Nomadic Narrative

There are so many package tour deals available to Tortuguero, Costa Rica that even independent and budget travelers just give in. Looking around on the Internet, I found surprisingly little for those wanting to go the independent route. The information I did find explained that it’s difficult to get to Tortuguero and that it’s much cheaper to go on a tour. This may be so. However, loving a good challenge, I wanted to see just how hard (and expensive) it was to do Tortuguero on my own.

Getting there: First off, if you’re traveling from San José, Costa Rica, the most difficult part about leaving the capital by bus is that there isn’t a single, central bus station. Each destination has its unique station. I wanted to end up in Tortuguero, so I needed to depart from the Caribbean station, known as La Estación de los Caribeños.

You can only get to Tortuguero by boat or plane. The bus from San José leaves you in one of two ports: Puerto Moin or Puerto La Pavona. To get to Moin you have to go first to Limón and then catch a taxi to the port of Moin. The boat ride from Moin is around three hours with a stop in between to stretch your legs. A fellow traveler took this route and saw a huge alligator and a sloth swimming! Now, those are some great sightings.

I took the one-hour boat ride from La Pavona winding down a chocolate brown river framed by lush forest to Tortuguero. To get to La Pavona, you need to take a bus from San José to Cariari. Once in Cariari, you can buy your ticket to La Pavona which includes the passage by boat to Tortuguero. The only catch is that you need to get to Cariari by 6:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., or 3:00 p.m. in order to get the bus/boat combination.

The bus ride from Cariari to La Pavona lasts just over an hour along a dirt road depending on how long the bus stops to let passengers purchase snacks from the local Chicharronera ― it’s a popular spot and you’ll be waiting a few minutes, if not snacking on a plastic bag full of chicharrones yourself.

Once in La Pavona, boats are waiting to take passengers on the one-hour journey to Tortuguero. If you miss the 10:30 a.m. direct bus from San José to Cariari, purchase a ticket to Guapiles where a bus is usually waiting to take passengers on the remaining 30-minute trip to Cariari.

Lodging: Most of the tours take you to all-inclusive hotels just outside of Tortuguero town. If you’re interested in getting more of a first-hand feel for the local culture, there are a couple of very comfortable and affordable options in town, one the best being Casa Marbella. Hardly a “budget” hotel with its vaulted ceilings, spotless rooms and tiled bathrooms, it’s perhaps only the lack of AC, which I generally don’t use, that would take it down a notch on the comfort scale. Tortuguero town is mostly quiet at night. It’s a pedestrian town, so you don’t hear traffic. Apart from a loud stereo, the only other raucous might come from a pack of howling dogs.

Food: You can buy just about anything at a number of small supermarkets. There are also plenty of great sodas, or mom-and-pop eateries, lining Tortuguero’s main walkway. The Buddha Café is probably the “fanciest” place in town and offers a pricier western-style menu. Even if you’re on a budget, the Buddha Café perched on the edge of the canal and lit by red paper lanterns at night is a nice place to enjoy a glass of wine.

Tours: There are many tour operators in town but I decided to stick with Casa Marbella because of their eco-friendly approach. The hotel offers a three-hour tour of Tortuguero National Park starting at 6:00 a.m. in the morning aboard a small, 10-seater boat with a 4-stroke motor. The boat also has an electric motor for when you need to quietly wind through the canals to spot wildlife.

The second most popular tour takes place between July and October when the American green sea turtles nest. Traffic along the beach is controlled though the Trackers Program overseen by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. This is done by giving each tour guide a time slot and a post along a 5 kilometer stretch of beach for his or her group. Tourists are not allowed on the beach until the turtle has dug a hole and started to lay its eggs. At this point, the turtle enters a trance-like state and only at this moment is it considered less invasive to view the nesting process.

I enjoyed every minute of the journey. The hotel even let me take out a kayak, for free, to explore the canals by myself. So, how did I do budget wise?

Cost breakdown of my 3-day, 2-night trip to Tortuguero:

Transportation: San José to Cariari 1,300, Cariari to La Pavona 1,000, Boat to Tortuguero 1,600 (total 7,800 colones, or $13)
Lodging: 2 nights at $35 with breakfast included (total $70)
Food: two dinners at 4,500 colones each and a glass of wine at 2,750 (total $20)
Tours: Three-hour morning canal tour, $20, two-hour night sea turtle tour, $20, and Tortuguero National Park fee, $10 (total $40)
Total: $153