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Costa Rica · Tortuguero

Turtles: seasons and tours

When each species nests, how the guided tour works and where to learn more.

6 places1 closed or restricted, flagged

  1. Green turtle nesting tour1

    Photo: Los Paseos from Earth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    WildlifeSeasonal

    Green turtle nesting tour

    Tortuguero beach, public or park sector0.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    $15
    Hours
    20:00 to 22:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    A guided night tour to watch green turtles lay eggs on Tortuguero beach. Trackers locate the turtles and radio the groups waiting at assigned points.

    Green turtles nest mainly from July to October, peaking in August and September (STC says June to November). You can only go with an authorised guide: the beach is closed at night without a tour.

    Source: Área de Conservación Tortuguero – Información turística · 2026 · +3

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $$ · US$15–50
    Hours
    Slots from 20:00 to 22:00 and from 22:00 to midnight.
    Booking
    With a guide holding a turtle-watching licence; the guide enters a daily draw and confirms your sector and time after 17:00.

    Tip: Groups of at most 11 including the guide and 20 people per turtle, in turns of 10. Dark clothes, no flash or lights. Seeing a turtle is never guaranteed.

    Nearby: Leatherback nesting tour (0 km) · Tortuguero beach (daytime) (0 km) · Beach at night without a guide (0 km)

    Sources: Área de Conservación Tortuguero – Información turística · SINAC – Parque Nacional Tortuguero · Sea Turtle Conservancy – Green turtles in Tortuguero · Sea Turtle Conservancy – Community outreach and Visitor’s Center

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  2. 2

    WildlifeSeasonal

    Leatherback nesting tour

    Tortuguero beach0.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    $15
    Hours
    20:00 to 22:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    The leatherback, the world’s largest turtle, also nests in Tortuguero, though in smaller numbers than the green turtle. It is watched on the same guided night programme.

    The season runs roughly from March to May or June, with few turtles. If leatherbacks are your priority, the Pacuare Reserve monitors more nests of this species from March to July.

    Source: SINAC – Parque Nacional Tortuguero · 2026 · +2

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $$ · US$15–50
    Hours
    Slots from 20:00 to 22:00 and from 22:00 to midnight.
    Booking
    With a guide holding a turtle-watching licence; the guide enters a daily draw and confirms your sector and time after 17:00.

    Tip: Groups of at most 11 including the guide and 20 people per turtle, in turns of 10. Dark clothes, no flash or lights. Seeing a turtle is never guaranteed.

    Nearby: Green turtle nesting tour (0 km) · Tortuguero beach (daytime) (0 km) · Beach at night without a guide (0 km)

    Sources: SINAC – Parque Nacional Tortuguero · Área de Conservación Tortuguero – Información turística · Sea Turtle Conservancy – Tortuguero research and conservation

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  3. 3

    CultureOpen

    Sea Turtle Conservancy Visitor’s Center

    200 m north of the school, between the village and Mawamba0.6 km from the centre

    Entry
    $2.50
    Hours
    8:00–12:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    A small museum at the Sea Turtle Conservancy biological station, the organisation that has studied Tortuguero’s turtles since the 1950s. It has panels on the species and their migrations, a film and a shop.

    Source: Sea Turtle Conservancy – Community outreach and Visitor’s Center · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    US$2.50 per person.
    Hours
    Daily, 8:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00.

    Tip: STC runs a 1–3 week volunteer programme in green turtle season.

    Nearby: Night walk and frog tour (0.6 km) · Tortuguero village (0.6 km) · Caribbean food in the village (0.6 km)

    Sources: Sea Turtle Conservancy – Community outreach and Visitor’s Center · Rough Guides – Tortuguero National Park

  4. 4

    WildlifeSeasonal

    Pacuare Reserve

    Matina, Limón; by boat only45.3 km from the centre

    Entry
    $50
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    A non-profit private reserve of about 1,700 acres in Matina, with 6 km of beach that is one of the country’s most important leatherback nesting sites. Visitors can join the nightly turtle census.

    Leatherbacks nest from March to July and hatchlings emerge from June to September. Outside that period the reserve stays open for wildlife, birds and canals.

    Source: Pacuare Reserve (Ecology Project International) · 2025

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $$$ · over US$50
    Booking
    Bookings via WhatsApp (+506 8909 9122); there is an ecolodge, rustic cabins and volunteering.

    Tip: There is no electricity: bring a red-light torch and expect a simple stay.

    Nearby: Parismina (14.5 km) · Jalova sector (14.6 km)

    Sources: Pacuare Reserve (Ecology Project International)

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  5. 5

    WildlifeOpen

    Parismina

    Tortuguero canals, south of the park30.9 km from the centre

    Entry
    Not stated
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    A village of about 500 people at the mouth of the Reventazón River, halfway between Tortuguero and Limón, with no road access. Four turtle species nest on its beach, protected by the community group ASTOP since 2001.

    Source: Wikipedia – Parismina · 2026

    Practical details and sources

    Tip: Besides ecotourism, it lives from sport fishing. It fits as a stop on the canal route between Limón and Tortuguero.

    Nearby: Jalova sector (0.3 km) · Pacuare Reserve (14.5 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Parismina

  6. 6

    BeachClosed or prohibited

    Beach at night without a guide

    0.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    Not stated
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    From 1 March to 31 October entering the beach between 18:00 and 6:00 is prohibited, from the river mouth to the park, to protect nesting turtles.

    Closed at night in nesting season. The only way to be on the beach at night is a turtle tour with an authorised guide, with no lights or flash.

    Source: Área de Conservación Tortuguero – Información turística · 2026 · +1

    Cannot be saved: it is closed or prohibited.

    Practical details and sources

    Nearby: Green turtle nesting tour (0 km) · Leatherback nesting tour (0 km) · Tortuguero beach (daytime) (0 km)

    Sources: Área de Conservación Tortuguero – Información turística · SINAC – Parque Nacional Tortuguero

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