The best turtle watching experiences in Costa Rica
There’s no doubt that Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world to enjoy the magic of turtles nesting. There are five species of turtle that come to lay their eggs on the beaches of Costa Rica and peak seasons vary, depending on the species of turtle and whether you’re on the Pacific or Caribbean coast. While the green, leatherback, hawkesbill and logger head can be found on both coastlines, the Olive Ridley only nests on the Pacific side.
Female turtles arrive onto the beaches under the cover of darkness, digging holes to lay their eggs, sometimes 100 at a time! Approximately 7 to 10 weeks after being laid, the eggs will hatch, and the newborn turtles will instinctively follow the moonlight glinting off the ocean’s surface to guide them into the sea. These tiny little hatchlings are incredibly vulnerable at this stage, with only about 1 in 1000 making it to adulthood.
You can witness female turtles laying their eggs, or watch the hatchlings as they make their perilous bid for the ocean. We’re here to pin down the best experiences, so let’s start with Tortuguero and Ostional, two key nesting sites.
Tortuguero National Park
Best time to Visit: Between July and September
Primary Turtle Species: Green Sea Turtle
Tortuguero is on the North Caribbean coast and its title hints at one of the many wildlife highlights, because Tortuguero translates to ‘land of turtles’. Tortuguero is unique, in that most experience revolve exclusively around water. It’s known for its vast numbers of green sea turtles, there’s also come chance of seeing leatherbacks, loggerhead, perhaps even a Hawkesbill. Though green turtles nest here from March to October, July to September is usually the optimum period. Some turtles can be spotted during the day, but the vast majority will arrive under the cover of darkness, so it’s best to book yourself onto a night tour.
Ostional National Wildlife Refuge
Best time to Visit: Between September and October
Primary Turtle Species: Olive Ridley
The 200m stretch of black volcanic sands at Ostional can be found on the Nicoya peninsula, at the western end of Costa Rica’s pacific coastline. The pacific coast of the country supports an estimated 600,000 nesting olive ridleys, most of which will come to its two major arribada beaches, Nancite and Ostional. Those who know their turtles will know that the Olive Ridley have a very unique nesting habit referred to as Arribada (exclusive to the Olive Ridley and Olive Ridley). Literally thousands of females come to shore in unison to nest, most likely guided by the lunar cycle. In a similar fashion, the hatchlings sing to each other and wait until all of them have cracked out of their eggs before question off en-mass, making the collective odds of survival more successful by leaving together. The highest recorded number was in 1995, when an estimated 500,000 came to shore (bearing in mind that’s about 200 eggs per nest). Though most come here for the Arribada, there is a chance that you will see green and leatherback turtles. If you are a visitor to Ostional Beach, it’s best not to drive there independently because there is a river crossing and this may invalidate your hire car insurance.
Playa Grande in Las Baulas National Marine Park
Best time to Visit: Between mid-October and mid-February
Primary Turtle Species: Leatherback
Just up from Ostional is the beach of Playa Grande at Las Baulas. It worth noting that there are several ‘playa grande’ in Costa Rica, so you need to locate it in terms of the Marine National Park. This is a key nesting site for Leatherback Turtles between October and February, where guided night tours can be booked locally. This is the most important of all the leatherback nesting sites and this turtle is certainly the most impressive in stature, with some weighing up to 2000 lbs (142 stone). That’s the equivalent of 11 men weighing 13 stone each! It’s possible you may see hawksbill turtles here but they are much less common.
Corcovado National Park – Osa Peninsula
Best time to Visit: December through the March is probably peak time for nesting and hatching Pacific Greens. Olive Ridley are most concentrated between September and December, though tours are general available from July right through to December.
Primary Turtle Species: Olive Ridley and Pacific Green
Corcovado National Park offer a variety of turtle watching experiences, both by day and at night. These educational and conservational and tours run from October to January. As well as the Olive Ridley and Pacific Green, there are also hawkesbill and leatherback turtles and green turtles here.
Swimming with turtles on Cano Island – Osa Peninsula
Best time to Visit: Year-round.
This is a little island is a biological reserve, surrounded by coral and rich with marine life. You can join a boat excursion to go snorkelling or scuba diving and it’s fairly common to see turtles in the waters surrounding the island. You can also enjoy other marine life, such as white-tipped reef sharks, rays, and an array of tropical fish.
Turtles can be found in their thousands across many of the beaches in Costa Rica. If you book a holiday with Archipelago Choice, we will arrange a turtle watching experience in a location that fits from with the rest of your Costa Rica holiday plans.
