Tortuguero National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🐢 Green Turtles Nesting on Black SandTortuguero is the most important sea turtle nesting site in the Western Hemisphere, protecting 35 km of Caribbean beach where green, hawksbill, leatherback, and loggerhead turtles nest annually. The park's labyrinth of natural canals and lagoons — often called the "Amazon of Costa Rica" — shelters an extraordinary diversity of waterbirds, caimans, river otters, manatees, and three monkey species.
10.490° N 83.370° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
★ 
Central American Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
★ 
Common Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
★ 
Great Green Macaw
Ara ambiguus
📊 Most Spotted
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Basiisk Verde
Basiliscus plumifrons
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog
Oophaga pumilio
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Bare-throated Tiger Heron
Tigrisoma mexicanum
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
Sphiggurus mexicanus
Northern Tamandua
Tamandua mexicana
Variegated Squirrel
Sciurus variegatoides
Jaguar
Panthera onca
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Bare-throated Tiger Heron
Tigrisoma mexicanum
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Keel-billed Toucan
Ramphastos sulfuratus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Northern Jacana
Jacana spinosa
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Basiisk Verde
Basiliscus plumifrons
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
American Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
Border Anole
Anolis limifrons
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
Mourning Gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Black River Turtle
Rhinoclemmys funerea
Blunthead Tree Snake
Imantodes cenchoa
Humble Anole
Anolis humilis
Central American Boa
Boa imperator
📊 Most Spotted
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog
Oophaga pumilio
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Red-webbed Tree Frog
Boana rufitela
Sipurio Snouted Treefrog
Scinax elaeochroa
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
Craugastor fitzingeri
Eastern Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca manisorum
Harlequin Treefrog
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
Tink Frog
Diasporus diastema
Green Climbing Toad
Incilius coniferus
Vaillant's Frog
Lithobates vaillanti
Recent sightings in Tortuguero National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Green Turtle Nesting Season
Under cover of darkness, hundreds of green turtles haul their massive bodies onto the black-sand beach, digging deep nests and laying clutches of eggs before slipping back into the surf. This is one of the Caribbean's most important nesting sites, and guided night walks let visitors witness the ancient ritual.
2Great Green Macaw Nesting
One of the region's rarest and most spectacular parrots, the great green macaw pairs off to nest in the towering cavities of old canopy trees, its raucous calls echoing over the waterways. Watch for these vivid emerald giants flying in bonded pairs above the forest.
3Waterbird Breeding Season
The flooded canals and lagoon edges come alive as anhingas, bare-throated tiger herons, and great egrets gather to court and nest, the egrets flushing with delicate breeding plumes. Boat trips glide past rookeries where these long-legged waders raise their young at the water's edge.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Green Turtle Nesting Season
- 2Great Green Macaw Nesting
- 3Waterbird Breeding Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
Our tour took in the main sites of the town including a walk down the beach to spot monkeys, a variety of birds, although despite searching, no sloths!
We can more perceive than see or photograph the various species of monkeys and sloths in the high tree regions, but the boat ride through the tropical forest's water labyrinth has its own vibe, and we do see quite a number of birds and reptiles.
Among the White Throated Capuchin Monkeys we saw Kites flying – apparently they are in a semi-symbiotic relationship with the Capuchins, feeding on the insects that flee from the monkeys.
We saw all sorts of herons (tiger, green backed boat-billed, little blue), one two- and one three-toed sloths, more plumed basilisks, frigate birds, ospreys, black river turtles, white-faced capuchin monkeys, poison dart frogs (below), and spectacle caimans (above), a smaller cousin of the crocodile.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Tortuguero National Park?
The most likely sightings are Green Iguana (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Common Caiman (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Basiisk Verde (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Montezuma Oropendola (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers) — among 1144 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Tortuguero National Park for wildlife?
March has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Green Sea Turtle in Tortuguero National Park?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Green Sea Turtle sighting in Tortuguero National Park, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Central American Spider Monkey in Tortuguero National Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey sighting in Tortuguero National Park, based on 393 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Common Caiman in Tortuguero National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Common Caiman sighting in Tortuguero National Park, based on 514 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Great Green Macaw in Tortuguero National Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Great Green Macaw sighting in Tortuguero National Park, based on 214 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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