Caribbean Region - Tortuguero, Puerto Viejo

Area Information  | Weather | Travel Time | Hotels | Tours | National Parks

Area Information:

The Caribbean region has more cultural diversity than the Pacific coast. Half of this coastal area is protected by national parks and wildlife refuges, which has slowed development and the building of access roads, making it an especially verdant place to get away from it all. The main city is Puerto Limón , which has a tropical park teeming with flowers and sloths. Parque Nacional Tortuguero is the most important Caribbean breeding ground of the green sea turtle and has plenty of birds, monkeys and lizards. The Park wetlands are home to many creatures as well. The system of waterways here is fabulous, a natural plumbing system of canals and navigable lagoons that crisscross the park from southeast to northwest, bringing a constant fresh supply of water to the Park lowlands, providing the perfect habitat for seven species of land turtles, manatees, crocodiles, a wide range of crustaceans and fifty two species of freshwater fish. The Creole beach paradise of Cahuita has a nearby national park with attractive beaches, coral reef and coastal rain forest. Cahuita National Park , with its miles of coconut groves, white sand beaches and clear blue waters, is one of the most scenic in Costa Rica . Its reef is the only mature coral formation found on Costa Rica 's Caribbean coast. Its fan shape covers around 600 Ha. (1,500 acres) and most of it is under about 11 meters (36 feet) of water. Bribri culture can be experienced in the surfing mecca of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca . Handicrafts, reggae, home stays and cultural tours make Puerto Viejo an especially interesting destination.

Weather:

The Caribbean coastline has an average temperature of 86°F during the day and 70°F at night. This is the wettest region in the Country with the average rainfall during the rainy season is 224 inches per year.  For live weather info, see our weather page.

Travel time:

Travelling to Tortuguero is 5-6 hours by bus and boat. If you want to fly, there is one daily scheduled early morning flight that takes 50 minutes to the airstrip, then a quick boat ride to the hotels. To get to the Southern Caribbean region: Limon, Puerto Viejo, takes about 4 hours from San Jose.

Hotels:

There are a variety of rainforest lodges in Tortuguero, the Northern Caribbean region. On the Southern side, there are beach hotels, tree houses and jungle lodge bungalows.  For more information, review our list of recommended hotels for this region.

Tours :

GaiaLink Tours and Services is please to offer a wide selection of tours throughout this region.  Whether you're looking for adventure, sightseeing or education, we have the tour for you.  Please see our list of recommended tours for this region.

National Park & Preserves:

Northern Caribbean

Southern Caribbean

*Click the links below for more information on tours and packages in this area:

Caribbean Region Hotels | Caribbean Region Tours