Motor launch on Tortuguero lagoonĭuring the day some of the best wildlife viewing in Costa Rica is on the senderos acuaticos (water trails) of the park. Reserve well in advance because there are a limited number of permits issued each night. During the season any lodge or tour office in the village can reserve a night tour where certified guides with red lights and will take you onto the beaches of Tortuguero National Park to watch the females come ashore, dig nests and deposit their eggs. First the namesake sea turtles that come ashore to nest (leatherbacks from Feburary through May and Green from June through October) and second the lagoons rivers and canals. It’s far enough out of the way that we always have to plan well ahead to work it into our travels but are always glad when we do. Tortuguero is one of the places only a lucky few visit. If you hire a naturalist guide you’ll be almost certain to spot common species like sloths and monkeys as well as harder to find eyelash vipers, tent making bats and other surprises. Each of these nature reserves also offer hiking trails and great wildlife watching. The best snorkeling in Costa Rica is here, off the southern Caribbean around the rocky points and reefs of Cahuita National Park and further south at Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. The beach cruiser bikes provided by most of the nicer places to stay are a great way to work slowly up or down the coast seeing what the next beach over has to offer in the way of restaurants and waves. boutique resorts, or rental cottages strung out along playas Cocles, Chiquita and Uva south of Puerto Viejo. If you’re traveling on more than a backpacker’s budget you may want to visit town for the funky shops and nightlife but you’ll want to stay in one of the bungalows. There’s a public bus stop and ticket office, a dozen backpacker hostels, bike and surf board rental shops, a couple of supermarkets, banks and other resupply necessities in town too. Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a great beach town with plenty of little shops to explore and bars and restaurants to try. Spending a night in a screen room in the jungle on the banks of the river is something you shouldn’t miss if you have the chance. Unique experience and solitude are becoming harder and harder to come by as the world fills up. The Pacuare Lodge is in the Deluxe category and the Pacuare River Lodge the mid range but both have flush toilets, running water, comfortable quarters, amazing views and excellent food. There are two main lodges to choose from situated in valleys on opposite sides of the river about half way down. Mid-way there are hikes from the lodges into the indigenous reserve on the east bank of the river where the rain forest and way of life have changed little in the past few hundred years. We’d been on the river for all of fifteen minutes before her face was locked in a permanent grin.Īlong the way there are side waterfalls where the rafts pull ashore for lunch, photo ops, and swimming. I’ve never seen her scared of anything, but she did not want to get into that raft. My mom grew up in northeastern Montana on a ranch with an outhouse, no electricity and six older brothers to toughen her up.

We took my parents on the Pacuare a few years ago. It’s famous because it’s amazing, beautiful and fun. The Pacuare isn’t famous because it’s viscous, difficult or dangerous. Pacuare River – It’s hard to decide which is better, the adrenaline of crashing through the throbbing waves or the calm rippling stretches where you can relax and watch the rainforest slip by. Spend a few days around Puerto Viejo relaxing under a palm, enjoying the restaurants, hiking in the Gandoca Manzanillo wildlife refuge, or even surfing before heading back to nature at Tortuguero and its canoe and kayak water trails and of course sea turtles nesting.

The river is a hard act to follow but the Caribbean destinations of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and Tortuguero hold their own. I feel a little guilty invoking “once in a lifetime” considering how many times I’ve gone back, but every time I’ve found something more incredible than the last. Add the overnight in a float in rainforest lodge cut off from from roads, cell service and the world as we know it and it’s a once in a lifetime experience. The Pacuare is one of the top ten rafting rivers in the world. Pacuare River >rafting, rainforest, indigenous + Puerto Viejo > Caribbean beaches, sloths + Tortuguero >wildlife water trails, sea turtles Small raft on the Pacuare Best Places to See Wildlife in Costa Rica.

Puerto viejo costa rica map