Centro Turístico Las Tilapias

Caribbean Coast


Enthusiastic owner Chito is a passionate naturalist who spent 20 years building and introducing wildlife into a 5km canal system just outside Siquirres. It's now teeming with exotic nature, from birds, turtles and sloths to monkeys, frogs and more; Chito runs tours around his thriving canal network. There's also a tasty restaurant-bar here and some charming rustic cabinas perched above a lagoon and the canals. Take a taxi (US$3) or ask locals for careful directions, as it's tricky to find.

Chito is locally famous for befriending, training and performing with a 12ft crocodile named Pocho who lived on the premises. Pocho died in 2011, and the government has since outlawed crocodile training.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Caribbean Coast attractions

1. Monumento Nacional Arqueológico Guayabo

16.58 MILES

This is the largest and most important archaeological site in the country. Although Guayabo isn't nearly as breathtaking as Mayan and Aztec archaeological…

3. Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba

19.26 MILES

A 2km radius around the rarely visited Volcán Turrialba (3328m) became a national park in 1955, protecting mountain rainforest and cloud forest. It was…

4. Copetillo Birdwatching/Donde Cope

26.88 MILES

Guapileño artist-photographer Cope (co-pay) has converted this former tilapia farm into a paradise of hummingbirds, tanagers and other birds, with a…

5. Dreamer’s House

28.42 MILES

This artisanal woodworking studio is run by Hermes and Miguel Quesada, sons of renowned Tico carver Macedonio Quesada. The brothers maintain the campesino…

6. Parque Nacional Tortuguero

29.42 MILES

This misty, green coastal park sits on a broad floodplain parted by a jigsaw of canals. Referred to as the ‘mini-Amazon,’ Parque Nacional Tortuguero is a…

7. Playa Bonita

29.99 MILES

Located 4km northwest of Limón, Playa Bonita has a pleasant sandy beach and a couple of happening bar-restaurants. .