Country Article / Postcards

End of the Line, Costa Rica

Date: 06/11/2006

International Living Postcards-- your daily escape

Monday, June 12, 2006
Tortuguero, Costa Rica

Dear International Living Reader,

Between the crude barking of howler monkeys and the silent lurking of caimans (miniature crocodiles), we forge on in the coastal rainforest. The vegetation is too thick to spot the spongy ground from our little boat. Everything feels damp.

I'm in Tortuguero, a remote region of Costa Rica that is filled with dense flora and diverse fauna intersected by tightly winding canals. You can't drive here--only a one-hour plane ride from San Jose or a three-hour boat ride from the nearest city can get you to this jungle. We flew to this untamed place in the northeast corner of the country, arriving at an airport that offered in the way of facilities a single bathroom; the runway was a strip of black pavement barely narrower than the swatch of land it rested on. The town was built on this strip of land, separating lagoons and canals from the Caribbean Sea.

In the depths of those canals our tour guide shows us floating caimans hiding themselves in vegetation. He points out a bright toucan and a florescent blue butterfly. During the entire trip we see but one other tiny boat--the second tour boat. The jungle is ours.

A real jungle comes with real dangers. Red frogs coated in poisonous slime jump around the forest floor. An elusive jaguar's eyes could be trained on us at any time. After a question about snakes, our guide points to his deformed toe. Years ago, a fer-de-lance, the deadliest snake in Costa Rica, sunk its teeth in, leaving his big toe stunted and shriveled in his plastic flip flop. He only survived because the snake's venom store was low.

We're staying at a little place on the ocean for $10 a night. Tortuguero is a funky place of bright signs and perpetually muddy roads. We dine on coconut rice and drink fresh papaya blended with ice.

Later that night we return from a fishing trip in the large lagoon that meshes with the Caribbean. Our guide points to little red dots on the surface of the water. In San Jose, they might be lights put in place by the hotel to help you find your way back. Not here.

"Those are crocodile eyes," he says in Spanish.

Rachael Jackson
For International Living

P.S. You can get a package deal to Tortuguero, but if you would like to do it on your own, you can book a flight with Nature Air. Once you arrive, you can stay outside the village in a lodge for U.S.-style prices or hunt around for a local place for $10 to $20 per night. The village subsists on tourism, so most locals are happy to help you find anything from a room to a guide.