Established in 1995 to protect the endangered leatherback turtles, Parque Nacional Marin las Baulas is located on the estuary of the Rio Matapalo, between Conchal and Tamarindo. The beautiful beach of the reserve, Playa Grande, has been a nesting site for these ancient creatures for millions of years. The beach is protected between November and February, which is nesting season, but the rest of the year you can relax there and have a cooling dip, although the sea can be quite rough. Unfortunately it seems that the developers have started to build quite close to the Playa Grande, but hopefully this won’t affect the nesting habits of the turtles.

Sightseeing
If you do visit during the nesting season you should pay a visit to the rangers hut near the entrance of the park. He can advise you on the best time to see the turtles laying their eggs. Most of the time you will have to go in a group and sometimes you tend to feel a bit guilty intruding on this private moment, but the fees do help to protect the turtles so try not to feel too bad about it. A visit to the El Mundo de la Tortuga, 200 metres from the entrance, is a good idea. You can see the exhibitions and the photographs and learn a lot about the turtles, as well as the conservation efforts to protect them.

Getting there
You have to enter the park through the southern entrance so you can buy your ticket. There is no public transport to get there. You can drive from Huacas, turning left before you reach Matapalo, it’s best to use a 4WD. You can also get to the park by boat from Tamarindo.