Tortuguero National Park is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica, despite the fact that it can only be reached by airplane or boat. The park has an incredible biological variety.
Quick Facts and Data
History
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. 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.
Despite legislation, poachers from Barra and Limón still steal turtle eggs on the beaches, and cull turtles from the sea, often carried out by armed men with high-speed boats. Incidents dropped from 1,700 reported cases in 1997 to less than 50 in 1999.
Flora and Fauna
Tortuguero National Park is a very rich area both in flora and fauna.
Flora: over 400 tree species and around 2200 species of other plants can be found at the park. Among them are the sangrillo tree, cativo, gavilan and poponjoche growing over flooded or marshy ground.
In deeper flooded areas floating vegetation can be found, mainly water lilys and ferns.
A very humid tropical rainforest is grows in areas with non flooded grounds.
Fauna: one of the main attractions of the park is the green turtle spawning. Baulas, carey and caguama are also seen at the coast line.
There are over 400 species of birds. Amphibians and reptiles are very diverse as well.
You can also see mammals in danger of extinction, such as the tolomuco, jaguar, tapir, manatee, sloth, three different species of monkeys and ocelot.
Getting there
The park is accessed only by water.
From San Jose:
1. Go to Limon (through Braulio Carrillo National Park) and then take a boat to get to the park.
2. Go to Siquirres (through Braulio Carrillo National Park), then Batan and Freeman and then take a boat to get to the park.
3. Go to Sarapiqui and then take a boat to get to the park.
There is a landing strip in Barra de Parismina, Barra del Tortuguero and Barra del Colorado.
Services
Cuatro Esquinas Headquarters has camping available. It is at the north end of the park, in the town of Tortuguero. You must pass through here to get access to the beach area.
A landing strip, lookout points and a hotel area are also available.
Recreational Activities
Hiking Trails:
Rio Tortuguero Trail
Length: 13800 meters
Time: 20 minutes (approximately)
Caño Chiquero & Caño Mora Trail
Length: 3070 meters
Time: 150 minutes (approximately)
Caño Harold Trail
Length: 3000 meters
Time: 105 minutes (approximately)
Jaguar Trail
Length: 8000 meters
Time: 180 minutes (round trip)
During the turtle nesting time (from march to october), the trail is open from 8 pm to midnight and only admits visitors in groups with an official guide. Linterns and/or cameras are not allowed.
El Gavilán Trail
Length: 2000 meters
Time: 60 minutes
Special for ornithology lovers, due to the amount of birds and flying mammals that can be appreciated here.
Interesting facts
Thanks to conservation efforts, turtles have made a huge comeback to the park.The breeding season for the green sea turtle is March to October, however stragglers can be found up and down the coast throughout the year.
Leatherbacks lay eggs from February to July, allowing visitors the ability to see the arrivals year-round.
Contact information
Phone number: (506) 2710-2929
Website:http://www.sinac.go.cr
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