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Tortuguero National Park is on many people’s wishlist when they are visiting Costa Rica and that’s no wonder. The park consists of canals, rainforest, beaches and wetlands and holds an abundance of exceptional biodiversity. The main attraction of Tortuguero National Park is the turtles that hatch on the beaches from July to October. Aside from this, the best way to visit Tortuguero is on a boat tour. This is a guide on how to get from Cahuita to Tortuguero by public bus and boat. The boat trip included in this itinerary is actually the same as a tour. It is way cheaper than what’s on offer at tourist offices but equally rewarding with scenic views and a lot of wildlife to spot. Here is our itinerary on how to get from Cahuita to Tortuguero by public bus and boat!
In Cahuita, go to the bus station in the center of town or, depending on where you’re staying, one of the two bus stops on route 36. At the bus station, you can buy a ticket at the desk. When you take the bus on route 36 you can pay for your ticket on the bus. Mepe buses are going back and forth between the Panama border and Limon. You have to take the bus to Limon.
I would like to give you advice on finding accurate timetables for the buses but the truth is…they were never on time. And most likely the bus trip will also take up more time than indicated. You can find some timetables here. There should be one bus per hour.
If you want to do this trip in just one day, you need to take the bus in Cahuita early because the daily boats to Tortuguero leave the dock at 10 AM. Another option is spending the night in Limon but there’s not much to see there and is not necessary if you leave early. We advise being at a bus station at 6.30 AM. We were out at the bus stop at 7 AM and had to wait a while for a bus. The trip to Limon also took 1,5 hours instead of 45 minutes so we got to Limon pretty late!
As mentioned, we got to Limon pretty late and were forced to take a taxi to Moin. Moin is where the dock is where boats leave at 10 AM for Tortuguero. If you also arrive late, there will be taxis waiting around the Mepe terminal bus station. A taxi will cost around $ 10.
If you’re not late however you should take bus 736 operated by Tracasa going to Moin. You need to go from the Mepe Terminal to the other Terminal which is about 300 meters and is called Terminal Ceribenos (directions). Tickets can be bought both at the counter or in the bus directly and there are buses every hour (e.g. 7:30am, 8:30am, etc.). It is recommend to catch the bus at 8:30 latest.
This leg of the trip should take up half an hour. You can find the Limon-Moin bus route here. Tell the driver you need to get to the dock with boats leaving for Tortuguero. Here is the exact location in Moin.
When you arrive at the dock you will have to look for the person handling the fees. At first, things seemed a bit fishy, and he was charging us a few different prices. Eventually, after some negotiating, we paid $ 35/per person which is the correct price for this trip.
The dock is really small. We expected a bigger dock, so everything seemed a bit odd first but don’t worry, you’re in the right place. As said before, the boat leaves at 10 AM.
The public boats are pretty small and can transport approximately 20 people. Before leaving, the staff will take all the luggage and wrap it in a tarp to prevent it from getting wet. There’s a canopy overhead to protect you if it should rain.
The boat we took was really comfortable and our driver was a very knowledgeable and funny guy who gave us a lot of interesting information about the region.
The boat tour takes around four hours and make one stop on the way for a bathroom break and buying some snacks. The only thing you need to do here is to sit back, relax and enjoy the amazing views. Make sure to bring some binoculars and a good zoom lens to get a better look at the animals you will encounter on the trip.
On our boat trip, we saw a lot of wildlife. We saw different species of birds, iguana’s, lizards, monkeys, crocodiles and sloths.
Sometimes the boat got stuck due to low water levels and our driver needed to get out to pull it loose. The rivers are also covered in thick greenery, which sometimes makes it hard to get through.
You will arrive in Tortuguero early afternoon, where you can look for a nice place to stay or, in case you made a reservation, look for your accommodation. There are no cars in Tortuguero so you will have to walk to your accommodation or take a water taxi.
This whole trip will set you back $ 39 if you take the bus from Moin to Limon. In case you take a taxi from Limon to Moin it will cost $ 48 if you travel solo. Tourist operators offer this trip at prices starting from $ 78. The only difference is a shuttle bus instead of the public buses.
I hope this guide with how to get from Cahuita to Tortuguero was useful! Here are some more tips that can come in handy!
ENJOY!
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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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Anja
I love to stick to public transport wherever possible. Never been to Costa Rica, this is well explained and looks very easy!
Hannah
This is such a helpful guide! I always feel anxious trying to navigate public transport while abroad. I really appreciate the instructions (and photos!) so I know I’m in the right place! Thanks for the great guide!
Rémi
Hi,
Thanks for this it was really helpful.
Just a quick update, to go from Limon to Moin by bus, people need to go from the Mepe Terminal to the other Terminal which is about 300 meters and called Terminal Ceribenos by the locals. On Google Maps, however, it is just a Bus station: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bus+station/@9.9912788,-83.0313033,19.06z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8fa7059ea2a5a9f5:0xd6974b92ab8e37b!8m2!3d9.9906844!4d-83.0321943
Tickets can be bought both at the counter or in the bus directly and there are buses every hour (e.g. 7:30am, 8:30am, etc.). Not sure what’s the first bus though. I would recommend to catch the bus at 8:30 the latest and wait an hour at the dock.
Good luck,
Rémi
annelies_degelas
Hey Remi, thx for the info! I will update the post soon, to give readers the most accurate information. Enjoy the trip! It’s so beautiful! 🙂
Emma
Yay! thank you for this, It is the first detailed explanation I have read about how to do this, much appreciated. Hoping to go in a few weeks!
annelies_degelas
Yep, you cannot even find it in Lonely Planet! 😉 Enjoy your trip! 😀