…a spectacular opportunity to see the release of baby turtles, a wonderful tour for families, couples or anyone with an appreciation of nature at its best

Julio Tours will pick you up in a comfortable air conditioned vehicle from your hotel at 4pm and drive 30 minutes to Las Penitas, a small beach town located on the Pacific Ocean. Here you will be met by a private guide and together you will walk through the village to the bay where you and your guide will take a 30 minute boat ride into the mangrove.

In Nicaragua it is very common for people to eat turtle eggs, so in many areas at night you will see men on the beaches waiting for the turtles to come to shore and lay their eggs. When the turtles return to the ocean the men take the eggs and sell them to local restaurants. On a narrow strip of land that meets the ocean you will find a small rustic turtle sanctuary. Palo de Oro “The Tree of Gold”, is a university project that began in the early part of 2016 for the protection of baby turtles. Here you are able to see the baby turtles that have been taken to the sanctuary. The eggs take approximately 90 days to hatch and after 2 or 3 days they are released at night. You are able to carefully hold the baby turtles and then they are taken to the shore and you can watch them make their way to the ocean. You are also permitted to take photos but you must not use “flash” as it hurts the turtles eyes.

You will also take a walk on the beach to see if you are lucky enough to see a mother turtle come to shore to lay her eggs. You will spend 2 to 3 hours on the beach and at the sanctuary.