Tours and Tickets to Experience Tortuga Island (Isla Tortuga)

Yes, Isla Tortuga is absolutely worth going to. An unspoiled island right off the coast of Costa Rica, Tortuga Island (Isla Tortuga) offers visitors powdery, white-sand beaches; brilliant turquoise waters teeming with tropical fish; and a lush rainforest interior that’s home to a wealth of wildlife. You could easily spend a full day here and never get bored.

You have to take a boat to reach Isla Tortuga, a remote island located just off the Nicoya Peninsula. A wide range of Tortuga Island (Isla Tortuga) tours, all day trips, are available for visitors. Boat services regularly depart from mainland ports like Jaco and Puntarenas.

Meanwhile, tours leaving from San Jose also include overland transportation. Costa Rica is infamous for its traffic, and roads, so be advised that a trip by land may take longer than expected, especially if you’re traveling during rush hour.

No, you cannot stay overnight on Isla Tortuga. The island is uninhabited, and it does not have any hotels, to preserve its unspoiled habitats and natural scenery. However, the wide range of day trips available makes the island easily accessible to visitors. If you get an early start, you should be able to explore the island without feeling like you’re missing out on anything.

There’s so much for visitors to do on Isla Tortuga. Although it’s tempting to stay and sunbathe on its postcard-perfect beaches, there are more things to do, such as scuba diving or snorkeling amid Tortuga Island’s (Isla Tortuga’s) sunken shipwreck or hiking and ziplining in the island’s forested, mountainous interior.

Tortuga Island (Isla Tortuga) is a tropical island, so wear clothing appropriate for heat and humidity, just as you would elsewhere in much of Costa Rica. Bring a swimsuit and water shoes to take advantage of seaside activities, as well as a towel and dry clothes to change into afterward.

The boat ride from Jaco to Isla Tortuga takes about 1.5 hours each way, depending on conditions. To make the most of your day out on Tortuga Island (Isla Tortuga), it’s worth setting off early in the day so you can see as much of the island as possible.