The trip to Totuguero begins in Limon, Costa Rica’s only Caribbean port city.
Limon is like port cities all over the world. It has it’s rough sections but it also
has a lot going for it. I have spent several days there and never had a problem.
But just like in any port city, there are times of the day and parts of the town into
which I would not roam.
North of Limón, there is a tiny town called Moin. The banana companies have
built a port there too and the Rio Moin, which is the beginning of the Tortuguero
waterway runs by this new port. It is from here that you take the boats up the
waterway to Tortuguero.
There are two times of departure to get to Tortuguero, ten a.m. and one p.m.
So don’t count on seeing a lot of wildlife on the four hour journey up. If the boat
driver spots a croc at the water side, he will stop and let you take pictures. If he
sees Howler Monkeys in the trees, he’ll stop and let you hear their powerful wail.
But to really see wildlife you have to get up with the birds and to the boat drivers,
this is a job, not a passion, so they leave at ten.
The trip itself on 20 foot open outboard boats, some with roofs, some with
canvas tops, is somewhat smooth. They try to make it interesting and point
out critters along the way.
Some of the land is really beautiful, some not so. The waterway itself goes
from wide to narrow, shallow to deep. It is a parallel to the Caribbean and is
mostly fresh water but there are places when it is open to the sea.
Tortuguero itself is a village connected by pedestrian paths. There are no
cars and it is only accessible by boat or plane. There are a lot of little hotels
and guest houses. It is best to make your arrangements before you set out
on this journey.
The big attraction is to watch the turtles lay eggs during the nesting season.
I've seen a few times so I took a pass. But if you've never seen the turtles
and the tremendous effort they put into propagating their species, it is worth
the trip.
Costa Rica
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