Green travel guide

Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica: The People Who Watch the Sand

Costa Rica's main sea turtle beaches are Tortuguero on the Caribbean, where green turtles have been studied since the 1950s, and Ostional on the Pacific, where olive ridleys nest in mass arribadas. To see nesting turtles responsibly, go with an accredited local guide, keep lights off, never touch turtles or eggs, and support projects that pay local staff.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026 · Last checked October 30, 2026

Best for

Travelers who want to see nesting turtles while supporting community guides and long-term research.

Where

Tortuguero and Playa Tres (Caribbean); Ostional, San Miguel, Costa de Oro and Corozalito (Nicoya Peninsula); Playa Tortuga in Ojochal (South Pacific).

When

Sea Turtle Conservancy's 2026 green turtle program at Tortuguero ran June to November; Ostional sees about 12 to 14 olive ridley arribadas a year.

Good to know

During nesting, Ostional's beach can only be visited with an accredited local guide.

Red flag

Tours that let you touch turtles, use white lights or flash, or carry hatchlings to the sea.

Ask before you go

Who leads the patrol, what the money funds, and how many local people the project employs.

A turtle crossing the sand at night is the reason most people come. But behind every well-run turtle encounter are people who've been up for hours reading the beach, guarding nests and explaining why you can't just wander wherever you like.

Costa Rica has famous nesting beaches on both coasts, and no two work the same way. In Tortuguero, scientists have monitored green turtles for decades. At Ostional, local associations help manage enormous olive ridley nesting events called arribadas. On the southern Nicoya Peninsula, smaller projects run night patrols and hatcheries while trying to keep local families involved. The biology matters, and so do the people who make a living protecting it.

Tortuguero: decades of green turtle research

The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) has worked in Tortuguero since 1959, building on nest monitoring Dr. Archie Carr began in the 1950s. It calls its Tortuguero project the longest continuous sea turtle monitoring effort in the world. Researchers and volunteers are based at its John H. Phipps Biological Field Station, and each season its teams patrol about 8 km of nesting beach.

STC's team page is a good introduction to the people you rarely see in a turtle photo. Roxana Silman is Costa Rica director. In Tortuguero, Rocío Macías Nieto is field coordinator, Daniel Bolom runs the station, Gisel Barroso leads environmental education and outreach, and Mary Duncan coordinates the visitor center. Dr. Roldán Valverde is the organization's scientific director.

Those job titles tell you how much work sits behind a nesting turtle: tagging, nest checks, equipment, data and, just as important, explaining the science to the families who live beside the beach. Conservation can't last as a deal between scientists and turtles alone. It has to make sense to the neighbors too.

STC also trains local guides in turtle biology. You can support its research and education without joining a patrol. Book a night tour with a licensed local guide, follow park rules, and don't follow researchers onto closed stretches of beach.

Playa Tres and Parismina: turtles, jaguars and a village team

Just south of Tortuguero National Park, Turtle Love protects and monitors nesting on Playa Tres, a 5 km beach near Barra de Parismina. It works with green, leatherback and hawksbill turtles. President and scientific director Renato Bruno leads the group, with field coordinator Gustavo Ortiz, outreach coordinator Ángela Méndez and a team of field assistants. The group shares its work on its Instagram account.

Turtle Love says it shares nesting data with MINAE, runs school beach visits and English classes for host families, and that 68% of volunteer contributions go to the local community. Those are its own figures, so ask how they're measured.

In October 2026, Teletica reported that Turtle Love's camera traps, running since 2023, had identified 11 jaguars across Tortuguero and Playa Tres. Jaguars hunting nesting turtles is a known behavior here, first documented in Tortuguero in 2000. A turtle beach is part of a much bigger wildlife story.

Ostional: a community, a refuge and the arribada

On the Pacific side, the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge near Nosara sees about 12 to 14 olive ridley arribadas a year, when thousands of turtles come ashore over several nights. The spectacle belongs to the turtles, but it's also the backbone of local work and community life.

