The day after arriving in San José, we headed towards nature. Although the name “Tortuga” may conjure up images of a Caribbean pirate’s den off the coast of Haiti for others, we discovered Isla Tortuga in Costa Rica, a jewel in the Gulf of Nicoya and no less impressive than its famous namesake.
The trip itself was a bit of an adventure, after a long bus ride, we boarded a boat, from where we had to rock on the waves for another hour and a half. As the boat approached the island, the turquoise water and white sandy beach in the distance made us forget about waking up early.
The name of the island – which means turtle in Spanish – is no coincidence. There are two main reasons, one is that from a distance the silhouette of the island resembles a huge turtle swimming in the sea, and the other is that the island and its surroundings are an important habitat for sea turtles, which often nest on the protected sandy beaches of the area. Historically, the island was also an important fishing and resting place for the local indigenous people.
The volcanic rocks and coral reefs around the island provide fantastic snorkeling. The water is crystal clear, so while swimming we could see lots of colorful fish and even, if we were lucky, we could see rays along the rocks.
Our daughter preferred to spend the day in the water, while I preferred to stay on land, enjoying the hot tropical summer in the cooling shade of the giant palm trees, and only occasionally went for a swim in the cooling ocean water, then enjoyed doing nothing with an ice cold drink in my hand
