Map Las Baulas National Marine Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

SPEAK FOR THESE CREATURES WHICH CAN NOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

The leatherback sea turtle is the world’s largest sea turtle and is in danger of becoming extinct. In Costa Rica, it nests on the beaches of Tortuguero National Park during  the months of March through May.  One can go with a park ranger at night to see these turtles nesting but you may not take photos  because the light disturbs the turtles.    These turtles have survived for over one hundred million years but now are considered endangered and are under protection because their numbers are decreasing around the world.  The Leatherback sea turtle can be found in every ocean in the world except the Arctic Ocean and and Antarctic  Ocean.

If you are vacationing in Costa Rica during the months of February through May you have a great chance to see Leatherback sea turtle  nesting in the southern Caribbean coastlines of Costa Rica.  Especially in a protected area called Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve on the very southern tip of Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coastline.

Also the Leatherback sea turtle  nests on the Northwestern Pacific beaches of Costa Rica in large number in Las Baulas National Park during the months of November through April.
This area is especially popular with tourists because  it is near by the popular tourist town of Tamarindo where tourist from all over world come to enjoy the sunshine and the warm Pacific Ocean.

There are many reasons that the Leatherback sea turtle is endangered.  1.  Eggs are stolen from the nesting sites for consumption by the locals.  They claim the eggs are  aphrodisiacs.
Killed in fishing lines and struck by boats.  3. Coastal developments damage and destroy nesting sites.  Examples of this is homes and condos being built along the beach, bringing  large numbers of people who interfere with the turtles nesting rituals.
4. Global Warming which warms the temperatures of the oceans is affecting the food supply of the leatherback.  Also,  large amounts of plastics are  being dumped into  the oceans by boats and the leatherback sea turtle  thinks it is good to eat, but it is very harmful to the turtles digestive system.

It is estimated that only one in one thousand hatchlings survive to adulthood.

How can We  help Protect the Leatherback Sea Turtle? By joining the efforts of The World Wildlife Fund  which works with fisheries around the world to decrease the numbers being caught.  Also local communities ban together and protect critical nesting sites.  We see this in Tortuguero, Costa Rica on the Northwest Caribbean Coast and  also in the Northwestern Beaches of Guanacaste where the Costa Rica government has established the Las Baulas National Park to work with the locals to protect these turtles and also to give tourist an opportunity to learn about the world’s largest marine turtle.

Tourism to Costa Rica has brought a large number of dollars into the country and  part of this money  has been used wisely by the Costa Rican government to help develop these National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.    Costa Rica Learn strives to provide those of you thinking of a vacation in Costa Rica with on going helpful travel tips and other valuable information on travel to Costa Rica.  Our information  is categorized on page one of our web page.  so please check out these categories to find information on your  topic of interest.

It is difficult to realize just how large the leatherback sea turtle is by looking at the photo below.  They can grow to a shell length  of 1.7 meters and weight up to 900 kg (approx 2,000 lb). Indeed the largest sea turtle on earth!

Learn more about Las Baulas National Marine Park at  www.costarica-nationalparks.com/lasbaulasnational marinepark.html

Endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle, Costa Rica

The waves are  big and surfing is good.  You can rent a surf board through the hotel  and  you can arrange for surf lessons.

The view to the Pacific Ocean from the rooms is lovely and you can walk to the beach in less than ten-fifteen  minutes.  The restaurant is open so you can feel the warm breezes and there is a nice view of the ocean.

You may  want to have a rental car or your own vehicle  if you don’t want to do the walk to the beach.   On the way back it is a strenuous up hill walk.

A big event here May through November is the Olive Ridley Sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs, usually right after a full moon when the nights are very dark.

Learn more about Lagarta Lodge including directions on how to get there., room rates etc. Go to Google and type in Lagarta Lodge

Lagarta Lodge Playa Nosara Costa Rica

lagarta Lodge Costa Rica Swimming Pool

View to the beach from Lagarta Lodge Costa Rica

You are one of the lucky ones if you are able to visit Hacienda Pinilla located in the northwestern  Pacific Guanacaste province of Costa Rica.   You can rent one of the gorgeous fully furnished condominiums if you would like a longer stay, or check into La Posada Hotel.  The grounds are meticulously landscaped and  tropical flowering plants  line the walkways.  Dine at El Choral restaurant with excellent international cuisine.

