 1970s.
It can only be reached by boat and the best way to explore when you get there is by boat.
Turtle season runs approximately July to November with nesting and hatching phases.
In season, you can expect to see green sea turtles, leatherback turtles and hawksbill turtles.
Even out of season you can expect to see the occasional turtle hanging out.
Aside from turtles, the park is rich with other wildlife including caiman, otters, spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys and lots of vivid, tropical birds including toucans, macaws and kingfishers.

Things to do in Tortuguero National Park

Take a boat trip to the national park (wildlife spotting on the way)

How NOT To Visit Semuc Champey
This is the start of a series of posts about my time in Costa Rica and further afield. I’ll link below as I post more or you can sign up to my newsletter here. Until then, here are some of my older posts from my first trip to Central America.

Take a turtle tour (in season)

If you don’t much care about species or the phase i.e you just want to see turtles, aim for July to October with September being one of the best months for seeing both nesting and hatching.
Tip: find a hotel that has a pool for a post-sightseeing dip. There was a lovely oasis of a pool at my lodge (details in the where to stay section below).

See Tortuguero National Park by canoe

What’s in this post
Exploradores Outdoors 2 Day Tortuguero Expedition – this is the tour I took and would highly recommend it. I booked the 2-day, 1 night tour. I think this was enough but in turtle season you might prefer two nights.
Car hire, private shuttle bus and public bus are the three most typical ways of getting around Costa Rica and I’ve taken a combination of these options on my trips. However, Tortuguero is more difficult since the most common way to get there is by boat (and I don’t tend to travel with one of these in my bag – remiss, I know).

Walk the park trails

Walk on the wild black sand Tortuguero beach

101 Tips for Cheap Flights
(*sorry Jane Austen for cannibalising your famous opening line from Pride & Prejudice).
Travel Insurance: Don’t get Screwed by the Small Print

Visit the Caribbean Conservation Centre – The Turtle Museum

Don’t forget to look up for Toucan spotting

10 Essential Things To Do In Manuel Antonio
Budget and availability might decide this (or your package tour might give you no option) but if you do have a choice, the first decision is whether to stay in Tortuguero town or in one of the lodges along the river. If you want cheap(er) eats and access to some sort of hustle and bustle and activities, stay in the town. If you want to escape for a while and don’t mind being tied to the hotel for food, definitely go for a lodge. I stayed in a lodge and would highly recommend it.

Explore Tortuguero village

Endangered green turtles are the main turtles people come to see. However, you can also see Giant leatherback, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles in Tortuguero National Park.
I do, however, have a couple of suggestions:

Zip line over the jungle canopy

If it was in-season, I would have considered adding an extra night to my stay. Do you need more than that, I’d say no but if you’re looking for somewhere to kick back for a few days, it’s a great place to do it.

How to get to Tortuguero National Park

There are filtered water re-filling stations everywhere in Costa Rica and in a country where they’re aiming for carbon neutrality, you’re encouraged to refill rather than buy disposable plastic water bottles. You can drink the tap water in some places and the mountain water in Monteverde is divine but in Tortuguero you’ll need to drink purified water.
*La Baula Lodge – This is where I stayed – a lovely lodge on the river with large rooms, a swimming pool and pretty grounds. Highly recommended.

package tour – includes transport, hotel and activities (this is what I did and would recommend).
private transport (shuttles and boat) then book your own accommodation and activities (I considered this but it didn’t feel cost effective or time efficient).
public transport and book your own activities (I briefly considered this but it works best from San Jose and I was in Puerto Viejo).

Book a package tour to Tortuguero National Park

However, if you are more organised, just booking shuttles/private boat is a good option because it will take you door to door and then give you freedom to plan the rest. You can book with the same company I booked my package through, Exploradores Outdoors and choose to go from Arenal, San Jose and Puerto Viejo. As with the package tour, you can book to a different onwards destination e.g. Puerto Viejo – Tortuguero – Arenal, like I did.

