Costa Rica’s Tortuguero Is Turtle Heaven - 2

A small, hand-paddled canoe has many advantages over the motorboats used by the big-name lodges. Small canoes hold fewer people, making the experience more intimate and the shallower draft means they can maneuver into much smaller canals. The biggest advantage of canoes is their stealth. Our guide maneuvered his canoe within arm’s reach of a caiman that was completely submerged, save for his eyes, which were camouflaged in the flotsam. No one but guide knew it was there. For a few moments, our guide talked about the hunting capabilities of the caiman. Then for dramatic effect he pointed out its eyes breaching the water’s surface only inches from our boat.

Travel Details

With frequent rain, mornings can feel chilly in Tortuguero—yet by afternoon it can be hot as an oven and as humid as a steam room. There’s something green and leafy clinging to anything and everything: telephone poles, the tops of picnic tables and the ropes holding up the occasional suspension bridge. Tortuguero is also the only place I’ve ever been where people regularly carry bottles of 100 percent DEET in pockets designed for water bottles.

• A caiman on the riverbank in Tortuguero.
• Tom Lianza

The lodges on the north end of town are frequented by guests who fly in and never leave the lodge except to venture into the park on large motorboats. To savor your experience, plan on staying at one of the many smaller guesthouses in town and hire a local tour guide to take you into the park. If your Tortuguero plans include observing turtle nesting, the best times are roughly from April through September, depending on the species of turtle. Make reservations well in advance during the peak months of July and August. In the off-season, you can show up unannounced and select from a wide variety of guesthouses and hostels. We stayed at Hostel El Icaco, located right on the beach, for $10 per person. It’s one of the few guesthouses that allows guests to book online.

• A peaceful lunch on the river in Tortuguero.
• Eric Chan

Tortuguero is a must-see, but because it’s off the beaten path, it often falls off many Costa Rica itineraries. It’s a world where flip-flops take the place of cars, and hammocks replace appointment books. Ease yourself into this world by skipping the airplane flight and opt for the cheap water taxi. Sure, it will take longer, but you will grin with exhilaration as you are immersed in a part of Costa Rica that rushed travelers simply miss.