1. Leatherback Turtle Watching - A Costa Rican Emphasize !
As you are trudging along a sand-fly infested beach in darkness , sweaty and itchy, you might begin
to question why you thought this was advisable in the first place when you could have finished your
day with an icy chilly beer and good organization. But then your best guide mutters something , a
swell of excitement goes through the group you're with there it is...the dark form of a female turtle
slowly dragging herself up the beach. Just about all discomfort is actually forgotten as you watch the
awkward improvement of the huge creature pull himself into position to seek out her home in the sand
with her flippers and lay her one hundred or so eggs. She utilizes her flippers to cover the soft eggs
and then techniques the sand to conceal her unborn offspring through predators, prior to returning to
the water. As much as an hour might have passed during the woman's labors, but it certainly does not
feel like it !
Baby turtles normally hatch 2 to 3 months after becoming laid and seem to be in tune along with
moon cycles , as it is the reflection from the moon on the ocean which guides these phones the water
because they emerge struggling from the sand with their brothers and sisters. If you are fortunate ,
you might also have the joy of watching the tiny Leatherbacks make their own first steps on the beach
that they will go back to years later on to lay their very own eggs - that is if these people survive their
own first few times out of the shell. Amazing to assume that these little turtles are somehow imprinting
information that will allow them to come back over journeys of a large number of miles through just
this brief but hard trek to the ocean! so resist that temptation in order to lift 1 up and 'help' it to the sea
!
Leatherback turtles are large (up eight feet in length and weighing up to 1 ,496 lb ), ancient creatures
and to see this incredible moment in life cycle is a real opportunity. They are protected from poachers
by local people who are frequently 'poachers switched gamekeepers and zealous volunteers, but the
eggs remain susceptible to natural predators and decided poachers. Turtle watching is usually strictly
controlled in costa rica for the protection of this endangered species. Expect to be allowed on turtle
beaches just with a guide during the season and to be kept in a reasonable distance from the turtles
so that their own laying isn't disturbed. You may find that you are not allowed to use flash
photography for the very same cause. The turtles supposedly get into a trance-like state throughout
laying, so you might be able to look at the animal more closely at that moment , but who needs a
photo reminder of such an unforgettable experience anyway ?
Leatherbacks lay on the off-shore Coast of Costa Rica in between November and April, mainly at
Playa Grande, Nicoya. Most vacationers opt to remain in the laid-back resort town of Tamarindo and
drive the very short distance to the nationwide Park to view the turtles. The guides charge the $25
charge if there is the turtle to view.
On the caribbean Coast of the nation , turtles arrive between 04 and july in Tortugera and Gandoca.
The small village of Gandoca has little to provide tourists besides some standard cabinas, so most
choose to make the forty five minute generate from possibly Cahuita or even Puerto Viejo instead of
remaining there. Tours are available through many hotels and tour operators, so shop around or even

2. go directly to the Gandoca/Manzanillo Reserve in order to book a tour for around $65 per person (this
cost includes transport ).
If it doesn't fit with your own Costa Rica vacation schedule, then you could check out the times when
Olive Ridley, Hawkbill, Green or even Loggerhead turtles can be found round the country's coastlines,
so you can also share the turtle encounter that so many have come to keep in mind as a Costa Rican
highlight !
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