Destination content © Christopher P. Baker, used from Moon Handbooks Costa Rica, 5th edition.
Maps © Avalon Publishing Group, Inc.
PLAYA GRANDE
Costa Rican beaches don’t come more beautiful than Playa Grande, a seemingly endless curve of sand (varying from coral-white to gray) with water as blue as the summer sky. A beach trail to the north leads along the cape through dry forest and deposits you at Playa Ventanas, a pristine scalloped swath of white sand, with tide pools for snorkeling and bathing. Surf pumps ashore at high tide; Playa Grande is renowned among surfers for its consistency and good mix of lefts and rights. Surfing expert Mark Kelly rates it as “maybe the best overall spot in the country.”
The entire shoreline is protected within the 445-hectare Playa Grande Marine Turtle National Park (Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas), which guards the prime nesting site of the leatherback turtle on the Pacific coast, including 22,000 hectares out to sea. The beach was incorporated into the national park system in May 1990 after a 15-year battle between developers and conservationists. At issue is the fate of the leatherback turtle—and the amazing fact that humankind stands on the brink of terminating forever a miracle that has played itself out annually at Playa Grande for the past several million years.
The park is the result of efforts by Louis Wilson, owner of Hotel Las Tortugas, and his former wife, Marianel Pastor. In the 1970s, a cookie company was harvesting the turtles’ eggs. The beach was subdivided among 30 or so egg poachers, who sold Louis and Marianel “rights” to take tourists on to their sections of sand. Once the tourists left, the hueveros would steal the eggs. In the 1980s, Asian fleets began harvesting eggs here. The government agreed to support the couple’s conservation efforts only if they could show that the site was economically viable as a tourist destination. Much of the land backing the beach was owned by developers, who had until recently been prevented from constructing homes and hotels. Things have come full circle. The locals have taken over all guiding (each guide is certified through an accredited course), and Las Baulas is now a model for similar experiments worldwide.
The beach sweeps south to the mouth of the Río Matapalo, which forms a 400-hectare mangrove estuary behind the beach. The ecosystem is protected within Tamarindo National Wildlife Refuge (Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Tamarindo, tel. 506/296-7074) and features crocodiles, anteaters, and monkeys. Waterbirds and raptors gather, especially in dry season. The wildlife population is increasing; deer and even ocelots and other cats are seen with greater frequency. The ranger station is about 500 meters upriver from the estuary.
Hiking is allowed on the north side of the estuary and along the beach. Trails are not marked.
The hamlet of Comunidad Playa Grande is on the main approach road, 600 meters inland from the beach.
Visiting the Turtles of Playa Grande
Turtles call at Playa Grande year-round. The nesting season for the giant leatherback is Oct.–March, when females come ashore every night at high tide. Sometimes as many as 100 turtles might be seen in a single night. (Olive ridley turtles can sometimes also be seen here, as may the more rarely seen, smaller Pacific green turtles, May–Aug.) Mid-October through mid-November is best for avoiding hordes of tourists.
A visit here is a humbling, reverential experience.
Each female leatherback will nest as many as 12 times a season, every 10 days or so (usually at night to avoid dehydration). Most turtles prefer the center of the beach, just above the high-tide mark.
The beach is open to visitors at night (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) October 15 through February 15, and off-limits the rest of the year (there are no restrictions on daytime visits); it is open at night February 15 through March 15 solely for environmental education. Guides from the local community roam the beach and lead groups to nesting turtles, guided by other guides who spot for turtles and call in the location via walkie-talkies. Visitors are not allowed to walk the beach after dusk unescorted; guides—$7—are mandatory. Groups cannot exceed 15 people, and only 60 people are allowed onto the beach at night at each entry point (four groups per gate; eight groups maximum nightly).
There are two entrance gates to the beach: one where the road meets the beach by the Hotel Las Tortugas, and the second at the southern end, by Villas Baulas. You buy your tickets ($6) at either gate. Reservations are mandatory, although entry without a reservation is possible if there’s space in a group (don’t count on it, as demand usually exceeds supply). You can make reservations up to eight days in advance, or between 8 a.m.–5 p.m. for a same-day visit. At certain times the waiting time can be two hours before you are permitted onto the beach. (Safety Concerns: car break-ins are an everyday occurrence near the park entrances, including in and around the car park of the Hotel Tortuga, with thieves hanging around in broad daylight! Why Louis of Hotel Tortuga doesn’t hire security guards or put lights in his pitch-black parking lot is beyond me. Don’t leave anything in your vehicle.)
Resist the temptation to follow the example of the many thoughtless visitors who get too close to the turtles, try to touch them, ride their backs, or otherwise display a lack of common sense and respect. Flashlights and camera flashes are not permitted (professional photographers can apply in advance for permission to use a flash). And watch your step. Newborn turtles are difficult to see at night as they scurry down to the sea. Many are inadvertently crushed by tourists’ feet.
Information
The park headquarters (Centro Operaciones Parque Nacional Marina las Baulas, tel./fax 506/653-0470) is 100 meters east of Hotel Las Tortugas, whose owner, Louis Wilson, is still the best source of information on the area. It features an auditorium on turtle ecology. Viewing the film is obligatory for all people intending to witness the turtles nesting.
El Mundo de la Tortuga
The World of the Turtle museum (tel./fax 506/653-0471, 4 p.m.–6 a.m., $5 admission) is 200 meters from the main entrance gate and a must-visit before watching the turtles. Self-guided audio tours (20 minutes) are offered in four languages. The displays are splendid and highly educational. Did you know that the brain of a 1,000-pound leatherback weighs only one-quarter ounce? Or that the turtles eat mostly jellyfish? Or that they’re found in all of the world’s oceans as far north as the Arctic? The museum is open by night, and you can sit in the outside patio and await your turn to visit the turtles. It has a splendid gift shop. Fantastic! Free educational programs are given to locals. It’s open Oct.–May, when the turtles are present; it is sometimes open other months. A guided tour costs $25, including beach walk.
Sports and Recreation
Most hotels and tour companies in Tamarindo and Flamingo offer turtle-watching tours (about $25) and a “Jungle Boat Safari,” aboard a 20-passenger, environmentally sound pontoon boat that takes you into the mangrove-rich Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge ($20).
Cooperativa Portoturbo (tel. 506/653-0225) offers boat trips into the refuge ($26 including park entrance).
Hotel Tortuga rents longboards (from $10 one hour, $20 per day) and boogie boards ($5 one hour, $7 per day).
The Hotel y Restaurant Bula Bula has a beach club at the south end of the beach, with funball ($10), volleyball ($5), ocean kayaks ($5), boogie boards ($3), and boules ($1).
Pura Vida Café (tel. 506/653-0835, www.puravidatours.com) has Internet service, and offers surf lessons ($50). Pura Vida Realty, next door, rents surfboards ($8 one hour, $30 per day), boogie boards ($8 half-day, $15 per day), snorkel gear ($10), and beach chairs and umbrellas.
Getting There
The Flamingo-bound buses from San José and Santa Cruz stop in Matapalo, where you can walk or catch a taxi.
From Flamingo, road access is via Matapalo, six km east of Playa Grande (turn left at the soccer field in Matapolo). A rough dirt road also links Tamarindo and Playa Grande via Villareal, but the route isn’t always obvious.
A water-taxi runs between Tamarindo, docking on the estuary near the Hotel Bula Bula. It departs for Tamarindo at 7:30 a.m. Mon.–Sat., then every two hours ($1).
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