Two groups to know are the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional (ADIO), the community development association, and the Asociación de Guías Locales de Ostional, the local guides' association. During nesting, the whole beach is closed to independent visits, and you can only go in with an accredited community guide.

In September 2026, guide Elmit Molina Parra told CRHoy that more than 500 turtles had gathered on a short stretch of beach. "Everyone should see this before they die," he said, and the association asked visitors to book a day ahead rather than turn up without a plan. Later that month, Teletica reported a second arribada still going after nine nights, with refuge administrator Carlos Pizarro describing patrols and arrests for egg theft.

Booking systems have tradeoffs. In 2021, La Voz de Guanacaste reported that the reservation system introduced after pandemic closures had organized visits well, but community guide Yamileth Baltodano and guide Gilberth Zúñiga said some independent guides were getting fewer calls. A well-managed beach should also give its guides a fair way to earn a living.

The Ostional egg harvest, explained

Ostional has a legal, tightly controlled community egg harvest, run by ADIO since 1987. According to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, only eggs laid in the first days of an arribada are taken, because later turtles digging the same sand would destroy most of them anyway.

An October 2026 Teletica report says the harvest follows a strict management plan with oversight from the University of Costa Rica, Incopesca, MINAE and turtle conservation groups. It reports that 70% of income goes to association members who do the work, and 30% pays for student aid, schools, health services, older residents and beach security.

That isn't permission for anyone else to take eggs. In September 2026, The Tico Times reported two arrests for taking 125 eggs from the refuge; neither person belonged to the association. Removing eggs outside the authorized system is illegal, and an egg sold elsewhere isn't proof of a legal harvest. The arrangement is specific to Ostional and still debated, which is why it deserves more nuance than "all collection is poaching" or "all collection is sustainable."

Southern Nicoya and the South Pacific: projects after the crowds leave

CREMA, the Centro de Rescate de Especies Marinas Amenazadas, runs turtle projects on San Miguel, Costa de Oro and Corozalito beaches on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. Olive ridleys nest there most often, with occasional greens, leatherbacks and hawksbills. Its research assistant posting for 2026 to 2027 is refreshingly honest: nightly patrols of 3 to 4 hours, morning nest counts, tagging, hatchery upkeep, a minimum of 10 weeks and a lot of physical work. It also says the program creates local jobs.

That's a good reminder that the person in a project shirt on the beach is checking hundreds of details, not posing for a photo. It's also why a two-week volunteer shouldn't expect to lead patrols.

Farther south, Reserva Playa Tortuga in Ojochal was founded in 2009 by residents and Costa Rican scientists. It says it has released more than 50,000 hatchlings since then and offers volunteer and internship programs, though its latest news posts date from 2023, so confirm it's running before you plan. ASVO, a volunteer association working since 1989, lists turtle protection at its Buena Vista and Montezuma stations.

Every beach has its own permits, partners and seasons. An old directory listing isn't proof that a hatchery is open to visitors.

When to see sea turtles in Costa Rica

Seasons vary by species and beach:

• Green turtles, Tortuguero: mid-year. STC's 2026 green turtle program ran from June to November.
• Leatherbacks, Caribbean: earlier in the year, and timing shifts; in 2026 they arrived early.
• Olive ridleys, Ostional: arribadas happen through the year, and the big ones can't be predicted months ahead. Check with the guides' association close to your dates.
• Hawksbills: less predictable at most beaches.

Even in peak season, no one can promise you'll see a turtle. Pick your beach and organization first, then check the current season, access rules and tour availability. Weather, surf, park management and the turtles themselves decide what happens on a given night.

How to watch nesting turtles without harming them

The worst idea is finding a dark, quiet beach and going alone at night. Quiet beaches are exactly where unmanaged attention does harm. White lights, flash, crowding and blocking a turtle's path can all stop nesting. Beachfront lighting is a growing threat too, as marine biologist Daniel Arauz has warned.

