How to Experience Ethical Turtle Hatching in Nicaragua

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There isn’t much information available online about turtle hatching in Nicaragua – so I knew I had to write it all down for you!

My tour guide in Leon, Nicaragua, told me about a nearby sea turtle hatchery on Las Peñitas beach (Playa Las Peñitas), just 30 minutes away, where baby sea turtles were expected to hatch that night. I knew I wanted to see the baby sea turtles released!

My first attempt did not go as planned, but I finally figured it out.

I’ve been traveling full-time for 2.5 years now, and visiting a sea turtle hatchery in Nicaragua was one of the highlights of my time in the country (another highlight was sandboarding down an active volcano).

Many of you are curious about similar experiences but are concerned about ethical implications like I am. After learning from the conservationists at the turtle sanctuary in Nicaragua, I learned a bit more about how to participate in a turtle release ethically.

So, here’s everything you need to know about visiting an ethical turtle hatchery near Leon, Nicaragua, including when and how to get there.

🐢🏄🏽‍♀️ Backpackers and surfers who stay in Las Penitas usually stay at Surfing Turtle Lodge, a chill beachfront hostel that also has a turtle hatchery.

When to Go: Turtle Hatching Season in Nicaragua

Nicaragua sea turtles do not hatch year-round, so you need to plan accordingly.

The sea turtles return to Playa Las Peñitas, where they are hatched and released July through October, and the eggs hatch about two months later.

The best time to witness the Nicaragua turtle hatching and release is from October through January – when you have the best chance of seeing the sea turtles hatch in Las Penitas.

Turtles are released in the evenings on the same day they hatch because there are fewer predators in the evenings, so this is their best chance of survival.

But that means you won’t know until the day if there are any new babies to release or not. So you need a little luck and a lot of patience for this activity.

When I was there the first time, they thought the sea turtle eggs would hatch, but then they didn’t hatch for another day and a half. Be flexible!

Pro Tip: Between July and October, you can arrange a similar tour, but instead of seeing the baby turtles released, you’ll walk the beach with a guide to try to spot the mama turtles nesting and laying eggs. 

🐢 Fun Fact About Turtle Hatching Nicaragua: At this turtle hatchery in Nicaragua, I learned that the sea turtles return back to the beach where they’re born about 15 years later to lay their eggs. That’s why it’s so important for baby sea turtles to be released on a safe, protected beach – because they’ll be back!

How to Arrange a Mangrove + Baby Sea Turtle Release Tour in Las Peñitas Beach, Nicaragua

You can only reach the Palo de Oro Project at the Juan Venado Reserve via boat.

Roberto is a local guide who was recommended to me by the Free Walking Tour guide in Leon. I would recommend him to anyone interested in a boat tour of the mangrove and the baby turtle release in Nicaragua.

Roberto speaks only a little English and can be reached on Whatsapp at +505 5826 0273. If your Spanish isn’t great, you may need help from your hotel to speak with him (I speak a little bit of Spanish, and I struggled to coordinate, but it all worked out).

Roberto’s family has been in the mangrove and sea turtle hatching business in Las Peñitas for several generations, and supporting the locals is always great.

You can also check with the Surfing Turtle Lodge, a hostel that also has a hatchery. They didn’t have any turtles hatching when I was there, but you never know!

👉 Check out other must-do experiences in Leon, Nicaragua, like volcano boarding and food tours.

Cost of Las Peñitas Mangrove Tour + Nicaragua Sea Turtle Release

I was a little shocked to learn that my hostel charges $45 and up for a Juan Venado Island mangrove tour + baby sea turtle release, including transportation and food. I really don’t think that’s worth it.

If you arrange directly with a local guide (again, I can personally recommend Roberto, Whatsapp +505 5826 0273), you can get a much better rate.

I arranged a tour for 12 people from my hostel for just $70 USD in total.

This includes an hour or so of exploring the mangroves by boat, then a visit to the sea turtle hatchery on Juan Venado Island near Las Penitas beach.

Plus, everyone pays a $3 USD entrance fee to the Reserve, which helps support the Nicaragua sea turtles and the mangroves of Las Peñitas.

If you are paying $15 or less per person for the mangrove and turtle experience, I would consider that a very good price. You can negotiate.

👉 I’ve solo-traveled all over the world and LOVE to take tours that I find on Viator. They have so many 5-star tours, and it’s easy to see which ones have the best ratings. I’ve also had to use their 24/7 customer service more than once and was helped immediately.

How To Get to Playa Las Peñitas (hint: it’s near Leon)

If you’re in Leon, Nicaragua, then chances are you are planning to visit the nearby Las Peñitas beach. It’s a great day trip!

It’s only 30-50 minutes from town via chicken bus and a great way to spend a few hours (or a few days, if you’re into surfing). 

