Getting up-close with turtles at Costa Rica’s arribada
On the paradise beaches of Costa Rica, thousands of sea turtles make their nests in one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles. Welcome to the ‘arribada’
With odds of a thousand-to-one against a turtle surviving to breed, the seven eggs that we ‘replanted’ were virtually meaningless. But after experiencing this humbling night with these wonderful creatures, it felt good to do whatever we could to stack the odds even a little bit more in their favour.
The best time to travel on the Pacific side is during the dry season, from December to April. The height of the nesting season for olive ridley turtles falls in September and October. On the Caribbean slopes, the drier season is February to June.