Laziness – let’s not underestimate the wonderful feeling of having someone local line up all the timings.
Door to door pick up and drop off (also falls under laziness).
To make public transport work, I would need to go back to San Jose and I didn’t want to waste a day doing that from Puerto Viejo.
Accommodation included in the price.
Brilliant if you’re a Last Minute Larry (like me) – I booked 2 days before I went and all the hotels were otherwise sold out (the tour operator managed to find a lodge that could squeeze me in).
Time efficient – all my activities were pre-arranged and lined up nicely so I didn’t waste a day while I was there figuring out what to do and the best time to do it. There is also always the risk that activities book out (the hotels certainly had).
It wasn’t that expensive – for 2 days/1 nights including all my transport, a very nice lodge on the river and activities I paid $175. There was a more budget option of $155 (lower-quality hotel/hostel) but I was too last minute and that was fully booked.
I looked at the private transfer and booking my own accommodation and activities but it wasn’t much of a saving.
Laziness. This can’t be overstated.

There is a wonderful conservation centre in Tortuguero town with plenty of fact boards for museum nerds like me. Sadly, I was rushed through by my guide who (in fairness to him) was being harassed for dining recommendations by some of the group members who were getting hangry. I didn’t feel too hard done by since I’d recently visited the Turtle Hospital and Conservation Centre in Key West, Florida. If you can make time, I’d recommend exploring the turtle museum in Tortuguero to add some rich context to your visit.

Take a private shuttle and boat from San Jose, Arenal or Puerto Viejo

Don’t worry, our guide did all the paddling so you can probably enjoy this without touching an oar.
Nesting season runs broadly from July to September with hatching taking place around September to November. Tours are regulated (rightly so), meaning you need a guide with a permit. The tours tend to take place between 8 p.m. and midnight. You’ll be asked to wear black so you don’t scare the turtles. And you won’t be able to take photos. Console yourself with the fact it’s all for the good of the turtles.
Isla De Ometepe: My Barefoot Volcano Hike

Take public transport to Tortuguero National Park from San Jose

This I know least about because I only discovered it as an option after I visited but I believe it is possible to fly to Tortuguero from San Jose. The flight is less than 60 minutes and, as you can imagine, is the most expensive way of reaching Tortuguero (ticket prices will depend on when you book). Keep in mind that if you’re flying to avoid taking a boat, you still need to take a boat to reach Tortuguero.

Fly to Tortuguero National Park

For Tortuguero, your main three options are:
Hotel Tortuguero Beachfront – Located on the beach in Tortuguero town, what more can you want from a town-based stay?

General tip for planning your Costa Rica itinerary

As I’ve said, I know least about this mode of transport but I have read some safety worries and reports of plane crashes so please do your research before you book.

What to pack for Tortuguero National Park

However, on balance, I’d say it was worth it. Why? I love hard to reach places, where the journey is part of the adventure. Also: more wildlife is more wildlife, even if the star of the show wasn’t around. That said, we did spot some tiny turtles hanging around (look closer at the picture above and you’ll see one on the log). On top of it all, I had a few lovely days of serenity and that sense of detaching for a while. Nice room, good food and an early morning canoe ride. What’s not to love?
Much of the central street of the village has now been given over to serving the tourists with cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops. I passed a very peaceful half hour enjoying coffee and a cake in a cafe overlooking the water (details below). Peaceful sigh.
DK Eye Witness Costa Rica – I really like the 3D images and historical details in the DK Guides.
You will need multiple buses with the easiest and fastest route being from San Jose (Caribe terminal in the south) to Cariari then a second bus to Pavona. From there, you can take a public boat to Tortuguero village. The journey takes about 6 hours but is likely to take much longer because this assumes you’ll line all the connections up perfectly (does that ever happen?). Therefore: start early otherwise you’ll miss the last boat out to Tortuguero, around 4:30 p.m. You can plan your route (including bus times) on Rome2Rio here.

