Cerro Tortuguero was not just our favourite walk in Tortuguero, but it was also the cheapest! The walk takes you through pristine rainforest teeming with Howler monkeys and exotic birds, and up to a viewpoint overlooking the river and ocean. At just USD $2, it’s one of the best value things we did in all of Costa Rica!
It’s really easy to visit independently and though the walk up to the viewpoint does have quite a few stairs, if you take your time, it’s not overly difficult, especially as the track is so well maintained.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Cerro Tortuguero walk.
The Cerro Tortuguero Walk
The stats
Distance: 2.4km total (both trails combined)
Elevation gain: 75m
Difficulty: Easy
Summary: The Cerro Tortuguero walk is in two parts, the first is a very easy walk through the rainforest on a flat concrete path.
The second section takes you up several staircases to the lookout at the top of the hill. The paths are both very well maintained. You need to book entry tickets beforehand, which we detail below.
The rainforest path - 1.4km return
When you first arrive off the boat at Cerro Tortuguero, take a minute to let everyone else go ahead of you. It’s when you’re alone that you can really take in the scene.
It feels wild as you stand on this tiny beach surrounded by immense jungle. The sound of cicadas fills the air and the atmosphere is just incredible.
You’ll walk up a couple of steps and come to a tiny shelter where someone checks you have made a reservation online (more info on how to do that below).
From here you will turn left to start on the flat walk through the rainforest. The path is concrete, so it doesn’t suffer from the notorious mud you might find at the other section of the national park, located in Tortuguero village.
The rainforest path is where you will likely see the most wildlife. We hadn’t gone two minutes before a rustling in the trees alerted us to a troop of Howler monkeys above.
We watched their antics for a while before continuing for another 350m to a small bat cave. You can’t go in the cave, but you can see and hear the bats!
From here the walk continues through the jungle and you’ll likely see many more Howler monkeys and various different birds. There are reptiles here too, although we never saw any.
The forest is just spectacular and the dense canopy provides full shade, which was bliss on a hot day. If you’re lucky enough to get the trail to yourself like we did, it’s all the more special.
There are no sounds but that of nature, and it’s a wonderful start to the walk.
After a further 350m (700m total) you’ll arrive at another pier. You’ll find a toilet block with clean flush toilets, toilet paper and soap - a real surprise in this remote location! You’ll also see a ticket office, although it didn’t appear to be in use anymore.
This second pier was clearly the original start point for the trail, but now it’s where the public ferry drops you off (the eastern bank) - as that’s where the park ranger checks tickets.
If you hire a private boat, you can use the second pier as an alternative start point for the walk, making it a one-way trail by finishing at the public ferry drop off (although either version is still a very easy walk).
Once you’ve reached the pier, turn around and head back to the junction where your tickets were checked for the second trail, which leads up to Cerro Tortuguero.
The Cerro Tortuguero walk - 1km return
Once you’re back at the junction where your ticket is checked you’ll now head right, up to Cerro Tortuguero. The first 140m are flat and through yet more stunning rainforest. Some huge plants loom over the trail in what feels like a bid to reclaim it.
After this initial flat stretch it’s all uphill. There are 441 steps, but they are quite shallow, so it actually doesn’t take very long. The most difficult part is the heat and humidity, but at least it’s shady!
The jungle scenery is also incredible, so you can stop as often as you like to scan for wildlife (although we saw less here than on the rainforest path).
The stairs are railed all the way to the top, so it’s suitable for all weathers, which is great because it tends to rain a lot in Tortuguero!
Once you reach the top you’ll find a lookout platform with views over the village, rainforest, river and ocean. Scores of vultures circled overhead which made it feel a bit more dramatic.
Although there’s no seating, it’s a nice spot to sit on the platform itself and soak up the view, before descending the same way back to the junction.
Continuing on to San Francisco village
You don’t have to continue on to the village as the boat can pick you up exactly where it dropped you off. However, if you’re doing the public boat both ways, it’s likely that you’ll end up having quite a bit of time on your hands due to the limited sailings.
We walked slowly and stayed for ages at the viewpoint, but still had well over an hour before the boat would arrive, so we decided to head to San Francisco village for a drink before hopping on the boat back.
