Tortuguero National Park
Turtle hatching / turtle egg laying

Tortuguero is one of the most remote places in Costa Rica and is only accessible by boat or plane. The major public road/river routes to get here are through Moín (close to Limón), La Pavona (north of Cariari) and Caño Blanco (accessible through Siquirres).

There is an inexpensive public bus/boat route that can be used to get from San Jose to Tortuguero. Take the 9:00am bus from from San Jose to Cariari, which leaves from the Gran Caribe bus terminal. The bus arrives at the long distance bus terminal in Cariari around 11:00am. Walk 5 blocks north to the local bus terminal and buy a bus/boat combination ticket to Tortuguero via La Pavona. This bus leaves at 12:00pm and takes you to the river at La Pavona, where you transfer to a water taxi that will reach Tortuguero around 3:00pm. To return, catch the 11:30am water taxi from Tortuguero and follow these directions in reverse. The total cost one-way should be around $12 -- $2 for the bus to Cariari and $10 for the bus/water-taxi combo. Beware of touts selling packaged trips along the way, who will tell you that the boats aren't running, the hotels are full, the route isn't safe, and so on -- anything to get you to buy into their "deals". Touts also meet the water taxi in Tortuguero and will offer to "help" you find a hotel.

A quicker but more expensive option is to fly into Tortuguero. Both Sansa and Nature Air offer daily flights from San José. The Sansa flight departs from the domestic terminal of Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) at 5:45 am and arrives in Tortuguero at 6:43 am after a stopover at Barra del Colorado. Nature Air flies out of Tobias Bolanos International Airport (SYQ) in Pavas at 6:15 am and arrives in Tortuguero at 7:15 am after first stopping in Limón. If there are no passengers going to or departing from Barra del Colorado or Limón, the flight time is significantly shorter and should only take about 25-30 minutes.

If you choose to stay at one of the lodges, land/water transportation to and from Tortuguero is usually included in the rates.

The lodges are located outside the village. You can reach the village of Tortuguero if you staying at the Mawamba Lodge (it is a 10min walk). If staying at the other lodges, a boat ride will be necessary. The lodges in Tortuguero usually include (or have the option of) giving tours around the national park, a walking trail, turtle watching at night, or other activities.

The village itself is small enough that you can easily walk anywhere. You can reach the village by boat.

There are no cars in Tortuguero.

There are several small grocery and hardware stores in the village. There are also shops that sell tourist merchandise (such as some beautiful hand carved wood). There is an internet cafe near the large pink souvenir shop; the current rate is $4 per hour. Prices in the village tend to be expensive due to the remote location.

As with the rest of Costa Rica, you will have lots of rice, chicken, and beans. Try the friend bananas! There are several reasonable restaurants in the village.

• Budda Cafe. Very trendy looking and almost seems out of place in Tortuguero. Wide variety of good food; pizza and desserts are excellent  edit
• Miss Junie's.  edit
• Dorling's Bakery. Good for breakfast and baked goods  edit

• La Taberna. Located directly across from Cabinas Tortuguero and right next to Morpho Supermarket at the southern end of town. Right on the water and is an excellent place to have a drink and watch the sunset. There are a couple pool tables and very loud karaoke. 900 colones (1.80 USD) for a bottle of Imperial, Pilsen or Rock Ice.  edit

• La Culebra. Very loud reggae music and very crowded on Saturday nights. 900 colones (1.80 USD) for a bottle of Imperial, Pilsen or Rock Ice.  edit