Tortuga Lodge, Tortuguero

Location

Tortuguero (Tortuguero, Costa Rica)

Description

Well designed lodge on the edge of the river. Lovely outdoor eating area, pretty pool with loungers and hammock area and games room.

Activities

1 boat trip is included in a 2-night stay but additional tours (birdwatching, transfer to the village, wildlife viewing) can be booked locally.

Accommodation

27 rooms, set on 2 floors, with netted windows and ceiling fans. All with river view and terrace with hammock. Junior Suites are slightly larger with 2 king size beds, the Suite is very large and suitable for a family.

When to go

All year round but January to March can be busy. For the opportunity to see Green turtles laying their eggs you should visit from June to October.

Client comments and reviews

When visiting a country for the first time the travel between places is almost as important as the destination. This was certainly the case throughout the whole trip. The low flying scenic light plane flights all proved to be a highlight, including the take off and landing on the short narrow strips cut from the rain forest. On arrival the 2 pilots jump down, open the doors and stairs and while we embark they lift the luggage down for us to claim on the runway. Marvellous.

On arrival at Tortuga Lodge the boatman was waiting on the adjacent riverside to take us across to this beautifully located hotel that is only accessible by boat. There is a large open riverside restaurant with exceptionaly good food. We had a clean spacious room with a veranda looking over the garden towards the busy riverside. The beware of crocodiles warning next to the garden canal and the 2m long male iguana on the lawn made us aware of our surroundings. We particularly enjoyed the trip up river deep into the rain forest.The boat was loaded with kayaks to which we transferred to explore a backwater towards a small farm in a forest clearing. We met the farmer and his family and helped them make and eat tortillas. Definitely a highlight. - SB (January 2026)

Tortuga has a great location, especially in terms of closeness to the airstrip. The room was exactly as we expected and was very comfortable. The staff in the restaurant, bar and all the guides were really good. There were a few excursions included in our stay and they were OK and there were additional excursions you could pay for but, unless you really questioned the reception staff, it was hard to find out what they were. We did manage to find the best trip (Laguna 4) because we happened to see a book lying around which gave details of other trips but there were other disappointed guests we spoke to who had no idea that other trips were available. So overall impression was generally good, but the reception/front of house staff need to improve communication and be more helpful to make sure the guests get the most out of their stay. - SJ (February 2024)