Early in the morning, you'll be picked up from your hotel for the drive to the Caribbean coast, traveling through the lush tropical rainforest of Braulio Carrillo National Park, which is one of the largest in the country. Banana plantations line the highway en route to La Pavona, where you board a boat for a scenic ride on the La Suerte River, Tortuguero River, and through the Tortuguero Canals. The boat ride offers lovely views of the Costa Rica rainforest and mangrove swamps, teeming with exotic wildlife such as sloths, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, coatimundis, raccoons, crocodiles, egrets, parrots, and jaguars—to name a few!
Arriving in the island village of Tortuguero, enjoy lunch at Turtle Beach Lodge and then a free afternoon to relax and explore on your own. Spend the next two nights at the lodge, which offers optional garden tours, a refreshing turtle-shaped pool, a dugout canoe, and nightly turtle-watching tours.
