Tortuguero National Park
San Jose, Costa Rica
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 12 hours
Take an expedition by boat through the dense jungle of Tortuguero National Park and explore one of the most beautiful and scenic regions of Costa Rica. Cruise through an extensive network of freshwater channels – home to river otters, caiman and endangered manatees. On this full-day guided tour, you’ll visit an important nesting site for the endangered green sea turtles, once nearly extinct and now protected in the park! Enjoy complimentary breakfast and have lunch at the luxurious Evergreen Lodge, with round-trip transport from San Jose.
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Take an expedition by boat through the dense jungle of Tortuguero National Park and explore one of the most beautiful and scenic regions of Costa Rica. Cruise through an extensive network of freshwater channels – home to river otters, caiman and endangered manatees. On this full-day guided tour, you’ll visit an important nesting site for the endangered green sea turtles, once nearly extinct and now protected in the park! Enjoy complimentary breakfast and have lunch at the luxurious Evergreen Lodge, with round-trip transport from San Jose.
Meet your guide upon pickup from your San Jose hotel and stop for breakfast at Rancho Roberto's in Guapiles. After your meal, you'll travel through the Braulio Carrillo National Park, one of Costa Rica’s largest national parks. Pass numerous rivers, waterfalls and mountains covered in dense forests on your drive, until you reach a banana plantation.
Here, board a boat and set sail for Tortuguero National Park. Since there are no roads to the park from Tortuguero village, access to the vast network of freshwater lagoons and creeks is by boat. Ride for approximately one hour to reach the canals and keep an eye out for all kind of birds in the lush vegetation along the way.
Tortuguero, meaning ‘turtle catcher,’ formed from an archipelago of volcanic islands where high rainfall eventually created the bio-diverse wetlands – great for nature lovers! During your 3-hour boat tour of Tortuguero National Park, your expert guide will be on hand to teach you about the history and wildlife as you cruise between the marshy isles.
Midday, you’ll have time for a lunch break at Evergreen Lodge, located just five minutes by boat from the entrance to the park. Under the high ceilings of the lovely main dining room, enjoy the ambiance that complements the surrounding jungle landscape.
Get an up-close look at the park's great variety of flora and fauna as you ride among the canals. If you’re lucky, you might spot such wildlife as the spectacled caiman, southern river otter and possibly even the endangered West Indian manatee. The park is also home to sloths, howler and capuchin monkeys, tiny frogs and green iguanas.
The secluded, black-sand beaches of Tortuguero National Park are some of the most important breeding grounds for the green sea turtle. These ancient reptiles once neared extinction as adults were hunted for their meat and their eggs were taken. You'll get the chance to see the sites where the green sea turtles nest and learn from your guide about the park’s efforts to protect this important species.
After exploring the national park, enjoy a return 1-hour boat ride to dry land and then board your coach for the trip back to San Jose, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel in the evening.
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