31 Best Sights in Tortuguero and the Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica

There is no better place in Costa Rica to observe sea turtles nesting, hatching, and scurrying to the ocean. The July–October nesting season for the green turtle is Tortuguero's most popular time to visit. Toss in the hawksbill, loggerhead, and leatherback—the three other species of sea turtle that nest here, although to a lesser extent—and you expand the season from February through October. Hatching takes place September to December. You can undertake night tours only with an authorized guide, who will be the only person in your party with a light, and that will be a light with a red covering. Photography, flash or otherwise, is strictly prohibited. The sight of a mother turtle furiously digging in the sand to bury her eggs is amazing, even from several yards away, and the spectacle of a wave of hatchlings scurrying out to sea is simply magnificent.

Outside of turtle nesting season, there is an abundance of wildlife to observe in this raw and mostly impenetrable landscape. Boat tours on the canals run alongside towering raffia palms, their iridescent golden-green fronds stretching out over stoic caimans in the water below. Sloths are balled into tree branches, mustering the energy to forage their next meal, while the humid air echos with the digitized birdsong of oropendulas and the wild screeching of great green macaws. Smaller and quieter watercraft like kayaks or canoes allow for navigating the dense vegetation of teawater lagoons and palm swamps, and overhead, frequent bursts of rain are shielded by the outstretched branches of towering ceiba trees.

For more information see the feature at the beginning of this chapter.

At the confluence of the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiquí rivers, La Selva packs about 700 bird species, 700 tree species, and 500 butterfly species into just 15 square km (6 square miles). Sightings might include the spider monkey, poison dart frog, agouti, collared peccary, and dozens of other rare creatures. Extensive, well-marked trails and swing bridges, many of which are wheelchair accessible, connect habitats as varied as tropical wet forest, swamps, creeks, rivers, secondary regenerating forest, and pasture. The site is a project of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), a research consortium of 63 U.S., Australian, South African, and Latin American universities, and is the oldest of three biological stations OTS operates in Costa Rica. (OTS also operates one research station in South Africa.) As a biological station, researchers and their assistants are often in residence, and if you encounter them over breakfast or in the field, there can be an opportunity to learn more about their projects. To see the place, take an informative three-hour morning or afternoon nature walk with one of La Selva's bilingual guides, who are among the country's best. Walks start every day at 8 am and 1:30 pm. For a completely different view of the forest, set off on a guided two-hour walk at 5:45 am or the night tour at 7 pm. Walk-ins are not accepted, and reservations are required for all visitors. Lodging is also available on-site, and the standard private room rate includes a morning tour and unguided access to the park, the latter a perk not offered to day visitors.

The area’s most beautiful beach is also one of the more reliable places to swim, the crescent-shaped inlet taking the edge off the strongest currents (still use the same precautions as you would at any other beach in the area). On the southern end of the beach stands a tall outcrop, navigable by trails, and a short climb displays sweeping coastal views in both directions. Drop down to the other side and you are on Punta Uva Arrecife, an extension of the beach that looks just as spectacular. At one time this beach was somewhat of a secret, but it has since been discovered. High-season weekends are crowded with people, the upside being that the lot of beachfront restaurants and vendors can sustain you during an extended beach day. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: sunrise; surfing; walking.

Just beyond the northeastern boundary of Braulio Carrillo National Park, about 15 km (9 miles) before the Caribbean-slope town of Guápiles, a 1,200-acre reserve houses a privately owned and operated engineering marvel: a series of gondolas strung together in a modified ski-lift pulley system. Each of the 24 gondolas holds six people and the ride covers 2 km (1 miles) in 80 minutes. For an extra $11, you can hire a guide to accompany you on the tram to help you to find and identify the wildlife. Several add-ons are possible, too, with frog and butterfly exhibits, an orchid garden, and a zip line canopy tour on-site, as well as a half-day birding tour. There is also on-site lodging.

For visitors based in San Jose, you can arrange a personal pickup there for $29 round trip, or there are public buses (on the Guápiles line) every half hour from the Gran Terminal del Caribe in San José. Drivers know the tram as the teleférico. Many San José tour operators offer a day tour that combines the tram with another half-day option; combos with the Britt Coffee Tour, near Heredia, are especially popular. These folks operate a similar facility near the Central Pacific town of Jacó as well as in Panama and the Caribbean islands of Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and St. Maarten.

