Turtle Hatching at the Piro Research Station
Highlights
- Photo opp. holding a turtle
- Beautiful beach views
- A humbling life experience
Facts
- Price : $50
- Time : 5:30 a.m.
- Time length : 2 hours
- Periods : June-Dec. Turtle release
- Telephone : 2735 5756 office in Puerto Jimenez with Dennis.
- What to bring : Sun block, insect repellant, flash light & water. Rubber boots are provided
- Note : Refreshments, fruit and coffee
A childlike joy fills your heart during an up-close experience with the early stages of an endangered sea turtle’s life: hold a freshly hatched sea turtle in your hand, feel it wiggle around, place it on the sand and see it sprint across the beach to the ocean as you ward off predators. All this while you are on the turtle hatching tour at the Piro Research Station.
read more closeYour tour begins with a 25-minute forest hike through terrain that is mostly flat with a few small hills and trickling creeks on your way to the Piro Beach, where dozens of turtles are carried in buckets from their hatchery to the Piro black sands. You gently pick a turtle up and set it free to take a heroic journey into the waters. There is a destiny that awaits each one of these adorable infant turtles that got a special start to life, as they all received the added benefit of human protection while scurrying along the beach, hoping to avoid hungry swooping birds.
About Piro Research Station
The Osa Conservation owns 9,884 acres inside the Golfo Dulce Wildlife Refuge, where your tour will be. This environmental organization passionately supports the Piro Research Station.
The sea turtle conservation program’s goal is to increase the turtle population in Osa Peninsula by patrolling Piro black sands day and night with the help of volunteers and collecting the eggs laid near dangerous locations such as rivers, high tides, or predators. Thanks to these efforts, the facility releases 5,000-9,000 baby turtles per year, mainly Olive Ridley and Green Sea Turtles, although Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles are occasional visitors as well.
Departure & Return
- Departure point : Tour departs from all major hotels in Puerto Jimenez, Matapalo and Carate
- Departure time : Hotel pickup is between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. depending on hotel location.
- Return details : Tour returns to original departure point between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.