Tortuguero National Park
Tortuguero is one of Costa Rica’s most popular National Parks. Protecting over 22 miles of beach strip beginning from the mouth of the River Tortuguero south to Parisimina, this national park is 19,000 hectares. The main attraction of Tortuguero National Park is the turtles, also a number of crustaceans, and over 50 species of freshwater fish.The Leatherback , the largest sea turtle species in the world, nests from February to July.
The park has incredible biological variety, due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats , including rainforest,swamps,beaches , and lagoons. The flora in this area is also very rich and abundant. Some of the species found in this region are crab wood, coconut trees, banak and forest. The best way to see most of the park is from a boat.
Tortuguero shelters a fabulous array of wildlife, including more than 300 bird species, among them the great green macaw; 57 species of amphibians and 111 of reptiles. Commonly seen birds include toucans, aricaris, oropendolas, swallow-tailed hawks, several species of herons, kingfishers, anhingas and parrots.
Tortuguero offers the opportunity to see monkeys, sloths, manatees, caimans, snakes, river otter, macaws, toucans and dozens of other wildlife species.
