Tortuguero National Park

A very popular tourist location is Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast, a wildlife-rich, lowland rainforest of canals and waterways usually explored by boat. Wildlife is easily seen, including many species of bird, three-toed sloth, caiman, river turtle and capuchin, squirrel and spider monkeys. Green and hawksbill turtles nest on the beaches from June to September, while leatherbacks and loggerheads come ashore from March to May. One cannot swim off the long, windswept beaches since there are dangerous rip tides, but they certainly make for long scenic walks.