TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK

Parque Nacional Tortuguero extends north along the coast for 22 km from Jaloba, six km north of Parismina, to Tortuguero village. The 19,000-hectare park is a mosaic of deltas on an alluvial plain nestled between the Caribbean coast on the east and the low-lying volcanic hills of Coronel, Caño Moreno, and 300-meter-high Las Lomas de Sierpe—the Sierpe Peaks—on the west. The park protects the nesting beach of the green turtle, the offshore waters to a distance of 30 km, and the wetland forests extending inland for about 15 kilometers.

The park—one of the most varied within the park system—has 11 ecological habitats, from high rainforest to herbaceous marsh communities. Fronting the sea is the seemingly endless expanse of beach. Behind that is a narrow lagoon, connected to the sea at one end and fed by a river at the other; it parallels the beach for its full 35-km length. Back of the lagoon is a coastal rainforest and swamp complex threaded by an infinite maze of serpentine channels and streams.

Tortuguero shelters more than 300 bird species, among them toucans, aricaris, oropendolas, herons, kingfishers, anhingas, jacanas, and the great green macaw; 57 species of amphibians and 111 of reptiles, including three species of marine turtles; and 60 mammal species, including 13 of Costa Rica’s 16 endangered species, among them jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, cougars, river otters, and manatees.

Tortuguero’s fragile manatee population was thought to be extinct until a population was found in remote lagoons. Traditionally they have been hunted for their flesh, reputedly tender and delicious, and for their very tough hides, but the greatest threat of late has been chemicals and sediments washing into the waterways from banana plantations. A decade ago a scientific study indicated that about 100 manatees inhabited the area. The population seems to be growing. They are rarely seen, although in 2003 one appeared in Tortuguero’s main canal for the first time.

The wide-open canals are superb for spotting crocodiles, giant iguanas, and basilisk lizards basking atop the branches, and caimans luxuriating on the fallen raffia palm branches at the side of the river. One of my favorite pastimes is to watch bulldog bats skimming through the mist that rises from the water and scooping up a fish right on cue. Amazing!

The western half of the park is under great stress from logging and hunting, which have increased in recent years as roads intrude. The local community and hotel and tour operators are battling a proposed highway sponsored by banana and logging interests.

Rubbish disposal is a serious problem at Tortuguero: leave no trash.

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Turtles
The park protects a vital nesting ground for green sea turtles, which find their way onto the brown-sand beaches every year from June through October (the greatest numbers arrive in September). Mid-February through July, giant leatherback turtles arrive to lay their eggs (with greatest frequency April–May), followed, in July, by female hawksbill turtles. Tortuguero is the most important green-turtle hatchery in the western Caribbean; annually as many as 30,000 greens swim from their feeding grounds as far away as the Gulf of Mexico and Venezuela (most Tortuguero greens apparently arrive from the Miskito Bank feeding area of Nicaragua) to lay their eggs at the eons-old nesting site on the oceanside stretch of beach. Each female arrives two to six times, at 10- to 14-day intervals, and waits two or three years before nesting again.

During the 1950s, the Tortuguero nesting colony came to the attention of biologist-writer Archie Carr, a lifelong student of sea turtles. Carr enlisted sympathy through his eloquent writing, particularly The Windward Road (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1955). His lobby—originally called the Brotherhood of the Green Turtle—worked with the Costa Rican government to establish Tortuguero as a sanctuary where the endangered turtles could nest unmolested. The sanctuary was established in 1963 and the area was named a national park in 1970.

Local guides escort Turtle Walks at 8–10 p.m. and 10 p.m.–midnight each evening in turtle-nesting season ($10, including guide, who alone can buy tickets to access the beach at night). No one is allowed on the 22-mile nesting sector without a guide after 6 p.m. Only 400 people are allowed on the beach per night, apportioned by sector; 200 maximum every two hours. No cameras or flashlights are permitted. Keep quiet, as the slightest noise can send the turtle hurrying back to sea; and keep a discreet distance. You are asked to report any guide who digs up turtle hatchlings to show you—this is absolutely prohibited. Despite legislation, poachers from Barra and Limón still steal turtle eggs on the beaches, and cull turtles from the sea. Turtles are endangered; respect them.

