Tortuga Island, or Isla Tortuga, is one of the two islands that constitute the Islas Negritos Biological Reserve, just off the Nicoya Peninsula.
Composed of 120 hectares, Tortuga Island is a beautiful landscape of hills situated over a half a kilometer of white sand beach. The recipient of the blue flag certification, the island is perfect for swimming and snorkeling in blue water. On the way to Tortuga is the island of the San Lucas, which some people call the Alcatraz or Devil’s Island of Latin America.
A popular day trip for visitors to the country, the island is a destination for catamarans and boats that leave on a daily basis. Offshore of Tortuga are three shipwrecks, which provide ample opportunity to explore the remains of sunken vessels.
The wrecks of the Coast Guard ships Franklin Chang Diaz and Coronel Lafonso Monge are at depths between 10 and 23 meters, and are within reach of most certified divers. More suited for advanced divers, the wreck of the Caroline Star lies at 98 feet, and is a den for reef sharks and tropical fish. It’s not every day that divers get three separate ships in just one dive!
White Sand Beaches
Despite the best influence of marketing brochures, Costa Rica lacks an abundance of easily reached, white sand beaches for swimming. For the most part, the “rich coast” is alive with biodiversity and fertile soil that is anything but sandy, pristine and white.
Fortunately, blue water and white sand come in abundance, at the easy to reach island of Tortuga, just 7 kilometers by boat or 20 minutes from the ferry at Paquera
Although overnight stays in the park are not allowed, excursions are booked from Jacó, Puntarenas or Montezuma on the mainland. A variety of tour types are available including beach parties, and half and full days diving or snorkeling. The length of the boat trip varies according to destination, and it’s possible to see dolphins, whales and other ocean fauna.