Tortuguero Travel Guide

Tortuguero National Park, on Costa Rica's northeastern Caribbean coast, takes its name from the turtles that nest here. Roadless and reached only by boat or small plane, it is a labyrinth of rainforest canals: howler monkeys roar in the canopy, caimans lurk on the banks, kingfishers streak the water and lilies carpet the backwaters. From July to October green turtles haul ashore at night to nest on Tortuguero beach — one of the country's great wildlife spectacles. The village of Tortuguero itself is a quiet strip of sand and boardwalks with no cars, just boats, frogs and birdsong: a secret world for birders, turtle watchers and rainforest lovers.

Las Baulas Marine National Park lies on Playa Grande along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, created to protect the nesting grounds of the endangered leatherback turtle. From October to March, giant leatherbacks haul onto the beach at night to lay eggs — one of Earth’s most awe-inspiring spectacles. The park also shelters mangroves, estuaries and coral reefs.