Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Costa Rica: Tortuguero and the Caribbean Coast
5 days from San José: two nights in Tortuguero with the canals at dawn and the turtle walk in season, then by canal boat to Puerto Viejo, a sloth rescue centre and the Cahuita reef.
5 days · Round trip from San José · up to 12 guests
A caiman in the waterweed at Tortuguero Photo: Rômulo Gama Ferreira from Vitória-ES, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tortuguero_-_Costa_Rica_(50900604833).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from San José
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Flat forest and beach walks of about 2 to 3 km, often muddy in Tortuguero, a turtle walk of up to two hours on soft sand after dark, stepping in and out of small boats, and an optional two-hour snorkel from a boat. Any walk or the snorkel can be sat out.
- Meals included
- 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 340 (estimated price)
- Season
- Year round, turtle walks July to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Over the cloud forest of Braulio Carrillo and by covered boat into Tortuguero, where no road goes
- The park canals at first light with a licensed naturalist: monkeys, sloths, caimans and kingfishers
- A turtle nesting walk on the black sand beach with a certified guide, July to October, included
- Down the coastal canals by boat to Moín instead of the road back
- A guided visit to a sloth rescue centre near Cahuita
- Sunset over the wreck at Puerto Viejo and a Caribbean dinner of rice and beans and rondón
- A morning snorkel on the Cahuita reef with a certified local guide
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 340 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in San José
Juan Santamaría International Airport to your hotel in central San José
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in San José
- Drive about 45 min
Fly into Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), about 20 km west of San José, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the 30 to 45 minute drive into the city. Plan to land by about 3 pm if you want to join the first walk; the exact times come with your final itinerary. At about 4:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide takes anyone who is ready on a short walk through the centre: the Teatro Nacional and the Plaza de la Cultura, then up to the Museo Nacional in the old Bellavista barracks, whose towers still carry bullet marks from the 1948 civil war; the army was abolished that year and the building handed over to the museum.
Evening
At 6 pm we meet as a group for a briefing on the days ahead, including what to pack for the boat and the jungle lodge, then sit down to a welcome dinner of Costa Rican home cooking. Turn in early: tomorrow we cross the mountains to the Caribbean.
Included
- Pick-up at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
- Short walk through central San José with your guide: the Teatro Nacional, the Plaza de la Cultura and the outside of the Museo Nacional
- Welcome briefing and welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon walk
Activity: If you land later, skip the walk and meet us at the 6 pm briefing; for flights landing after about 5 pm we quote an extra night instead. Your San José hotel is central, of at least a 3-star-plus standard and within walking distance of the Teatro Nacional; we name it when we confirm your dates.
Over Braulio Carrillo and by boat to Tortuguero
San José to La Pavona on Route 32, then by boat to Tortuguero
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Tortuguero
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We leave after breakfast at about 7:30 am on Route 32, which climbs through Braulio Carrillo National Park, a steep rainforest of tree ferns and waterfalls between the Barva and Irazú volcanoes, then drops to the Caribbean lowlands. We stop for coffee near Guápiles and drive on past banana plantations to the river dock at La Pavona, about 3 hours of driving in all. No road reaches Tortuguero, so the last hour is by covered boat along the Río Suerte, where the boatman points out herons, kingfishers and, with luck, a sloth.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the lodge on the canal, where we stay two nights. In the afternoon your guide walks you through the car-free village to the black sand beach where the turtles nest and to the Sea Turtle Conservancy visitor centre.
Evening
Dinner is at the lodge. From July to October, if the licensed local guides can take us tonight, we walk the nesting beach after dark with a certified local guide.
Included
- Drive over Braulio Carrillo with a coffee stop near Guápiles
- Boat from La Pavona to Tortuguero
- Walk through Tortuguero village and the nesting beach with your guide
- Sea Turtle Conservancy visitor centre
- Turtle nesting night walk with a certified local guide, July to October (on one of our two evenings in Tortuguero)
Free time: Late afternoon free at the lodge
Activity: The boat has a roof but open sides: keep a rain jacket and your camera bag close. Bags travel in the boat with you.
Tortuguero canals at dawn
Tortuguero National Park by boat and on foot
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Tortuguero
- By boat
Morning
This is the morning the trip is built around. At first light, about 6 am, when the water is still and the animals are moving, a licensed local naturalist takes us by boat into the canals of Tortuguero National Park, set up in 1975 to protect a nesting beach for green turtles. Look for howler and spider monkeys, three-toed sloths, caimans in the waterweed, green basilisks, toucans and the small, striped sungrebe. We are back for breakfast at about 8:30. Mid-morning we walk the El Gavilán trail at the park's Cuatro Esquinas station, about 2 km through lowland forest and often in rubber boots, which lodges usually lend.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the lodge and the afternoon is free: swim, sleep in a hammock or paddle the quiet canals.
