Wildlife at Arenas Negra
The beach below is a sea turtle nursery.
Leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles nest on this stretch of coastline every season. Witnessing it — even from a distance — is one of those moments you don't forget.
What you'll see on the beach
The yellow tape means life inside.
If you walk down to the beach and see sections cordoned off with yellow tape, those are active nests being protected by local conservation volunteers. Each taped-off mound contains dozens of eggs — a leatherback clutch can hold 80 or more.
The nests are fragile and the hatchlings' survival depends on people leaving them completely undisturbed. Please give them wide berth, keep the area dark at night, and resist every instinct to peek underneath.
Please protect them
How to be a good neighbor to the nests
Do not cross the yellow tape
Even gentle footsteps near a nest can collapse the egg chamber.
No flashlights or phone lights at night
Artificial light disorients hatchlings navigating to the ocean.
Keep the beach dark
Hatchlings use moonlight reflected off the water to find the sea.
Watch from a distance
If you spot a nesting turtle or hatchlings, stay at least 10 feet back and keep quiet.
No flash photography
Flash light — even a split second — stresses adults and confuses hatchlings.
Silence and patience
A mother turtle will abort nesting if she senses disturbance. Give her space and time.
The rarest kind of lucky
You might witness a release.
Conservation volunteers from Yo Amo El Tinglar sometimes conduct deliberate clutch releases right here on the beach — carefully excavating a hatched nest and helping any stragglers reach the water safely.
These events aren't advertised in advance, but if you follow their Instagram closely, you can sometimes catch a heads-up. It's one of those once-in-a-trip moments that guests talk about for years.
@YoAmoElTinglarThe beach, the turtles, the stars — it's all part of staying here.