How to get from San Jose to Tortuguero

Why visit Tortuguero?

Tortuguero is Costa Rica’s third most visited National Park, thanks to its biodiverse marine and wildlife. From rainforests to lagoons, mangrove forests to swamps — there is so much to see and experience in Tortuguero National Park!

Amidst all its glory, this rainforest is most popular for its turtles. In fact, Tortuguero is a Spanish word that translates to Land of Turtles. Visit from July to October and you’ll most likely find hundreds of sea turtles nesting on its beaches!

Basically a sandbar island between the Caribbean Sea and Tortuguero River, you can only reach the national park by flight or boat from the mainland.

There are 5 ways to travel the 120 kilometres (75 miles) from San Jose to Tortuguero. You can choose between the bus, minivan, private transport, flight and day trip. The journey takes 1 hour 20 minutes to 3 days and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus with tickets starting at 7,600 CRC ($15.10).

A shared minivan shuttle is a convenient way to get to Tortuguero from San Jose. This ticket includes a minivan ride to La Pavona and a boat ride to Tortuguero.

For this option, you will be picked up from your hotel in San Jose and then travel by minivan to La Pavona. Here, you’ll be transferred to a boat which takes you to Tortuguero National Park in around an hour. Both rides will be taken care of by your minivan operator.

Total travel time by minivan and boat from San Jose to Tortuguero takes about 3 to 5 hours. Tickets for the combined journey start at 33,000 CRC ($65).

When on a budget, the bus is the best option. A combined bus and boat ride from San Jose to Tortuguero only costs about 7,600 CRC ($15.10).

There are no direct buses to La Pavona, though, so you’ll need to make a couple of transfers. First, take a bus to Cariari, then switch to one heading to La Pavona. From there, hop on a boat to Tortuguero. The entire bus + boat trip takes around 4 hours 40 minutes to 7 hours.

First, take a bus from San Jose to Cariari, a town 110 km northeast of the capital.

Grupo Caribeños offers multiple trips to Cariari from 06:30 to 19:00. But you have to take one of the morning trips — at either 06:30 or 09:00 — for the best chance of making it to the connecting bus to La Pavona within the same day.

Travel time is 2h 30m. You can buy your ticket at the bus terminal for around 2,060 CRC ($4.10).

Only one bus company — Coopetraca — operates from Cariari to La Pavona. A ticket costs around 1,510 CRC ($3) and you can only buy the tickets at the bus terminal. This leg of the journey takes around 1h 30m.

Some buses depart from Cariari Bus Station and some from Coopetraca Bus Terminal, 500m away from Cariari Bus Station. You can get there by walking a few minutes in the same direction as the bus you took to Cariari.

The bus from Cariari to La Pavona only runs every couple of hours, but don’t worry, the schedule matches up with the boat departures. Even if the bus is a bit late, the boats at La Pavona will wait for you.

IMPORTANT: While on the bus, you might be offered boat tickets, but these tickets are likely overpriced because sellers get a commission from it. It’s best that you buy your tickets at La Pavona to get the correct fare.

You might also come across people offering van rides to La Pavona. They’ll promise you’ll get on a boat as soon as you arrive, but that’s not true — the boats only leave at specific times. But if the bus is taking too long and the price of the minivan suits your budget, it’s an option to get from Cariari to La Pavona faster.

You can also take a taxi if you’d rather get to La Pavona early and relax a bit before the boat. The ride takes about 35 minutes and costs around 18,000 CRC ($35).

At La Pavona, you will find several boats docked at La Pavona (Embarcadero a Tortuguero). Also here, sellers will most probably try to offer boat tickets at a more expensive price as soon as you get off the bus. Politely ignore them and make your way to the official ticket booth.

Don’t worry about getting lost, locals will lead you in the right direction.

Tickets for public boats are as cheap as 4,030 CRC ($8).

Both public and private boats are available here. Public boats have a specific schedule. Private boats, on the other hand, usually agree to depart as long as they have at least 5 passengers. If you’re in a hurry and there’s no public boat departing soon, you can ask fellow travellers if they want to share a private boat with you.

If you want to book your boat ride from La Pavona to Tortuguero in advance, Transporte Tortuguero T7, Fresa, Asotortutrans Del Caribe, and Green Tours CR are available on BookAway with fares from 4,730 CRC ($9.40) one-way.

