Sea Turtle Nursery at Punta Teonoste

Description

Punta Teonoste Beach, situated in the southern littoral of the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, is a spot where three species of sea turtles (Paslama, Torita and Tora) arrive to spawn. As part of a conservation program, a resort located right in front of this beach has installed a nursery in order to provide shelter and protection to turtles nests.

Recommendations: Because the nursery is situated on sand, it is recommended to wear light clothes (short pants, sandals and T-shirt), and sun protection. Visitors must be careful not to step on the nests while walking by the nursery and follow the instructions of the guide.

A free visit to the nursery is opened to the general public, so people can learn about the protection activities and life cycles of the turtles. The owners do not charge an entrance fee for this site. Information about the spawning process, dates of nesting, life cycle, birth control, relocation and arrivals of the turtles is offered by the manager of the area at the Information Center, situated next to the nursery.

After the chat with the manager, visitors are taken to the nursery to observe its infrastructure, which measures 9.3 meters long and 4.9 meters wide and has a capacity to house 100 nests of the turtles that spawn in the area. The whole visit (including chat at the information center) lasts 45 minutes approximately.

A visit to the nursery might happily coincide with the arrival of an adult turtle that will spawn at any point of the beach (it mostly occurs from July to November), or with the birth of turtles at various points of the nursery. In any case, every visitor is guided and informed about both natural events and, during these months, the visit will last a little bit more.

Getting There

It is necessary to go to Hotel Punta Teonoste, located in the municipality of Tola, in the department of Rivas. The hotel is situated 6 kilometers away from the bridge of Las Salinas, in El Astillero.

From the Panamerican Highway, visitors must go to the entrance of the path to Las Salinas, which is located near the Ochomogo bridge. Another way to get there is to go to the town of Tola, in the city of Rivas, and follow the road to the beaches near El Astillero. There is also public transportation that tourists can catch at the bus station of Rivas.