Ostional Wildlife Refuge in Guanacaste, on the western coast of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations—for good reason. The scene is picturesque: Waves gently lap the dark-sand beaches, which are backed by rows of thick jungle palms. Aside from the beauty, the main reason thousands of tourists flock here each year is to witness the nesting of the olive ridley sea turtle, but this month it's the human beachgoers who have been getting all the attention. And it’s not positive.
Olive ridley turtles, whose conservation status is listed as “Vulnerable,” return en masse to the same beaches they were born to lay eggs each year, with their busy months being September and October. On September 6, they arrived at Ostional Beach on an unusually clear weekend day, drawing hundreds of tourists to the beach. “The turtles encountered so many people on the beach that some returned without completing the nesting process,” said Leonel Delgado, secretary of the Environment Ministry's Workers Union. This story has since gained a lot of traction, and images of oblivious tourists standing in the way of the turtles has sparked outrage on social media.
While this incident has had—"without a doubt"—a negative impact, says Delgado, there are ways to enjoy the turtle’s migration responsibly. Licensed tour guides can accompany you to the beach and make sure you take the proper precautions so as to not disturb the olive ridleys. (Check with one of our Costa Rica travel specialists for recommendations.) Moving forward, the Costa Rican government plans to enforce this rule more vigorously to prevent such disturbances.
