Turtles nest at beaches all along the Caribbean and Pacific shores. Here are the major venues:

Caribbean Coast

Tortuguero: Loggerheads and hawksbills come ashore year-round but especially in August. Green turtles nest here June–November.

Barra de Matina/Parismina: Leatherbacks, greens, and hawksbills come ashore at this private sanctuary north of Puerto Limón.

Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge: April and May are the best months to spot leatherbacks. By July, they are gone, replaced by greens, which can be seen in large numbers through September. Hawksbills also come ashore year-round, mostly March–August.

Pacific Coast

Curú Wildlife Refuge: Three species of turtles come ashore at this private refuge, on the eastern coast of the Nicoya Peninsula.

Las Baulas Marine National Park: Playa Grande is Costa Rica’s preeminent nesting site for leatherback turtles. Leatherbacks come ashore October–April. Olive ridley and green turtles can be seen here in small numbers May–August.

Ostional National Wildlife Refuge: This 248-hectare refuge, north of Playa Nosara, protects the major nesting site of olive ridleys (locally called lora). It is one of three sites in Costa Rica where synchronized mass nestings (arribadas) of the olive ridley occur, at two- to four-week intervals (generally between the third quarter and full moon) April–Dec., with a peak in July through September. During each arribada (which may last four to eight days), up to 120,000 turtles may nest at Ostional. Solitary nesters can be seen on most nights. Leatherbacks and Pacific greens also nest here.

Playa Camaronal: Located in south-central Nicoya, this beach experienced an arribada for the first time in 2006, although ridleys nest year-round, and leatherbacks nest March and April.

Volunteer Programs to Save the Turtles

If you’re interested in helping save endangered marine turtles, consider volunteering with the following organizations:

Caribbean Conservation Corps (CCC, 4424 NW 13th St. Suite #A1, Gainesville, FL 32609, U.S. tel. 352/373-6441 or 800/678-7853, fax 352/375-2449, www.cccturtle.org)

Earth Island Institute (300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133, U.S. tel. 415/788-3666 or 800/859-7283, fax 415/788-7324, www.earthisland.org)

Earthwatch Institute (3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100, Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754, U.S. tel. 978/461-0081 or 800/776-0188, fax 978/461-2332, www.earthwatch.org)

Save the Turtles of Parismina (www.costaricaturtles.com)

Asociación ANAI (tel. 506/224-3570 or 506/750-0020, anaicr [at] racsa [dot] co [dot] cr)