An intriguing stop on our trip around Costa Rica was Tortuguero Village and during the planning stages, the main question was how the heck do we get there? We gained some excellent tips from sites such as TwoWeeksinCostaRica and MyTanFeet, but a few details have changed recently so here we offer all of the updated information to get you to this magical destination.
We began our journey in the capital of San Jose as do the majority of travelers heading to Tortuguero. There are four different options for travelers heading to this serene piece of jungle and mangrove swamps.
Option 1:Flying to Tortuguero
The quickest, and most expensive type of transport to Tortuguero is by plane. Sansa Airlines makes the daily flight in 30-60 hours depending on if it is nonstop or connects to Liberia. UPDATE: Aerobell used to offer service on this route as well but suspended service in 2020. While we saw a plane or two fly in during our time there, this is by far the least used option. And hey, seriously, who wants to give up on the local culture? For us, the journey is nearly always as important as the destination, and seeing a slice of local life is invaluable. And, let’s face it, we enjoy being budget travelers, and paying $250 per person round trip was not going to happen. If time is of the essence and you have funds available the trip is certainly the fastest option.
Option 2: Bus & Boat Combo
The vast majority of visitors to Tortuguero will be swarming the port town of La Pavona where you catch the boat to the village. We decided to head to Tortuguero via the public bus option and return with a private shuttle to compare price, comfort, and length of travel.
We departed La Sabana Hotel Suites Apartment by taxi and arrived at the Gran Terminal del Caribe bus station in San Jose for our 9:00 a.m. bus bound for Cariari. The long-distance buses are very comfortable with A/C and cushy seats that recline and include footrests. Even Dave settled in to experience the joy of the countryside while someone else did the driving and we were enthralled by the extremely lush, dense jungle.
We arrived in the small town of Cariari after two hours to change buses to a more basic, local bus. This bus had no reclining seats, no A/C, and was more crowded with locals than tourists for another hour + trip to La Pavona. As we moved further into the country and toward the coast it was fascinating to view the small villages and local life.
Total cost was nominal with the shared taxi, 2 public buses, and boat to Tortuguero Village coming to a mere $ 15 per person.
Option 3: Private Shuttle Van & Boat Combo
Quite a few of the travelers appeared to have arrived by private shuttle and this is the option we would take on our way back to San Jose. I planned our transport very precisely because I wanted to experience the local color on the public buses and we had plenty of time on our trip to Tortuguero. However, on the return, we were a bit time-challenged in our need to get to the airport, get our rental car, and get to Orosi before dark.
Planning the shuttle was a simple matter of choosing which company to go with. Our driver was waiting for us at the dock as we returned from Tortuguero Village. He loaded our bags into his tidy white van and we cut over an hour off of our time heading back to San Jose with the added bonus of being dropped directly at Budget Car Rental at the airport. Even better, we got a local’s take on politics, food, and the way of life. Price: $150 one-way for four people.
Option 4: Drive yourself by car.
And finally, if you have a rental car for your travels in Costa Rica it is possible to easily drive to La Pavona. There is a parking lot next to the restaurant available and for around $10/day you can leave your car in a secure parking lot. Be warned not to leave valuables in the car even though the lot is monitored.
La Pavona was a buzz of activity as hundreds of travelers waited for the 13:00 (1:00 pm) departure for Tortuguero. La Pavona has clean bathrooms, a restaurant, a snack shop, and a small gift shop to keep you busy while waiting for the boats to load.
The loading of the boats was, quite frankly, a bit of a cluster. There is no dock and the boats are simply pulled up onto the shore. Some of the transfer companies offered step stools to enter the boat, others required staff on the boat to grab your hand while others hoisted you up onto the deck. We experienced the latter and heaved ourselves onto our floating transport.
On the boat the captain had some travelers move from one side of the boat to the other to even out the weight distribution, our backpacks were all loaded on the front, and off we went. Lol, never fear, safety first.
The actual trip took a bit over an hour but during dry season can sometimes turn into two as boats can get caught along the route at low tide. The scenery was stunning and we saw multiple bird species as well as a caiman on the shore. The promise of more to come!
Arriving at the dock in Tortuguero was the beginning of the next chapter in our Costa Rica adventure as we joined the throngs heading down the narrow main street in search of our guest house, immediately noting the dramatic change in temperature and humidity from the capital city.
At the end of the day, we still prefer the immersion of a local bus option while I suspect Dave & Anne preferred the private shuttle. Choosing one option one way and the other on the return was truly the best of both worlds. In either case, the round-trip journey offered stunning vistas, a whole lot of cows, and a good first look into rural Costa Rica and all it had to offer.