So many outdoor activities are here.  A world class golf course with a view to the ocean.  Stables to rent horses.  Great ocean waves for surfing.  Tennis courts.  Miles of trails for hiking to view wildlife.  Pristine beaches just to relax and enjoy the tropical sun.  Tropical sunsets like you never dreamed you would experience……very romantic indeed!   Swimming pools just to sit and relax and enjoy that late afternoon freshly squeezed lemonade.

There is so much natural beauty here.  Your eyes tire just from looking at the gorgeous landscapes, blue-green ocean, and  the colorful tropical birds.

The fantastic  JW Marriott Hotel recently opened on the property.  A destination unto itself.  It’s right on the ocean, only steps away from the water  Read more about this wonderful place on the web at

www.haciendapinilla.com

Condominiums at Hacienda Pinilla

This Beautiful Beach is Near Cabo Blanco and Montezuma Costa Rica

pristine white sandy beach Cabo Blanco Costa Rica

Cabo Blanco Beach, Costa Rica

Cabo Blanco National park is the first national park to be established in Costa Rica.  It is a  beautiful 1,172-hectare Nature Reserve, located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Puntarenas province.  Two  immigrant,  Nils Olof Wessberg and his wife Karen Morgenson  donated the area to Costa Rica before the national park system was created.   You can find a  plaque erected  in their honor near the Cabo Blanco ranger station.

For many years,  only scientists were allowed in the area of  Cabo Blanco.  Now tourists can also enjoy the natural beauty of Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, but in order to minimize impact, the reserve remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. There are a number of trails that allow the visitor to explore the area.   For example Sendero Sueco that leads to the totally unspoiled Playa Balsita. From there, you can take another trail called Sendero El Barco. Both trails have tidepools so make sure you check with the ranger station before entering the reserve – otherwise you might get stuck at high tide.

Many wild animals can be found in Cabo Blanco.  such as howler-, spider- and white faced monkeys, sloths, iguanas, raccoons,  armadillos, anteaters,  and deer can be observed easily, while creatures such as the margay and ocelot are more elusive.   Marine birdlife is abundant, too, and you likely will see the brown booby, as well as magnificent frigate birds, laughing gulls, common terns and brown pelicans. In the coastal areas, large populations of fish, crabs , lobster, shrimp, giant chonches and clams are prevalent.

How can I get to Cabo Blanco? You can reach Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve by a four wheel drive vehicle on a 11 km long dirt road from nearby Montezuma.    Or, you can hire a taxi in Montezuma, where mountain bike rental provides another option for transportation. The park  is open 8 am to 4 pm Wednesdays to Sundays and an entrance fee of  $7 has to be paid at the ranger station. There you can also get a map explaining the trail system.   Part of the  beauty of this area is that there is no infrastructure.  Bring water and food along if you want to spend  some time walking the beach and hiking in the national park.

One of the most wonderful things about this park is there are few tourist here.  Perhaps because it is off the beaten path and to get here by car you have to put the car on the Puntarenas ferry.  Or take a commuter flight  on Sansa Air or Nature Air to  Tambor and then there  hire a taxi to Montezuma beach.

The Tamarind Tree of Costa Rica

Tamarind Pods

Tamarind is a tropical fruit tree native to Africa. It grows in tropical climates and can survive without a lot of rainfall, such as the NW Pacific areas of Guanacaste in Costa Rica.  Its tree itself is often planted for a shade tree and it’s  fruit contains an acidic pulp, dark red in color.    This pulp is used to make a drink which quinches the thirst, and is very popular in Costa Rica.  If you are vacationing in Costa Rica be sure to order a Tamarind drink and see how you like it.  In the glass it has a color similar to red wine.

There is a small town in Costa Rica named Tamarindo, located on the NW Pacific beach of Costa Rica in the province of Guanacsate.  Don’t know if it is named for this tropical fruit tree. Tamarindo is famous for surfing because the waves there are just right, even for beginner surfers.  There are long stretches of beach nice for walking especially in the late afternoon.  The sunset is beautiful.

