Isla Tortuga

Isla Tortuga is the marketed name for Isla Tolinga and its neighbour in the Gulf of Nicoya, privately owned islands with a beach of pale sand and clear calm water that make the standard day trip from Puntarenas, Jaco and the southern Nicoya towns. Boats arrive mid-morning, lunch is served on the beach, and snorkelling, kayaks, a canopy line and volleyball fill the day before the return. The water is sheltered and warm and the setting genuinely attractive, but the experience is a packaged one: several boats land at once and the beach can hold several hundred people. Nothing operates on the island outside the tour schedule.

What you actually see

• The white beach - the pale sand and calm water of the main bay.
• Snorkelling - the shallow reef and fish around the island.
• The tour operation - the beach lunch, kayaks and canopy line.
• The Gulf of Nicoya - the crossing and the islands on the way.

When to go

December to April in the dry season, when crossings are calmest and the weather reliable; the wet season brings rougher water and cancellations. Weekdays are marginally quieter than weekends.

Honest expectations

Access is only on packaged day tours with fixed timings. Several boats land together and the beach is crowded. Snorkelling visibility varies and the reef is modest. Prices are high for what is a beach day.

Nearby

Puntarenas lies northeast; Curu refuge is on the peninsula opposite.