Parismina

Parismina sits on a sand spit between the Tortuguero canal system and the Caribbean, reached only by boat from Cano Blanco, a village of a few hundred people living from fishing and, latterly, from turtles. Leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles nest on the beach, and poaching of eggs was heavy until a community association was set up in the 2000s to patrol the beach, relocate nests to a hatchery and run volunteer programmes, which turned the egg trade into a conservation economy. Visitors join night patrols in season. The canals behind hold caimans, monkeys and birds and are worked by boat. Sport fishing for tarpon and snook is the other activity.

What you actually see

• Night turtle patrols - the beach walks with the community project.
• The hatchery - the relocated nests and hatchling releases.
• The canals - the waterways behind the village with their wildlife.
• The village - the roadless settlement on the spit.

When to go

March to June for leatherbacks and July to September for greens; the turtle season is the reason to come. October to February is quiet and wet. Rain falls year round on this coast.

Honest expectations

Access is by boat only and schedules are limited. Accommodation is basic village lodging. Night patrols mean walking a dark beach for hours with no guarantee of a turtle. Mosquitoes and sandflies are severe. The sea is dangerous for swimming.

Nearby

Tortuguero lies north up the canal; Siquirres is inland.