Tortuguero

At night a guide leads a group to a marked stretch to watch the laying. Light turns a turtle back, so torches and cameras are not allowed.

The engine goes off and paddling takes the boat into the narrow channels. Monkeys, caiman and kingfishers show along the banks.

Not one car is in the place and sand lanes are the only way through. Being on the Caribbean side, the speech and the music are unlike anywhere else here.

From a rise of 119 metres the canals and the sea are seen lying side by side. The steps grow slick and rain makes care necessary.

Turtles on this beach have been tagged and counted since the 1950s. The tags used and maps of where they travelled are on show.

A boat goes out after dark with a torch working the banks. Caiman eyes throw the light back red and read as points on the water.

Volcanic sand makes it dark and hot enough to burn the feet by day. Hard current and the presence of sharks keep everyone out of the water.

A short path inside the park runs deep in mud, so boots are hired. Poison dart frogs and toucans turn up along it.

Manatees are known to live in the weedy inner channels. They move quietly under water and an actual sighting is rare.

A short strip cut through the forest takes light aircraft. The waiting shelter is a roof on posts and rain on it makes a great noise.

No road reaches Tortuguero, so most visitors board a boat at the La Pavona dock. A bus change in Cariari gets you to the landing, and the river trip runs past banana plantations and riverside forest. Wrap bags in plastic against the spray.

North of Tortuguero, a refuge of channels and wetland reaching to the Nicaraguan border. Anglers come to stay for tarpon, the big silver fish it is known for. With no road in, access is by boat or light plane only.

A small island village on the canals south of Tortuguero, where a residents' group runs patrols guarding turtle eggs. In nesting season, visitors can join a guided patrol on the night beach. Far quieter than Tortuguero, it gives a calm night's stay.