Tortuguero

The next stop was a small place called Tortuguero, which can only be reached by boat since it is ultimately a stretch of islands between a river and the sea. The town is also located on the Caribbean coast, and to get there, I booked a shared minivan and a boat. Just being on the way there by boat was really cool and reminded me a bit of the Amazon in Ecuador, where we went as a family once.

Tortuguero (named after Tortuga, which means turtle) is, as the name suggests, especially known for the many turtles that come here every year to lay their eggs. A total of four species come to the beach, and during the time I was there, it was peak season for Green Sea Turtles.

There are no streets, no cars, but many restaurants, bars, and tour operators offering tours - including a turtle tour that many people do. The place is interesting because locals and tourists live completely together without any geographic division, which is really quite cool!

One day I went on foot into the national park and really enjoyed the trail as I barely saw a single person the whole time. Moreover, I saw a few animals that I hadn’t seen in Corcovado Park, which was an additional joy.

The next day, I actually wanted to rent a kayak in the morning and paddle a bit through the mangroves on my own, but the weather ruined my plans… Generally, the weather at that time was not too great. Well, I made the best of it and enjoyed a delicious ceviche amid thunder, lightning, and rain - not bad at all!

On the same day, I then participated in the turtle tour, which seemed like a