Costa Rica Green Turtles

The northern Caribbean coast is a wild part of the country where canals replace roads to get around. This stretch of beach is the southern end of the famous Tortuguero National Park, one of the biggest green turtle nesting beaches in the world. On this trip, you will work with researchers at Turtle Love to study and protect green turtles and their nests. There is also a possibility of seeing leatherback turtle hatchlings at the nearby beach at Parismina.

In addition, you will learn about and help with other research programs of Turtle Love including catching and releasing river turtles, checking rainforest camera traps for jaguar photos, participating in a handicraft workshop, touring the canals to look for wildlife, and visiting a unique butterfly farm. Profits from this trip will help to save at least 500 hatchlings at a turtle nesting beach per participant.

2026 Date: July 11 - 17 (open)

2026 Price: $1,995 per person. $300 deposit to register, balance can be paid over time.

Includes: In-country transport, meals, lodging, activities, guides, and a donation to turtle conservation.

Excludes: Airfare to Costa Rica, personal items, and tips for the guide and driver (tipping recommendation is $100 - $130 per person).

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Spend 4 nights walking a green turtle nesting beach with local researchers and help participate in their research

• Explore the rainforest by boat and foot, looking for wildlife including sloths, monkeys, frogs, and many species of birds

• Help with research on river turtles and camera trap research on jaguars

• Participate in a handicraft workshop you paint your own gourd

• Visit a unique butterfly farm to see many colorful species

Contact us to:   

• Register by mail or phone

• Ask a question

• All profits support conservation efforts

• Work directly with local researchers

• Unique experiences

• Personalized service

ITINERARY

DAY 1: ARRIVE TO SAN JOSE

Fly into San Jose International Airport (SJO) anytime on the first scheduled day. Our guides pick you up from the airport and take you to La Rosa de America, a comfortable hotel near the airport in Alajuela with lovely gardens and a pool. Dinner the first night is not included (available at the hotel for $10 pp.) The guide will meet you in the morning.

DAY 2: DRIVE TO THE CARIBBEAN

Today you will head out to the Caribbean coast to the small coastal community of Parismina, near the southern border of Tortuguero National Park. You’ll wake up with a delicious Costa Rica breakfast buffet of eggs, gallo pinto (their famous breakfast rice and beans), fresh tropical fruit, delicious coffee, and more. After breakfast, you’ll meet your bilingual guide and board the private bus for a 4 hour ride to the Caribbean coast. You’ll pass through Braulio Carillo, the country’s largest national park, and then descend to the Caribbean lowlands.

The bus will drop your group at a dock along the Tortuguero canals, where a boat will meet you to take you to the Turtle Love station and hotel, located near the small community of Parismina. The short boat ride passes through rainforest, so keep your eyes out for monkeys, sloths, toucans, and more along the way. Once you arrive, settle into your room and later, researchers with our local partner Turtle Love will give a presentation on sea turtles and the work that has gone into protecting this nesting beach. After dinner, you will head out for your first night of patrolling, accompanied by local staff who will guide you along the beach, spot the turtles, and help with the data collection. (BLD)

DAYS 3 - 5: TURTLE RESEARCH

For the next three nights, you will spend four hours each night walking the nesting beach in search of the giant leatherbacks. Turtle Love was founded in 2019 and funds from SEE Turtles helped to launch the organization. They patrol 6 kilometers (4 miles) of beach, working primarily with green turtles. Leatherback turtles and occasionally hawksbills also nest later in the season (though leatherbacks are rarely seen in July).

Each evening, you will take a short boat ride on the canal to reach the nesting beach. You’ll patrol with your guide and researchers, looking for turtles as they come ashore. You’ll help collect data including the length and width of the turtles, checking tag numbers, and moving the eggs to a safe location. You may have a chance to work with hatchlings, either greens or leatherbacks across the river in Parismina, helping to do basic research (measuring and weighing) and releasing them to the water.

During the day, group activities will include a boat ride on the rainforest canals to look for wildlife including birds, sloths, monkeys, & caiman, a cooking class with the local community to learn popular Caribbean dishes, and a beach cleanup (even remote beaches have trash wash ashore). You’ll also learn how to paint gourds or do macrame from local artisans and keep what you make as a souvenir. Swimming at this beach or canals is not recommended due to strong ocean currents and wild animals that can be dangerous. (BLD)

DAY 6 - CENTRAL VALLEY

This morning after breakfast, you will catch the boat back to meet your bus. Along the way back to San Jose, you will visit Jardin Pierella, a unique butterfly farm, to learn about these fascinating insects and other wildlife. You will see hundreds of butterflies, poison dart frogs, giant walking sticks, and likely sloths and other wildlife.

The wonderful family who runs this farm will prepare a delicious traditional lunch. After a final group dinner on the town, head to bed early to be awake in time to go to the airport for your flight the next day. Overnight at Rosa del America. (BLD)

DAY 7 - DEPARTURE

Return home with a new appreciation for the hard work of conservation and to share your experiences. You will be taken to the airport in plenty of time to catch your flight. (B)

Similar Trips:

• Costa Rica Leatherbacks

• Panama Leatherbacks