Deep Sea fishing is great in Tamarindo.  The beautiful deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean offer the best of sailfish, large tuna, and marlin.

In recent years Tamarindo has become a very popular destination for young people looking for sun and fun.  There is abundant night life in the high season of December through March. And lots of small locally owned  restaurants.

So if you are traveling to Costa Rica and want a beach destination, check out Tamarindo and be sure to order a Tamarind drink.

Cahuita Beach, Southern Caribbean Costa Rica

The Pacific and Caribbean beaches of Costa  Rica are Very different, one from the other.   The Caribbean Beaches are very  rainy and lush.  The jungle ecosystem  is wild and sparsely populated.  We see  sloths, monkeys, and colorful toucan seemingly everywhere. .  Beaches are lined with palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze.  The beaches are beige white and one has to ask the locals the best places to swim and surf.  The coral reefs just off shore offer spectacular snorkeling and scuba diving.  I will start  first by talking more about the Pacific beaches of NW Guanacaste.  There is less rainfall here so the ecosystem is more arid.  The trees are smaller  due to the destruction of the original  lowland dry forest to create large Cattle ranches.   We see large areas with no trees and fenced pastures with hundreds of head of cattle.

The NW Pacific Guanacaste beaches are probably the most visited tourist beaches in Costa Rica.  The Liberia international airport is located about one hour by automobile or bus to the beaches so that makes it easier to simply fly into Liberia, rent a car or take a shuttle bus to your beach hotel.  The big draw at the Guanacaste beaches  is the weather with sunshine almost year round.  Rains much less here .  It’s usually sun all day during the dry season of May through November and then in the rainy season its sunny mornings with  late afternoon thunder showers. It’s picture perfect for sun worshipers.

This long strip of  Guanacaste beach reaches  from as far south as Samara Beach  and  Carrillo Beach  all the way north to the border of Nicarauga.  These beaches are gorgeous.  Some places you find smooth stretches of beige sand that filters through your fingers with  deep blue Pacific waters  where you can swim and surf.  Other places the beach is rocky and you cannot enter the water.   Development took hold here starting in the late nineties.  The idea was to draw tourist who would ordinarily visit a place like Cancun, Mexico   but  instead come to Costa Rica’s beaches.  Hotels large and small have been built here.  In recent years large hotels chains (with the money coming from abroad) have built 200-300 room Resort hotels marketing these properities as all inclusive- pay one price and you get the room and all the food, plus the transfer to and from the Liberia airport .  Yes, come and enjoy the sun and blue waters of the Pacific and leave stress and worries at home.

What are the Southern Caribbean beaches like? Here the ecosystem is much more lush and tropical because it rains all year round.  So you see thick tropical vegetation,  flowers,  coconut palms, and banana trees.  There is simply more big trees here because development has not hit here as hard as on the Pacific beaches.  Since there is more sunshine year round on the Pacific beaches, these beaches became more sought after for big developers.  The infrastructure, the roads, are not as good on the Caribbean beaches.  Many are dirt and gravel.  The main highway south of Limon (highway 36) all the way to Puerto Viejo is pretty good.  From Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo the road is dirt and gravel.

The beaches of the Caribbean are beige white sand and lined with coconut  palms, very beautiful and tropical.  However one needs to inquire with the locals a safe place to swim or surf  in the waters because apparently the undertows are strong.   Snorkeling and scuba diving are great here, not far off the shoreline.   Coral reefs and colorful fish are easy to see.  Again, you need to hire a local tour operator to take you in a boat to the best places.

Hotels on the Caribbean beaches are smaller.  You don’t see the hugh 200-300 room hotels like you see on the Pacific Beaches.  Also this area of Costa Rica does not have a large international airport like Liberia international airport or the San Jose International  airport.   You have to obtain transportation from San Jose by road or you can fly  one of the domestic carriers into a near by small airport  such as Limon.

The Southern Caribbean has a an Afro-Caribbean flavor of it’s own.  You see this in the food and in the music.   Houses are painted bright colors of blue and yellow.

