Playa Grande Turtles: Month-by-Month Guide to Las Baulas
By Rob Cosman | Updated September 2026
The Playa Grande turtles are the reason this mellow surf beach next door to Tamarindo is a national park. Giant leatherbacks have nested on this sand for thousands of years, and from October to March you can watch one dig her nest inside Las Baulas National Marine Park.
Quick answer: Turtle season at Playa Grande runs October through March. Guided night tours operate October to February, cost $25 per person with the park guide and entrance included, and peak nesting lands in December and January. Sightings are never guaranteed, so go with honest expectations and treat a leatherback as the jackpot.
Best time to see turtles at Playa Grande, month by month
December and January give you the best odds, but every month plays differently. Here is the calendar locals plan around; it follows the dry and green season rhythm in our green season guide.
| Month | What is happening on the sand | Worth booking the night tour? |
|---|---|---|
| October | Season opens, first leatherbacks arrive as the rains taper | Yes, with quiet beaches and green season villa rates |
| November | Nesting builds night by night | Good odds before the holiday crowds land |
| December and January | Peak nesting, peak season on the coast | Best odds of the year, book tour and villa early |
| February | Late nesters plus the first hatchlings, tours end late in the month | Good, with a real shot at hatchlings too |
| March | Nesting winds down, final nests hatch at dawn | No more night tours, do day visits and dawn walks |
| April to September | The odd olive ridley or black turtle, no formal tours | Come for the surf instead |
How the Las Baulas night tour works, and what it costs
The tour costs $25 per person for foreign visitors, certified local guide and park entrance included ($5 for nationals and residents), and it is not a zoo visit. You gather after dark at the ranger station in Playa Grande village while trained spotters walk the beach. Nothing happens until a female comes ashore and begins laying; only then does your group walk over, because once the eggs start dropping she settles into a trance and calm red light will not disturb her. Waits of one to three hours are normal, start times shift nightly with the high tide, and white lights, phones and cameras are banned on the sand. Wear dark clothes and bring repellent. Guide slots are capped and December and January nights fill first, so lock this in before you fly. The park is managed by SINAC; our Playa Grande guide covers the village, the surf and dinner before the tour.
Will you actually see a leatherback? The honest answer
Maybe, and anyone who promises otherwise is selling you something. In the 1988 to 1989 season, researchers counted 1,504 nesting leatherbacks at Playa Grande. Recent seasons have brought fewer than 40, and some nights nobody comes ashore at all. Longline fishing bycatch and egg poaching before the park took hold did the damage; The Leatherback Trust, the research group based on this beach, publishes the counts. Two things tip the night back in your favor: black turtles, the East Pacific green, nest here in fair numbers, and from December into April the earlier nests hatch, so a dawn walk can put you a few steps from hatchlings scrambling for the surf. Watching a 400 kg leatherback dig with those huge rear flippers is still one of Costa Rica’s great wildlife encounters, precisely because so few people ever will. For everything else that moves out here, from howlers to rays, see our wildlife and nature guide.
Getting there from Tamarindo, Flamingo and Conchal
By day, the fun route from Tamarindo is the estuary crossing: local boatmen shuttle across the river mouth for about $3 and drop you on the Playa Grande side in five minutes. For the night tour you drive: 35 to 40 minutes from Tamarindo via Villarreal and Huacas, and about 30 minutes from Flamingo, Potrero or Conchal through Matapalo. The tour slots easily into our 3-day family itinerary or the full Family Week plan. Turtle season suits a quiet-side stay: browse houses on our villa page and check the month-by-month Tamarindo calendar to line the trip up.
Want a turtle night handled for you?
Tell Jenny your dates and your group. She and her small local team line up the certified guide slot, time it to the tide and build the rest of the week around it. Free to you.
Playa Grande turtles: FAQ
What is the best month to see turtles at Playa Grande?
December and January, the peak of leatherback nesting inside Las Baulas National Marine Park. The guided night tour season runs October to February, and February adds the chance of seeing the first hatchlings from early-season nests.
How much does the Las Baulas turtle tour cost?
$25 per person for foreign visitors, which includes the certified local guide and the park entrance, and $5 for nationals and residents. Start times shift nightly with the high tide, and waits of one to three hours at the ranger station are normal.
Can you visit Playa Grande without a tour?
By day, yes. Playa Grande is a free public surf beach and one of the best waves on the coast. At night during nesting season the beach closes to anyone not accompanied by a certified park guide, which is exactly why the turtles still come.
Are you guaranteed to see a turtle on the night tour?
No. Fewer than 40 leatherbacks nest at Playa Grande in a typical recent season, down from 1,504 in 1988 to 1989, and no-show nights happen. Black turtles nest here too and improve the odds, but honest guides sell the experience, never a guarantee.
Is the turtle tour good for kids?
Kids around 6 and up who can handle a late night and a quiet one to three hour wait usually love it. For younger children, a December to April dawn walk to look for hatchlings is the better version: daylight and no waiting.
How do you get to Playa Grande from Tamarindo?
By day, take the estuary boat: about $3 with local boatmen, five minutes across. For the night tour, drive 35 to 40 minutes via Villarreal and Huacas. From Flamingo, Potrero or Conchal it is about 30 minutes through Matapalo.
Planning more of your trip? See our full guide to ready-made Guanacaste trip ideas.
We Will Plan and Book It For You. Free.
Skip the tourist traps and the language barrier. Tell us your dates and what you want to do. We line up the charters, tours, chef, carts and rentals with operators we know personally. No markups, no fees to you.
Get Your Free Plan
