Tortuguero

General Information:

Location: 140 miles northeast of San Jose on the Northern Caribbean Coast

Weather: Warm and humid with frequent rain showers. The driest months are February-March and September-October.

Temperatures: Average 68-88° F, see Tortuguero climate

Altitude: Sea level

Learn more about the North Caribbean Tourism Region

Visit Tortuguero on our travel blog

About:

Tortuguero is nestled in the wet tropical forest on Costa Rica’s Northern Caribbean Coast. This tranquil destination is famous for the thousands of sea turtles that nest there year after year. Surrounded by lush vegetation alive with spectacular animals, the area is a delight for wildlife enthusiasts.

The village’s 22 miles of protected beaches comprise the world’s second most important nesting site of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and the most-visited green sea turtle nesting beach in the Western Hemisphere. From July through October, Tortuguero visitors can join a guided turtle tour to observe some of the thousands of giant reptiles nesting on the beach. Lucky travelers may also glimpse tiny hatchlings making their epic journey to the sea.

Surrounded by the humid rainforest of Tortuguero National Park and a palm-fringed coastline, the village is located on a narrow strip of land between the Tortuguero River and the Caribbean Sea. The small but charming town is dotted with simple wood houses built up on stilts along with a few restaurants, hotels and family-run tour companies.

Host to more than 100,000 visitors each year, Tortuguero National Park teems with wildlife, both aquatic and land-based, including many species of waterfowl and the elusive jaguar. A network of navigable canals and lagoons extends through acres of swampland and gallery forests. The park, besides hosting the green sea turtle, is a nesting site for the hawksbill, loggerhead and leatherback turtle.

Scenic boat and kayak excursions through lush canals are a popular activity within the national park. Tiger herons, northern jacanas, anhingas, river turtles, and caimans are commonly spotted. Tortuguero is quite remote and is accessible only by plane or boat as there are no roads leading into the village.

An Afro-Caribbean influence is evident in the local cuisine, language and culture. Many of the village’s inhabitants originated from Jamaica, San Andres or the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua. Along with a bit of English, locals speak a mixture of Patois (a Jamaican Creole with English and African roots) and Spanish.

Travelers should note that there are no banks or ATMs in Tortuguero and credit cards are subject to commission and only accepted in a few locations. Paraiso Tropical Store cashes traveler’s checks and gives cash advances on credit cards for a small fee. Internet service costs $4 per hour and there are several internet cafes throughout the village. ICE, the local telecommunications provider, located just a few blocks from Tortuguero’s colorful central park, offers free WiFi to travelers with their own computers. Additionally, most lodges in the area have a computer with free internet and WiFi in the lobby.

Brief History:

Tortuguero was founded in the 1930’s and began as a small, five-family community that eventually grew into a village thanks to the lumber industry. The canals were originally constructed to float logs from the rugged interior of Tortuguero to the port city of Limon. As a result, most of the forest seen in Tortuguero today is secondary growth. Fortunately, the heavy logging period of the 50’s and 60’s ended with the ecological movement, and ecotourism is now Tortuguero's top industry. Today, Tortuguero is home to about 800 residents and nearby San Francisco houses 700 more.

In 1959, Dr. Archie Carr came to Tortuguero and formed the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, or CCC, to study and protect sea turtles. Populations had already declined in other areas, and Carr was on a mission to prevent the same from happening in Tortuguero. He helped educate the residents of Tortuguero on the four different species of resident sea turtle — leatherback, loggerhead, hawksbill, and green — and encouraged the townspeople to protect their natural resources.

Due in large part to Carr’s conservation efforts, Tortuguero was named a national park in 1975 and its lands were declared protected.

Nearby:

Barra del Colorado, home to the largest national wildlife refuge in Costa Rica, lies just north of Tortuguero. The area's river system affords excellent wildlife watching as well as phenomenal sport fishing. Barra del Colorado has been voted one of the top ten places to fish in the world. Anglers come from far and wide to fish the Colorado River. It is the only place in Costa Rica where 100-plus pound tarpon can be taken throughout the year.

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