TORTUGUERO VILLAGE

The visit of the Afro-Caribbean village of Tortuguero is a must: it is a guaranteed change of scenery. Most of the time, hotels include a visit to the village among their activities, so you should definitely check it out! At the northern limit of Tortuguero National Park, on the arm of land between the main channel and the sea, this small village of 1,800 inhabitants, most of whom have Jamaican origins, organizes (also) its life around the turtles and the beach. It was in 1948 that the population of the country began to settle, before that the local population was Nicaraguan and had settled in the area to hunt turtles. Until a few years ago, doctors only visited once a week and electricity was installed only 30 years ago! During the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, many people had to leave the area due to the desertification of tourists. Among the inhabitants who remained, several confided to us to have seen the jaguars coming to discover the village of Tortuguero and to walk there, taking possession of the places. Today, Ticos and Nicaraguans still live together, almost all the inhabitants live from tourism, fishing or the park without any unpleasant excesses and it seems that everything is going well in this arrangement orchestrated by nature. Life seems to be peaceful on this tongue of land surrounded by fresh and salt water. A visit that we strongly recommend.