I know that Fodor’s and Moon are popular amongst my lovely USA readers – let me know if you’ve used these books and recommend them.
Was it worth the journey? That’s what I’m going to share with you in this guide to Tortuguero National Park Costa Rica.
For all tropical trips it’s advisable to have a rain jacket and I say jacket rather than a poncho because those things are very unpleasant – hot, sweaty, noisy enough to disturb the wildlife and not very environmentally friendly. I pack a jacket by The North Face and have had it for over 5 years and re-waterproof it every year.Although they’re expensive, they are worth it in the long term. You can, of course, get cheaper brands but I do recommend a jacket versus an-unlined raincoat/poncho.
I’ll give you the low down on the best things to do in Tortuguero National Park as well as tips on how to get there, when to go and what to pack. I’ll also share my views on whether it’s worth visiting when the turtles aren’t nesting.
Tip: tell your guide you want to see toucans and they will almost certainly find you one (no pressure, guides).
The price is around – dollars each way, including your boat. Compared to 5 for a 1-night package, it seemed much better value to pay for the package.
I’ll say this over and over about Costa Rica – it really pays to plan your route in advance. I like to think of Costa Rica as a bit of a bike wheel with San Jose as the central hub and the interesting things to see dotted around the wheel rim. Unless you have a car in Costa Rica, transport routes between the interesting places can be unexpectedly patchy. All roads lead to San Jose and if you don’t plan it properly, you can spend a lot of your trip going in and out of San Jose, travelling the spokes of the bike wheel rather than travelling from one interesting place to another around the edges.
I was even more hesitant since I would be visiting off-season, when the nesting turtles, which give the park its name and are without a doubt the star-attraction, had long hatched and swam out to sea.
Sodas – in general, eating the local plate (chicken/fish, rice, beans and salad) at a soda (name for a locally owned restaurant) is going to offer the best food and best price.
With one eye out for turtles and another keeping time on your packed itinerary, it’s easy to forget that Tortuguero is a village with normal people doing normal, everyday things. I took a short but informative guided tour of the village exploring the local school, football pitch (people make assumptions about the fact that I lived in Liverpool, England) and homes.
You can find all of my Central America posts here

Best tours in Tortuguero National Park

I really should know better than to try a spot of sunset yoga on my veranda – the sods bit through my yoga leggings. You can read my tips for the best mosquito repellent here.
I bought a small, cheap, lightweight pair of binoculars for this trip and it was one of my best decisions. Wildlife, being wild, doesn’t tend to wander too close and though your guide will often have a pair, you’ll be sharing them with a group and adjusting the view every time. I bought a pair similar to these for under .
Also a book nerd? You might like my posts about how to read more books and the best travel books.
I’m typically a book it myself kind of girl but I was in Puerto Viejo and made a rookie mistake thinking I’d be able to get reasonably easy public transport from Puerto Viejo to Tortuguero, what with the two locations being on the same coast and all. If you do want to go to Tortuguero by public transport, I’d highly recommend going from San Jose. Here’s how.
I didn’t have time for this either, which is sad because zip-lining in Monteverde in Costa Rica was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done and I’d jump at the chance to go again. However, if you only have time (or budget) for one zip-line experience in Costa Rica, hold off for Monteverde – it is the longest zip line in Latin America.

Where to stay in Tortuguero National Park

After seeing the turtles, this is one of the most popular things to do in Tortuguero National Park. So, if you’re going outside turtle season, it’s going to be the highlight of your trip. And, I have to say, even for this non-morning person, there was something very magical about gliding across the water in a canoe, powered only by an oar, to the sounds of wildlife and lapping water.
One of the most frustrating things about visiting Tortuguero National Park also happens to be one of the best things – you have to get there by boat. That means a pretty long day of transport and little scope for getting there by your own steam. However, it also means that during the 1-1.5 hours you’re on the boat travelling into the park, you’ve got some excellent sightseeing along the way. Our boat driver was more than happy to stop when he spotted wildlife worthy of a picture. We had photo opps for caiman and a few lone turtles.

