Excursion: Jungle Boat Adventure

Those willing to look past Tortuga Lodge’s rather simple accommodations will be amply rewarded by unforgettable excursions into the surrounding environment. Some of my favorite hours of the entire trip to Costa Rica were spent aboard one of the lodge’s jungle boats, shared with just one other couple and our naturalist guide. Near the lodge, we spotted a watchful caiman, somnolent sloths and well-camouflaged bats sleeping in a tidy row down the trunk of a tree. Later, we cruised down the broad Rio Suerte, passing a handful of similar boats filled with people. We shortly left them behind, gliding deep into the narrow Harold Channel, a winding waterway shaded by a tunnel of mangroves, palms and tropical hard-woods. Our guide pointed out agile spider monkeys, freshwater turtles, speedy “Jesus” lizards and more than a dozen species of birds, including northern jacanas, rare agami herons and gleaming snowy egrets. Such thoroughly pristine and picturesque environments are rare, even in Costa Rica, making it well worth the journey and the minor discomforts of the lodge.