Why Tortuguero, Costa Rica Is a Bucket-List Must

[Danny Solano Alvarez]

The incredibly biodiverse area of Tortuguero should definitely be on your “bucket list” of places to see in Costa Rica.

Called the “Little Amazon” of Costa Rica, Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean Coast is an untamed stretch of wild jungle and desolate beaches. You have swamp, lagoons, canals, marshy islands, dense rainforest, black sand beaches, and an amazing abundance of animal and plant life. This is the Western Hemisphere’s most important nesting site for the endangered Green sea turtle, along with critically endangered Hawksbill and Leatherback sea turtles.

If you love nature, Tortuguero, Costa Rica, is your perfect place. In this steamy labyrinth, you can find monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, caimans, and multitudes of birds, snakes and insects. There are also rare animals threatened with extinction: jaguars, tapirs, Great Green Macaws and West Indian Manatees.

It is hot and wet, and the rainstorms are awe-inspiring. Nearly 20 feet (6,000 mm) of rain falls annually. The wettest months are December, June and July, and the driest are February, March and September, but you can get rain there anytime. The Green Sea Turtles come to nest from July to October.

Lirio Lodge serves as a gateway to the marvels of Tortuguero. The environmentally-friendly Costa Rica eco-lodge offers one-day tours in Tortuguero, and a two-day-one-night package with boat and hiking tours, lodging, all meals and transport from San Jose roundtrip. Lirio Lodge specializes in educational travel for all ages, and student travel programs.

The Costa Rica jungle lodge is located on a large lagoon by the Pacuare Biological Reserve, where the Pacuare River delta joins the Caribbean Sea. You are completely off the grid here: no internet, no phone, no TV, and no air-conditioning. All energy is produced by solar panels. Accommodation is in comfortable private wooden bungalows or the cozy Tent Enclosure Camp.

article by Shannon Farley