Two Olive Ridley turtles come ashore on the beaches of La Flor Wildlife Reserve in Nicaragua to nest. Photo courtesy of Terra Incognita Ecotours.

Nicaragua's majestic turtle migrations occur in waves referred to as "arribadas", or arrivals in Spanish. There is usually one "arribada" per month, but the exact date is influenced by a variety of factors, including the weather and moon. During each migration, several thousand turtles come ashore almost simultaneously and lay more than 100 ping-pong ball-sized eggs each. Remarkably, the turtles return to the exact same beach on which they were born, a phenomenon yet to be understood by scientists.

Both of Nicaragua's coasts are popular sites for nesting turtles. The country's less-developed Caribbean coast, specifically the Pearl Cays, is the nesting area of choice for thousands of rare Hawksbill, Green, Loggerhead, and Leatherback turtles. The warm water, inviting grass beds, and protective mangroves of these remote, white-sand beaches are also home to what is believed to be the world's largest remaining population of Green Sea Turtles. While visitors can only arrive via water or air, local charter operations such as La Costena, http://www.tacaregional.com/costena, and Atlantica Airlines provide flights to the region for less than $100.00 roundtrip.

More than a haven for surfers, Nicaragua's Pacific coast also welcomes millions of turtle hatchlings every year. Between one and two million baby turtles emerge from the sands of Nicaragua's Pacific coast to begin their perilous journey out to sea. One of the largest turtle groups can be found at the La Flor Wildlife Reserve, a crescent of white sand beach lined by lush tropical rainforest and rocky cliffs. Just south of San Juan del Sur, this natural refuge covers only a mile and a half of beach, yet attracts an extraordinary number of turtles each year, including more than 200,000 Olive Ridleys, one of the world's smallest species. Mother turtles literally crawl over each other to compete for a spot in the warm sand. Between the months of July and January, La Flor is also visited by an average of 3,000 Paslama Turtles as well as several Parrot Turtles, the largest and most threatened of all marine turtles. Visitors interested in witnessing this exciting phenomenon can reach La Flor from Managua in less than 45 minutes, enter the park for a small fee and enjoy plenty of beach. La Flor is currently being managed by Fundacion Cocibolca, a local NGO that is attempting to educate local communities.

Turtle migrations become increasingly rare with each year due to the endangered status of the sea turtle. Though poaching remains a constant threat for turtles around the world, the Nicaraguan government is working with agencies such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help educate communities about the importance of protecting these turtles for future generations.

How to Get There:

A variety of Nicaraguan tour operators such as Careli Tours, http://www.carelitours.com; Mombotour, http://www.mombotour.com; Frontier Expeditions, http://www.frontierexpeditions.net and Nicatours, http://www.nicatour.net include turtle watching in their excursions. The Nicaragua Tourism Board also offers a full list of local operators and their packages on their website: http://www.visit-nicaragua.com.

More Information:

The following links provide additional information on Nicaragua's turtle migration:

-- gorp.away.com/gorp/publishers/avalon/nicaragua_topten_1.htm

-- http://www.fauna-flora.org/Volfilm.mov

-- http://www.visit-nicaragua.com

-- http://www.playaelcoco.com.ni/en/main/tortuga.html

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