Tortuguero Hostel and Backpackers is right in the centre of Tortuguero town and the place to stay if you are visiting on a budget.

Where to eat in Tortuguero National Park

Tip: I bought a pineapple from the fruit stall in Tortuguero village and the chef at my lodge kindly agreed to prepare it for me. I popped it in my room fridge and it provided good snacks for two days.
Laguna Lodge – This beautiful wooden-style lodge also on the banks of the river is another great option if La Baula is booked.
Can you swim at the beach in Tortuguero national park? The advice is no. Why? As well as strong currents, there are sharks and caiman. That’s enough to put me off but feel free if you think you’d make tasty bait ;p
On the other hand, if you’re on a small budget (time or money) and it’s not turtle season, it might be worth visiting other places in Costa Rica. If you want to leave a comment with your itinerary options below, I’ll let you know if I think it’s worth adding in Tortuguero.
Lonely Planet Costa Rica– heavy on detail and light on pictures, however this is the best guide if you’re on a longer trip or planning as you go. Alternatively, this Lonely Planet will help you get around all of Central America

Tips for Planning a trip to Tortuguero National Park

I bought my tour in person from a side of the road travel desk in Puerto Viejo, from a well-know Costa Rican tour operator, Exploradores Outdoors. I paid cash, the lady wrote a carbon copy slip of paper as my receipt and I travelled a couple of days later. Personally, I really enjoy this old-school form of travel booking. But you can book ahead of time, online if you prefer. *Go here.

When to visit Tortuguero National Park

Here’s a list of the best things to do in Tortuguero National Park. This list will be especially useful if you’re visiting out of turtle season when the main attraction isn’t on offer.
I wasn’t expecting this, being on the water, but my grass pollen allergy was in overdrive in Tortuguero. I suppose there was a water grass my body didn’t like.

Is Tortuguero National Park worth it out of season?

After researching the three main option, I booked a package tour. Here’s why:
12 Quick Things To Do In San Jose
Banged Up In A Panama Prison (True Story)

How long do you need in Tortuguero National Park?

And South America here if you’re on a longer trip
It is a truth universally acknowledged* that the more difficult it is to reach a place, the more rewarding it is when you get there. That’s proven true on so many of my trips (Copper Canyon, San Blas Islands, Senegal to name a few).

What turtles are in Tortuguero National Park

However, it’s a truth not to be taken for granted in the world of travel. And as I handed over my dollars and made a note of the multiple bus, boat and guided tour times, I wondered if it would be true of Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica.
And, just to keep you aware, you can read about my dengue fever experience (in Mexico) here.

My favourite Costa Rica guide books

Allergy medicine if you have grass pollen sensitivity
I usually have a full section on where to eat in a location but on this occasion I ate most of my meals in my hotel. No the prices were not included and no the food wasn’t so spectacular it merited multiple meals but there was the practical issue that my lodge was on the opposite side of the river from Tortuguero town and it was around – each way to travel out for food. As a solo traveller, I didn’t think it was worth adding another – onto the cost of my evening meal.
In this section I’ll give you some practical details for planning a trip to Tortuguero National Park
Budda Cafe – this was recommended by my guide to the hangry couple on my trip and they rated it highly (also gets lots of good reviews from non-hangry people).
So, that’s my guide to Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. Got any questions, let me know in the comments below.

Blog posts to help you plan (and pack for) your trip

I did consider this option since it solved my transport issue (and allowed me to swerve another trip to San Jose) but it wasn’t much more to book the package trip, which included accommodation and activities. Also, as I was booking last minute, I was running out of accommodation options.
Light rain jacket
*You can take a day trip to Tortuguero National Park from San Jose – it’s a good option if you’re short on time and either visiting out of season/the turtles aren’t hatching (which you’d miss because this is a night event).
If I could only spot two animal in Costa Rica, sloths and toucans were the top of my list and although sloths were not on the cards for Tortuguero, I was delights to see more toucans. My point: don’t spend so long staring at the water for turtles that you forget to look up and see the tree-based wildlife. Including iguanas.