Follow your guide and the rangers. Wear dark clothing, keep phones and flashlights off unless your guide says otherwise, and keep your distance. Never touch a nesting turtle, move eggs, carry hatchlings to the water or decide where a nest belongs. Where those steps are needed, trained and permitted staff take them. Our responsible ecotourism guide has more tips for wildlife tours, and you'll find projects on our map under turtle projects.

Turtle volunteer programs: what to ask

Paying to volunteer isn't wrong in itself. Stations have beds, food, equipment, transport and trained staff to cover. A free placement isn't automatically more useful either. What matters is what the money pays for, who gets paid locally, what volunteers actually do, which research protocol they follow and who supervises.

A good project can tell you its purpose: measuring nest success, deterring poaching, studying hatchery temperatures or teaching local kids. It can tell you where the data goes and how volunteers support, rather than replace, paid local field staff. The most useful volunteers aren't always the ones who touch a turtle. They might fix facilities, translate materials, enter data or help fund salaries for local people who know the beach best. Our guide to ethical volunteering in Costa Rica goes deeper.

A turtle trip that actually helps

On the northern Nicoya Peninsula, Ostional has an established system of guided community visits; book with the local guides' association. For San Miguel, Costa de Oro and Corozalito, contact CREMA to ask whether a visit or volunteer stint makes sense. On the northern Caribbean coast, Tortuguero is reached by boat or small plane, and licensed local guides run night turtle tours in season. Near Barra de Parismina, start with Turtle Love rather than a random beach access at night. If you're choosing a place to stay near a nesting beach, our guide to sustainable hotels and eco-lodges explains what to look for, including turtle-friendly lighting.

A good visit should leave you knowing one person's name, one real threat to the turtles and one thing the community is doing about it. The turtles may be why you came. The people protecting them are why the experience might still exist decades from now.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to see sea turtles in Costa Rica?

Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast is best known for green turtles, and Ostional on the Pacific for olive ridley arribadas. At both, go with an accredited local guide.

When is turtle nesting season in Costa Rica?

It depends on the beach and species. Green turtles nest at Tortuguero mid-year, roughly June to November in STC's program. Leatherbacks come earlier in the year on the Caribbean. Olive ridley arribadas at Ostional happen year-round.

What is an arribada?

An arribada is a mass nesting event when thousands of olive ridley turtles come ashore together over several nights. Ostional has about 12 to 14 a year.

Is it legal to buy turtle eggs in Costa Rica?

Only eggs from Ostional's authorized community harvest, run by the local development association, are legal. Taking eggs anywhere else, or outside that system, is a crime.

Can I volunteer with sea turtles in Costa Rica?

Yes. Groups like CREMA, Sea Turtle Conservancy and Turtle Love run research or volunteer programs, often with minimum stays and demanding night work. Ask what you'll do and who supervises before you sign up.

Can I touch a sea turtle in Costa Rica?

No. Touching, crowding or shining lights on nesting turtles and hatchlings can disrupt nesting. Keep your distance and follow your guide.

Sources

1. Sea Turtle Conservancy: Our Team
2. Sea Turtle Conservancy: Tortuguero, Costa Rica
3. Sea Turtle Conservancy: Research Assistantships in Tortuguero (2026)
4. CRHoy: Arribada en Ostional ya reúne 500 tortugas (September 5, 2026)
5. Teletica: Gigantesco arribo de tortugas lora ya suma nueve días en Ostional (September 24, 2026)
6. Teletica: Ostional, la comunidad que convirtió la protección de tortugas lora en desarrollo (October 8, 2026)
7. The Tico Times: Ostional sea turtle eggs arrests (September 9, 2026)
8. La Voz de Guanacaste: Visitación a las arribadas de tortugas en Ostional tras pandemia (May 27, 2021)
9. ICT: Guía Guanacaste Sur, Ostional
10. CREMA: Research Assistants 2026 to 2027
11. Turtle Love: official site
12. Teletica: Cámaras trampa permiten identificar 11 jaguares en Tortuguero y Playa Tres (October 5, 2026)
13. Reserva Playa Tortuga: official site
14. ASVO: official site

We checked these pages when we last updated this guide. We didn't interview the people named; their roles and words come from the sources above.