 |
| In honor of the region that
plays host to it, the pool at the Pachira lodge
is in the shape of a turtle. |
| Courtesy Pachira Lodge |
In the Northern part of Costa Rican, close to the
Nicaraguan border, is located the National Park
of Tortuguero. This large area, of over 70,000 hectares
of Caribbean coastal park and marine park, consists
of natural, as well as manmade canals, and mangrove
tree forests. The Tortuguero area, named after a
turtle, is one of the most important nesting areas
for sea turtles, what it is most famous for, but
it is rich in many other kind of wildlife, too.
The easiest way to explore the Tortuguero area is
to buy a three-day, two-night package in San José,
which includes transportation, tours, accommodation
and meals. Once this is set, your journey to this
Little Amazon can begin by bus from San José.
It is also possible to fly, and soon it is possible
to take a ferry, too, but for those interested in
a bit more adventure and culture, a drive is an excellent
option. After a few hours drive from San José,
across banana plantations, a tiny village is reached.
This is where a boat waits to take visitors to lodges
of Tortuguero.
During this over an hour boat ride, binoculars are
already in need, as monkeys are heard, sloths are
spotted sleeping on the top of trees, and turtles
are seen sunbathing –and diving back to the river
as soon as they see you! The surrounding Nature is
so amazing that many biology specialists actually
say that they have seen more wildlife in the Tortuguero
area than in the Amazon. Even if the Tortuguero area
is still much, much smaller, hardly visible on the
map, it has the same richness in terms of biodiversity
and particularly due to the size, animals are easier
to spot. A few days gives you a good introduction
to the area.
The main area where lodges are located, is along
the lagoons of Tortuguero, next to the Tortuguero
village –where naturally a turtle museum is
located! Pachira Lodge, the newest lodge in the
area, is also located here. This beautifully built
and decorated, medium-size lodge is so in tone with
the surrounding nature, that even its swimming pool
follows the shape of a turtle! The lodge is popular
among middle-high class, educated, people, and more
than half of the visitors are Americans. Sometimes
scientists, researches and student groups also are
seen as guests. All of the rooms have private bathrooms,
air conditioning, hot water, and of course the lodge
has a restaurant serving excellent quality food.
“Our idea was to offer something which is very
close to the jungle and the Park –we are only
five minutes away, but where one can still enjoy some
luxury after day hikes, boat tours, or turtle watching”,
says Guillermo Ortiz, the marketing manager of Pachira
Lodge.
He encourages anyone visiting Costa Rica to become
familiar with Tortuguero: “This is a definite
must-destination for any visitor. The area is so special,
so unique, and the potential is great. Where else
do you have three different turtles, leatherbacks,
green turtles and hawksbills nesting?”
And the list of wildlife just continues. Many birds
come to migrate here. Three types of monkeys are found
–howler, spider and white-faced capuchin. Howlers
are the ones waking you up between four and five in
the morning... Crocodiles, lizards and caimans are
seen along the river banks, and the forest is full
of tiny, colorful, poisonous frogs and not-necessarily
poisonous snakes –even if you need a little bit
of luck to see them as they are normally more afraid
of you than you of them! |
