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No massive turtle arribada yet

ViaNica.com | Oct 23, 2005

Further Reading

The turtles have not yet showed up in big numbers at the La Flor Wildlife Reserve. Thousands of Olive Ridley turtles are expected to visit this beach any day now. In the past two days, the police, the army students, and tourists have been awaiting the turtles to show up en masse. The moon phase, which is the most reliable measure in predicting turtle arrivals, is at the correct stage at this moment.

The turtle arrivals, however, can never be predicted with 100% accuracy. One of these days thousands and thousands of turtles are expected to arrive and lay their eggs at the La Flor beach. Friday and Saturday night (October 21st and 22nd) a handful of turtles did show up at nigh. Several thousands are waiting offshore for the perfect moment. The mass-arrival that is about to take place, called an arribada, will last for three to four days. This particular one will be the biggest of this year, with between 17,000 and 20,000 turtles expected to show up.

The turtles normally arrive at night, but during this extraordinary arribada some will also come during the day. During the coming arribada, the second night will probably bring the most turtles. You can expect the enclosed La Flor beach filled with turtles climbing out of the water, digging holes, laying eggs, and others climbing back to the ocean. If you have the chance, be sure not to miss this extraordinary event!

La Flor is located about 22 kilometers south of San Juan del Sur – almost an hour drive in the current conditions. You will have to cross rivers and the muddy road requires a high clearance vehicle. It is a good idea to contact the Cocibolca foundation (the organization managing the reserve) for the most up-to-date information on the road and weather conditions.

You can take your own tent and camp at La Flor, or you can stay at a hotel like CocoCabañas, located at the El Coco beach only 2 kilometers away from La Flor.