Tortuguero Activities and Tours

Explore the canals and rainforests of Tortuguero National Park on foot with a trained guide. You'll spot birds, mammals, and reptiles of all kinds in this ecologically diverse park. For the truly adventurous, take a hike up Tortuguero Hill for spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Other hiking options include birdwatching tours as well as night hikes which provide an entirely different wildlife experience.

No visit to Tortuguero is complete without a boat tour through the National Park's system of canals and navigable lagoons. These waterways bring a constant supply of fresh water to the park lowlands, providing the perfect habitat for a number of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

From the vantage point of your flat-bottom boat, look for wildlife such as caimans, crocodiles, birds, and monkeys and plant life including aquatic lilies, passion fruit trees, monkey ladder, and various flowers. Birds also abound in this park, including herons, egrets, hawks, and kites.

Tortuguero beach is the most important nesting site of the endangered green turtle in the Western Hemisphere. Giant leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles nest here as well, all of which thrill lucky visitors with a unique opportunity to watch these turtles follow a habit unchanged for millenia.

Visitors can gain access to see turtles, but must follow strict guidelines and should be accompanied by a qualified guide. The best time to see turtles is from July - October.