You see more wildlife here on the Caribbean.  Sloths, monkeys, iguanas, hundreds of colorful birds such as four different species of toucans.  And in certain seasons of the year the green sea turtle nests and lays it’s eggs here.  I was there in July and was able to see this  spectacular sight!

The northern Caribbean beaches like the ones around Tortuguero and north of there are not usually safe to swim.   So you don’t see many people on these beaches, other than just walking along the beach.   The currents are very strong and the undertow  makes it unsafe.

I can’t say which of these beaches, the Pacific or the Caribbean is the most beautiful.  They are very very different.  Each with it’s own distinct ecosystem.  The waters of the  two oceans are very different.  The Pacific seems more blue while the Caribbean is blue, but a different hue of blue.  The jungle setting of the Caribbean is what makes it REALLY different from the Pacific.

Beach at Hacienda Pinilla, NW Pacific Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Although, I must add:  the south Pacific beaches of Costa Rica are  still jungle like because the big destructive developers have not made it that far south-Yet!  Infrastructure is hard to get into there.  There are very few roads directly into the beach areas.   For Example Drake Bay and the Corcovado National park  (Osa Peninsula) have to be accessed by domestic air and boat.

The beautiful Cahuita Beach scene  was  shot by Stephanie Maussett.  An excellent photographer!

If you have specific questions about these beaches, please ask me by clicking on comment or click on reply at the end of the post.

Here at costaricalearn.com we would love to hear from you and share these questions and comments with our readers.

Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge covers about 400 hectaries (a very large area)  was created to protect the vast Mangrove swamps in the area, at the request of the locals who saw the large high rise developments going up near Tamarindo and were afraid that this would continue on up to the Grande Beach and other beautiful and serene beaches to the north of Tamarindo.

There are several species of mangrove that flourish on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.  The black mangrove, the white mangrove,  the tea mangrove, and the buttonwood mangrove.  Many birds made their home in these mangroves.  The most commonly seen are the great egret, white ibis, great blue heron, and the Muscovy duck.

Las Baulas National Park comprises three beaches, Grande Beach, Ventana Beach, and Langosta Beach.  Grande Beach which is part of the Tamarindo wildlife refuge, is one of the most important nesting sites for the leather back turtle, and the park was created in part to protect these turtles.   The turtles come here  to nest from November through April.

The leather back turtle is the largest of all sea turtles growing up to two meters long and weighing up to 700 kg. It’s the only turtle that has a very thick skin cover, very much like leather.  As many as 200 of these turtles may lay their eggs in one night.

Playa Grande (Beach)  is popular with tourists because of it’s long span of unspoiled beach with light brown sand.  The waters are calm enough for swimming and sometimes the waves are large enough for surfing.  You can see animals that live in the beach sand such as hermit crabs, ghost crabs, and mouth less crabs.

Where is Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge and Las Baulas National Park  located?  In the NW Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the Nicoya Peninsula.  It is just north of the  beach town of Tamarindo.

Many people come here for bird watching.  There are so many birds such as sandpipers, brown pelicans, frigate birds,  and the roseate spoonbill, plus several different kinds of seagulls.  Early morning is the best time to see the most birds.

Howler monkeys also make their home in the park.

Best time of year to visit.  Well if you want to see the turtles nesting then November through April.

Year round the weather is nice here, but on the hot side.  Around 80 degrees F.   This area of Costa Rica gets less rainfall than the other parts of the country so you generally see sunny mornings.  May through November you will get late afternoon thunderstorms.

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Surfing Costa Rica . Jaco Beach , one of Costa Rica’s top ten beaches with it’s black sand and big waves  attracts surfers from around the world.  Generally, it is known for it’s laid back lifestyle,  a small sleepy beach town where locals hang out with tourists to enjoy a cold Imperial “cerveza”, Costa Rica’s famous local beer.    Yet, now we see tall cranes and  construction equipment; evidence of the high rise Condo boom that has hit this once quiet little stretch  of dark volcanic beach.  Only 2 hours from the central valley- San Jose area makes it an easy drive.  Drive during the day light hours because the route is a winding, narrow mountain road, and heavily trafficked.  Also, one can catch a public bus from any public bus station and easily arrive to Jaco.  However, there is no landing strip  for small planes.