Costa Rica Day 4: Tortuguero

We awoke dark and early this morning, getting up at 4:00 AM to leave for Tortuguero, a village situated on a sand bar island on the eastern coast of Costa Rica.


Our mode of transportation was this small chartered plane that seated 12 people and offered beautiful views of the incredible place we were approaching.


We touched down smoothly and made our way by boat to the cozy Tortuga Lodge, a 50-acre reserve bustling with biodiversity where we were served a lovely family-style Costa Rican breakfast before we relaxed in the nearby hammocks while waiting for our rooms.


Around noontime, we embarked on an afternoon boat tour of the lagoon and its various canals. We spotted several species of birds and other reptiles, and some of our most memorable moments came looking up at the canopy at spider monkeys leaping from branch to branch, and keeping an ear out for howler monkeys throughout. 

It was amazing to share with our boat-mates and those passing by on other motorboats and kayaks the sheer rapture of being in nature like this, focusing all of our attention on the movements of the creatures around us. This sharp attention to surroundings is a core tenet of meditation, and it made for a rewarding three hours to be so keenly aware of where we were and what we were looking at. 



















We settled in for a delicious dinner after our tour, and are about to tuck ourselves in for an early night, before another day of adventure tomorrow!

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