Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast Holidays

Venture off the beaten track and experience Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast in a prime location for spotting nesting turtles.

Delve deep into Costa Rica and experience the rawness of its Caribbean coastline — Tortuguero gives you a feeling of being away-from-it-all and is everything you might expect from Costa Rica, including the dense jungles and wild national parks. Watch as crocodiles snake through the lagoons, and monkeys spring from tree to tree. But perhaps the most famous residences are the turtles, with four species using Tortuguero’s beaches for nesting.

You’ll spot plenty of Afro-Caribbean influences in the food and music here. There are hotels and lodges with a wonderfully laid-back feel, perfect for balancing adventurous moments in the wild with downtime back at base.

Talk to our Costa Rica experts about the Caribbean coast and where to stay for your explorations.

Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast Hotels

Our recommendations for the best places to stay in Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast

Aguas Claras, Puerto Viejo de Limon

A few barefoot skips from stunning forest-hemmed beaches, eco-friendly Aguas Claras is a calm and...

from £2,048 p/p

Holidays in Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast

Hotel

Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast
4 Star

Aguas Claras, Puerto Viejo de Limon

A few barefoot skips from stunning forest-hemmed beaches, eco-friendly Aguas Claras is a calm and cool hideaway on Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast.

From £2,048 p/p

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Hotel

Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast
4 Star

Aguas Claras, Puerto Viejo de Limon

From £2,048 p/p

A few barefoot skips from stunning forest-hemmed beaches, eco-friendly Aguas Claras is a calm and cool hideaway on Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast.

Tour

North and Central America

2-night Tortuga Jungle Experience

Explore an epic environment that can only be reached by air or water: Tortuguero National Park. The seemingly endless network of natural canals and dense tropical forest landscapes of Tortuguero National Park are your playground on this rustic riverside adventure. Seek out three-toed sloths, catch a glimpse of those ever-cheeky howler monkeys and aim to tick off as many avian sightings as possible as you join well-versed naturalists on included excursions. Head here between July and October for a chance to witness (with minimal impact) the natural wonder that is green sea turtle nesting season.

Tour

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2-night Manatus Jungle Experience

Escape to a wildlife-spotting, waterway-cruising earthy retreat bordering the rainforest-depths of Tortuguero National Park. Wilderness and wildlife await on this two-night nature adventure. You’ll cruise along natural canals, deep into the tropical landscapes of Tortuguero National Park, a world of waterways and dense jungle where sloths snooze on branches, monkeys dwell and a kaleidoscope of birds flit between trees. You’ll be a metaphorical stone’s throw from beaches where green sea turtles nest between July and September – come in the summer to see one of wildlife’s most wonderous circle of life.

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Highlights of Costa Rica Suggested Itinerary

Take a coast-to-coast tour of Costa Rica, experiencing the best of the city, jungle, cloud forest and beaches. Get ready for a complete immersion into Costa Rica. It starts with a stay near San José before venturing to Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast. Then it’s to the inland jungles of Arenal and Monteverde before a relaxing few days on the shores of the Pacific Coast.

Tour

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San José and Tortuguero Jungle Suggested Itinerary

Delve into the watery, jungle-clad world of Tortuguero National Park, bookended with stays in San José. Short on time? In just four memorable days, you can experience two sides of Costa Rica: take the pulse of San José before heading to the steamy Caribbean Coast and getting to know the famous wildlife that has made the canals and jungle their sanctuaries.

Get to know Tortuguero and those important practicalities when planning your perfect holiday.

Capital San José

TIME DIFFERENCE

GMT -6 hours

CURRENCY

Costa Rican Colón

FLYING TIME TO DESTINATION

11 hours

RELIGION

Christianity (majority Roman Catholic)

LANGUAGE

Spanish; five indigenous languages are also spoken

Where is Tortuguero & the Caribbean Coast?
The Tortuguero region is on the east coast of Costa Rica, lapped by the Caribbean Sea. Tortuguero itself is a village in the Limon province that’s part of the Tortuguero National Park. Approximately four hours south of Tortuguero is the city of Puerto Viejo de Limon (also known as Puerto Viejo de Talamanca), the gateway to the secluded and unspoilt beaches of the southern Caribbean coast.

Activities and wildlife
Along the rainforest-covered sandbar are canals and wetlands, each providing shelter for wildlife, from manatees to jaguars, tapirs to crocodiles. The network of freshwater canals is perfect for kayaking or canoeing, where you can scan the banks for wildlife. On land, follow miles of trails through the jungle, looking for troops of monkeys, the streak of a green macaw, or the sprightly leap of a frog in the undergrowth. Or, to meet the people who call this region home, visit the village for a glimpse into the everyday lives of the locals.

Beaches & turtle nesting
A huge number of nesting turtles are the star of the wildlife show on the beaches of Tortuguero, with the turtles nesting between March and October — although the timings depend on which of the four species is nesting. The most common is the green turtle from around June to October, where you can take night-time walks to spot the turtles unobtrusively.

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