Sea Turtle Nesting Season in Barra del Colorado

Located on the Caribbean coast, Tortuguero is another guarded jewel of this amazing country that is Costa Rica. Its name means “region of turtles” in the local language because it is the nesting home of four species of sea turtles, the Green turtle and the Giant Leatherback: the most popular of these awesome creatures.

The journey is very much an adventure in itself if you choose to go by boat. There are flights running daily from San Jose ($140 round trip) and many local airports, but if you are adventurous and have time on your hands, the boat journey is well worth the effort. Starting from Puerto Limón, the journey follows the canals that etch out a truly unique landscape in this Northeastern part of the country, where the fauna seems to explode.

Water Hyacinths spread all over the river making the progress quite slow at times, but time does not seem to be so important anymore. The symphony of wildlife is simply enchanting and increases as the day passes. Many extraordinary species of wild birds can be observed, as well as white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys and the famous howler monkeys, easily located by their sound. Beware of the crocodiles, which are sometimes seen, seemingly asleep on river shores, taking in the sun and looking for prey. Rest assured that you will be perfectly safe on board!

The canals of Tortuguero are not unlike some sort of labyrinth, lazily making their way to the sea. Once you reach the ocean, the boat trip will take you along the magical coastline of the Caribbean, with its pristine beaches, like out of some fantastic tale of a past epic voyage. See these pelicans fishing, how they dive, fearless!

Tortuguero is home of the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge where many species of endangered wildlife can be spotted, as well as monkeys, birds, and lizards. If you are lucky, you may be able to spot a small wild cat such as the elusive jaguar. However, the main focus here is of course the turtles.

The best time to see the turtles is between March and April, which is when the Leatherback Turtles nest. This a spectacular sight without a doubt, and you may go back home treasuring the memory of a Leatherback nesting hundreds of her small white eggs. The size of some of these amazing ancient creatures is simply extraordinary by itself, and may well take your breath away if this is a first time for you!

Sadly, the old belief that the eggs increase sexual prowess has made of them a delicacy and a passion among locals. Green Turtle soup is another sought after local dish that has caused ravages among the turtle population. Some activist groups have been successfully fighting against the extinction of the turtles and now their number is on the rise again.

For the tranquility and well being of these animals you must remember that no more than one hundred visitors maximum are allowed on the beach during the nesting season, and lights are not permitted as they mislead the turtles.

There are a good variety of places to stay in Tortuguero, which will help to make this trip a pleasant and memorable one. The people are friendly and proud of their heritage and it is an honor for them to receive a guide permit and show you around their ecologically diverse region. They are very conscious of the dangers of extinction these turtles are still facing in and are hoping to pass on some awareness to the tourists as they introduce them to these amazing turtles.

This post's rating:

Related Stories

Filed under: Travel on February 15th, 2008