Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SEE SEA TURTLES
At least five of the world's sea-turtle species nest on the shores of Nicaragua, all (theoretically)
protected except for green turtles, present only on the Atlantic coast and legal to catch July to
April.
The most common Pacific turtles, the olive ridley (Paslama), are only 45kg and at their most
impressive when invading a nesting beach (July to December, peaking in September and August)
in flotillas of 3000 or more that storm ashore at the same time to lay. Often using the same
beaches from November to February, leatherbacks (
tora
or
baula)
are the largest (450kg) and
rarest of the turtles; because they eat jellyfish they often accidentally consume plastic bags and
bottles, which kill them. Both species have edible, illegal and widely available eggs, considered
by locals to be an aphrodisiac. In this topic we do not list establishments that serve them, but if
you see them on the menu, make your distaste known to the proprietors.
Hawksbill (carey) turtles - which nest May to November, peaking in October and September -
are inedible and have lousy-tasting eggs; they're generally caught only for their shells, which are
made into graceful, beautiful jewelry that we hope you won't buy. Loggerhead (caguama) turtles
are also inedible, but their 160kg bulk often gets caught in the green-turtle nets.
Most tours only take you to see the eggs being laid, usually between 9pm and 2am, except dur-
ing olive ridley
arribadas
(arrivals), when the beaches are packed day and night. Babies usually
hatch about 60 days later, just before sunrise, then make their run to the sea; it's worth camping
to see this. If you want to get more involved, you can hook up with grassroots turtle-conservation
initiatives once you arrive, or contact the Cocibolca Foundation (
www.mombacho.org
)
or the
Wildlife Conservation Society (
Click here
).
Places to see the turtles:
Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Flor (
Click here
) Easily accessible from San Juan del Sur, La Flor's
wildlife reserve has the best infrastructure, access and protection for its collection of olive ridley
and leatherback turtles - plus camping!
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Río Escalante Chacocente (
Click here
) Access to this wildlife reserve
is limited, but it's within walking distance of rapidly developing Playa El Astillero, so guided
tours are just a matter of time.
Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado
Conveniently close to León, and olive ridleys show up right
on time.
Reserva Natural Estero Padre Ramos
Not much infrastructure, but there's a grassroots turtle-
conservation program where you can volunteer.
Pearl Keys
This group of expensive-to-access Caribbean islands hosts hawksbill turtles while
green turtles feed on the seagrass just offshore.
Other nesting sites on the Atlantic coast include the Miskito Keys, even more difficult to get
to, and Río San Juan Wildlife Preserve, where green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles nest, and
which can only be reached via San Juan de Nicaragua, a challenge in itself.
