Watching Sea Turtles Hatch in Central America

Up and down the coasts of Central America there are nesting sites for various species of sea turtles. Here are some of the best places to watch them hatch.

The first is Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, around 50 miles north of Puerto Limon. Between July and October, you can watch as newborn hawksbill, giant leatherback and loggerhead turtles make their way into the sea for the first time.

Up in Belize, Ambergris Caye is the place to be for turtles. June to October is hatching season, but you can also see mature sea turtles feeding at the Mesoamerican reef at other times of the year.

Guatemala also has plenty of sea turtles on its Pacific coast, particularly around the beach town of Monterrico. You can take a tour to see them at the Hawai’i Nature Reserve, where leatherbacks and Olive Ridleys can be spotted.

The town of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua might be more famous for partying than wildlife, but it is home to many sea turtle nesting sites. Around 10,000 Olive Ridleys visit the beaches each year, as well as hawksbills, Pacific greens and leatherbacks.

If you want to see sea turtles in El Salvador, head to Jiquilisco Bay. The estuary here is something of a rarity because there is a permanent population that calls the area home.