General Information:Tortuguero National Park is located along the Northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It was created in 1975 for the protection of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), for it is their most important spawning area in western the Caribbean. This is predominately an area of humid tropical jungle with an average annual temperature of 26° C and precipitation that fluctuates between 4500 and 6000 mm of rain annually. The biodiversity of the Park is impressive, including mammals in danger of extinction such as the jaguar, the manigordo, the danta (who is the largest animal in the tropical jungles of America), the manatee, the tolomuco, the sloth and three species of monkeys, as well as others. Of are approximately 350 species of birds, half of them can be found in Costa Rica and the same biodiversity can be found of amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects. Rivers, canals and lagoons are utilized as the main source of transportation for not only visiting the National Park but also for the local citizens and tourists entering or leaving this region of the country. These navigable waterways also serve as the way in which visitors can tour the area in order to get up close to and appreciate the flora and fauna of this special place. Tortuguero is the answer to any nature lover’s wildest dreams. The town of Tortuguero is a small community located on one of the islands between the sea and the lagoons of Tortuguero. In reality it is a strip of land where everyone communicates about everyone along the main street (the only street that there is!), there are NO cars! Only bicycles are used by the locals to go do their errands! In spite of the fact that it is very small, the community of Tortuguero offers all basic services(potable water, electricity, telephones, internet, etc.), also there are restaurants, small grocery stores, souvenir shops, bars… |
