Tortuguero hosts the largest green turtle (Chelonia mydas) rookery in the Western Hemisphere and also important nesting populations of leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles. The Costa Rican legislature declared Tortuguero National Park in 1975 to protect the nesting turtles, the beach and the adjacent terrestrial habitats. Turtle watch with knowledgeable, local guides.

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