12 Best Things to Do in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

2. Take an Early Morning Wildlife Boat Ride

Tortuguero National Park consists of river waterways and a large portion of protected land. The best way to explore this unique environmental area is by taking a guided boat tour in the early morning hours (the tour starts at 6 AM when the wildlife is the most active).

Your canoe tour will be led by a professional guide who will take your boat through the channels in the park. Along the way, you might see monkeys, sloths, alligators, and birds.

We love that this tour is in a canoe so group sizes are capped at 8 participants per guide.

Keep in mind that the cost of the boat tour does not include admission to the park. You will need to pay for admission when you arrive at the park just before your boat tour.

The Tortuguero National Park admission costs:

• $15 per person for adults
• $5 for children

Make sure to keep your admission ticket because you can then use it later in the day to hike the trails of the park.

Check Availability and Book Your Boat Tour

3. Hike the Tortuguero National Park

We suggest getting breakfast after your wildlife boat tour and then going for a hike in the national park.

There are not as many trails at the Tortuguero National Park as other national parks in the country, but I think it is still worth exploring. Here you can walk along a jungle trail to a nice beach. The trail is relatively flat and not overly strenuous.

You can then choose to walk back out on the trails or walk along the beach back into town.

In our experience, the trails and beach are almost always empty even in the high season. It’s a great way to spend a few hours and get a better feel for the natural beauty of the area.

4. Relax on the Beaches

The beaches in Tortuguero are expansive and covered in fine sands. Typically, the waves are a bit big for swimming, so definitely be cautious.

We like the beaches here for long walks, relaxing in the sun, and searching for discarded turtle shells from little babies that have made their way into the ocean.

All beaches in Costa Rica need to have public access by law, so feel free to explore.

Just keep in mind that at 6 PM the beaches in Tortuguero become a national park. At this time you are no longer allowed on the beaches without a guide. This is because this is when it gets dark and turtles start coming to shore to lay their eggs.

5. Visit the Sea Turtle Conservatory Museum

The Sea Turtle Conservatory works hard to protect the turtles in Costa Rica. The museum portion of the center is not massive (you can get through the whole thing in about 30 minutes), but I think it is still worth visiting.

I like this place because it will give you a lot of insight into the history and evolution of protecting turtles in this area.

• It costs about $3 to enter and this goes to helping the conservatory continue to protect the turtles.
• The center is open from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM daily
• You can find it on Google Maps here.

6. Go Fishing

Tortuguero is a great place to go fishing. We suggest booking your tour along the river or inshore with Capt. Elvin. You might catch Cero Mackerel, Jack, Bass, Tarpon, Snook, and Barracuda, depending on the season and conditions of the day.

Just keep in mind that they offer only catch-and-release trips. So, any fish you catch will be returned to the water.

Check Availability and Book Your Fishing Trip

7. Take a Jungle Nightwalk with a Guide

Take a 2-hour walk through the jungle with an experienced guide to see night active wildlife.

During the tour you might see nocturnal colorful red-eyed frog, armadillos, bats, snakes, insects and more. At each stop, the guide will share with you all their knowledge on the wildlife as well as interesting facts.

Check Availability and Book Your Guided Nightwalk

8. Shop for Souvenirs

Downtown Tortuguero has several cute souvenir shops. At these places, you can buy artisan goods, T-shirts, mugs, magnets etc.

The downtown area is very walkable because there are no cars. This makes it easy and fun to walk around and browse the different shops.

For our favorite Costa Rica souvenirs, check out our Costa Rica souvenir guide.

9. Watch the Sunrise and Sunset

Because Tortuguero is a peninsula you can enjoy the coastline facing both the east and west.

Start your day with the sunrise (between 5:15 and 5:45 AM year-round) on the Caribbean Coast beaches.

We like to then end our day with dinner or drinks at one of the restaurants along the river facing the west. The sun sets every day between 5:15 and 5:45 PM.

Our favorite restaurants for this are:

• Budda Cafe
• El Patio
• Tortuguero Coffee House

10. Hike the Cerro Tortuguero Trail

The Cerro Tortuguero Trail is a trail that leads to the highest point in the Tortuguero region. Here you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding canals, rivers, and lush rainforest.

The hike is relatively short but consists of a lot of stairs, which can be strenuous in the heat and humidity. Along the way, you might have the opportunity to spot various wildlife such as birds, monkeys, and even sloths.

It is possible to take a guided trip with transportation (you can book that here) but it is much cheaper to do this on your own.

To get here you will need to take a boat from downtown Tortuguero to San Francisco. The boat schedule is as follows.

• From Tortuguero to San Francisco : 6:00 AM, 8:45 AM, 10:45 AM, 12:15 PM, 2:15 PM, 3:45 PM, 5:00 PM
• From San Francosco back to Tortuguero: 6:30 AM, 9:45 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM, 5:30 PM.

The boat costs between 1,000 and 2,000 colones per person. This needs to be paid in cash.

You will also need to pre-book your admission to the national park. This can be done online on the official Costa Rica national park website. Select “Tortuguero National Park-Cerro Tortuguero Sector” when you purchase tickets.

11. Try Some Traditional Caribbean Food

The Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is home to different cuisines from the rest of the country. Here you can enjoy delicious dishes with an Afro-Caribbean flare.

Our favorite place in Tortuguero for delicious traditional food is Soda D’Leite.

Check out our guide to the 10 Best Restaurants in Tortuguero for more great places to eat.

12. Enjoy the Boat Ride To and From Tortuguero

To get to Tortuguero you will need to take a boat from La Pavona (or a domestic flight, but you will most likely take a boat).

This boat ride goes along the canals takes about one to two hours depending on the water level.

In my opinion, it’s really fun! The boat goes fast if the water level is high enough and there are plenty of turns. I always love to imagine that I’m on my way to Jurrasic Park (minus the whole deadly dinosaurs thing).

Find out more in our guide to getting to Tortuguero

Where to Eat

There are a few great restaurants in town. Check out our guide to the 10 best restaurants in Tortuguero to find the perfect place based on your budget and food interests.

How Long to Visit

As you can tell from this list, there are a few great things to do here and the town is definitely worth visiting, but you don’t need to spend a long time here.

I suggest two to three nights to really get the vibe of the town and see everything you need.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit is between late July and October. This is peak turtle nesting time and also when you can expect almost completely dry weather.

Check out our complete guide to Tortuguero for all the info on planning your trip.

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