Back

Tortuguero kayaking and wildlife-spotting trip

cos11-kayaking-and-wildlife-spotting-free-cre

An early-morning kayaking trip through the backwaters of Tortuguero offers the chance to watch the jungle awake.

With its maze-like network of canals, lagoons and swamps smothered by tangled tropical vegetation, Tortuguero National Park is best explored from the water. Kayaking will allow you to remain quiet and unobtrusive, with a great chance of spotting the monkeys, sloths, river otters, caiman and iguanas that are regularly seen here. There is also a huge amount of bird life, from toucans, parrots and kingfishers to lesser-known species like the trogon, manakin and fruitcrow.

Wildlife is at its most active in the early morning, so we’ll set off at 7.30am for some gentle kayaking along a peaceful tributary where there are no motorised boats to disturb the animals. Trees laden with vines and orchids hang over these backwater channels and mangroves line their edges – a rich habitat for river life.

Activity Rating: easy

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Heloise
    Heloise Buxton - Travel Expert

    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Hannah
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Alex
    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

  • Finn Clennett
    Finn Clennett - Travel Expert

0 1 2 3 4 5