Day 14. Tortuguero | Perfect Planet

Submitted by maria on Fri, 23/09/2022 - 14:49

We got up at 5 a.m. Celimo recommended a bakery for breakfast, Dorling Bakery.

Canals

We had coffee and pastries for 4,000 colones. We also buy two empanadas, one chicken and one meat empanada at Paula's (beach bar on the quay) for 2,000 colones.

At 6 o'clock we are at the wharf where Célimo has already prepared the boat to go through the canals. On the jetty itself we see a beautiful rainbow-billed toucan, the day is promising.

Spider monkey

Our boat is a rowing boat so we have to help out. We cross the lagoon, stop to see some spider monkeys, an iguana and a basilisk. A little further on we see some birds browsing when suddenly the huge mouth of a crocodile comes out! They have been lucky this time.

It is really impressive to be in a boat without an engine surrounded by crocodiles and caimans.

Jacaras

Canals

The tour lasts about two hours and is best done early in the morning as the heat is unbearable after 8am. We believe that the best experience to enjoy the Tortuguero canals is to do it in a non-motorised boat or kakak, in fact some canals are not accessible for motorised boats.

Bird

We enjoy the company of Célimo, who stops at every corner to explain the wonders of this park. We see capuchin monkeys, macaws, parrots, jacarandas and even a caiman. We are so close, how exciting.

Canals

Bird

We return to Tortuguero and have breakfast with Celimo again at Dorling Bakery.

Jacaras

At 11 o'clock we meet him again to walk the Jaguar Trail and it's a good idea. He tells us stories about the continuous sightings of two female jaguars around the village (we had already obtained tickets through SINAC).

Canals

A group of capuchin monkeys try to cross the road and the alpha male confronts us moving the hours and breaking the branches, how strong, until the whole family does not finish.

Bird

Caiman

Bird

We walked to the place where we saw the nesting last night. It is impressive to see the holes formed by the turtles. There are broken eggs, the predators are waiting for the adult turtles to leave to eat them.

Spider

We return to the hotel and meet the couple from Alicante at the swimming pool. In the garden there are several iguanas.

Capuchin monkey

Basilisk

Lunch-snack at the same stall as yesterday, an empanada (700 colones), an enchilada (1,500 colones), a tamarind juice and a sweet tortilla, all for 4,600 colones.

We stroll along the beach for a while, there is a lot of activity at this time of day.

Nesting place

Turtle egg

Nest

At 8 p.m. we meet up again with Célimo for the night tour. Although it hasn't rained for days, he knows the area well and we see a lot of amphibians. Finally the red-eyed green frog! We also see the puma frog and the bullfrog, two mating toads and the snail snake. A little later a two-toed sloth and a leaf insect. Wonderful.

Sunset

Red eyes frog

Recommendations. Long trousers and a long-sleeved dark T-shirt, the mosquitoes will swarm you when you have a torch in your hand. You can carry a torch or headlamp but as you are inside the park you cannot use it in the direction of the beach where the turtles are nesting.

Bull frog

Puma frog

Una vez terminado el tour nocturno tomamos algo con Célimo en el puesto de Paula, 2 ginger ale, un agua y una empanada 2.400 colones. Hace tanto calor que casi me bebo el litro de una vez.

Leafe insect

Snile snake

Nos encontramos de nuevo con nuestros amigos de Alicante y nos dicen que tienen tour para ver tortugas con Célimo. Lo van a disfrutar un montón. Celimo Rojas es un crack.

Nos da pena despedirnos de Célimo ha sido una suerte conocerle.