Tortuguero Turtle Nesting Night Tour: Detailed Review & Guide

Going to see turtles lay their eggs in Tortuguero is, quite frankly, just something else. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing that you really just can’t compare to anything else. Imagine this, if you will: you’re on a beach, completely dark, with the waves sort of crashing nearby. Suddenly, a big old sea turtle is there, digging in the sand. You watch, absolutely amazed, as she lays her eggs. It’s seriously something you’ll carry with you.

Why Tortuguero is the Best Place to See Turtle Nesting

Tortuguero, so it is called, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, is seriously famous, as a matter of fact, for its turtle nesting. As I was saying, you’ve got this really special place where green sea turtles, leatherback turtles, and hawksbill turtles come every year to lay their eggs. The beaches here are actually protected, which is very helpful, really, to give these turtles the best chance to reproduce. The name “Tortuguero” basically means “Land of Turtles,” which is so very fitting, you know?

Now, this region, as a matter of fact, plays host to one of the vitally important green turtle nesting locations right on the planet. The whole national park that’s right there stretches around 22 miles along the coastline. Like your tour guide might tell you, turtle nesting actually peaks, typically, from July through October for green turtles, even though, seriously, other species do nest here, basically, at various times all year round. With turtles under threat from climate change and all sorts of factors, keeping them safe and sound while nesting is, you know, particularly important. This park’s got a massive part, seriously, to play in turtle preservation efforts.

What You Can Expect On Your Turtle Nesting Night Tour

Alright, so when you do a turtle nesting night tour, you, arguably, need to prep yourself for a few things. You, arguably, start in the evening; you get together with your tour group and guide. Because, as I was saying, this is super important: you cannot, and I repeat, you cannot go on the beach on your own at night. It’s just not allowed, so it is.

So, actually, everyone must go with an authorized guide who is well-informed, literally, on how to, like, protect the turtles and follow all, really, the national park rules. This helps so very much keep the nesting sites safe and reduces how much the turtles get disturbed. So, like your guide would, for instance, bring a red light, as a matter of fact, with them. Regular flashlights will just stress the turtles out; using the red ones keeps the environment more serene. Then, you wait and walk slowly on the beach while trying not to make any loud sounds. Obviously, right, nature does what it wants. A female turtle has to emerge from the sea and select the spot she fancies on the shoreline before creating a nest and laying those eggs. Very, very occasionally you don’t get to see anything at all. Tours generally take 2 – 3 hours, so, too.

I mean, it’s pretty special to see a turtle in real time; they, in some respects, start digging, and it looks exhausting for them! The whole nesting thing is surprisingly, actually, involved. To be honest, seeing that process makes the tour worth doing. What with there being the added fact you’re contributing to nature.

Picking the Right Tour Operator

Choosing a tour operator, basically, is very important if you fancy going on the night tours. You can easily locate several companies in the main village. Do some investigating, obviously, before booking with just anyone. Do the proper, so it is, research to find people who are permitted and respect those stringent park guidelines. In Costa Rica, you see so much emphasis put on environmental, well, environmentalism. Look for, for instance, responsible operations and operators with really strong reviews and credentials. How much your operator knows about the environment contributes so very much to your viewing experience, as I was saying. That’s what makes their expertise worth the money that’s charged.

Operators generally stick, as a matter of fact, to park policies such as tour guide limits and group sizes. Very important in respecting those protective areas is, of course, reducing crowd sizes to safeguard wildlife and vegetation from disturbance. So, actually, ask questions about this; by the way, ethical operators are pretty keen, to be honest, on keeping those tours sustainable.

What to Bring With You On the Tour

Basically, there are some key items that can make or break, so it is, the tour experience you’ll have. A few of these depend, literally, on you, so it is that you need, that, think about what the climate will be doing that evening before putting the items to your list. Generally, really, these points are relevant on the majority of nights. When going on your turtle tour:

• Dark Clothing: Really, that, wearing dark colours will support your staying camouflaged, so it is, at night. That’s helpful, usually, to avoid startling any turtle nesting near the shoreline.
• Rain Gear: That area in Tortuguero can be damp, clearly, year-round. Bringing rain gear is just very helpful for staying snug and keeping dry, I mean, should it rain, like your tour guide might advise.
• Mosquito Repellent: So, mosquito repellent is obviously, obviously right, a must. At any time mosquitoes are rampant; really, you fancy protection from them, basically, regardless of climate and month.
• Camera: Naturally, actually, your photos should stick, so it is, strictly to turtles laying eggs, so it is, though! Leave any flash at home, and obviously, like your guide will also stress this fact, do respect any turtle’s night with your actions.
• Cash: Very, very occasionally smaller locations don’t always tend to accept those cards! Very important is having cash in case of tipping opportunities or buying, really, souvenirs at short notice!

Things to Know Before You Book

So, before booking one of those tours, arguably, know that there, arguably, are factors that impact your experience. Turtle nesting can be affected significantly, I mean, by weather, seriously, affecting seeing, in effect, those turtle occurrences that evening. To get the timing of that, really, just spot on, do chat with the locals on when you tend, I mean, to visit. This is because knowing more about seasons for nesting offers that advantage when optimising the likelihood when you book, usually, spotting a nest!

I mean, to stress again, you aren’t, literally, assured a turtle appearance! These things hinge totally, often, on animals going through cycles independent of, literally, schedules when following this method to spotting nature. I mean, sometimes being respectful will require cancelling plans due to ecological causes. What’s the point if wildlife is threatened, sort of of type consideration? Those considerations need weighing and assessing, as a matter of fact, and weighing responsibly.

So, you fancy doing, basically, plenty to prepare, for instance, that trip. The way in which visitors and local parties safeguard a fragile ecological arrangement comes with making informed plans. These safeguard future excursions which may come and allows seeing natural magnificence safely!