Visiting at night and taking free public transportation are just two of the ways the National Park Service is encouraging visitors to go green.
21.07.2023 - 07:35 / roughguides.com
Thanks to its outstanding biodiversity, Tortuguero National Park (Parque Nacional Tortuguero) is among Costa Rica’s most visited national parks. One of the best places in the world to watch green turtles, a host of natural and cultural activities await travellers who make the epic journey to the park. Planning to visit? Discover the best Tortuguero National Park tours and activities. If you're ready to go here, maybe our 3-day trip to Tortuguero suits you.
A 254km trip by road and water from San José, Tortuguero was awarded official national park status in 1970. It covers a protected, biodiverse expanse of some 770 square kilometres, 500 square kilometres of which are marine.
Tortuguero National Park certainly lives up to its “Central America’s Amazon" moniker. It’s a richly rewarding delight for nature lovers — think tropical rainforests and lagoons, tangled mangrove swamps, and wildlife-rich waterways and canals.
Travel tip: want to explore Tortuguero? Make sure to check our3-day Tortuguero trip (from $385)
Watching wildlife is one of the best Tortuguero National Park activities © Harry Collins Photography/Shutterstock
One of the reasons Tortuguero National Park is among Costa Rica’s most visited national parks is its astounding abundance of wildlife. As a result, going on a guided nature trip is one of the best activities in Tortuguero National Park.
If you’re not visiting as part of a bigger package tour, your best bet is to enlist the services of a local guide. Several guides in the village offer tours of both the canals and national park.
As for what you’ll see, the park boasts around 160 mammals and over fifty kinds of fish. Tortuguero National Park is also something of a paradise for bird-lovers, with vultures and the endangered green parrot among its arboreal residents.
Keep your eyes on the trees and you're likely to see spot howler, white-faced capuchin and spider monkeys.
Get lucky in the company of a good local guide and you may even glimpse a jaguar. That said, while they used to thrive here, they're slowly being driven out by encroaching banana plantations. Other lucky spots include West Indian manatees, sea cows, and bull sharks.
To help plan your trip, read on to find out about the best tours and activities in Tortuguero National Park. For more pre-trip info and inspiration, read our full guide to Tortuguero National Park and our Costa Rica travel tips.
Get lucky on a guided nature tour of Tortuguero National Park and you might just spot a jaguar © Shutterstock
Booking a boat trip is one of the best ways to soak up Tortuguero’s majestic tropical landscape and wildlife in one memorable sitting.
With guided tours available from around US$25, you’ll venture through the caños (lagoons)
Visiting at night and taking free public transportation are just two of the ways the National Park Service is encouraging visitors to go green.
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