Taxi

A taxi is the fastest and easiest way to get to Las Peñitas. It will take about 30 minutes, and you should be able to negotiate a price for about $15-20 USD one way for up to 4 people.

I recommend Lester Baca, a local guide and driver who speaks Spanish, English, and French and is very sweet and dependable. He can be reached via Whatsapp at +505 7713 9254. He also arranges Volcano Boarding and other tours if you’re interested.

Local Bus to Las Penitas

It’s obviously much cheaper to take the local chicken bus, which I did.

The bus leaves approximately every hour or so (or when full) from Mercadito De Sutiava (this is a different stop than other buses going out of town, about a 25-minute walk from the town center).

If you need help finding the bus when you arrive, locals will be happy to point it out to you (but it’s hard to miss).

It costs 18C (about $0.50 USD) and can get pretty crowded, so be prepared.

The last bus back to town from Las Penitas is at 6:30 pm and goes much faster than on the way there since they make fewer stops. Get off at the last stop if you’re going straight to see the sea turtles hatching.

Note: The bus goes into a village and then turns around to go to the beach, then turns around at the last stop on the beach to head back to Leon. 

What to Expect at Turtle Hatching Nicaragua

This was the first time I saw baby sea turtles released, and I had no idea what to expect! One of my friends participated in a sea turtle release in Guatemala, but I decided to spend time on the beautiful Lake Atitlán instead.

You’ll need to coordinate your tour a couple of days in advance, but you will want to reconfirm on the tour day because they’ll know then if the turtle eggs actually hatched.

Groups typically meet near the Centro de Visitantes (Visitor Center) in Las Peñitas, not too far from Hotel Barca de Oro (which is right where the chicken bus will drop you off on Las Peñitas beach). I think Google Maps calls this area Playa San Juan Venado.

Then, you’ll stop by the Visitor Center to pay your $3 USD (or 100 C) per person park entrance fee and hop on board the boat. This fee helps support the mangroves and Nicaragua sea turtles. Depending on the tide, you may need to walk through a little water, so I recommend wearing sandals.

On the boat tour through the mangroves, you’ll see many birds, such as the heron, ibis, and vulture. 

You’ll arrive at the Juan Venado Reserve a little before sunset, which can only be visited via boat. You’ll most likely learn about the Palo de Oro Project (in Spanish) and the turtle nursery and hatchery they run there. They are doing a great job supporting sea turtle conservation in Las Penitas for such a small operation with few resources. 

They didn’t let us take pictures of the baby turtles in the bucket – something to do with bad press.

The baby turtles were so cute trying to get into the waves, and we cheered them on from a respectful distance. 

We enjoyed the beach for a bit longer and then returned to the boat. We arrived back on shore in time to catch the 5:30 pm bus back to León (the last bus is around 6:30 pm).

Ethics of Baby Sea Turtle Release Nicaragua

They didn’t let us handle the turtles, which I support – these endangered baby sea turtles are already so vulnerable and shouldn’t be exposed to bacteria and stress.

Any place letting tourists handle the turtles is probably more interested in making money than in protecting the sea turtles.

One of the workers used a gloved hand to gently release each turtle one by one while we watched and took pictures.

Where Do The Nicaragua Sea Turtle Eggs Come From?

Most people in Nicaragua are very poor, and they can make a little bit of money by selling the eggs of the (endangered) sea turtles to the local market.

That’s obviously very bad for the sea turtles in Nicaragua, which are very much endangered.

To combat this without harming the community, the Palo de Oro Project center on Juan Venado Island in Las Penitas, Nicaragua, also offers payment for the sea turtle eggs. 

Then, the Palo de Oro Project provides a safe place for the turtles to hatch and releases the baby sea turtles into the sea.

This sea turtle conservation project in Nicaragua has been ongoing since the 1990s. As sea turtles do, the formerly released baby sea turtles return to the same safe spot on Juan Venado Island about 15 years later to lay their eggs. Then, the next generation of baby turtles is released in Nicaragua – beautiful!

What to Bring for Turtle Hatching in Nicaragua

• Water
• Bug spray
• Sandals

Conclusion: Visit The Turtle Hatchery in Las Penitas and Release Baby Turtles

If you’re looking for off-the-beaten-path activities near Leon, there’s no better place than Las Penitas Beach. This can be done as a day or even a half-day trip, as it’s only a short distance from the city.

Enjoying seafood and a cocktail on Las Peñitas Beach in Nicaragua is excellent, but that’s not all you can do here – if you time it right, you can witness the baby sea turtles being released at the hatchery. It’s an experience you’ll never forget!

And while you’re here, you should arrange a tour of the beautiful mangroves of the Juan Venado Reserve.

If you’ll be in Central America for a while, I have lots of resources for you to make the most of your trip!