In a nutshell
- Tortuguero National Park is famous for its network of canals — but the real star of the show is the sea turtles you can watch laying their eggs on the beach.
- This guide covers everything you need to know before you go — from buying tickets to getting there (which takes a bit of effort, but is totally worth it).
- To explore the canals and see the turtles, you’ll need to book separate guided tours for each. Both are genuinely unforgettable — especially the turtles. Our top pick: Guided Evening Turtle Tour
- Our favorite place to stay is Budda Home — a beautifully designed guesthouse right in the heart of Tortuguero village with modern rooms and a lovely river view.
What You Need to Know About Tortuguero National Park
The name Tortuguero translates to: place where the turtles come. That’s exactly why Tortuguero National Park is one of the most popular attractions in Costa Rica — here you can watch giant sea turtles in their natural environment.
The park is also famous for its network of rivers and canals winding through a lush tropical rainforest. It’s often called the little Amazon of Costa Rica — and once you’re there, you’ll totally understand why.
About half of all bird and reptile species found in Costa Rica live here. And the beaches are gorgeous too — many of them have black sand, which is seriously cool.
The best time to visit Costa Rica is generally the dry season. But if seeing turtles in Tortuguero is your goal, you need to come between July and November.
Through around October, females come ashore to lay their eggs — and by November, the baby turtles hatch.
Where Is Tortuguero National Park?
Tortuguero National Park sits on the Caribbean coast in northeastern Costa Rica — about 200 kilometers north of the beach town of Puerto Viejo. The hub is the town of Tortuguero, which sits right in the middle of the park.
To help with orientation, we’ve marked the national park on a map for you.
What You Can Do in Tortuguero National Park
Turtle Tour in Tortuguero National Park
For most visitors, the turtles are the whole reason to make the trip. On a guided night tour, you can watch the females laying their eggs on the beach.
For us, it was genuinely one of the most beautiful experiences of our entire Costa Rica trip.
Read our Costa Rica travel report to hear all about it
You walk down to the beach with your group, the most stunning starry sky above you and a massive turtle right in front of you, searching for the perfect spot to lay her eggs. It’s one of those moments you really don’t forget.
The turtle tour can only be done with a guide — heading to the beach on your own is not allowed. Photography wasn’t permitted on our tour either.
You can book the tour either at your accommodation on-site or in advance online — we strongly recommend booking ahead, especially during peak turtle season.
Sometimes you’ll need an extra ticket for the national park. It’s best to double-check with your guide, as this can vary by operator.
From around September through November, baby turtles hatch. If you’re lucky, you might get to witness that too — ask at your accommodation about a tour.
Book the guided evening turtle tour
Boat Tour on Tortuguero's Canals
Even outside of turtle season, Tortuguero is absolutely worth the journey. The waterways running through the park are truly one of a kind.
On a canoe tour, you get to explore the park from the water — and it’s a completely different perspective from anything on land.
Book your tour early in the morning if you can. That’s when wildlife — especially the birds — is most active, and the light is perfect for some great travel photos.
You can book online in advance or at your accommodation on-site.
When we did the boat tour, we also had to purchase a national park ticket. We explain exactly which ticket you need and how to buy it further below — but check with your guide first.
Book the 2.5-hour canoe tour in Tortuguero National Park
If you’d rather explore the canals at your own pace, you can also rent a small kayak locally and paddle wherever you like.
There are also guided kayak tours, where you paddle your own kayak through the canals with a guide leading the way. Again, early morning is the best time to go.
Book the guided kayak tour through the canals
Hike Through Tortuguero's Rainforest
You can also explore Tortuguero on foot, with a hike through the jungle.
You start at the entrance to the protected area (open in Google Maps). The trail winds through the rainforest and along the beach.
It’s open every day from 6 AM to 12 PM and from 1 to 4 PM. Current opening hours are listed on the official website.
It’s more of a relaxed stroll that doesn’t require a guide. That said, on our own we didn’t spot many animals — just a few monkeys, some insects, and unfortunately one dead turtle.
It was probably taken by a jaguar, which apparently happens fairly often there.
Just like at Manuel Antonio National Park, Cahuita, and other parks in Costa Rica, you’ll spot far more wildlife if you’re out with a guide.