Evening
In nesting season, if the turtle walk did not run last night, we aim to run it tonight. Otherwise the evening brings a guided night walk for frogs and insects on the lodge grounds.
Included
- Dawn boat tour of the Tortuguero National Park canals with a licensed local naturalist, park entry included
- Guided walk on the El Gavilán trail
- Turtle nesting night walk with a certified local guide, July to October; a guided night walk for frogs and insects in other months
Optional experiences
- Guided kayak or canoe outing on the canals in the afternoon, at the operator's own price
- Canopy zipline near the village, at the operator's own price
Easier option: Skip the trail walk and stay at the lodge after the boat tour.
More active option: In the afternoon, a guided climb of Cerro Tortuguero, the small hill north of the village, for the view over the canals and the sea.
Free time: Afternoon free at the lodge
Activity: The turtle walk is up to two hours on soft sand in the dark, with no torches, phones or cameras allowed on the beach; sightings are likely in season but never certain.
Down the canals to the southern Caribbean
Tortuguero to Moín by boat, then by van to a sloth rescue centre and Puerto Viejo
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
Instead of retracing our route by road, we leave Tortuguero after breakfast, at about 8 am, by boat south through the chain of coastal canals that runs behind the beach to Moín, the port just north of Limón. It takes about 3 to 4 hours, and with the forest close on both sides it is a second wildlife tour rather than a transfer.
Afternoon
Our van meets us at Moín and we stop for a sit-down lunch near Limón. From there it is about an hour south along the coast to a sloth rescue centre near Cahuita, where staff care for injured and orphaned two- and three-toed sloths; a guided visit shows how they are treated and, where possible, returned to the forest. There is no handling of the animals. We reach Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small town of reggae bars and wooden houses on a black and gold sand beach, at about 5 pm.
Evening
Watch the sunset over the old wreck in the bay, then sit down to a Caribbean farewell dinner: rice and beans in coconut milk, and rondón, a coconut stew of fish and root vegetables.
Included
- Boat from Tortuguero to Moín through the coastal canals
- Sit-down lunch near Limón
- Guided visit to a sloth rescue centre near Cahuita
- Caribbean farewell dinner in Puerto Viejo
Optional experiences
- Bike hire for the coast road to Cocles and Punta Uva, at the shop's own price
Free time: Early evening free in Puerto Viejo before dinner
Activity: If the canal route is not workable on your date (low water or floating vegetation), we go back by boat to La Pavona and drive about 4 hours to Puerto Viejo, with lunch on the way; we tell you the evening before. Puerto Viejo gets an evening here, not a free afternoon; if it rains, the sloth centre visit still runs, the sunset may be lost, and dinner is under cover.
Cahuita reef, then back to San José
Puerto Viejo to Cahuita, then via Limón and Route 32 to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 4.5 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we drive about 20 minutes north to Cahuita, whose national park protects a coral reef and the strip of forest behind the beach. At about 7:30 am a certified local guide, required for snorkelling here, takes us by boat to the reef for about an hour and a half in the water among brain and elkhorn coral, parrotfish, angelfish and, sometimes, rays. Visibility depends on the sea: it is usually best in September and October and from March to April, and if the water is rough the guide walks us along the flat coastal trail instead, looking for sloths and capuchin monkeys. We leave Cahuita at about 11 am for the drive back to San José, about 210 km and 4 to 4.5 hours.
Evening
This is the one day over our four-hour limit: no shorter road crosses the mountains, and a second night on the coast would cost a day of your trip. We break it with a sit-down lunch near Siquirres and a stop on Route 32, and reach Juan Santamaría International Airport at about 5 pm, or your San José hotel if you are staying on.
Included
- Snorkel on the Cahuita reef by boat with a certified local guide, gear and park fee included
- Sit-down lunch near Siquirres
- Drop-off at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) or a San José hotel
Easier option: Skip the snorkel and walk the first part of the Cahuita coastal trail with the guide, or stay on the beach.
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 8 pm, or ask us for an extra night in San José. Route 32 is sometimes closed after heavy rain; on those days we take the slower road and keep you informed.
