Tortuguero has no road. You drive to La Pavona and a boat does the rest, and once you are there the national park is birded the same way, from a boat on the canals with a guide at the bow.
That suits a lot of our clients who have had enough of trails. The boatman sets the pace, the list grows without a single climb, and the water birds are along the canal edges where you can see them.
Two nights is the right stay for a birder. Three if your dates fall in the sea turtle nesting season, July to September, when the beach belongs to the turtles at night.
On the canals, the Roseate Spoonbill among the water birds, and after dark the Boat-billed Heron, the chocuaco, with eyes made for the night.
In the trees along the water, the two birds of the Caribbean lowlands, the Great Green Macaw and the Keel-billed Toucan, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the same list.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja | Espátula Rosada | |
| Boat-billed Heron | Cochlearius cochlearius | Pico Cuchara | |
| Great Green Macaw | Ara ambiguus | Guacamayo Verde Mayor | |
| Keel-billed Toucan | Ramphastos sulfuratus | Tucán Pico Iris | |
| Great Potoo | Nyctibius grandis | Nictibio Grande | |
| Sunbittern | Eurypyga helias | Garza del Sol |
Fly into San José. The day starts early over Braulio Carrillo, with breakfast at Guápiles after about two hours, then another hour to La Pavona and the boat. The way out is the same in reverse, and the river boat takes your bags.
All year. It rains in every month on the Caribbean side, and the canals are birded in all of them. For the nesting turtles as well, July to September.
Our four Tortuguero lodges are on the strip of land by the village, between the sea and the canals, minutes by boat from the park entrance, each with its own boats for the canal tours.
Photo: Evergreen Lodge
Tortuguero
A Stunning Tropical Oasis Just Minutes From Tortuguero National Park
★★★
Two hectares of tall trees in the northeast corner of Tortuguero, minutes by boat from the national park entrance, with the lodge's own bilingual guides and meals included.
Photo: Laguna Lodge
Tortuguero
★★★
On the strip of land between the Caribbean Sea and the Tortuguero lagoon, reached by boat, 106 rooms in 6 acres of gardens. Tortuguero is birded from the water, and the lodge sits on the water you bird from.
Photo: Mawamba Lodge
Tortuguero
A Beautifully Designed, Elegant Resort in Remote Tortuguero
★★★
Fifteen acres between the Tortuguero canals and the Caribbean, reached only by boat or by air, with canal boat tours and night walks from the property. One of our clients wrote that bringing binoculars "really added to this great experience!"
Photo: Pachira Lodge
Tortuguero
A Family-Friendly All-Inclusive in Tortuguero
★★★
Across the main canal from Tortuguero village and five minutes from the national park, with meals, the area tours and the boat transport all included, and the bird-watching boat tours among them. Four of our recent birding itineraries sleep here.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the lowlands in the right order with whatever else is on your list, and how many nights each stop really needs. That first version is just a place to start.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.
Keep going: add more birds, lodges or tours, then turn your Wishlist into a trip.
