Geo: 9.38945, -84.1347Another place we have discovered to kayak, snorkel, or just enjoy the sun is Biesanz Beach. This is off the beaten path and is not so crowded as the main beach at Manual Antonio. To get there the cheapest route is to take the bus and get off across from Milagro Restaurant and Bar. Walk down the street past Emilios and there will be a sign pointing either to the main Playa to the left or Playa Biesanz to the right down a winding road past Shana Hotel to an opening leading down to Playa Biesanz. You will see cars parked along the side of the road and men directing you where to park. So of course driving to this area is a possibility as well as taking a taxi. The walk back up ... read more

Geo: 8.53622, -83.3051s taxi ride there and then up the hill one more timeHad taken the bus from Tortuguero to San Jose and then a taxi to Casa Maki in Alejuela where we spent the night before catching to bus to Parrita.There is an informal bus stop along the road toward Parrita, Montezuma and other points south of San Jose. Depending on your luck, you can get on the bus for your destination but if the bus is full, you could be out of luck. We have caught the bus to Montezuma here in the past but had not used this stop in a while. The advantage of this stop is not having to go all the way into San Jose to catch a bus.At present, there is a bridge under construction and the delays for ... read more

Geo: 9.38945, -84.1347May be hard for some to believe but you can rent bikes in Tortuguero for $10 a day complete with basket on front. We rented them from the ticket office across from the boat dock and repeated the walk up the right of way trail except we went all the way to the airport. A word about riding surfaces. There are no roads in Tortuguero proper, just a wide sidewalk that runs from Ms. Junies to National Park entrance. There are some well worn dirt paths and some have gravel in places. Pedestrians are one of the major obstacles as you ride in the main path. We did see a couple of ATV's but mainly people walking or riding bicycles.At one point the right of way path disappeared and do not know if this ... read more

Geo: 9.38945, -84.1347 We kayaked twice in the Tortuguero National Park, once with a guide and once with ourselves. A few of the ins and outs: The Park office opens at 6:00 am and there is a rush to get each group checked in and on their way. Suspect the upscale lodges register their guests and then pay after they have been in the park because you see their boats go roaring up the river without stopping at the National Park OfficeFor the rest of us: You must first go and pay and check in with the National Park. They want to know from what country and how many and then pay. As mentioned earlier, they do take credit cards as payment, but must show proof i.e., passport or copy. We have our laminated copies which ... read more

Geo: 10.4459, -83.4673Tortuguero is still a small village that can only be reached by water but does have all the modern conveniences. There is the village proper and then stretched along the canal are the various upscale lodges that use water taxis to get from the lodge to the village and the national park.There are several hotels, and hostels in Tortuguero scattered along the main path from the boat landing and then along the back area near the ocean side. We were staying in a place on the river side and it was enjoyable to sit and watch the boat traffic coming from the upscale lodges and the regular boat traffic back and forth from the village.Across from the place we are staying is an interesting house on stilts that has some vegetation out in front ... read more