Leatherback turtle nesting site inside Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas, October to February.
Blue Flag beachTurtle nestingProtected area
Las Baulas National Marine Park
Playa Grande is a long, open tan sand beach inside Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas, separated from Tamarindo by a mangrove estuary that visitors cross by road or by short boat ride. It is one of the most important nesting beaches in the Pacific for the leatherback sea turtle, with a nesting season from October to February, and the park closes the beach after dark to protect nesting females and hatchlings. The waves are fast and strong, drawing intermediate to advanced surfers to breaks like Punta Casitas near the river mouth.
SwimmingRip currents, dangerous to swim
SurfIntermediate surf
Good for
Surfing
Wildlife
Sunsets
Walking
Facilities
Parking
Restaurants
Getting there
Reached by a paved road from Huacas (about 30 minutes from Tamarindo by car) to the main park entrance near Hotel Las Tortugas, or by a short local boat ride across the estuary from north Tamarindo beach; a parking fee applies at the main lot.
Sea turtles
Species: Leatherback
Nesting season: October 20 to February 15, peak December-January
Official park-run sea turtle nesting tour on Playa Grande inside Las Baulas de Guanacaste National Marine Park, the main eastern Pacific leatherback nesting site. Reservations are made by phone with the park office and the tour is led by the Matapalo local guides association (ASOCAVE); groups wait at the ranger station and walk to the beach only once a nesting turtle is reported. The tour centers on whatever turtle activity is present during nesting season, roughly late October to mid-February.