Tortuga Lodge & Gardens

Had 3 nights in this fabulous location. Private transfer from SJO, arranged by lodge, gave us a fantastic view of the countryside with amazing information from their extremely knowledgeable & friendly driver Juan Carlos. Took about 4 hours to Cano Blanco with a great stop for breakfast on the way. The boat trip to the Lodge was a fabulous wildlife spotting opportunity, with once more a super informative guide & observant driver! Stayed in Mr Mishak downstairs room, which was fantastic - very spacious & bright with huge bathroom & very welcome air conditioning. The boat trips were all amazing with lots of birdlife found by the super guides, all of whom had excellent English & incredible knowledge of the local flora & fauna. There were some heavy rain showers but great ponchos provided on boat reduced the impact & the showers mostly stopped after 15-20 minutes. We particularly enjoyed the Laguna tour, which visits a local small farm but each trip on the river revealed different birds & wildlife. The meals were super, especially the fruits & juices & all the staff were extremely friendly & helpful. They really go overboard to ensure every guest gets the most from their holiday. We flew back to SJO from the airstrip just across the river & would recommend flying in one direction to get a Birds Eye view of the area.

Tortuga lodge is one of Boena’s luxury lodge locations. It’s best accessible via a short internal flight from San Jose, but can also be reached by road and then river. The landing strip is literally 2 minutes away and is a thrilling landing between sea and river. Rooms are elegant, bright and comfy. The staff go above and beyond (Gabriella and Maria, thank you) to make the most of your stay and the restaurant offers beautiful fresh produce and fantastic seafood- we’d recommend the Bass Ceviche. Tours and their guides are fantastic (Bernardo, Manuel and Yewitson, thank you). In particular, they know where to find the wildlife and do their best to ensure you get the best view and pictures, whilst being respectful of the creatures’ environment and territory. With every wildlife tour we were welcomed back with a refreshing freshly made fruit smoothly served by a smiling member of the team. All excursions were in small groups unlike other surrounding lodges that seemed to have a boat full of guests. Binoculars and ponchos (it’s a rain forest!) were provided as we’re wellies for the night walk. Fabulous location for making the most of seeing river wildlife.

Location by the river and national parks is ideal. Flying in has the best airport transfer..5 mins across the river including boarding! Relaxed atmosphere but well organised on the trips but book in advance ideally a couple of weeks, staff will suggest a schedule too. Rooms large and spacious balcony with hammock type seat…we thought better than they looked on the website. Value is if you use the included experience, food good, breakfast best. Clean Guide Juan was excellent. We were fortunate to have him on a few of our experiences/trails. Supper organised and knowledgeable, good pace and puts across the passion for what is a great environmental success story for Costa Rica.

This Böëna lodge is much better and up-market than many of the pictures on this site suggest ( recent renovation). The rooms are spacious, very comfortable and clean; restaurant is really good, the proposed tours are excellent, but most of all it's the fantastic staff that makes your stay at this place extraordinary. From the moment you arrive till the sad day that you have to leave, they do more than you can imagine to give you that extra special feeling that makes your holiday in this magical natural wonderland unforgettable. Just book it, and you won't be let down. It rained for 3 days while we were here, but still we managed to see everything we wanted and have the best memories of Tortuguero NP and Tortuga lodge. Superb guides on your trips here...

We stayed at Tortuga Lodge for 3 nights and had an absolutely wonderful experience. From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredibly friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. You can really tell they care about the guests and the place. The lodge itself is beautifully maintained and blends perfectly with the surrounding nature. We did both the birdwatching tour and the night walk, and they were true highlights of our stay. The guides are excellent — knowledgeable, passionate, and great at spotting wildlife. We saw an incredible amount of birds and animals, far more than we expected. The food was really good, and as vegetarians, we especially appreciated the thoughtful and delicious vegetarian menu. It made a big difference to feel so well taken care of. A special shout-out to Manuel, Quay, Michael, and the rest of the amazing staff for making our stay so memorable. We can’t wait to come back to Tortuga Lodge. Pura Vida! 🌿