Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [223]
Return to beginning of chapter
Getting There & Away
There are no buses to Playa Grande. You can drive to Huacas and then take the paved road to Matapalo, followed by a rough dirt road to Playa Grande. If you don’t have your own car and are staying in Playa Grande, call ahead and the hotel owners can arrange pickup from the Matapalo turnoff (where the bus from San José can drop you off).
Alternatively, you can cut your travel time in half by catching a boat across the estuary from Tamarindo to the southern end of Playa Grande (around ₡650 per person).
Return to beginning of chapter
PARQUE NACIONAL MARINO LAS BAULAS DE GUANACASTE
Playa Grande is considered one of the most important nesting sites in the entire world for the baula (leatherback turtle). In 1991 the entire beach and adjacent land (379 hectares), along with 220 sq km of ocean, was designated as Las Baulas national marine park. This government act followed a 15-year battle between conservationists and various self-motivated parties, including poachers, developers and tour operators.
However, the actual impetus for the creation of the national park came from the owner of the Hotel Las Tortugas. In fact, the sole stipulation for designating Playa Grande as a protected area was that the beach needed to generate revenue based on tourism. Fortunately, tourists perennially pay the park fees to watch the turtles nest, and local guides ensure that the beach (and their economic livelihood) stays intact.
The ecosystem of the park is primarily composed of mangrove swamp, and it’s possible to find here all of the six mangrove species native to Costa Rica. This habitat is ideal for caiman and crocodile, as well as numerous bird species, including the beautiful roseate spoonbill. Other creatures to look for when visiting are howler monkey, raccoon, coati, otter and a variety of crab. But, as is to be expected, the main attraction is the nesting of the world’s largest species of turtle, which can weigh in excess of 400kg. Nesting season is from October to March, and it’s fairly common for three or four leatherbacks to lay their eggs here on any given night.
The leatherback is critically endangered from overhunting, a lack of protected nesting sights and coastal overdevelopment (beachside lights disorient the turtles when they come up to nest). Despite increased conservation efforts, fewer and fewer leatherbacks are nesting on Playa Grande each year. In 2004 an all-time low of 46 leatherbacks visited the beach, which was a vast departure from the estimated 1000 turtles that nested here in the 1990s. While it’s easy to point fingers at developers in Tamarindo, park rangers attribute the decline in nesting turtles to longline commercial fishing, though the construction of high-rise apartments and beachside fast-food joints certainly isn’t helping.
In an effort to protect the dwindling leatherback population, park rangers collect the eggs daily and incubate them to increase their chances of survival. Even so, sea turtles must hatch on the beach and enter the water by themselves, otherwise memory imprinting does not occur, and the hatchlings will never return to their birthplace to nest. It’s estimated that only 10% of hatchlings will survive to adulthood, though leatherbacks can live more than 50 years, and females can lay multiple clutches of eggs during a single nesting season.
During the day, the beach is free and open to all, which is a good thing as the breaks off Playa Grande are fast, steep and consistent. During the nighttime, however, it is only possible to visit the beach on a guided tour, which is also a good thing as it ensures that the nesting cycles of the leatherback will continue unhindered.
Return to beginning of chapter
Turtle-Watching
The park office (2653-0470; admission US$10, with guided tour US$25; 8am-noon & 1-5pm) is by the northern entrance to Playa Grande. Reservations for turtle-watching can be made up to seven days in advance, and they’re highly recommended as there is a limited number of places