Tortuguero is a narrow strip of land that floats between the Caribbean Sea and the Tortuguero Lagoon. It is barely attached to the mainland Costa Rica and has no road connection with the rest of the country.
The only two ways to get to Tortuguero are by domestic plane or by boat.
In this blog post, we will share everything you need to know about how to get to Tortuguero by both these modes of transportation.
How to Get to Tortuguero: Quick Overview
📍 From San Jose:
| 🛩️ By Air | Book on Fly Sansa |
| 🚗🛥️ By Car + Boat: | Step 1: Drive to La Pavona dock. Check Costa Rica car rental deal. Step 2: Take boat from Pavona to Tortuguero. Buy tickets on Tiketico website or on Bookaway (use promo code PARADISE5 for 5% discount). |
| 🚌🛥️ By Bus + Boat | Read this |
📍 From La Fortuna:
| 🚗🛥️ By Car + Boat: | Step 1: Drive to La Pavona dock. Check Costa Rica car rental deal. Step 2: Take boat from Pavona to Tortuguero. Buy tickets on Tiketico website or on Bookaway (use promo code PARADISE5 for 5% discount). |
| 🚐 🛥️Guided Transfer | Book with Exploradores Outdoors |
📍 From Puerto Viejo de Talamanca:
| 🛩️ By Air | Transfer to Limon. Direct flight (20 minutes) from Limon to Tortuguero. Book on Fly Sansa. |
| 🚗🛥️ By Car + Boat: | Step 1: Drive to Moin dock. Check Costa Rica car rental deal. Step 2: Take boat from Moin to Tortuguero. |
| 🚐 🛥️Guided Transfer | Book with Exploradores Outdoors or Tortuguero Shuttle. |
➡️ Related Reading: Things to Do in Tortuguero + Guide
By Air: San Jose to Tortuguero
To get to Tortuguero, the first option is to take a domestic flight. Sansa offers daily flights between San Jose and Tortuguero.
⏳ Duration: San Jose to Tortuguero flight duration is 35 minutes.
💲 Ticket Price: The airfare ranges between 110-140 USD.
You can check flight schedule and fare, and buy your tickets on the Fly Sansa website.
What to Expect from the Flight
Domestic flights in Costa Rica are done in small aircrafts, so they do not soar very high as regular airplanes.
So, although a short duration flight, it offers stunning aerial views of the country as you fly from San Jose to Tortuguero.
The airstrip in Tortuguero is located at the far north end of the narrow strip of land where Tortuguero lies. So, as you land, you get to see the wonderful geographic positioning of Tortuguero.
How to Get from Tortuguero Airport to Tortuguero Town
To get to the town of Tortuguero, you need to take a public boat.
Alternatively, you can request your hotel in Tortuguero to arrange for this transfer, so that you do not need to spend time figuring out the correct next steps.
🏨 Check out our guide on the best hotels in Tortuguero.
If you do not take the domestic flight to get to Tortuguero, you can still get a cool aerial view of Tortuguero town and the adjacent lakes and sea by hiking Cerro Tortuguero.
By Boat: San Jose/ La Fortuna to Tortuguero
🚗 This section focuses on how to get to La Pavona dock by driving.
💰 Get a free quote here for your Costa Rica rental car.
Planning to get there by bus? Read our post on How to Get from San Jose to Tortuguero by bus and boat.
To La Pavona Dock
If you are traveling from San Jose or La Fortuna, La Pavona dock would be nearest embarking point for Tortuguero.
How to Get to La Pavona Dock
➡️ From San Jose: Take Ruta 32 from San Jose till Guapiles. It is a mountainous road with lots of curves, but also offering scenic views for the most part. After Guapiles, take the left and pass by towns like Pococci and Cariari to proceed towards La Pavona embarking point.
⏳ The drive takes around 2.5-3 hours, depending on traffic conditions.
➡️ From La Fortuna: Take Ruta 4 to connect to Ruta 32. Once on Ruta 32, head towards Guapiles and follow the same route as described before.
⏳ The drive takes around 3.5-4 hours, subject to traffic.
What to Do after Arriving at La Pavona Dock?
One you arrive at the parking lot of La Pavona dock, the steps are very simple to follow.
🅿️ There are two parking lots at La Pavona. We used the one on the right, closer to the dock.
There will be couple of people at the main gate, explaining you the process, if you need.
- If you haven’t purchased tickets online in advance, buy tickets for your boat rides (return journey) and for your car parking. You can buy both together from the same counter.
- Park your car in the secure parking lot. Remember to take everything you need for your trip.
- Wait at the restaurant area for boarding the boat from the bank at the allocated time.
- Remember to retain your ticket as you will need to show the same for your boat journey from Tortuguero.
Facilities at La Pavona Dock
Restaurant: The restaurant serves all meals and sells snacks and beverages too. So you can plan your meal here before your onward journey or after your return. Or simply grab a snack while waiting for your turn to embark the boat.
