Tortuguero Village Getting there & around

Getting there & away

First of all, it is not that hard to get here on your own. However, if you do not care to go it alone, the options for package tours are everywhere, from the moment your airplane lands in San José. Most include meals, lodging, transportation and at least one canal tour. Costs vary widely depending on accommodations and transportation.

Jungle Tom Safaris (280 0243; www.jungletomsafaris; 2-night package US$119-240) Also offers a one-day trip from San José (US$79) or just round-trip transportation (US$59) – useful for independent travelers who want to be free upon arrival, but don’t want the hassle of getting here alone.

Learning Trips (258 2293, 396 1979; www.costa-rica.us; 1-/2-night package US$155/195) Packages include lodging, meals, boat tours and transportation from San José.

Riverboat Francesca Nature Tours (226 0986; www.tortuguerocanals.com; 2-day package US$175-190) Highly recommended tours on the riverboat Francesca. Prices include food and lodging, canal tours and a nighttime turtle walk (in season).

Boat

Tortuguero is accessible by boat from Cariari or Moín. If you are traveling to Parismina, you should be able to get one of the boats to Moín to drop you off on the way.

To/from cariari

The most common and least expensive route to/from Tortuguero is through Cariari, from where you can catch buses to San José or Puerto Limón (via Guápiles). Three companies provide transportation along this route for US$10 per person:

Clic Clic (844 0463) Via La Pavona, 6am and 11:30am.

Coopetraca (767 7137) Via La Pavona, 6am, 11:30am and 3pm.

Viajes Bananeros (709 8005) Via La Geest, 7am and 11am.

Buy tickets on the boat or at any of the information centers around Tortuguero. Once you arrive in La Pavona or La Geest, a bus will pick you up and take you to Cariari (buses are timed to the boats, so you will not wait long). If you are traveling to San José, you are better off taking a 6am boat because bus connections are better earlier in the day.

If you are coming to Tortuguero through Cariari, you may be greeted by touts luring you onto their buses and boats. Despite what they insist, the common route to Tortuguero is through La Pavona. Coopatreca buses for La Pavona depart from the central bus terminal in Siquirres, behind the police station, at 6am, noon and 3pm. The private Bananero boat company also provides transportation from Cariari to Tortuguero via Geest. Bananero buses leave from the San José bus terminal at 1:30pm and 3:30pm.

To/from moín

Moín–Tortuguero is primarily a tourist route. While tour boats ply these canals frequently, there is not a reliable, regularly scheduled service.

In theory, Viajes Bananeros (709 8005; www.tortuguero-costarica.com; US$30) offers a daily trans­fer to Moín at 10am in the high season.

Otherwise, you can check with the Tortuguero Info Center (709 8015; tortuguero_info@racsa.co.cr) to try to find out about tour boats going to Moín that might have space for independent travelers. In any case, call to confirm: schedules change, or they may not run if there are not enough passengers.

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Air

The small airstrip is 4km north of Tortuguero village. NatureAir (220 3054; one way/round trip US$68/136) and Sansa (709 8055; one way/round trip US$63/126) both have daily flights to and from San José. Many of the upscale lodges offer transportation by charter flight as a part of their package tours.

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