In Tortuguero you can do a guided daytime hike or a really cool night hike. You’ll likely need an extra national park ticket — just ask your guide in advance.
Book the guided hike in Tortuguero National Park
Book the night hike in Tortuguero
Don’t feel like booking every tour separately?
If you’d rather keep planning to a minimum, we recommend a day tour that bundles a boat tour, a hike, and a turtle tour (or a simple night tour outside of season) into one package.
Day tour in Tortuguero National Park
Hike to the Summit of Cerro Tortuguero
We also really recommend doing a hike up to the 119-meter summit of Cerro Tortuguero — a dormant volcano.
The trail is fairly easy and the panorama from the top is breathtaking. To reach the Cerro Tortuguero trailhead (open in Google Maps), you need to take a boat. Boats run throughout the day from the dock in Tortuguero.
The trail is open daily from 8 AM to 4 PM. You can check hours on the official website.
It is now mandatory to have a guide for the hike and to register in advance (through your hotel or an agency). Your guide can handle this — just ask them ahead of time.
Only 330 people per day are allowed to hike to the summit, so we recommend doing your tour in the morning to be safe.
For the smoothest experience, book a guided tour online in advance — the boat transfer is usually included.
The Cerro Tortuguero ticket ($5) must be purchased separately.
Book the guided tour to Cerro Tortuguero
How to Buy Your Ticket for Tortuguero National Park
Tortuguero National Park has two different tickets, because the park is split into two sections: Tortuguero National Park and Sector Cerro Tortuguero.
#1 The Tortuguero National Park ticket is required for:
- The turtle tour
- The canal tours (whether group canoe or kayak)
- The hikes through the national park
The ticket costs $15 for adults and $5 for children. The easiest way to get it is online on the official website.
#2 The Sector Cerro Tortuguero ticket is required for:
- The hike up Cerro Tortuguero
The ticket costs $2 + $5 for sustainable management. You can also purchase this one online on the website.
Read our National Park Guide to find out how to buy your tickets
Info: It seems you can now also buy tickets on-site and pay with cash or credit card. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find out exactly where you need to pay.
Our Experience with the Tickets
Here’s how it worked for us: We had to buy the Tortuguero National Park ticket when we did the boat tour through the canals ($15).
With that same ticket, we were able to explore the national park and walk along the beach on our own on the same day — no extra charge. The beach, by the way, is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica in our opinion.
Our tip: Make sure to do both on the same day. Otherwise you’ll have to pay another $15.
We bought the Sector Cerro Tortuguero ticket the next day when we hiked to the summit of Cerro Tortuguero.
For our turtle tour, we did not need an extra ticket for the national park. But this can genuinely vary by operator — be sure to ask in advance.
Accommodations in Tortuguero National Park
In Tortuguero, the entire town sits within the national park. So wherever you stay, you’re sleeping inside the park itself — which is pretty special. You can choose between the tourist village of Tortuguero or a more remote spot out in nature.
We strongly recommend booking a place with a canal view. It’s genuinely one of the things that makes Tortuguero so memorable.
Casa Marbella: A solid budget option with simple rooms and a lovely terrace right on the river.
Budda Home: Beautifully designed, modern rooms in a guesthouse right in the heart of Tortuguero village — the river view is really lovely.
Mawamba Lodge: Cozy bungalows in the middle of nature, with a lovely pool and a private trail through the national park.
Getting to Tortuguero National Park by Car, Bus, Boat, and Plane
Once you’re in Tortuguero, you do everything on foot or by boat. But first, you have to actually get there — and the journey takes some effort. It’s absolutely worth it, though!
The village of Tortuguero can only be reached by plane or boat. It’s a bit of an adventure in itself, and honestly, we loved it.
If you’d rather skip the logistics, you can book a multi-day guided tour instead. Note: The turtle tour still needs to be booked separately.
Tortuguero 3-day tour with overnight stay
Getting There by Car and Boat
You can’t drive all the way to Tortuguero — the village is surrounded by water and completely car-free.
If you’re coming from San José with a rental car on your Costa Rica road trip, drive to La Pavona. That’s where the boats depart from.