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When to Go
Rain falls year-round. The three wettest months are January, June, and July. The three driest are February, April, and November. Monsoon-type storms can lash the region at any time; rain invariably falls more heavily in the late afternoon and at night. The interior of the park is hot, humid (very humid on sunny days), and windless. Bring good raingear; a heavy-duty poncho is ideal (the lodges provide these for guests). It can be cool enough for a windbreaker or sweater while speeding upriver under cloudy weather. Take insect repellent—the mosquitoes and no-see-ums (you’ll need Avon’s Skin-So-Soft for these) can be fierce.

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Exploring Tortuguero
You can walk the entire length of the beach. Trails into the forests—frequently waterlogged—also begin at the park stations at both ends of the park. The 2-km-long El Gavilán Trail leads south from the Cuatro Esquinas ranger station south of Tortuguero village and takes in both beach and rainforest. A trail (in terrible condition at last visit) that begins north of Tortuga Lodge leads to Cerro Tortuguero (119 meters), two km north of Tortuga Lodge; from here—the highest point for miles around—you have a superb perspective over the swamps and coastline from the rusting lookout tower at the top.

You can hire dugout canoes (cayucas or botes) in Tortuguero village ($6 pp the first hour, $3 each additional hour, without a guide). Give the canoe a good inspection before shaking hands on the deal: paddle around until you feel comfortable and have ascertained that there are no leaks and that the canoe is stable. It’s also a good idea to check on local currents and directions, as the former can be quite strong and it’s easy to lose your bearings amid the maze of waterways. Skippered pangas (flat-bottomed boats with outboard motors) and lanchas (with inboard motor) can also be rented; try to rent one with a non-polluting four-stroke motor. And don’t forget to pay your park entrance fee before entering Tortuguero National Park.

If you want to see wildlife you absolutely need a guide, as otherwise you’ll not see 10 percent of the wildlife you’ll see in their company. The local guides—there are about 40 trained guides organized into a local cooperative—have binocular eyes: in even the darkest shadows, they can spot caimans, birds, crocodiles, and other animals you will most likely miss. You can hire local guides in the village for about $5 pp per hour. The best guides are employed by the local lodges.

The guide will lead you deep into the narrow caños and chug up the side streams where the vegetation narrows down to a murky closeness and he or she is forced to cut the motor and pole to make headway. Some creatures you’ll see virtually at arm’s reach. Exploring at night is not permitted.

You can also book guided trips at any of the lodges or through tour companies in San José. Costa Rica Expeditions (P.O. Box 6941-1000, San José, tel. 506/257-0766, fax 506/257-1665, costaric@expeditions.co.cr, www.costaricaexpeditions.com) provides the best operation. Rios Tropicales (tel. 506/233-6455, fax 506/255-4354, info@riostropicales.com, www.riostropicales.com) offers a jungle kayaking package (from one to three nights) from Mawamba Lodge.

Tortuguero Safaris, in Tortuguero village, also has trips (see Sports and Recreation, in the Tortuguero Village section, below).

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Information
Entrance costs $7 (or $10 for a three-day pass), and also includes access to Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge. The fee is payable at the Cuatro Esquinas ranger station (tel./fax 506/711-0756 or 506/710-7673), at the southern end of Tortuguero village, or at Estación Jalova, at the park’s southern end (45 minutes by boat from Tortuguero village). No fee applies if you’re in transit.

You can camp at Jalova, with outside showers and toilets.

The park administration (tel. 506/710-2929, acto@ns.minae.go.cr) is in Guápiles.

The Caribbean Conservation Corps (CCC, tel. 506/224-9215 or 506/238-8069, fax 506/225-7516, baulas@racsa.co.cr; in the U.S., 4424 NW 13th St. Suite #A1, Gainesville, FL 32609, tel. 352/373-6441 or 800/678-7853; ccc@cccturtle.org, www.cccturtle.org) maintains the John H. Phipps Biological Station and a Natural History Visitors Center (locals still call it by its old name, Casa Verde), five minutes’ walk north of the village. You can adopt a turtle for $25.