When we were researching our trip to Costa Rica we knew we wanted to get deep into the mangrove jungle and see some wildlife while enjoying a few lazy days, and Tortuguero Village fit the bill.
After experiencing the taxi/bus/bus/boat route we eagerly arrived at the village, threw our backpacks on, and followed the host of other travelers into town from the dock. We didn’t have far to go as Tortuguero is a tiny, swampy town in the country’s Northeast. Sitting on a slender peninsula between the Caribbean Sea and the canal we traveled on, we took in the friendly scene while walking to our guesthouse, a host of local dogs trailing along.
Home to around 1200 residents, Tortuguero Village is cozy and easy even when the population swells when the tourist boats arrive and there is a festive, happy vibe. Only a few blocks wide and slightly longer, the carless village is easy to enjoy and many travelers were already enjoying their happy hour drinks canalside as we headed to our guesthouse.
We went with Casa Pelican, in part for its extremely central location and we weren’t disappointed.
Tortuguero is an incredible wildlife destination and one of the most important turtle nesting sites in the world. We weren’t there during nesting season but headed right to the Sea Turtle Conservancy to learn more about these magnificent animals and the work they do there.
Even without turtles, Tortuguero was ripe with sightings and ranged from poison dart frogs to an impressive range of tropical birds, and, of course, our baby sloth! We quickly became obsessed with the freeways of cutter ants visible everywhere in the village carrying their vegetation cuttings back to their nests.
One of the biggest draws is Tortuguero National Park. A ranger station sits at the southern end of town and for a $15 admittance, you can wander the muddy trails throughout the park. The park encompasses the entirety of the peninsula and the night tour we signed up for headed north of the village for a fun guided tour even without a lot of wildlife sightings.
Our days were spent exploring all corners of the village and surrounding area and checking out as many Soda’s as we could, along with many a refreshing drink canalside.
The food of Costa Rica proved to be more basic than I had expected, a perfect example of not allowing preconceived notions to affect your trip. While we didn’t find any of the complex flavors of Mexico, the cuisine was very fresh & tasty and the country boasts some of the best fruit we’ve ever eaten.
Easily our favorite activity was the canoe trip we took into the backwaters. Along with some great wildlife sightings, it was simply magnificent to welcome the day while smoothly floating through the jungle and mangrove swamps.
Ironically enough, perhaps our best wildlife viewing was from the rooftop patio of Casa Pelican while practicing our lazy ways.
In the end, our four nights at Tortuguero felt about right. We might have enjoyed another canoe tour but feel like the time was long enough to truly explore this wonderful village and National Park while also practicing a lot of La Dolce far Niente “The sweetness of doing nothing”.
If you’re headed to Costa Rica we highly recommend heading to the less visited Caribbean side of the country and check it out for yourself.