ISLA TORTUGA

This stunningly beautiful, 320-hectare island lies three km offshore of Curú. Tortuga is as close to an idyllic tropical isle as you’ll find in Costa Rica. The main attraction is a magnificent white-sand beach lined with tall coconut palms.

Indisputably Costa Rica’s most exquisite isle, Tortuga is a favorite destination of excursion boats. Cruises depart Puntarenas and Los Sueños marina, at Playa Herradura, near Jacó. It’s a 90-minute journey aboard any of a half-dozen cruise boats. Each of the cruise companies that put day-trippers ashore gets its own section of the beach. It can get a bit cramped on weekends, when three or four boats might disgorge their passengers at the same time. Still, it makes for a tremendous trip on a sunny day. You can snorkel, swim, play volleyball, hike, or simply snooze in the sun. There are oar and pedal boats and water-bicycles, kayaks, and Spyaks (glass-bottom boats). You can also hike into the forested hills, and take a treetop canopy tour using professional climbing gear to whiz you along steel cables slung between treetops.

Isla Tortuga is also accessible from Montezuma, although most day visits originate from Playa Herradura in Jacó, and to a lesser degree, Puntarenas. Several companies offer these scenic day cruises, passing the isles of Negritos, San Lucas, Gitana, and Guayabo.