Sea Turtle nesting and hatching season is in full swing, and you can be a part of the rescue and release of the baby sea turtles!
Hi, it’s Maya! Many people have asked me what would be a really good day-trip to do in Puerto Vallarta? Well, there are many different fun and interesting things you can do in one day such as shopping, sight-seeing, adventures, day-cruises, water parks, zip lines, eating and drinking, or just hangin’ out on the beach with your toes in the sand. Most of these are just a few minutes from downtown and a short ride in a taxi, Uber, or city bus. Quick FYI; if you are leaving from the airport or ship terminal the taxis that are permitted there are more expensive than the yellow city cabs that you can find just outside. And don’t worry-Puerto Vallarta is just like any civilized city, it is mostly good neighborhoods with a few questionable outlying areas, and for the most part good family people, just like anywhere else. Just use the same common sense you use at home and you will be fine, and I promise I won’t send you anywhere that I wouldn’t feel safe myself. What you should really be watching out for while walking around is uneven pavement and protruding sharp objects that may be electrically active.
There are several sea turtle rescue camps in the Puerto Vallarta area. Most of which accept volunteer help, or at least will invite the public to be a part of the turtle releases, when they set the baby turtles free to begin their life in the ocean. At the camps, volunteers monitor the beaches every night to find female turtles who are laying their eggs. The turtles dig a big hole with their flippers and then lay the eggs into the hole and bury them. My mom got to witness such a thing years ago while she was having dinner at a beachfront restaurant near Boca Negra Beach. It was during a storm with thunder and lightning, and after a while she noticed with each lightning flash the rocks on the beach had moved. Well, they weren’t rocks, they were turtles coming on the beach to lay eggs! My mom and her friend snatched the tablecloth off the table they were dining at to wrap up a camera so it wouldn’t get wet in the rain, and ran out there and checked it out. The turtles were huge, and on a mission. They fervently dug their holes I suppose like a woman going into labor, when it’s time, it’s time!
Back to the turtle camp- after a turtle lays her eggs, the volunteer workers make a note of the location, and come back later when the mother turtle has left and carefully dig the eggs back up, count them, and relocate them in a protected area with a marker indicating when the eggs were laid and how many there were. Then they can incubate naturally in the sand, but not get trampled by beachgoers or eaten by feral dogs, birds, or other animals.
Some of the turtle camps are all volunteers, and if you have the time you can contact them to see how you can help out. Volunteering usually requires at least a night’s stay, as the work is done throughout the night. Some of the camps offer a week’s stay in their camp at a low cost just to cover expenses. Or you can go in the evenings just for the turtle releases. Many beachfront resorts also have their own turtle camps and offer turtle releases, though their individual policies may require you to be a guest or purchase a day pass.
The closest turtle camp near Puerto Vallarta that isn’t at a hotel is Campamiento Tortuguero Boca de Tomates, located between the airport and the bridge over the River Ameca, and there also some toes-in-the-sand restaurants there. Any taxi driver can get you there, or just type in Boca de Tomates to your navigator. They offer a week’s stay for 1900 pesos which includes food, about $100 USD for a week on the beach, and I do mean on the beach, it is not a hotel, bring your sleeping bag, and expect to be helpful. Here is their Facebook where you can get more information or give a donation:
https://www.facebook.com/campamentobocadetomates/
Marine Turtle Conservation is headquartered in the small town of San Francisco to the north, check out their website, it is quite a story:
https://www.project-tortuga.org/about-us.html
Campamiento Tortuguero Sayulita:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Campamento%20Tortuguero%20Sayulita%20Mexico/352195665250873/
Campamiento Tortuguero El Naranjo is further to the north, near Guayabitos:
https://www.facebook.com/Campamentonaranjo/
Majahuas Activistas Ambientales camp is south of PV, in Boca de Tomatlán:
https://www.facebook.com/GrupoAmbientalistaComunitario/
And Campamiento Tortuguera de Mayto is further to the south on the long, uninterrupted beaches near Mayto:
All of these are volunteer organizations operating under government allowances. They rely on donations, and the future of sea turtles relies on these organizations. Think about all the beautiful resort areas, cities, and towns along tropical beaches that you have been to or seen pictures of, with hotel after hotel after restaurant after restaurant. These sandy beaches have been the reproductive grounds for sea turtles for thousands of years, and in the last 100 years people have totally invaded these beaches and literally trampled on their breeding grounds. The only truly safe places for their eggs to incubate are in these turtle sanctuaries. Oh, and these volunteer organizations also regularly clean trash off the beaches.
Some hotel turtle camps include:
Sea Turtle Sanctuary at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta:
and the Marina Marriott:
If you enjoyed this article or found it useful, CLICK HERE to visit my other Day Trippin’ suggestions. And speaking of suggestions, if you plan to visit Vallarta, allow me to give you two. First, especially if you come between December and March, whale-watching season, get yourself good quality, compact binoculars that you can carry around with you, and BRING THEM! Second, especially if you are in a poorer area, tip well and don’t haggle them down too far, they have families to feed! Have a Great Trip!!
All these great photos courtesy of Campamiento Tortuguera Boca de Tomates