A short drive from town along deep forest backroads leads to tidy villages of more than 200 handmade wooden bee homes, each painted in different colors and mounted throughout decadent flower gardens. Butterflies flit between the blooms alongside the bees, of which there are over 15 species, many having been relocated to the farm from inhospitable conditions such as residential homes or the insides of felled trees. The farm has expanded from its bee rescue beginnings into honey production and farm tours, which help fund their rescue projects. The 1½ hour tour includes a guided walk through the garden, a look into the inner workings of a hive, and a travel-size jar of honey. Honey and other bee products are available for purchase, including the rare and highly medicinal Mariola honey produced exclusively by stingless bees. Tours must be scheduled in advance. Volunteer programs are available.

An ambitious project begun two decades ago has slowly improved the survival prospects for the once-endangered great green (Ara ambiguus) and scarlet macaws (Ara macao). A daily 3 pm tour (reservations are required) of the field station acquaints visitors with the breeding and reintroduction into the wild of these colorful birds. A viewing platform set among a forest of mighty trees provides a superb vantage point from which to observe the birds crunching their almonds on nearby branches and to feel the whoosh as they zoom above your head. Throughout the 98-acre property are approximately 100 macaws.

With rainforest extending right to the edge of a curving, utterly undeveloped 3-km (2-mile) white-sand beach, this popular national park is the stuff of picture postcards. The park was created to protect the 2½-square-km (1-square-mile) coral reef that encircles the coast and offers excellent snorkeling off Cahuita Point. Trails into the rainforest reveal a wealth of wildlife. February through April and September and October are slightly drier months, and offer the best visibility for snorkeling. A nice touch to the infrastructure here is the "plastic walk," a boardwalk path made of recycled plastic. Visitors in wheelchairs can be wheeled down to the surf in the park’s own chairs. The location means you’ll find a great selection of in-town dining and lodging options within a few blocks of the park’s northern entrance, making this one of the country’s easiest protected areas to visit. Choose from two park entrances: one is in downtown Cahuita; the other is at Puerto Vargas, just off the main road, 5 km (3 miles) south of town. If you don't have a car, you can get here easily via bike or taxi.

This company offers three-times-daily van/boat-shuttle service between Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or Cahuita and Bocas del Toro for $34 one way. Caribe also offers multiday packages from Puerto Viejo to Bocas that include accommodations.

On the left side of the highway as you enter Limón is a large cemetery. A glance as you pass by is probably enough, but notice the "Colonia China" (Chinese colony) and corresponding sign in Chinese on the hill in the cemetery: Chinese workers made up a large part of the 1880s railroad-construction team that worked here. Thousands died of malaria and yellow fever.

Cacao once ruled the Talamanca region, but few plantations are left these days. One friendly Swiss couple continues the tradition and shows you the workings of their chocolate plantation on their chocolate tour. Follow the little-known life cycle of this crop from cultivation to processing. There's sampling at the tour's conclusion. Call or email to reserve a two-hour tour, and aim to come with a group to avoid the $80 minimum tour fee. Since these folks are Swiss, they can tailor the commentary in German, French, or Italian, in addition to the standard English or Spanish.

The Panamanian consulate in San José can provide more information about travel in Panama.

At the Finca la Isla Botanical Garden, you can explore a working tropical-fruit, spice, and ornamental-plant farm. Sloths abound, and you might see a few poison dart frogs. A guided tour (three-person minimum, must be reserved in advance) lasts two hours and includes admission and a glass of the farm's homemade fruit juice. Tours can be arranged in advance on days outside the Friday-through-Monday opening hours. You get the fruit juice if you wander around on your own, too (a $1 tour book is available in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and German). Watch the demonstration showing how cacao beans are turned into chocolate, and sample some of the product at the end of the tour.

Started as a family project to create a hospitable ecosystem for native wildlife, the florae in this extensive garden attract not only amphibians but also professional photographers and birders keen to lay their eyes on these elusive creatures. Take a biologist-guided tour through the forest to see sloths, iguanas, porcupines, owls, and of course, the frogs; it's possible to find 25 different frog species depending on the season and time of day. Experienced, passionate guides know exactly where to locate the scribbly eyes of the ghost glass frog, white tent-making bats huddling together under broad banana leaves, or brightly feathered tropical birds emoting from the treetops. One-and-a half hour daytime and night walks are available.

