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Tortuguero National Park Tours & Travel
One of the best reasons to visit Tortuguero National Park is to get an up close encounter with a sea turtle in the wild. Sea turtles can be seen individually all year round, though you can find nesting turtles during certain seasons.
Green Sea turtles and Hawksbill turtles nest between July and October (the peak of the season being in August), and Leatherback sea turtles nest between February to April. Tortuguero has the second largest Green Sea turtle nesting site in the entire world.
The best way to make sure you see either adult sea turtles nesting, or the incredible sight of hundreds of baby turtles hatching and racing to sea, is to book a guided tour. A knowledgeable tour guide will be able to tell you exactly what time and which night to go to the beach to watch the miraculous event occur.
Your tour to Tortuguero may even include a chance to interact and learn about sea turtle conservation efforts from local groups, like Las Playitas. This may just be one way that your tour can be considered an eco, or environmentally sustainable tour.
Even if you visit outside of the turtle nesting season, there are still tons of activities to take part in.
Canal Tours through the rainforests of Tortuguero. This is likely to be pencilled into your tour time, but if it’s not and you given your own time to roam, you can also kayak or canoe these passages on your own.
Wildlife walks and rainforest tours. Walking along the park’s raised pathways is another great way to spot animals and learn about them from your experienced tour guide.
Birdwatching tours. Even if you aren’t an ornithologist, you will gain an appreciation for the diversity and beauty of the different kinds of birds in the park.
Visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy Museum. This small museum by the entrance of the National Park only costs $2 to enter, and provides a detailed summary of all of the sea turtle species which frequent the park.
Zipline through the jungle canopy. Combine your ecotourism with an adventure experience, and learn for yourself why Costa Rica’s ziplines are renowned worldwide.
Many tours to Tortuguero can be classified as “eco tours” because they help support a National Park and wildlife sanctuary. Eco tours are, in general, tours which visit natural areas and make significant efforts to leave a low impact, and act environmentally responsible.
One part of your eco tour may include staying in an eco lodge. These are particularly popular in Costa Rica, which benefits greatly from ecotourism, and as a result sees the benefit in preserving their natural resources. An eco lodge is a greener form of housing, usually located in a remote, wilderness setting. The best eco lodges also forge relationships, and give back to, the local community.
Outside of the National Park, Tortuguero Village is the small village that supports tourist activity to the park. It is a completely unmodernized (and “untainted,” in local opinion), and an environmentally-focused community. Although your tour to Tortuguero will undoubtedly visit the National Park and have a natural focus, going on a cultural tour of Tortuguero will likely take you to this small village.
Tortuguero Village has strong Afro-Caribbean roots, and prides itself on not having cars. The first electric generator was brought to the island in 1982. A cultural tour of the area will educate you on the town’s history, from a small settlement, to its heyday as logging town, to becoming the archetype for an environmentally conscious community.
Yvonne
Mar 2025
A busy, well organised itinerary and a local, very knowledgeable and friendly guide who went out of his way to make the holiday as interesting and enjoyable as possi...
Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
We took part in the Costa Rica, Wildlife tour in Feb 2025. It was really amazing from the first to the last day. Luis, our guide, was a local and loved sharing his k...
Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
The tour was excellent and exceeded my expectations, visiting so many amazing places and seeing such a range of wildlife. The other members of the tour group added t...
Jill
Mar 2025
This is an exceptional holiday. The range of wildlife seen was fantastic. The tour leader Milo was so knowledgeable pleasant, helpful, accommodating, with a great se...
Trusted Customer
Mar 2025
This was the trip of a lifetime for me. We met our guide Luis on arrival at the hotel in San Jose and were welcomed by name. Every day was different and special. Lui...
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