About National Park Tortuguero

National Park Tortuguero is a free, bilingual digital encyclopedia of tropical flora and fauna, with Tortuguero National Park as its first focal point. It exists to make solid naturalist information freely available — illustrated with genuine public-domain plates, written with citations, never paywalled.

What this site is not

National Park Tortuguero is not the park, and it is not affiliated with SINAC, MINAE, or Costa Rica's Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación. This site is an independent naturalist reference, not the official park site. For park rules, fees, entry permits, and official access — see sinac.go.cr or buy tickets through the SINAC online portal at serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr.

Editorial principles

• Public-domain illustrations only. No AI-generated images. Plates come from the Biodiversity Heritage Library, Wikimedia Commons, Smithsonian Open Access, and similar verified PD archives. Every plate carries a caption identifying its source.
• Every factual claim cites a primary source. IUCN Red List, eBird, peer-reviewed papers, or the Biodiversity Heritage Library — never our own synthesis as a source.
• Open and free. No paywalls. No tracking pixels. No ads.
• Bilingual. Every page exists in English and Spanish (voseo). If a translation is missing, the link still works — it redirects to the language that exists.

Who publishes this

National Park Tortuguero is an independent guide with its own publisher. For four generations, one Costa Rican family has taken friends, family and visitors to explore Tortuguero. The site grows from that family tradition and its deep roots in the area, and it represents the interests of local hotels, the town and Costa Rica in the zone. No lodge, tour operator or government agency owns it. Mawamba Lodge is our featured partner lodge on the Where to stay? page. Some lodge links there are partner links that may earn us a commission, and the page says so. Contact: hello@nationalparktortuguero.com.

Corrections

Naturalist information is best when it's continuously corrected. If you spot an error, write to hello@nationalparktortuguero.com with the species, the claim, and (if possible) a source — we'll update the page and credit you in the timeline.