When traveling to Costa Rica, tourists will soon discover that protecting the environment is one of the country’s top priorities. Whether it is land conservation or protecting some of the country’s many endangered species, the locals understand their role in maintaining Costa Rica’s exotic beauty from coast to coast. When the baby turtles grow to adulthood they return to the same beach where they were hatched.
Turtle Nesting
Duration
4 hours about 2h30 45 min to 1h for egg-laying process 1h30 to Ostional Beach OR 45 minutes to Corozalito beach
What to Bring
camera (do not use flashlights or light photography it’s illegal)
Includes
entrance fee park round trip transportation certified guide
Minimum people
2
Departs
6.30PM/ 7PM
When traveling to Costa Rica, tourists will soon discover that protecting the environment is one of the country’s top priorities. Whether it is land conservation or protecting some of the country’s many endangered species, the locals understand their role in maintaining Costa Rica’s exotic beauty from coast to coast.
On the Pacific side the right place is Ostional beach. The right time is the few days around the new moon (any time after the third quarter and before first quarter moon) between June and November. The right turtles are the Pacific Olive Ridleys (Spanish – Lora, Carpintera) because they exhibit an amazing nesting behavior referred to as arribadas (Spanish term meaning arrival; a mass nesting behavior. An arribada is a unique nesting phenomenon common to both the Olive ridley and the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. The Olive ridley is endemic to the Pacific coasts of Mexico, Central America, and India. It is known to be a nocturnal nester.) In September 2015 the number of tourists in Ostional reached a peak as tour companies hauled buses full of people to the turtle nesting site. Though there are regulations about visiting Ostional during an arribada, visitors often ignore the rules and enter the beach without the required guide and through unauthorized access points. Because of mass tourism humans on the beach disturb the turtles and keep them from laying their eggs. So as eco-friendly agency, we insist that our nesting turtle tour acts as the must responsible and respectful for the wildlife as possible. Since 1987, the government of Costa Rica allows the community of Ostional to harvest the doomed eggs on the first three days of an arribada. In return, the villagers protect the turtles, clean debris from the beaches and patrol day and night for poachers.
