Embrace the Green Season: Olive Ridley Turtle Watching
Ostional National Wildlife Reserve was created in 1984 to protect one of the most important nesting sites of the olive ridley sea turtles from poachers stealing eggs.
The beach in this reserve sees something called an “arribada” (the Spanish word for arrival), a synchronized mass-nesting event of sea turtles. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of turtles simultaneously come ashore to lay their eggs in the black volcanic sand within a matter of five or six days. The reserve is on its third arribada for August. During the arribadas, Playa Ostional has restricted access, so to visit the Refuge, you must coordinate a reservation with an accredited community guide via telephone at +(506) 2682-0428. You will be able to see turtles day and night during the arribadas.
Turtles Across History
For over 100 million years, sea turtles have resided on planet Earth, enduring even the Ice Age. Despite having triumphed over natural disasters, humankind has brought these creatures close to extinction.
Research indicates that for every 1000 turtles hatched, only one reaches adulthood. Every species of sea turtle is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature list of endangered species and in the category of maximum protection of the treaty of Convention of International Trade of Endangered Flora and Fauna Species, where the trafficking of sea turtles or sea turtle wares, is banned at an international level. This is intended to protect their populations and help them reach maturity.
Five of the seven species of sea turtles that exist in the world can be seen in Costa Rica: