Costa Rica

Las Baulas National Marine Park

Places To See - Parks, Reserves and Protected Areas

Location: Guanacaste Province, north of Tamarindo on the North Pacific Coast

See North Pacific Tourism Region

Size: 936 terrestrial acres, 54,000 marine acres

Date of Creation: July 1991

Part of: Tempisque Conservation Area

About:

Located on Guanacaste's Gold Coast, Las Baulas Marine Park encompasses the beaches of Playa Grande, Carbon, Ventanas and Langosta, and includes the Tamarindo Estuary.

Playa Grande is known as one of the largest leatherback turtle nesting sites in the world. Every year between October and March, hundreds of leatherback sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. These Jurassic reptiles, the largest of all sea turtles, can weigh upwards of 1500 pounds and measure six feet in length.

Although the beaches encompassed by Las Baulas Marine Park support over 800 nesting sea turtles annually, the leatherback remains highly endangered and at risk of extinction in the Pacific Ocean.

From April through September, the baby turtles return to the sea, and people return to the beach for another season of world-class sun and surf.

Activities:

Guided evening turtle tours can be arranged at the Las Baulas ranger station in Playa Grande, or with the Local Guide Association at Tamarindo's satellite station (Tel. 653-1687). Most hotels are happy to book turtle tours for an additional fee.

Bird and wildlife watching in the Tamarindo Estuary is also popular. Visitors can rent kayaks and paddle on their own, or tour the estuary with a naturalist guide. Several tour operators in Tamarindo offer guided kayak trips.

Facilities:

A ranger station at Playa Grande is staffed with bilingual guides. A limited number of visitors are allowed on turtle tours each evening. During turtle nesting season (October-March), visitors are asked to make turtle tour reservations at least eight days in advance.

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Flora & Fauna:

There is excellent bird and wildlife watching within the park. The nearby Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge, a saltwater mangrove estuary, is thick with black-bellied whistling ducks, roseate spoonbills, yellow-crowned night herons, kingfishers and crocodiles. Howler monkeys, raccoons and coatimundis are also frequently spotted.

Local flora includes: may flowers, tea mangrove, black, white and red mangrove and Cortez trees.

Beaches:

Las Baulas includes the beaches of Playa Grande, Carbon, Ventanas and Langosta. With the exception of Langosta, these beaches are relatively untouched and offer visitors a tranquil alternative to Tamarindo. In addition to nesting sea turtles, Playa Grande is renowned as a top surfing spot with consistent breaks.

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Fees and Schedule:

The ranger station at Playa Grande is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A guided turtle tour with the rangers costs $16 per person and lasts anywhere from two to four hours.

Getting There:

To Playa Grande: take the road from Las Huacas to Matapalo and turn left at the soccer field, following signs. From Tamarindo, tours can be arranged for around $35 per person with the Association of Local Guides at the satellite ranger station just as you enter town. Groups travel ten minutes by boat through the Tamarindo Estuary to access Playa Grande.