Some 50 species of the heliconia, a relative of the banana, are among the collections that populate 5 acres of botanical gardens on this island set within a calm and clear section of the Sarapiquí River. The gardens are organized in some areas but wilder in others, the fleshy flowers of the heliconia hanging heavy from towering stalks throughout, attracting plenty of butterflies and birds. Below on the riverbank, a stone platform provides an entry point for a swim.

In a country where deforestation is still rife, hiking through dense, primary tropical cloud forest is an experience to be treasured. The park owes its foundation to the public outcry provoked by the construction of the highway of the same name through this region in the late 1970s—the government bowed to pressure from environmentalists and, somewhat ironically, Braulio Carrillo is the national park that is most accessible from the capital, thanks to the highway. Covering 443 square km (171 square miles), the extremely diverse terrain ranges from 180 feet to about 9,500 feet above sea level and extends from the central volcanic range down the Caribbean slope to La Selva research station near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. The park protects a series of ecosystems ranging from the cloud forests on the upper slopes to the tropical wet forest of the Magsasay sector; it’s home to 6,000 tree species, 500 bird species, and 135 mammal species.

Despite the park's immense size and proximity to the capital, visitor facilities are extremely limited. Stories abound of visitors becoming lost trying to do Braulio Carrillo on their own. Few venture deep into the park beyond the highway that cuts through it.

The aquamarine wooden port building faces the cruise terminal, and just to the east lies the city's palm-lined seaside park, Parque Vargas. From the promenade facing the ocean you can see the raised dead coral left stranded by the 1991 earthquake. Ten or so Hoffman's two-toed sloths live in the trees of Parque Vargas; ask a passerby to point them out, as spotting them requires a trained eye.

This immaculate rainforest garden hosts wildlife of all species, and in particular, some of the region’s most spectacular birds, green basilisk lizards, and three-toed sloths. Great green macaws soar overhead between the almond trees while a rainbow assortment of Blue-grey tanagers and Collared aracari toucans feast on fresh fruit. Within the airy, mesh confines of the butterfly gardens, weighty blue morphos and 25 other species of butterflies flit among the lantanas. The visit includes a two-hour guided tour, a visit to the laboratory where you can observe various insects up-close and witness every stage in the life cycle of a butterfly, and at the end, a tasting of homemade chocolate.

Lodging is available in wooden two-story lodges featuring 10 standard rooms with private bathrooms, a spacious balcony to observe wildlife, but no air conditioning. Breakfast, a morning tour, and a night tour are included in the room rate. Call or email for reservations.

The farther you venture south towards Manzanillo, the more beautiful and raw the beaches become. Beyond Playa Cocles, the coastline is less developed and the jungle has room to flourish, meaning more sloths cuddled in their guarumo trees and toucans perched in the treetops. The beige sand and tranquil shoreline of Playa Chiquita is more populated the closer you are to the parking areas, but only a short walk away are plenty of quiet and shady places to relax and admire the all-encompassing raw nature. The undertow is strong out here. Swim at your own risk, preferably in company, and don’t venture out too far. Amenities: none. Best for: sunrise; surfing; walking.

Ensconced within the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, this beach comes close to being picture-perfect with the lush green forest—and its resident howler monkeys—bordering the edge of the sand. The in-town stretches put you close to food and drink. This beach has a more local feel than the others, the beachside tables are often occupied by large families having barbecues. The sunken ship tilting in the sand lends a striking quality to this already magnificent coastline. As always, avoid walking on the beach alone and be careful about going into the water, where the undertow can be strong. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; sunrise; surfing; walking.

Cahuita's Playa Negra—it's not the same as the beach of the same name in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca—fronts a narrow road heading north out of the town center. This beach sees the most action—surfers congregate here at the town’s main break while high-energy dancehall tracks play full-tilt out of the few eateries, and on the weekends, the sand and surf is lively and buzzing with people. Don't linger here in the evenings if there are no other people around. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: sunrise; surfing; walking.

Not to be confused with Cahuita’s beach of the same name, Puerto Viejo’s black-sand Playa Negra lies close to town but is relatively undeveloped; you’ll likely have this stretch of sand north of town to yourself. More hotels are popping up along this shoreline, but the beach has retained its undisturbed quality. While this sounds idyllic, remember that there's always safety in numbers on beaches in this area. Be careful about going into the water; the undertow can be strong. Amenities: none. Best for: sunrise; surfing; walking.

