Tortuguero National Park, easy to moderate walk, 1-2 hours

Your exploration of Tortuguero National Park and its Caribbean lowlands, on Costa Rica’s northeastern coast, begins with a drive through banana plantations, with a stop to learn about banana harvesting and export. You arrive at the Cano Blanco river dock where you board your private boat to ply the winding canals of this Caribbean lowland ecosystem.

Tortuguero National Park is referred to as “Costa Rica’s Amazon,” protecting one of Central America’s last large areas of tropical rainforest, as well as beaches, lagoons, and marshland—a total of 11 habitats. Crucial nesting grounds for endangered sea turtles, it is also home to jaguars, three-toed sloths, and three of Costa Rica’s four monkey species (spider, howler, and white-faced capuchin).

An easy walk begins at the village of Tortuguero, the park’s entrance, where you can learn about sea turtle conservation at the Caribbean Conservation Center. The park has no roads, rather a network of aquatic and walking trails, providing access to unsurpassed wildlife viewing. You make your way along one of these waterways to your welcoming jungle lodge, where you can unwind overlooking serene waters with a drink and dinner.

During turtle nesting season, from July to October, you may wish to arrange an optional tour (at your expense) to observe green sea turtle migration. Or, easy kayaking along the river ways is perfect for a little activity and animal observation.

Morning bird walk; afternoon Tortuguero National Park canal boat tour

Awakening to tropical sounds, you may wish to partake in early morning bird watching of some of the park’s 375 species of birds, including kingfishers, toucans, blue herons, peacocks, and parrots. This afternoon, avoiding the heat of the day, a boat tour takes you along Tortuguero’s wide open canals, perfect for wildlife observation—perhaps this afternoon you may view howler monkeys, American crocodiles, spectacled caiman, green iguana, toucans, or many other species. Your guides’ expert spotting skills and knowledge allow you to fully appreciate the park’s diversity. Later, you return to your lodge to perhaps enjoy a swim and a drink before dinner.

For those who wish, fishing expeditions can be arranged (at your expense) from your hotel, either for novices or experts, on a specialized fishing-boat based outing, included in the cost are: guide, all equipment and fuel, park fees, and refreshments (snack for half-day, lunch for full-day trips). Tortuguero is accessible to both open ocean and rivers, therefore you can fish for ocean fish in the morning and river fish in the afternoon. And your catch-and- release catch may include the following: In the ocean: tarpon, snook, snapper, jack, baracuda, king fish, grouper, and mackerel. And on the rivers: guapote (rainbow bass), moharra, cara seca (snook family), machaca, snook, and sometimes tarpon.

Transfer to Tortuguero airstrip for flight to San José

After breakfast, you make your way back by boat and then a short drive to the airstrip to catch the short (10-minute) flight to San José from where you make connections for home or on to your next destination.