Restrooms: Clean restrooms are available at the restaurant. You need to pay 500 colones to use it if you do not consume anything from the restaurant.
Mini Market: There is a mini market on site at the restaurant.
WiFi: Free Wi-Fi is available at the restaurant.
Boat: La Pavona to Tortuguero
Ferry Ticket: La Pavona to Tortuguero
You have 3 options to buy tickets for Pavona to Tortuguero boat ride:
📱 Option 1: Buy online in advance on the Tiketico website.
📱 Option 2: Buy online in advance on Bookaway and choose from various providers and schedules. Use our code PARADISE5 to get a 5% discount.
🅿️ Option 3: Once you get to Pavona parking, buy the tickets there from one of the companies. You will need to pay in cash.
💰 La Pavona to Tortuguero boat ride costs 4000 CRC per person. Buying online can cost a few hundred colones more for the service charge and taxes collected by the website.
Additionally, you will also need to pay for parking. There is no separate cost for bringing luggage on boat.
Ferry Schedule: La Pavona to Tortuguero
There are many providers serving the boat route between Pavona and Tortuguero.
Here is the boat service schedule of Asotortutrans del Caribe, one of the official public transport providers.
| Pavona to Tortuguero | Tortuguero to Pavona |
|---|---|
| 6:00 am | 5:00 am |
| 7:30 am | 7:00 am |
| 9:00 am | 9:00 am |
| 11:00 am | 11:00 am |
| 1:00 pm | 1:00 pm |
| 3:00 pm | 2:00 pm (Saturday & Sunday) |
| 4:30 pm | 3:00 pm |
⏳ The boat ride from Pavona to Tortuguero can take 45-90 minutes, depending on the river water level.
By Boat: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to Tortuguero
By Air
Fly Sansa operates direct flights from Limon to Tortuguero.
From Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, you need to get to Limon airport on your own, and then catch the short 20 minute plane ride from Limon to Tortuguero.
To get to Limon airport, you can book a shuttle transfer or ask your hotel in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca for arranging a transfer.
🏨 Check out our guide on best hotels to stay in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Via Moin Dock
From Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and other southern Caribbean towns like Cahuita or Manzanillo, Moin is the nearest dock for embarking a boat to Tortuguero.
Independent Transfer
Take Ruta 36 to drive from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca till Moin dock via Limon.
⏳ It takes between 1 to 1.5 hours for the drive.
Similar to La Pavona dock, you can park your car overnight at the secure parking lot of the dock for a daily fee.
🚗 Rent your car with Adobe Rent A Car and get 10% discount and other freebies →
Ferry Schedule: 10:00 am
Boat Ride Duration: The boat ride from Moin to Tortuguero takes about 3.5 to 4 hours.
Ferry Ticket Price: 40 USD per person.
We have personally not taken the ferry route from Moin. So, we would also like to suggest an alternative, a guided transfer to Tortuguero.
Guided Transfer
You can book a shuttle + boat transfer service through one of the tour companies in the Caribbean region.
They will pick you up from Puerto Viejo or Cahuita in a shuttle bus and drive to Moin dock. The shuttle bus may have WiFi on board.
After arriving at Moin dock, you will get a half an hour break before boarding the boat. The boat tour from Moin to Tortuguero will take about 3.5 to 4 hours.
On the boat, the captain will guide you with information and sightings of the wildlife as you pass through the jungle waterways of Caribbean Costa Rica.
The regular luggage allowance includes 1 large bag or backpack + 1 carry on.
Tour Price: 70 USD approx.
🚐🛥️ Some of the tour companies offering this transfer service from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to Tortuguero are Exploradores Outdoors and Tortuguero Shuttle.
Tips for Your Journey to Tortuguero
- Check the ferry schedule at the time of your travel because it may change.
- Pack light, so that movement is easier as you switch different modes of transport.
- Paid parking areas are safe. Still remember to lock your car and not leave any valuables behind.
- The boat is narrow long boat with shade on top. So, you will not get drenched even if it rains. But to protect your valuables and tech gear from rain splashes or canal water splashes, use a dry bag.
- The boat will drop you off at and pick up from the main dock of Tortuguero town. If you are staying at one of the bigger hotels which are little off the main town, coordinate with the hotel from your transfer between Tortuguero main dock and the dock nearest to the hotel.
Final Thoughts
The domestic flight to Tortuguero offers wonderful perspectives, whereas the boat ride to Tortuguero is through beautiful canals with rainforests on either side. You may spot some animals and birds too during the boat ride, if you watch closely.
So, whichever mode of transport you choose to get to Tortuguero, it is likely to be a wonderful travel experience by itself.
Travel Resources
- Flights: Skyscanner
- Hotels: Booking.com | Expedia
- Tours: Viator | GetYourGuide
- Travel Insurance:
- Heymondo (get 5% off)
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
- eSIMs:
- Transfers: Bookaway. Code PARADISE5 for 5% off
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Boat ticket is now 8000 colones and parking is now 6500 colones pr day…
Oh is it? Thanks for the information Rita. We are going to update the article.