To get there, you’ll take the 670m flat walking trail. The public boat also stops here just five minutes before it picks up from Cerro Tortuguero, and there’s a bar right by the ferry dock where you can wait.
From the junction where you had your ticket checked, you’ll see a jungle track on the right. Sadly you’re only in the jungle for a matter of minutes before popping out at a normal dirt path, which runs between the jungle and the river.
If you’re visiting after a lot of rain then instead of walking the little bit through the jungle, which will be very muddy, you can just walk a touch further towards the river and take the path from there instead.
The path is flat and obvious, and you’ll quickly arrive at the village. You need to turn left at the sign for Donde Muka, you can see it in the photo below.
After a few minutes you’ll arrive at the bar. There are a couple of hammocks, which made the hour’s wait pass by very happily. Drinks at the bar were overpriced, but it was worth it to wait somewhere cool and comfy.
Alternatively you could probably stop somewhere else for drinks, which would be cheaper, and then come down to the ferry when it’s about to leave.
Cerro Tortuguero entry fee and how to book tickets
The park entry fee for Cerro Tortuguero is just USD $2 for foreigners and even less for residents. You need to book ahead of time at this website. You’ll need to create an account and log in.
Make sure you select Sector Cerro Tortuguero, not the national park, or you’ll be paying over USD $15. You will need to create an account beforehand if you haven’t been to somewhere like Manuel Antonio in which case you will already have one.
We actually hadn’t booked tickets, not realising we needed to, and we had phone signal with Claro at Cerro Tortuguero - but don’t risk this as if you don’t have signal, the ranger said we’d have to walk to San Francisco and try there.
How to get to Cerro Tortuguero
You have to take a boat to get to Cerro Tortuguero. The journey time from the village is approximately 15-25 minutes, depending on if other people are being dropped off anywhere else on route. The boats leave from the main pier where you will have been dropped off when first arriving in Tortuguero.
The boat journey is 1,000 colones each way (approx USD $2). We asked the price of a private boat and were quoted USD $20 each way (for the whole boat). We didn’t haggle as we knew we were taking the public boat, but you probably could get it down a bit as it’s a short journey. If you do take a private boat you could ask to go to the pier at the other end of the rainforest track, where the ticket office is, so you only walk it one way.
A private boat does mean you can pick your timings, which is beneficial if you’re short on time. For example most public boats we saw had a three hour gap, eg we took the 2.30pm boat and pick up was at 5.30pm. This was fine for us, but we had plenty of time.
In terms of boat departures, we couldn’t find it written anywhere online. We were told different times by different people in the village, but at the pier they told us you could depart Tortuguero at 9am, 11am and 2.30pm. Please do check this ahead of time though, as we did hear different things, and times could also change.
Where we stayed in Tortuguero
Casa Chilamates 2.0
There was a lot to like about Casa Chilamates 2.0, but also some faults. Firstly, it’s a little house with a kitchen, a good shower, very powerful AC and a jungle setting, yet just a five minute walk from town. It was perfectly quiet at night apart from the sounds of the insects, which I personally love.
However, the curtains are very thin and the surrounding houses leave their porch lights on all night. If light bothers you, do not stay here. Also the AC unit is powerful, but very noisy and had a bright light which couldn’t be turned off. Personally I didn’t like these two things, but I am very sensitive when it comes to sleeping - not one previous reviewer had mentioned these points, so I guess I am alone in this!
If you don’t mind the light and AC noise, then you’re surrounded by Great green macaws and Howler monkeys in the nearby trees, which is very special.
You can check out more reviews and the prices on:
Mawamba Lodge
Due to the aforementioned sleeping issues, If I am lucky enough to return to Tortuguero for a third time, I would stay at Mawamba Lodge. We actually walked past it on our night walk and it looked great. It was in a quiet location, a bit away from town, but if you don’t want to walk in, I believe you can catch a boat.
The rooms look lovely and each window is netted, so you get the full breeze, which is why I’d pick it as Tortuguero was insanely hot (although we were visiting in a rare patch with no rain!). I believe there is no AC, which I prefer, but won’t be for everyone.
They also have hammocks on the porch and there’s a pool.
You can check the reviews and prices on:
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