Since October 20, an afternoon walk on Playa Langosta has ended an hour earlier. That was the day Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas opened its turtle nesting season. Through February 15, the park's beaches close to ordinary public use at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Langosta is one of only three beaches the park was created to protect, along with Playa Grande and Playa Ventanas across the Tamarindo Estuary.
The season carries the leatherback's name, and the leatherback has almost disappeared from these beaches. That changes what the season asks of the people living nearby. A resident is unlikely to meet a leatherback on an evening walk. The things a resident controls every night are the light coming off the house and the trash left on the sand.
A season named for a turtle that rarely arrives
The park's Spanish name comes from the tortuga baula, the leatherback. SINAC's park page calls it critically endangered worldwide and the main reason the protected area exists. It names Langosta, Grande and Ventanas as the species' nesting sites.
The numbers have fallen hard. In 2022, Teletica reported that SINAC had seen nesting leatherbacks drop from a historical 300 to 400 per season to fewer than 20. Officials described the situation as critical. The most recent published field report from The Leatherback Trust and Earthwatch covers October 2023 to March 2024 at Playa Grande, the park beach with the longest research record. Researchers identified three leatherbacks there that season.
Inside that small number is a sign of hope. Two of the three, or 67 percent, were nesting for the first time. Researchers normally expect about 30 percent. The field report called this good news and "unsurprising as we hope to see a decimated population rebuilding." At these numbers, every female that comes ashore and every nest she leaves counts for a great deal. That explains why the rules around the season are so strict.
The turtle that is showing up more often
The same report describes a different trend for another species. In 2023–24, researchers at Playa Grande identified 41 green turtles, 80 percent of them new to the beach. They estimated 127 green turtle nests for the season. The report's summary says more female green turtles nest "every season." Olive ridleys went the other way. The report counted about 71 nests at Playa Grande, called ridley numbers low, and flagged the species for closer monitoring.
These counts come from Playa Grande. No one publishes a separate tally for Langosta. Still, they show which way things are moving at the park's main research beach. Green turtles lay far more nests there than leatherbacks do. A nest of any species is a reason to keep a beach dark. SINAC lists three species that use the park: leatherback, olive ridley and black turtle.
What 5 p.m. means on Langosta
The daytime routine stays almost the same. The park is open every day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year. From October to February, people may stay on the beach only until 5 p.m. On Langosta, a sunset walk now has to finish before sunset.
At night, the park's beaches open only for official guided tours with park rangers. Anyone hoping to see a nesting turtle this season will go through this process:
- Book at the ranger station. Reservations are made at the Las Baulas ranger station beside Hotel Las Tortugas in Playa Grande. Spaces each night are limited.
- Join a guided group. Groups are capped at 15 people and must go with a tourism operator or local guide. The park's two entrances, Caseta #1 at the MINAE offices and Caseta #2 at the edge of the Tamarindo Estuary, hold 120 people between them.
- Wait for the call. Rangers decide when a group goes onto the sand and how close it gets. A sighting is never guaranteed.
- Stay dark and quiet. Only the guide may use a flashlight, and it must have a red filter. Touching or photographing the turtles is not allowed. Phone screens and flash count as light, so they stay off too.
Wear dark clothes and closed shoes, and bring repellent and water. Leatherbacks at Playa Grande nest from about October to March, with the peak usually between November and February. Long pants help against mosquitoes after dark. For current fees and any changes this season, SINAC's Las Baulas page and the ranger station are the places to check.
The light from the house
This is the part of the season a homeowner can do something about every night. Hatchlings find the ocean by moving toward the brightest horizon. Artificial light can pull them inland instead. The Playa Grande turtle guide asks people staying near the beach to close their curtains at night and switch off outdoor lights facing the sand. Every household near a nesting beach can do this on any night of the season, without a reservation.
Researchers are working on the same problem from the other direction. The 2023–24 field report says Coopeguanacaste, the cooperative based in Santa Cruz, worked with the research team to develop light-blocking screens for the project. When conservation groups are building screens to block stray light, light is clearly one of the main pressures on these beaches.
Trash is the second pressure. Leatherbacks feed on jellyfish and can mistake a floating plastic bag for one. That makes a plastic bag on Langosta a direct risk to the turtles.
Where residents can lend a hand
Three local efforts connect directly to the issues above.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2026, 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. | ADIT community clean-up across Tamarindo, Villarreal, San José de Pinilla, Avellanas and nearby communities | Meeting point in front of Surf Club Langosta Bar and Grill |
| October 30 to November 7, 2026 | Earthwatch citizen-science expedition with The Leatherback Trust | Playa Grande |
| December 4 to 12, 2026 | Second Earthwatch expedition | Playa Grande |
The ADIT clean-up is the closest to home. It meets on Langosta itself and focuses on stopping waste before it reaches the estuary and the ocean. Participation isn't recommended for anyone under 14. RSVP by calling (506) 8866-3683. The event page still carries some text from a March clean-up, so confirm the details with ADIT before you go.
The Earthwatch expeditions are multi-day research trips based at the Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Field Station. Contributions start at $4,295. Volunteers help a team that patrols the beach, moves at-risk nests to a hatchery and releases the hatchlings. In 2023–24, that hatchery produced 2,462 hatchlings. The team works with local partners, including ASOCAVE, the association of Matapalo guides. Its members clear logs from the sand and help maintain the hatchery.
For a longer commitment, Fundecodes restarted its volunteer program in Las Baulas in September 2024. Between September and December of that year, volunteers put in 1,728 hours supporting research data collection and the park's own work, according to the foundation's 2024–2025 report.
The 5 p.m. closure stays in place on Langosta through February 15, and until then the beach is open at night only for ranger-led tours.
If you'd like to see Playa Langosta as it is this season, on a late-afternoon walk that finishes before the 5 p.m. closure, the team at One Hacienda Pinilla can plan it around a visit. Schedule A Showing, and we'll arrange the timing so you're off the sand when the beach closes.
