Tortuguero - Arrival

2.11.2026 - Arrival in Tortuguero

This morning I do my yoga by the pool .... Namaste. I should have done this much earlier; in the cramped room, I was always bumping into something, and it was quite humid.

After my favorite breakfast 'Tropical', we set off .... we turn our backs on Cahuita and continue along the Caribbean coast to Tortuguero, first to the boat dock at La Pavona. The drive takes us back along the coast to Puerto Limón, and I see the stands with coconut oil by the roadside again. I would have liked to take photos or even better, bought something, but unfortunately, there was no way to stop. From Puerto Limón, enormous banana plantations accompany us on our journey inland. These were already present along the coast, but now they take on gigantic proportions. Bananas as far as the eye can see.

The drive along the main route Ruta 32 requires constant attention, as the speed limit seems to change every few meters, and I constantly have to reduce my speed from 80 to 60 to 40 and at worst to 25. Now it no longer surprises me why it takes us 3.5 hours for the 186 km. Added to this are the bizarre announcements from our navigation system Waze: 'Caution, high-speed road crossing' and 'complex intersection ahead.'

In the small town of Guacimo, we want to get some dollars, refuel, and have a coffee. However, obtaining cash in dollars proves to be more difficult than expected: there is a long queue at the ATM of the Bank of Costa Rica, and when I finally get my turn, the machine informs me that a withdrawal is not possible. Or something similar. In any case, my internet research reveals that there is a withdrawal limit of 200 USD at the BCR, which the National Bank of Costa Rica does not have. So we head there. However, at the ATM, there is no option to select the currency. So, back to the BCR. But we can't get 200 USD from the ATM either; we get the same error message. I ask the security officer at the bank, and he tells me I will have to go to Guapiles. I'm slowly getting quite nervous about whether we'll make it in time for the boat. So no coffee. We drive to Guapiles, but there we receive the same error message. We resign ourselves and withdraw Colones instead. We will have to pay for the tours and the hotel in Tortuguero in Colones. In Tortuguero, there is no ATM, and the internet is very unreliable, which may prevent card payments.

We continue from Guapiles towards Caiari on highway 247, and the speed limit is regularly 40 km/h. SLOW. This is also due to the numerous schools, mainly elementary schools, that exist along the route in every little village. In front of the schools, there are nasty speed bumps, over which I occasionally flew because they were either not announced and/or I did not recognize them or could not see them.

Suddenly, a capuchin monkey crosses the road and joins its group in the tree right by the roadside. We can observe the monkeys for quite a while.

At the parking lot by the boat dock at La Pavona, the road ends. We are greeted by 4 locals, and I'm immediately overwhelmed and initially defensive because I'm used to the procedure from Asia, and I have already booked the parking, boat ticket, hotel, and tours online, and I don't want to be sold additional tours. In the end, everything goes smoothly; we find our parking provider, park our Jimny, and wait in the restaurant with a coffee (finally!) and Casado (we actually ordered 'Típico Tacos' on the menu and wondered about the enormous portion of Casado with rice, chicken, beans, salad, and potatoes that was then brought to the table—must have been a communication problem, but the food tasted super delicious).

At 3:15 pm, we follow our captain to the provisional dock, and the adventure in Tortuguero can begin.

The hour-long ride through the winding canals to Tortuguero is an experience in itself; my friend even sees a crocodile lying on a sandbank. We lean back and enjoy the ride and especially the breeze.

The village of Tortuguero is a small settlement with colorful wooden houses located on a narrow sandbank between the Caribbean Sea and the rainforest canals, and it can only be reached by boat or airplane. There are no roads leading into the village, and the means of transportation are boats, bicycles, or one's own feet. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed, influenced by Afro-Caribbean culture (Pura Vida). The village today lives almost exclusively from ecotourism and the protection of sea turtles.

We are picked up at the boat dock by the hotel guide and walk along the village street and through side streets to our hotel El Icaco, which is slightly outside by the beach.

We are warmly welcomed by Joshua, whose most distinctive feature is probably the hair clip in his short gray hair, and who says 'Pura Vida' after nearly every sentence. The cabins are functional and simply furnished, all designed in very colorful ways; there is air conditioning, free coffee all day, a small pool, and a semi-open restaurant where breakfast is served in the mornings and dinner is offered in the evenings. We freshen up briefly and walk into the village. Although we are not particularly hungry after the hearty lunch, a beer for a sundowner by the river is always a good idea.

And while relaxing at a very nice bar overlooking the river, the heavens open. Wow, it rains buckets, and we are really grateful not to be out on a night hike right now.