Alagadi Turtle Beach

Alagadi is one of the most important nesting beaches in the Mediterranean for green turtles, with loggerheads nesting alongside them, and it has been protected and monitored since the 1990s by a long-running research project that patrols the sand nightly through the season. Females come ashore from late May to August; hatchlings emerge from July into October. The beach is closed at night during nesting and access is only with the project, which runs supervised watches.

What you actually see

• The nesting turtles - green and loggerhead females coming ashore from late May.
• The hatchlings - emergence from July into October, usually at night.
• The protected sand - marked nests and the patrol system across the beach.
• The bay - a long open beach backed by low dunes and scrub.

When to go

June to September is nesting season and the reason to come; supervised watches run then and must be booked. Swimming is good from May to October in the daytime. The beach is closed to the public at night in season.

Honest expectations

Turtles are wild animals and a night watch can end with nothing seen. Lights, flash photography and noise are prohibited and the rules are strictly enforced. Daytime swimming here is unsupervised with no lifeguard, and ID is needed at the crossing points.

Nearby

Kyrenia is west along the coast, and the Karpaz runs northeast.