Getting to Tortuguero is part of the trip
There are no roads to Tortuguero — and that's the point. A look at the four ways into the lodge and why the journey itself is half the experience.
- By
- Mawamba Lodge team
- Published
Most Costa Rican destinations are a few hours of highway. Tortuguero is not. There are no roads in. The village sits on a thin strip of jungle between the Caribbean Sea and a network of rivers, and the only way to reach it is by boat or small plane.
For some travellers that sounds like a hassle. For everyone we’ve ever hosted, it turns into the part of the trip they remember most.
Why no roads
In 1975, Costa Rica declared this entire stretch of coast a National Park. The decision was deliberate: turtle nesting beaches, primary rainforest, an intact canal system. To keep that ecosystem intact, the country never built a road in. Access has always been by water, the way the original communities of this coast travelled too.
The upside is what you see during the ride. Most guests reach us via a 3- to 4-hour drive followed by a 1- to 1.5-hour boat through the canals — and that boat ride is where the rainforest first reveals itself: howler monkeys overhead, herons fishing the banks, sometimes a sleepy caiman pulling itself out of view.
The four ways in
1. Fly Sansa from San José. About 35 minutes from SJO airport to Tortuguero’s airstrip. We arrange a complimentary boat transfer from the strip to the lodge once you send us your flight time. The fastest option, and the cheapest if you book early.
2. We pick you up in San José. Door-to-door from a selection of San José hotels in the morning. Van to the embarkation point, then boat to the lodge. Around 5 hours total including stops for meals and bathrooms. We don’t make wildlife stops on this route — that’s a safety call — but the boat portion makes up for it.
3. La Pavona on your own. Make your own way to the La Pavona embarkation point (private vehicle, shuttle, or public bus), and we run boats from there at 11:15, 12:45, 3:15, and 4:15 p.m. The boat ride is roughly an hour, depending on the river level. Pulpería, paid parking, and restrooms at the embarkation point.
4. Public transport via the village. The cheapest option, but the public boat drops you in Tortuguero village — not at our dock. From the village it’s a 1 km walk to the lodge (daytime only, light luggage recommended) or a short paid water-taxi ride to our dock.
Full breakdown on the Getting Here page →
What we recommend
For most travellers: fly in one direction, boat back the other. The view from the Sansa flight over the Caribbean coast is its own experience, and the boat ride out gives you the rainforest one more time before you head back to highway Costa Rica.
For families and groups: option 2 (we pick you up) keeps the logistics simple. For independent travellers happy with public transport: option 3 (La Pavona on your own) is the local way and lets you control your timing.
Whichever route you choose, the lodge is the easiest part. We handle the boat, the dock arrival, the welcome drink, and a quiet room at the end of the day. Message us on WhatsApp if you want help picking a route based on your itinerary.