The Tortuguero National Park is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, 57 miles north of Puerto Limón. One of the reasons for it’s creation, and why it’s considered to be the most important area of the eastern part of the American continent, was the nesting and the protection of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), abd thisarea is the most important place for the nesting of these turtles in the Caribbean. Furthermore, Tortuguero is actually an area of high importance for its relicts of tropical rainforests, which has covered almost the whole northeastern part of Costa Rica until 5 years ago. But it has become severely threatened by deforestation.

Within Tortuguero National Park coexist a large variety of nature, although its small size (18,946 acres): The typical coastal vegetation of the Caribbean, with species like the “beach grape” (Coccoluba uvifera) and the Icaco (Chrysobalanus Icaco). The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), originally from the south of India, is also a common sight. Behind the sandy coastal strip, the forest grows on flooded lands or on swamps. There, trees like the “sangrillo” (Pterocarpus officinalis), the “cativo” (Priora copaifera) and the “gavilan” (Pentaclethra macroloba) are often found species. In the flooded zones grows the “yolillo palm” (Raphia taedigera) that forms pure forests known as “yolillales”