Looking for the fastest way possible? A flight is the only direct way to reach Tortuguero from San Jose. Travel time is about 1 hour 20 minutes, including airport transfers. It takes away the adventure of the boat ride, but taking a flight is also an opportunity to view Tortuguero from a bird’s eye view.

Combined fares start from 66,000 CRC ($130).

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

From San Jose city centre, you’ll find San Jose Airport 15 km northwest. The best ways to get to the airport are a 1-hour bus or a 30-minute taxi.

The bus is cheap and comfortable with ticket prices from 725 CRC ($1.40). Buses depart from TUASA Terminal in the city centre, every 10 minutes from 04:00 to 22:00 daily.

Two companies are operating this route: TUASA (coloured red and white) and Station Wagon (coloured orange and yellow).

It’s best to allow extra time when taking a bus from San Jose city centre to Juan Santamaria International Airport. The traffic can be really bad in the city and sometimes the bus journey can take over 1 hour.

A more convenient option would be to take a taxi. You can hail one from the street or through the ride-hailing app Uber. Rates to San Jose Airport start from 9,000 CRC ($17.90).

Kate’s insider tip: While Uber is widely used in Costa Rica, it is still not entirely legal. There have been rare cases of Uber rides being stopped in the middle of the journey, not something you’d like to risk when in a hurry to make it to your flight. It’s best to confirm with your hotel whether it’s safe to use Uber before booking a ride.

Sansa Airlines offers daily flights from San Jose to Tortuguero. The direct flight takes 30 minutes. There’s also a flight that makes a quick stop in Limon and takes around 1 hour 15 minutes.

Airfare starts from 63,000 CRC ($125). It’s best to book your ticket through Skyscanner weeks ahead for lower airfares!

Tortuguero Airport is on a tiny bit of land between the Tortuguero River and the Caribbean shoreline. There are no facilities here and nothing else to do after getting off your plane.

The airport, or should we say the landing strip, is about 3 km away from the village centre. From here, you can walk a few kilometres across a sometimes muddy beach or you can take a boat to your accommodation. We don’t recommend walking if you’re carrying rolling luggage.

Rates for a boat ride from Tortuguero Airport to the village centre range between 2,000 CRC ($4) and 5,000 CRC ($10). Ask your accommodation beforehand if they can arrange a boat taxi for you because it’s not always available.

Taking a private transfer from San Jose to Tortuguero can be cheaper than a minivan ride if you’re travelling in a group.

Rates start from 109,000 CRC ($215) for a private minivan that can accommodate up to 4 people. Split the cost and that’s about 27,000 CRC ($54) per person — cheaper than a shared minivan ticket!

With a private transfer, it takes around 3.5 – 4 hours from your hotel in San Jose to La Pavona. Also here, you’ll transfer to a boat to Tortuguero. Combined travel time is around 6 hours.

There are different car choices available depending on the number of people in your group.

If you want to enjoy this trip without the hassle of preparing your transfers, there are a few organised trips you can join from San Jose to Tortuguero. Both one-day and 3-day trips are available.

It’s worth noting that one day will not be enough to really appreciate the natural gifts of Tortuguero National Park, though! A 3-day trip is ideal. That’s if you have the budget for it.

Rates for an organised tour start from 113,000 CRC ($225) per person when booking for two or more people.

GetYourGuide is a reliable tour booking website in the region. It offers a few tour choices from San Jose to Tortuguero. If you only have one day to spare, we recommend their Tortuguero Park Day Tour with Breakfast & Lunch.

The rate of 113,000 CRC ($225) per person includes:

• Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle
• Spanish/English-speaking guide
• Boat ride through Tortuguero canals
• Park fees
• Traditional breakfast
• Buffet lunch

The entire tour, including roundtrip transfers, takes around 12 hours. Not enough time to explore Tortuguero, to be honest, but something you can consider if you’re short on time!

Fancy spending several days in Tortuguero but don’t want to deal with the hassle of transportation? GetYourGuide also offers a Three-Day Excursion from San Jose to Tortuguero.

This option gives you the chance to make the most of your time in the national park, but of course, it doesn’t come cheap. Rates start from 327,000 CRC ($650) per person.

The tour includes:

• Hotel pickup and drop-off (from hotels in San José, Alajuela, and Heredia)
• All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Air-conditioned modern transportation
• Accommodation for 2 nights
• Boat transfers
• Naturalist guide
• Guided tours
• Taxes