Ostional Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica   Off the Beaten Path for Tourist

Want to sea marine turtles lay their eggs  in the sandy beach?  Then travel to Costa Rica and witness the Oliver Ridley sea turtle lay its eggs at Ostional beach on the Pacific side of Costa Rica and visit  the Ostional Wildlife Refuge  created to protect one of the world’s most important nesting sites for the marine turtle , the Olive Ridley,  or Lora as it is called in Costa Rica.  This wildlife refuge  is  definitely off the beaten path for tourist but very much worth while to make the trip.   A 4×4 vehicle is recommended due to the rugged road system in the area.

Best time of the year to witness this is August through December when the rainy season is heaviest in that region.   The Arribada occurs at the start of the last quarter moon during the months of August through December.  One could notice hundreds of turtles gathering close to shore several days before they begin to rush upon the sandy shores to lay their eggs.  They come out of the water all at once,  onto the sandy beach,  sometimes running over one another.  They begin in the very late afternoon and  continue coming  all night, until day light.  “Quite a sight to see”!  There they dig into the sand and lay their eggs.

road map for Ostional wildlife refuge located on Pacific side Costa Rica

Where is Ostional Wildlife Refuge located and how do I get there?   It is located on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. See map.  It can be reached by 4×4 vehicle from Nosara or from San Juanillo.   This is the province of Guanacaste, in the northwestern pacific coast of Costa Rica.   Drive from Liberia International airport in northern Costa Rica  around 1 hour and a half.  Drive from San Jose around four hours.

However in a very very heavy rainfall, the beach area may not be accessible.

If you are planning a vacation to Costa Rica and want to see first hand many of the most beautiful beaches,  rain forests, and wildlife refuges to help better plan your vacation then go to the home page of 10.255.150.253/costaricalearn   At top of page click on buy our  costa rica travel video. You can view  the 2 min trailer of the full length  58 minute video  “Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular” filmed by my husband Ken Creed whose travel adventure film credits include “Alaska” which was chosen by the National Geographic Society to be shown at  its travel adventure film series at Constitutional Hall in Washington DC.