Costa Rica’s rainforest, with its lush, dense canopies, exotic wildlife and exhilarating eco adventures, has captivated travelers for generations. On the island’s Caribbean coast, tucked between the Tortuguero River, the rustic river lodge Tortuga Lodge & Gardens offers an award-winning getaway. Step outside your door and the rainforest surroundings beckon you to explore.
Tortuga Lodge and Gardens
Tortuga Lodge & Gardens is a luxury eco-hotel situated on 146 acres of private land, in Tortuguero on Costa Rica’s northeast Caribbean coast.
- You can enter by air and land or both
- They have a complementary morning tour to birding
- The hotel offers an outdoor pool, free Wi-Fi and a restaurant serving fusion cuisine with Caribbean flavours
- The Pool does not use chlorine, they use special sales
- Turtle Nesting and Hatching
- Only hotel in Tortuguero with its own private nature reserve
- Guests enjoy free boat transportation to the nearby villages of Tortuguero and San Francisco
A rustic river lodge built in harmony with its tropical environment, the hotel offers a tranquil, relaxing and exclusive experience. Each of the hotel’s 27 rooms features sweeping views of the Tortuguero River and luxury amenities. Thoughtful guest comforts range from free Wi-Fi and nightly turndown service to rubber boots, walking sticks and umbrellas for your rainforest excursions. There are 4 room types available.
River View Downstairs Terrace Rooms have large screen windows allowing amazing views of the canal, the gardens and the forest. An array of bedding options is available. One room is wheelchair accessible with two baths, one King size and one single bed. Four Rooms have one King bed. Six Rooms have two full beds, and one downstairs room has one Queen and one full bed. Maximum occupancy is 4 guests. Some amenities include;
- Wi-Fi
- Nightly turndown service
- Safes
- Rain showerheads
- Ceiling fans
- Hammock
Experience nature right to your door with the sounds, sights and smells of the forest enjoyed on your hammock. Staying in the Balcony Room has incredible sweeping view of the canals and grounds. An array of bedding options is available. Five upstairs rooms have 1 King bed, three upstairs rooms have two full beds, two upstairs rooms have one Queen and one full bed, and two upstairs rooms have one Queen and two single beds. Maximum occupancy is 4 guests.
The stunning River View Downstairs Family Suite, have all the amenities necessary for some great time away from home. With large windows the rooms have incredible views of the canal, the gardens and the forest, which are best enjoyed from your private terrace/balcony. Some amenities include;
- Wi-Fi
- Nightly turndown service
- Safes
- Rain showerheads
- Ceiling fans
- Hammock
River View Penthouse Suite is comfort and elegance in the midst of the rain forest! The unique location of the Penthouse Suite permits unobstructed views of the gardens, canals and the natural surroundings with open balconies facing the forest, canal and lagoons. The River View Penthouse Suite features one King size bed and one Queen size bed (one twin bed can be added). Some amenities include;
- Wi-Fi
- Nightly turndown service
- Safes
- Rain showerheads
- Ceiling fans
- Hammock
With an open-air setting the restaurant offers sweeping views of the Tortuguero River, creating an enchanting dining experience for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With no windows, doors or walls in the restaurant, it allows you to enjoy the captivating beauty and ambiance of the Costa Rican rainforest. The evening Offers an a la carte menu featuring authentic Costa Rican cuisine and international specialties. The restaurant comes alive with flickering candles and tiki torches adding a touch of tropical romance. The Green Turtle also offers a complimentary, all-day, self-service coffee station, featuring coffee, milk, tea and sweet treats. For casual drinks throughout the day and night -located adjacent to the restaurant- is the poolside bar with a terrace and deck area. With happy hour and an extensive cocktail and beverage menu, what is there not to enjoy!
With incredible views of Tortuguero River bank surrounded by the tropical rainforest is a truly unique experience at Tortuga Lodge & Gardens. The Picnic at the Gardens is a catered private dinner including a fruit basket, snacks and a main course. The picnic is to be enjoyed with a bottle of wine, fruit juice or iced tea. The height of romantic dining.
Explore the 1.4-mile Tortuga Lodge & Gardens Trail led by a naturalist guide. On the two-and-a-half-hour tour you’ll get to encounter frogs, birds, spiders, and snakes. The guides will share a wealth of information about the flora and fauna and local animals. A unique experience to enjoy.
This tour guided by the lodge guide will uncover the history of the village of Tortuguero. Lean about the early formations of the land and rainforest. After leaving Casa Cercropia, You’ll have the opportunity to chat with the locals and learn about their way of life as your local Tortuga Lodge Guide will guide you through the Village of Tortuguero. Visit the Park headquarters and walk down the paths decorated with colourful Afro-Caribbean homes.
For children in Costa Rica, English is important to learn for their futures. This is especially important in Tortuguero, where tourism is the largest source of employment. Yet in Tortuguero the majority of children grow up without learning English. The Lodge gives guests the opportunity to share your English knowledge while learning about the life of a child from Tortuguero. An enriching experience for both guests and the local children involved.
Only available in late August to November, you’ll be led by naturalist guides, who will walk with you to the beach either in the early morning hours or just before sunset in search of a nest that has begun to hatch. A guided nesting turtles tour is also available. Both remarkable experiences that you will remember for a lifetime.
Explore the backwater lagoons and creeks of Tortuguero National Park on this 3 hour boat trip. The best tour to catch a variety of wildlife; Howler monkeys, Northern Jacanas and even river otters will be out hunting. Or catch a glimpse of Egrets and tiger herons move towards their nests.
See the rainforest from a whole new perspective: by river. Your Guide will take you to discover the wildlife that lives among the rainforest. You’ll hear the call of the Chestnut Mandibled toucan or the sound of Spider monkeys crashing through the trees. A journey to be not be forgotten.
“Tortuga Lodge and Gardens are committed to being among the most eco-conscious hotels and tour providers in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. From the very beginning have embraced innovative sustainability practices, not because they make us look better, but out of conviction. They are proud of the different practices that their hotels and tour company have embraced that have impacted the Costa Rica communities where they operate. Tortuga Lodge recognizes that there is a long journey ahead and they have the willingness and determination to continue protecting the natural, cultural and socio-economical environments of Costa Rica.”
Along with the Word Adventure program, Costa Rica Expeditions and Tortuga Lodge are supporting several other educational programs in the area. If you have and are willing to donate a musical instrument, go ahead and put it in your suitcase as one is the creation of a music program at the Tortuguero High School. One easy way to help this effort is by bringing along an old instrument.
The lodge want to support and enrich the community and so buy locally, approximately 45% of the products used at the hotel come from local producers or shops. The lodge also actively support the community, collaborating in a variety of ways. This includes donating rooms and meals for local cultural and environmentally related activities such as the Local Music Festival and the local Health Fair.
- Lodge’s state-of-the-art filtration system provides 100% drinkable water throughout the resort.
- Guests are given free aluminium water bottles to use during their stay and take with them
- Solar Energy system for heating all the water
- 100% biodegradable straws made out of avocado seeds
- The swimming pool uses a system that works with regular salt instead of chlorine
- Use biodegradable and environmentally friendly soaps, detergents and cleaning products
- Eliminate odour, reduce solid and decontaminate the effluent runoff in the septic and gray water system by using Bio-Agua, a mix of 80 different tropical microorganisms that ferments solid and liquid waste.
- Family-Friendly
- Variety of Rooms available for all sized families