The clutter of the in-town beach epitomizes Puerto Viejo. Folks gather here to swim or float in the shallow areas where the water is calm, beachfront bar patrons overflow onto the sand, and fishing boats bob in rocky inlets or standby onshore. The strong undertow makes swimming risky farther out, but surfers delight in the consistently good waves. The upside is that you’re just a few steps from the in-town restaurants. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers; sunrise; surfing; walking.

The crashing waves and misty air (it rains a lot in Tortuguero) give you the unsettling feeling that you're standing at the edge of the world. Swimming and surfing are simply not possible here—sharks are present along this stretch of coast, for one thing—but by night, depending on the season, this beach comes alive with the age-old ritual of Tortuguero's four species of sea turtles laying and burying their eggs. They then hatch and the baby turtles scurry out to sea, a spectacle that's viewable only in the company of a licensed guide. Sunbathing? People-watching? Who needs those when this is the real show? Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.

The refuge stretches along the southeastern coast from southeast of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to the town of Manzanillo and on to the Panamanian border. Its limits are not clearly defined. Because of weak laws governing the conservation of refuges and the rising value of coastal land in this area, Gandoca-Manzanillo is less pristine than Cahuita National Park and continues to be developed. (Development thins out the farther you get from Puerto Viejo and the closer you get to the village of Manzanillo.) Nevertheless, the refuge still has plenty of rainforest, orey (a dark tropical wood) and jolillo (a species of palm) swamps, 10 km (6 miles) of beach where four species of turtle lay their eggs, and almost 3 square km (1 square mile) of cativo (a tropical hardwood) forest and coral reef. You'll most likely spot monkeys, sloths, and perhaps even snakes. The Gandoca estuary is a nursery for tarpon and a wallowing spot for crocodiles and caimans.

Florida's Sea Turtle Conservancy runs a visitor center and a museum with excellent animal photos, a video narrating local and natural history, and detailed discussions of the latest ecological goings-on and what you can do to help; there's a souvenir shop next door. For the committed ecotourist, the John H. Phipps Biological Field Station, which is affiliated with the conservancy and has been operating in Tortuguero since 1959, has camping areas and dorm-style quarters with a communal kitchen. If you want to get involved in the life of the turtles, help researchers track turtle migration (current research, using satellite technology, has tracked turtles as far as the Florida Keys), or help catalog the population of neotropical migrant birds, arrange a stay in advance through the center's offices in Florida.

One of a growing number of Costa Rica’s serpentaria, the Snake Garden shows off some 30 species of reptiles, including all the poisonous snakes (and most of the nonpoisonous ones) found in Costa Rica, as well as pythons, turtles, caiman, and rattlesnakes from elsewhere in North and South America. This self-guided tour is a secure environment to get up close to snakes this large and deadly.

This working biological research station, 17 km (11 miles) southwest of Puerto Viejo, encompasses 750 acres of primary forest and 8 km (5 miles) of trails, some of them traversing hanging bridges at canopy level. Tours introduce you to bats, frogs, and other common but often misunderstood creatures, and show off the beauty of the forest. Reservations are recommended for all activities, and required for the bat, frog, birding, and night tours. Also on site are a variety of comfy lodge accommodations that put you close to this research complex’s many fun nature-themed activities. Rooms include air conditioning, breakfast, and the entrance fee to the park.

For a hike with a view, climb the steps nearly 400 feet to the top of Cerro del Tortuguero. This inactive volcano marks the highest point in the region, and rewards hikers with panoramic views of the Tortuguero canals and rainforest. Although the stairway may be easy to find, locating the wildlife can be more challenging. If you prefer to book this as an organized tour with a guide through your lodge, you can expect to pay around $40. Otherwise, the 2.1 km (1.3 mile) hike will set you back a small $3 access fee, plus the cost of your boat taxi. Check the boat schedule to plan your return trip accordingly.

Capuchin and howler monkeys, peccaries, sloths, iguanas, raccoons—they're all here at this wildlife sanctuary just off the Playa Negra road. As much as possible, the goal is to reintroduce these rescued animals back to nature, although the fragile condition of some means this will be their permanent home. Your admission for an 11 am guided tour supports the good work these folks do. As is the case in such facilities, visitors may not touch or hold the animals.