Mass arribada nesting events where thousands of olive ridley turtles come ashore in a single week.
Turtle nestingProtected area
Ostional Wildlife Refuge
Playa Ostional is a dark volcanic-sand beach inside the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, one of the world's most important nesting sites for the olive ridley sea turtle. Mass nesting events called arribadas bring thousands of turtles ashore over several nights, most often in the days before a new moon between August and December. Entry during nesting periods requires an accredited local guide and payment of a park fee.
SwimmingRip currents, dangerous to swim
SurfAdvanced surf
Good for
Wildlife
Walking
Facilities
Parking
Restrooms
Getting there
From Guiones, drive north about 13 kilometers on the coastal road to the Ostional refuge entrance at the south end of the beach, where visitors register with rangers; a 4x4 is needed year round.
Sea turtles
Species: Olive ridley
Nesting season: July to December, peak September-November, arribadas cluster around each new moon
Ostional is the arribada epicenter, one of the world's largest olive-ridley mass-nesting sites, with tens of thousands of females coming ashore over a single arribada; access during nesting is guided-only.
The Ostional Integral Development Association is one of two official community guide groups authorized to lead visitors into the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, where entry without a licensed guide is prohibited by law. Guides walk small groups onto Playa Ostional to see nesting olive ridley turtles or, during an arribada, the mass nesting event that draws hundreds of thousands of turtles ashore between July and December. Reservations go through the association's own phone lines rather than a website.
AGLO is the second official community guide association authorized to lead turtle-watching tours inside the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. The group posts real-time updates on its Facebook page when an arribada begins, including which nightly time slots have guides available, since the mass nesting event cannot be scheduled in advance. Guides lead small groups onto Playa Ostional to view nesting olive ridley turtles under red-light-only conditions required to protect the animals.
A hilltop yoga and meditation retreat center overlooking the Pacific and a protected turtle-nesting beach. It hosts week-long retreats, workshops, and teacher trainings led by visiting facilitators, and offers a shuttle reservation service for arriving guests. The center focuses on meditation, kirtan, and spiritual programming.