This 19,000 hectare park encompasses diverse wetlands penetrating inland for 15 kilometres, a 23 kilometre section of shoreline that is the Caribbean’s premier nesting site for green turtles, and ocean waters that stretch 29 kilometres offshore. Tortuguero is also astonishingly rich in wildlife. No wonder that it is one of the nation’s most popular parks.

This remote park is pinned by the funky hamlet of Tortuguero, sprawling along a 6,4 km sandy peninsula between a lagoon and the sea. At the northern end of the promontory, aircraft swoop down to the grass strip, form where boats ferry travelers to lodges or to the isolated village, which offers budget accommodations, canoes and guides for hire.

The park is cut by a maze of waterways that guarantee superb wildlife viewing. You are not likely to spot jaguars, tapirs, or any of the other endangered animals that inhabit the park.