- San José1 night
- Tortuguero2 nights
- Puerto Viejo de Talamanca1 night
- San Joséend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Rain can fall in any month on the Caribbean side, so boat tours run in light rain under cover. Turtles nest July to October; outside those months the evening walk looks for frogs and insects instead, and the canal wildlife is there all year.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers adding a few days on the Caribbean side to a longer Costa Rica trip
- Wildlife watchers who want the Tortuguero canals at dawn rather than at midday
- Turtle season travellers, July to October
- Guests happy with boats, heat, humidity and some rain
Not for you if you want
- Travellers wanting a dry, sunny beach week: the Caribbean side rains in most months
- Guests who cannot step in and out of small boats
- Anyone who needs air-conditioned luxury every night: Tortuguero lodges are simple jungle stays
- Travellers who want to see turtles outside July to October
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
4 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- San José1 night
- Tortuguero2 nights
- Puerto Viejo de Talamanca1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 4 nights: San José (1), a lodge on the canal in Tortuguero (2) and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (1)
- Central hotels and a lodge of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms and hot water, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
- An air-conditioned van with driver for the road legs
- Boat from La Pavona to Tortuguero
- Boat from Tortuguero to Moín through the coastal canals
- Boat to the Cahuita reef
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- Licensed local naturalists in Tortuguero National Park, a certified guide on the turtle walk and a certified local guide for the Cahuita snorkel
Activities
- Short walk through central San José
- Tortuguero village walk and the Sea Turtle Conservancy visitor centre
- Tortuguero National Park entry, dawn canal boat tour and El Gavilán trail walk
- Turtle nesting night walk, July to October (a guided night walk for frogs and insects in other months)
- Guided visit to a sloth rescue centre near Cahuita
- Cahuita National Park reef snorkel with gear and park fee
Meals
- 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners
- Welcome dinner in San José and a Caribbean farewell dinner in Puerto Viejo
- All meals at the Tortuguero lodge
- Sit-down lunches on the two travel days out of Tortuguero and Cahuita
Not included
- International flights to and from San José
- Travel insurance
- Lunch on day 1
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities: kayak or canoe outings, ziplining, bike hire
- Personal expenses
- Extra nights in San José before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 340 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Four nights in a San José hotel, a Tortuguero lodge and a Puerto Viejo hotel, 12 meals, airport transfers, the van and all boats, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan: the Tortuguero canal tour and trail with park entry, the turtle walk in season, the sloth rescue centre and the Cahuita reef snorkel.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, so everyone fits in one boat on the canals and around one table at dinner, and the naturalist can point each animal out to every guest.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide stays with the group from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 5. Licensed local naturalists join in Tortuguero National Park, a certified guide leads the turtle walk, and a certified local guide takes the Cahuita snorkel, as park rules require.
How fit do I need to be?
The trip is easy. Walks are flat, about 2 to 3 km, sometimes muddy, and the turtle walk is up to two hours on soft sand in the dark. You need to step in and out of small boats. The snorkel is optional, and you can sit out any walk.
Do solo travellers pay more?
Only if you want your own room. The single supplement is CAD 340 for the trip, shown before you book. If you would rather share, ask us and we will try to pair you with another solo traveller of the same gender.
When can I see turtles nesting at Tortuguero?
Green turtles nest from about July to October, with the most activity in August, and the turtle walk is included on departures in that window. Leatherbacks nest in smaller numbers from about March to May. Hatchlings reach the sea from about September to November. Sightings are likely in season but never guaranteed.
When is the best time to go?
September and October are usually the driest, calmest months on the Caribbean coast and fall in turtle season, so they suit this trip best. March and April are also good for the reef. July is turtle season too but often wet, and November to January bring the heaviest Caribbean rain.
How do you get to Tortuguero, and is the boat out to Moín reliable?
No road reaches Tortuguero, so we drive about 3 hours to La Pavona and take a covered boat for about an hour. The canal boat south to Moín runs most of the year, but low water or floating vegetation can stop it; then we return by boat to La Pavona and drive about 4 hours to Puerto Viejo, and tell you the evening before.
Can I add this to another Costa Rica trip?
Yes, that is what it is built for. It starts and ends in San José, so it fits before or after our Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio trip. Our 13-day Volcanoes and Coasts trip already includes Tortuguero but not the southern Caribbean coast. Ask us and we will match the dates and add any San José nights.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 3,590 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same lodge, boats and guides.
Do I need a visa for Costa Rica?
Many passports, including those of Canada, the US, the UK and the EU, need no visa for a tourist stay; the permitted stay is about 90 to 180 days depending on your passport. Your passport must be valid for your stay and you may be asked for a ticket out of the country. Check your own nationality's rules before you book.
How does booking work?
Choose a departure and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. The small group starts from CAD 1,995 per person sharing, taxes included.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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