Just enter La Pavona into your GPS. We’ve linked La Pavona in Maps here, since there are several places with that name in Costa Rica.
When you arrive, you’ll immediately see the covered parking lot. Parking costs $10 per day and $20 per night.
From there, you continue by boat. Make sure you take a public boat and not a private one — they look very similar, but private boats cost more.
The public boat runs several times a day. There’s no official schedule online, but departures should be between 6 AM and 4 PM.
You can buy your ticket at the restaurant in front of the boat dock — just look for the ticket counter with the sign that says “Boletos.”
Alternatively, you can buy your ticket directly at the boats. The fare is around $5–10, depending on how much luggage you have.
The ride to Tortuguero takes between 45 minutes and two hours, depending on water levels.
Tip: Pack your luggage in a rain cover, keep your valuables in a dry bag, and have your rain jacket within easy reach. The boat is covered, but you’ll still get wet if it rains hard.
Getting There by Bus and Boat
Taking the bus to Tortuguero means a long journey with two transfers — but it’s doable.
From San José, take the bus to Cariari. Buses depart from the Gran Terminal del Caribe in San José (open in Google Maps).
There are several departures throughout the day between 6:30 AM and 7 PM. The ride takes about 2.5 hours and costs $3. Buy your ticket at the bus station.
We recommend taking the 6:30 AM bus — that way you should make it to Tortuguero the same day.
In Cariari, transfer to the bus to La Pavona, which departs from the Coopetraca Bus Terminal (open in Google Maps) in Cariari.
That’s about 500 meters from where you arrive.
The bus to La Pavona runs several times a day, but you need to catch it by 11 AM at the latest. The fare is about $2 and the ride takes 1.5 hours.
In La Pavona, you then take a boat to Tortuguero — see the car section above for all the details on how that works.
Don’t stress if your bus is running late — the public boat schedule is coordinated with bus arrivals.
And if a bus is delayed, the boat will wait.
Warning: Don’t let anyone on the bus or as you’re getting off sell you a boat ticket — go to the official ticket counter.
As an alternative to the bus, you can book a shared minivan from San José to La Pavona. It’s faster at around three hours, more comfortable, but also more expensive. You can book it through the platform 12Go.
Browse minivan tickets to La Pavona on 12Go
Getting There by Plane
If the long overland journey doesn’t appeal to you, there’s always the easy option: flying. It’s of course more expensive, but saves you a lot of time.
The flight from the airport near San José takes between 30 minutes and one hour, depending on which flight you choose and whether there’s a stopover.
The airline Sansa Regional flies this route multiple times daily. Your best bet is to book directly on the airline’s website.
Tortuguero doesn’t have a proper airport — just a landing strip.
To reach the town, you’ll still need to take a boat, which costs between $3 and $10.
Ask your accommodation in advance whether they can arrange a boat transfer, since they’re not always available.
Checklist for Your Visit to Tortuguero National Park
- Important: Bring enough cash (dollars and colones) to Tortuguero. There are no banks or ATMs in town.
- Plan ahead — decide which activities you want to do on which day before you arrive.
- Do the canoe tour and the national park hike on the same day to avoid paying twice.
- Book a turtle tour online in advance to secure your spot. Tour tip: Guided evening turtle tour
- Pack dark clothing to wear on the turtle tour.
- Also book the canoe tour online in advance. Tour tip: 2.5-hour canoe tour in Tortuguero National Park
- Check the opening hours in advance for the protected area entrance and the Cerro Tortuguero entrance.
- Buy the tickets you need online before you go.
- Wear sturdy shoes on every outing and always bring a rain jacket.
Our Personal Tips for Visiting Tortuguero National Park
From around July through October, you have the best chance of seeing turtles. Through November you might even get lucky and watch baby turtles hatch — try to visit during that window if you can.
Book at least two nights in Tortuguero if seeing turtles is your goal. Many tour operators will give you a free tour the next night if you don’t spot any turtles on the first one.
Don’t book a day trip from San José — with the long journey involved, it’s way too stressful and you won’t get to enjoy Tortuguero at all.
Bring enough cash. We’d budget at least $80 per person per day, split between dollars and colones.
