Las Baulas

Playa Grande and the beaches around it form Las Baulas national park, created to protect what was once the most important leatherback nesting site in the eastern Pacific. Leatherbacks are the largest turtles alive, reaching over two metres and several hundred kilos, and they come ashore here between October and February to lay. The numbers have collapsed since the 1990s, from many hundreds of nesting females a season to a fraction of that, driven by fishing bycatch across the Pacific rather than by anything happening on the beach itself. Night tours run with guides, in small groups, with no lights and no photography.

What you actually see

• Leatherback nesting - the largest turtles alive, October to February.
• The guided night tour - small groups, no lights, no cameras.
• Playa Grande - the beach itself, also a strong surf break by day.
• The hatchery - relocated nests protected from tides and predators.

When to go

October to February is the nesting season, with the peak usually in November and December. Tours run at night and numbers are limited, so book. Sightings are not guaranteed and the wait can be long; the guides radio when a turtle comes ashore.

Honest expectations

The population has crashed and some nights no turtle comes at all; this is not a reliable spectacle and any operator promising one is misleading you. No lights or photography are permitted, which is not negotiable. Development pressure around the park has been a long-running conflict. Playa Grande has strong rips and is not a casual swimming beach.

Nearby

Tamarindo is across the estuary; Playa Conchal is half an hour north.