Ridley Turtles at Ostional Nosara

[mcolfinn]

I have reservations at the Harmony Hotel near Nosara in November in hopes of seeing the Ridley turtles come ashore to lay eggs. Has anyone done this. can I get on the beach at night? Are arribadas common?

[Lynnie81]

I found this information which should hopefully answer your questions. It seems you are able to visit but obviously there are rules that have to be followed.

The Ostional Wildlife Reserve extends 15 km along the shoreline, including the beaches of Ostional, Nosara and Guiones. It is only a narrow, 200 m wide strand of beach, but extends inland along the estuaries of the rivers and mangrove swamps, protecting large colonies of birds. Offshore the reserve incorporates another 3 miles stretch of maritime zone.


Vultures in Ostional preying on turtle eggs
Without the occurrence of an arribada you can walk alone to the beach which is littered with the white shreds of broken turtle eggs.

During the day crowds of black vultures sit in wait for the small turtles or, impatiently with their beaks, pick and scratch in the sand to get to the tasty turtle eggs.

During nesting season (Aug - Nov) solitary turtles arrive almost every night at Ostional and sometimes the rare and endangered giant leatherback turtles and green sea turtles come to nest as well.

During an arribada you must check in with the ranger booth at the southern end of Ostional where you pay the entry fee of $ 6 and another $ 7 for the guide without whom you may not go to the beach. No flashlights or flash photography is permitted.

[d360]

We were in Playa Grande during turtle season February and the beaches were restricted to daytime hours only. At night they close the beach so the turtles are protected. I'm not sured what its like in Nosara but just use good judgement if the rules are less restrictive.