Visiting The Tortuguero National Park’s Cuatro Esquinas Sector—Photos And Brief (5-Minute Read): Tortuguero, Costa Rica

Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

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IMPORTANT: This article is part of our Memorable Costa Rica series.

The revered Latin American female writer Isabel Allende once advised: “Write what should not be forgotten.” Inspired by the quote’s brevity and the subject matter of lasting significance, the articles in our Memorable Costa Rica series are concise and highlight what we feel are the most memorable aspects of featured Costa Rica experiences. If you don’t want to waste time rereading the repeated facts and long-drawn-out paraphrased summaries that some other Costa Rica resources offer, then the personal briefs in our Memorable Costa Rica series are perfect for you. Use them to discover the unique qualities and unforgettable moments that we believe each Costa Rica experience provides, so you can easily decide which experiences are worth incorporating into your trip, and in only five minutes or less. 👍🏽

Estimated reading time for this article: 5 minutes

Tortuguero National Park (Cuatro Esquinas Sector) brief

Despite being steps away from Tortuguero Village, the heart of Tortuguero (a destination nicknamed “The Amazon of Costa Rica” given its network of serpentine canals), the Tortuguero National Park‘s Cuatro Esquinas Sector isn’t the park’s most visited sector. (Most visitors are drawn to and tour the Tortuguero National Park‘s marine sector, known as the Canales Sector.) Regardless, the Tortuguero National Park‘s Cuatro Esquinas Sector provides an opportunity to explore the destination’s protected zone on foot, similar to how most other national parks in Costa Rica are experienced. Doing so is a relatively easy experience (a perk for travelers in search of uncomplicated, unchallenging hiking opportunities); the most traveled trail in the Tortuguero National Park‘s Cuatro Esquinas Sector is the Jaguar Trail (Sendero Jaguar, in Spanish), a flat, linear, leaf-swept and sometimes muddy forest trail that parallels the area’s principal beach, Playa Tortuguero. (Note that during rainy periods, the Cuatro Esquinas Sector floods and closes to the public.) Named for the jaguars that reside in the area and cross the trail, almost always after dark in their hunt for sea turtles and eggs on the beach, the jaguars are the reason why you must be out of the park (and should be off the beach anywhere in Tortuguero) by dusk, unless you’re participating in a sanctioned turtle tour. (Nighttime turtle tours in Tortuguero most often take place inside the Tortuguero National Park‘s Cuatro Esquinas Sector, so participation in a turtle tour is a memorable experience that can be had here.) The jaguars are also a key reason to spend time in this particular national park, if you’re determined to see one of the striking, elusive jungle cats in the wild. Although happening upon a jaguar in its natural habitat is unlikely, it isn’t an impossible task to accomplish inside the Tortuguero National Park‘s Cuatro Esquinas Sector, which is encouraging. (Of the jaguar sightings that have been reported in Costa Rica, several took place at this particular national park.) Potential jaguar-sightings aside, if you’re destined for Tortuguero and you have more than one day to spend at the destination, carve out time (anywhere from one hour to a few hours, depending on how far down the coast you want to follow the trail before turning around and returning to the park’s entrance/exit, and depending on how long you can withstand the park’s notorious humidity), to tour the Tortuguero National Park‘s Cuatro Esquinas Sector. (Note that with only one day to spend in Tortuguero, your time would be better spent exploring the park’s marine-based Canales Sector.) Embody the slow pace that’s synonymous with Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast and take your time to stroll along the tropical trail, admiring the palms, ferns, and other flora along the sidelines and searching for other resident wildlife, most noticeably monkeys, sloths, and birds, including glorious toucans.

Tortuguero National Park (Cuatro Esquinas Sector) photos

Map of the Tortuguero National Park (Cuatro Esquinas Sector)

More information about the Tortuguero National Park (Cuatro Esquinas Sector)

For more information about the Tortuguero National Park, including the attraction’s current operations and visitor information, please see the national park’s website. (Note: If you wish to explore the park’s Cuatro Esquinas Sector, be sure to select the “Cuatro Esquinas” option, not the “Cerro Tortuguero” or “Canales” option, when reserving tickets to the Tortuguero National Park on the park’s website.) For information about the Tortuguero National Park entrance fee, don’t miss our related blog post: A List Of 50+ Costa Rica Entrance Fees: How Much It Costs To Enter National Parks, Reserves, And Refuges.

Pura vida!

Do you have questions about the Cuatro Esquinas Sector of the Tortuguero National Park, or how to best incorporate a visit to this park into your vacation? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂

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