Manatus Hotel
A Tortuguero base for tarpon and snook trips
Manatus Hotel is a small hotel on the canals of Tortuguero, on Costa Rica's northern Caribbean coast, reached only by boat or small plane. It isn't a fishing lodge, but it books half and full-day river and sea trips for tarpon and snook with a local operator. It suits travelers who want turtles and rainforest canals with a day or two of fishing.
At a glance
- Location
- Tortuguero, northern Caribbean coast, by Tortuguero National Park
- Fishing
- Half and full-day river or sea trips, run by Eddie Brown's fishing company
- Targets
- Tarpon (season January to June), snook (September to December), mackerel and barracuda on the coast
- Rules
- Catch and release in the protected area
- Rooms
- Air conditioning, satellite TV, Wi-Fi, mini bar, queen beds, private terraces
- Access
- Boat or small plane only
Contact
- Phone
- +506 2239 7364
- Leaves from
- Tortuguero, with trips run by a local fishing operator
Contact details checked 14 November 2026
A hotel on the canals
Tortuguero is a village on a strip of land between the Caribbean and a maze of jungle canals, best known for the sea turtles that nest on its beach. There are no roads in. Manatus Hotel is one of the small, comfortable places to stay here, named after the manatees that live in the area's quiet backwaters.
This isn't a dedicated fishing lodge like Silver King Lodge up the coast. It's a nature hotel that happens to sit near some of the best tarpon and snook water in Costa Rica, and it books fishing for guests who want to try.
The fishing
The hotel's fishing trips are run by Eddie Brown's company, a local operator with its own boats, permits and insurance. You can fish the rivers or the sea, on a half day or a full day, and you need to book in advance.
The hotel gives the tarpon season as January to June and points to September to December for snook. Along the coast, there are mackerel and barracuda, and offshore there are marlin, sailfish and tuna when the sea allows. The rivers around Tortuguero and Barra del Colorado also hold freshwater species such as rainbow bass. Tortuguero sits inside a protected area, so fishing here is catch and release.
The Caribbean coast is rougher than the Pacific, and the bar at a river mouth can close for days in big swell, so treat any fishing day here as weather-dependent and keep your plans loose.
The hotel
Rooms have air conditioning, satellite TV, Wi-Fi, a mini bar, queen beds, hot water and private terraces, plus an outdoor shower on the patio. There's a pool and a restaurant, and the hotel runs the usual Tortuguero outings: canal boat tours, turtle nesting walks at night in season, bird watching and zip-lining.
One note: when we checked, the hotel's website was showing unrelated advertising that doesn't belong to the hotel, so we haven't linked to it. Phone, email or Instagram are the safest ways to reach the hotel for now.
Getting there
Like everywhere in Tortuguero, you arrive by boat through the canals or by small plane to the village airstrip. The hotel lists +506 2239 7364, +506 2239 7366 and +506 2709 8197, and email at info@manatuscostarica.com. See the Caribbean section for more on fishing this coast.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Manatus Hotel offer fishing?
Yes. It books half and full-day river and sea trips through Eddie Brown's fishing company. Book ahead.
When is tarpon season in Tortuguero?
The hotel gives January to June for tarpon, with snook from September to December.
Can I keep fish in Tortuguero?
No. The hotel says the protected area has a catch-and-release policy.
How do I get to the hotel?
By boat through the canals or by small plane. There's no road to Tortuguero.
