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The view south from the Cerro trail over the lagoon and rainforest at Tortuguero

Sample journey · 8–10 days

The other Costa Rica: Tortuguero's canals and the Caribbean coast

Tortuguero, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí

Photo: Frank Eiffert / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most Costa Rica journeys circle Arenal, Monteverde and the Pacific beaches. This one turns east, to the Caribbean side, which feels like another country. Tortuguero can be reached only by boat or small plane: the village sits on a narrow strip of sand between the sea and the jungle canals, where at dawn caimans' eyes break the water and toucans and monkeys call overhead. On summer nights green turtles haul themselves up the beach to lay their eggs, one of the quietest and most moving wildlife sights in Central America.

Further south come Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, where families of Jamaican descent brought calypso, coconut-milk cooking and an unhurried rhythm, and where the beaches are fringed by forest in which sloths often rest. To finish, the lowland forests of Sarapiquí, with frogs, a river and cacao farms. The journey suits couples and nature lovers who would rather have a simple lodge in the jungle than a large resort, and who don't mind rain, which here can arrive in any month.

The route

The journey

  1. San José
  2. The Tortuguero canals
  3. Tortuguero beach
  4. Cahuita
  5. Puerto Viejo & Punta Uva
  6. Sarapiquí
  7. San José
  1. A spider monkey hanging from a branch in the rainforest at Tortuguero

    01Days 1–3 · San José & the Tortuguero canals

    Where the road ends

    The first night is in San José, near the airport or in town. The next morning it's about three hours through the mountain forests of Braulio Carrillo and banana plantations to the dock where the road ends, then an hour or an hour and a half by boat along rivers and canals to Tortuguero. Two nights in a lodge by the lagoon. Tortuguero's real day starts at dawn: by kayak or quiet boat with a local guide, you glide along narrow canals while the water is still a mirror. You often see caimans, basilisks running across the surface, herons fishing and, in the trees, howler and spider monkeys. In the afternoon, the trail up Cerro Tortuguero, with its view over lagoon and forest, or a stroll through the colourful village of timber houses on stilts.

  2. Tortuguero beach, with dark sand, surf and a green band of forest

    02Days 3–4 · Tortuguero beach

    Turtles on the black sand

    Tortuguero's beach is one of the most important nesting beaches for green turtles in the western Caribbean. Roughly from July to October they come ashore at night onto the black volcanic sand, dig a hollow and lay their eggs; two months later the hatchlings scramble out. Night turtle watching is allowed only with a certified local guide, in small groups and without torches or cameras: you wait in the dark until spotters signal that a turtle is laying, then approach quietly. A sighting is never guaranteed, but at the height of the season you're usually in luck. In spring a few leatherbacks also nest. The next morning, a free hour on the beach, and after lunch the boat heads south.

  3. A sloth hanging upside down from a branch in Limón province

    03Days 4–5 · Cahuita

    Sloths above the path

    From Tortuguero, by boat along the canals south to Limón or the road, then about an hour to Cahuita. Here begin several nights on the Caribbean coast, and the first day belongs to Cahuita National Park: a trail runs along the shore between forest and pale beaches, and in the trees you often see sloths, capuchins and howler monkeys, and sometimes an eyelash viper asleep on a branch, which a guide will point out from a safe distance. The reef off the park is one of the few coral reefs in Costa Rica; snorkelling is allowed only with a guide and when the sea is calm. In the evening in Cahuita village, rondón, a coconut-milk stew of fish and root vegetables, and, with luck, live calypso.

  4. Cocles beach near Puerto Viejo from above, with sand, surf and forest

    04Days 5–7 · Puerto Viejo & Punta Uva

    Cacao, bikes and quiet coves

    About half an hour south lies Puerto Viejo and two nights in a lodge among the trees near the beaches of Cocles or Punta Uva. Here the best way around is by bike: along the coast road from one cove to the next, where the water is calmer and the forest runs down to the sand. One morning, a trail in the Gandoca–Manzanillo wildlife refuge, where the coast turns wild and toucans and parrots are an everyday sight. Another, a cacao farm visited with local guides in a Bribri community, on their terms: how cacao is grown, roasted and brewed into a drink, and why it matters so much to these communities. Puerto Viejo is lively in the evenings, but loud, so we choose a stay on the quieter stretch south of town.

  5. A red-eyed tree frog on a leaf in the Caribbean lowland forest of Limón province

    05Days 7–9 · Sarapiquí

    Frogs, a river and the forest after rain

    About three and a half hours north-west lies Sarapiquí, lowland rainforest along a river, for the last two nights. There are research stations here, so naturalist guides know the forest especially well: a morning walk along trails and hanging bridges, where toucans, bat colonies roosting under leaves and brightly coloured poison frogs are often seen, and after dark a night walk in search of red-eyed tree frogs. On the second day, a gentle float down the Sarapiquí river by raft, with iguanas often basking on the banks, or a small cacao and fruit farm. On the last day it's about an hour and a half to two hours over the Braulio Carrillo mountains to San José airport.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Tortuguero's canals at dawn

    Kayaks or a quiet boat, caimans, basilisks and monkeys above the water.

  2. 02

    Turtles at night

    With a certified guide, in darkness and silence, as green turtles come ashore.

  3. 03

    Cahuita's coastal trail

    Sloths and monkeys in the trees, pale beaches and the reef with a guide.

  4. 04

    Caribbean cooking

    Rice and beans in coconut milk, rondón stew and cacao, explained by Bribri guides.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More slowly

    A third night around Puerto Viejo or in Tortuguero would give a day with no plan: a bike, a hammock and a book.

  • By small plane

    A small plane from San José to Tortuguero and back saves half a day of travel and shows the canals from above.

  • Choosing the season

    Green-turtle season runs roughly July to October, and in September and October the Caribbean coast is often drier than the Pacific side.

  • With Arenal or Panama

    From Sarapiquí it's only a few hours to Arenal volcano, and from Puerto Viejo you can cross into Panama's Bocas del Toro archipelago.

Practical considerations

  • Rain can fall on the Caribbean coast in any month. The driest spells are usually roughly February to April and September to October, with the most rain from November to January; downpours are often short but heavy.
  • Turtle nesting seasons shift a little each year, and night-watching rules and group sizes are regulated, so we check and book them before you travel.
  • Currents on the Caribbean coast can be strong: we swim only in calm coves and where it's safe, and reef snorkelling depends on the sea.
  • There are no cars in Tortuguero and luggage travels by boat, so a small soft bag, light quick-drying clothes and rain protection are worth bringing.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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