Travelling abroad is a distant dream right now, but we can reminisce over previous adventures and plan future ones.
In December 2018 I travelled to Costa Rica, renowned for its wildlife. The trip was split into three sections and this post focuses on Tortuguero National Park. It’s hailed as “Costa Rica’s Amazon” for its rainforest and labyrinth of canals.
With no roads into Tortuguero, it has a reputation for being tricky to access. With a little planning, this is no longer the case. We drove from San Jose to La Pavona, passing through Braulio Carrillo National Park. The final section to La Pavona is gravel road, but our 4×4 wasn’t necessary. This may be different in the rainy season.
At La Pavona, we took a passenger ferry to Tortugero. This in itself was enjoyable as we saw a variety of wildlife along the way. For more advice on getting to Tortugero, visit mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-travel-tips/how-to-get-to-tortuguero-by-boat-and-plane
Tortuguero village 
Canoeing excursion
Our accommodation was opposite the village, but separated by a wide canal. On the plus side, it was more remote and we encountered lots of wildlife nearby. Sightings included sloths, lizards, blue crabs, leaf cutter ants, toucans and parrots. However excursions required a water taxi over to Tortuguero.
We took a guided canoe trip and I strongly recommend this over larger power boats. We accessed small, overgrown canals and it felt adventurous ducking under overhanging vegetation. The guide was quick to spot and identify a huge array of wildlife. In one morning we encountered Squirrel monkeys, Howler monkeys, Basilisk Lizards, caiman, iguanas, bats, butterflies and many species of bird.
Sloth above the accommodation 
One of many species of bird
