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Sea Turtle Conservancy

Sea Turtle Conservancy

Quick Facts

  • Location : Five minutes' walk from Tortuguero village
  • Area : 1/2 acre
  • Hours : 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; 2 p.m.-5 p.m. daily
  • U. S. toll free number : 1-800-678-7853
  • Entrance fee : $2 per person

With oversized black opal eyes and matching fins, replica baby turtles churn the mock sand, climbing from the nest in one of the dioramas at the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Tortuguero's museum dedicated to the conservation and research of sea turtles.

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The museum operates out of a green building surrounded by coconut palms five minutes' walk from the Tortuguero village. A series of displays line the walkways around the building teaching visitors about the nesting and hatching processes of Tortuguero's sea turtles, as well as Tortuguero's history.

For $2, guests can walk inside the small, single room museum to learn more about the turtles and Costa Rican wildlife while looking at dioramas and pictures of the native flora and fauna. After taking a stroll through the museum, visitors are invited to watch a 20-minute video on the founding of the Sea Turtle Conservancy and the impact it has had on turtle populations and the Tortuguero village.

Field biologist Dr. Archie Carr founded the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) in 1959 in response to falling turtle populations and wide-scale turtle poaching. Thanks to the large community and governmental response, it is now illegal to kill or poach turtles and their eggs.

Ongoing efforts, including community watches, help to protect the turtles and their nests. The Sea Turtle Conservancy also researches the turtles, tagging them and monitoring them as they come ashore for nesting.  The STC offers a variety of biology classes and accepts volunteers from March through April to assist in turtle research.

Sea Turtle Conservancy in Pictures

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