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.

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