Tortuguero National Park

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Gray Line Costa Rica, La Uruca, San Jose 10110 Costa Rica

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.

Pass By: Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, North Of San Jose 19 km, San Jose 10104 Costa Rica

we head into the mountains of Braulio Carrillo National Park, where steep slopes are covered with thick cloud forest and beautiful waterfalls can be seen from the road.

After crossing Braulio Carrillo, we will enjoy a delicious Costa Rican typical breakfast. Then we continue to a Banana Plantation, where your guide will explain the process of growing and exporting this fruit.

Stop At: Tortuguero National Park, Tortuguero Costa Rica

Covering 29000 hectares. Tortuguero is one of the most important nesting sites of Chelonia Midas, the green sea turtle. Tortuguero’s forests and waterways are home for many endangered mammals such as sloths, monkeys, agoutis, coatimundis and manatees. There are also abundant birds, such as toucans, trogons, egrets, herons and aninghas, as well as crocodiles, turtles and countless colorful butterflies, including the blue morpho.

You will enjoy a hearty typical buffet lunch to please the hungriest of appetites.

After lunch you will take a walk through the Tortuguero Village, where you will have the opportunity to learn about the history of the town and its inhabitants.

Duration: 4 hours

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

This trip is fully refundable up to 96 hours prior to the commencement of your trip.

When you book this trip, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions for booking our day trips in excursions.

When you book, we will ask you to select a hotel to be picked up from. Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you a confirmation voucher with full contact information (phone number, email address) for our local operator in case you need to update or change your hotel pick-up details.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about hotel pickup:

What if my hotel is not listed?
That's okay. When you book you can select an hotel from our list and make your way there on the day of departure; or you can contact our local operator directly to make alternate pick-up arrangements.

What if I have not yet booked a hotel?
Once your hotel arrangements are finalised, you can contact our local operator directly with your hotel details.

What if I live locally, am staying with friends or relatives, and/or don't require pick-up?
Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you complete details and directions to the tour/activity departure point.