Best Animals to See in Tortuguero National Park

The best animals to see in Tortuguero include jaguars, sea turtles, black caiman, sloths, monkeys, various birds and reptiles. They call it the Amazon of Costa Rica and rightly so because of how many different species of animals you can find here. In this post I am going to talk about the wildlife you can see in Tortuguero and where you can spot them. You can see these animals mostly by going on guided tours through canals, rivers, lagoons and hiking in the rainforest.

Even though Tortuguero is really out of the way you can easily add it to your Costa Rica itinerary if you just use a tour guide and there will be no hassle.

For a complete Tortuguero Travel guide, with information on everything beyond just wildlife and nature, read the article here.

Sea Turtles In Tortuguero

The most popular animal people come to Tortuguero to see are turtles. It’s a prime spot for turtle nesting. You can only see these with a tour guide because most of the areas are off limits. They’ll give you some red flash lights because you can’t use regular ones, it disrupts the turtles nesting.

Key species:

• Green Sea Turtle: The largest nesting colony in the Western Hemisphere arrives between July and October.
• Leatherback Turtle): The largest sea turtle species, nesting mainly between March and June.
• Hawksbill Turtle: Less common but still present, nesting from March to October.
• Loggerhead Turtle: Rare visitors to the area.

Where to see them:
The main nesting beaches inside the national park. Guided night tours are the only legal way to observe nesting turtles.

Jaguars in Tortuguero

Jaguars are my favorite animal in Costa Rica. But, they are elusive and mostly operate at night. It’s very rare for a tourist to report having seen one. If you hike out into the jungle as a group with a tour guide, that amount of people and noise will 100% scare off most animals. The best way to see them is with a small group of about 3 or 4 people with minimal noise.

Key facts:

• Jaguars are elusive and sightings are rare.
• They play a key role as apex predators in the rainforest ecosystem.
• Camera trap studies have documented a stable jaguar population in the park.

Where to see them:
Chances are low not zero, but the remote beaches at night offer the best possibility. Most visitors see signs such as tracks rather than the animal itself. That’s because it always sees and senses you before you see it.

Manatees in Tortuguero

One of the animals on this list that I get to see plenty of is the manatee. We have them back in my home country of Trinidad in the Caribbean. They are very gently and most places don’t allow you to touch them. They are so quiet and slow that you often don’t see them surfacing.

The best chances you have of seeing them is in lagoons in the southern part of the park. But, as tourists you don’t need to worry about where because all the tour guides know exactly where to carry you to see the animals you want to see.

Monkeys in Tortuguero

I think Monkeys are the most common type of animals in Tortuguero you will see as well as all over Costa Rica. Everywhere I’ve been in Costa Rica I was able to see many different monkeys even from my bedroom. In Tortuguero there are four main type of monkeys:

1. Mantled Howler Monkey: Howlers have large mouths, longer fur and you can easily tell they are nearby by the loud guttural sounds they make. This noise travels a very long distance, kilometers even.
2. White-faced Capuchin Monkey: Intelligent, social, and you can spot them near water.
3. Spider Monkey: Agile climbers, found high in the canopy.
4. Squirrel Monkey: The rarest, found mostly in the southern Caribbean coast, with occasional sightings in Tortuguero.

Where to see them:
Morning boat tours through the canals offer the best view, as monkeys are active early. Also, on hikes they can be near the trails. They don’t always stay deep inside the forest.

Sloths in Tortuguero

I think that sloths are the strangest out of all the Tortuguero wildlife. They are also hard to see with the eye. They look like a dirty mop curled up in a tree most of the time. If they are actively moving you can see them really easily because they are slow as hell.

There are 2 types of sloth in Tortuguero:

• Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth: More common and easier to spot due to slower movements.
• Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth: Nocturnal and harder to find.

Best chance to see them:
High in the trees along the main canal routes. I will leave the spotting to the guides. They are very skilled at spotting sloths. One time we were on a whitewater rafting tour and while rafting down fast moving rapids, our guide spotted a sloth up in a tree.

Birds in Tortuguero

Tortuguero is one of the best places for birdwatching and has over 400 bird species.

Notable species:

• Great Green Macaw: Endangered and rare, but still seen here.
• Keel-billed Toucan: Recognizable by its colorful bill.
• Tiger Heron: Often seen along riverbanks.
• Agami Heron: A secretive, beautiful species found in shaded canals.
• Northern Jacana: Walks on floating vegetation using long toes.

Best chance to see them:
Morning boat tours, when birds are most active.

Reptiles in Tortuguero

Tortuguero is on the Caribbean side, so it’s warm and humid. This environment supports a lot of reptiles.

Common species:

• Spectacled Caiman: Found in canals and lagoons.
• Green Iguana: Often basking on branches overhanging the water.
• Basilisk Lizard: Known as the “Jesus Christ lizard” for its ability to run across water.

Where to see them:
Along sunny canal edges or basking spots in the forest. You can see them on hike trails because it’s usually a clearing made by humans. There are no trees in these clearings so the sun shines directly on the path, luring reptiles out. When people walk up they just scurry off.

Frogs and Amphibians in Tortuguero

Colorful frogs can be seen and heard all over Tortuguero. They are a more common animal that you see around Costa Rica in general, so people don’t usually get excited by these.

Notable species:

• Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas): Bright green with vivid red eyes.
• Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio): Small, bright red with blue legs.
• Gladiator Tree Frog (Boana boans): Known for its loud calls during breeding season.

Best chance to see them:
Just look anywhere.

If you are planning on visiting Tortuguero you should look at my article on where to stay and the best things to do in Tortugero.