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Published: September 30th 2007
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Definitely a highlight of my trip!I decided to go solo for this trip as all the arranged trips seemed expensive, it worked out exactly the same but glad I did the trip from the Caribbean coast rather than return from San Jóse. I got the 8am bus from Cahuita to Puerto Límon, this took some running as the hotel guy went AWOL, time is not precious here and for once the bus turned up early!!! After a mad dash I get the bus and after an hour or so arrive in Puerto Límon. I take a taxi to Moín where some huge ships are in port, I, however, am catching a small 10 seater boat. It leaves at 10 and costs $35, this sounds extortionate for transport but it turns out it also a tour. The driver/guide stops every time he sees wildlife. We see many birds, monkeys and even a low hanging sloth that makes photos very handy. He slowly climbs the tree to escape our watching eyes. We also see some small caiman. We arrive at Tortuguero after 4 hours and find a dirt track town. The streets are marked by sand and the houses and shops are intermingled,
it is hard to know if you are entering a restaurant or someone´s home! A guide shows me to a cheap lodging, $8 per night, bargain. I wander about the town for a bit and take a look at the beach, it´s obvious there are turtle nests everywhere from the dips in the sand. At 5.30 the guide returns to tell us we are on the early turtle watching trip at 8. So I have an early dinner, quick nap and off we go. We are wearing dark clothes so as not to disturb the turtles and are not allowed cameras at all, to prevent accidental flash accidents. We walk about 15minutes along a very dark track, at least it´s slightly cooler now. We are the first group so we meet a ranger and he says if we hurry there is a turtle at the next entrance to the beach. We hurry along as best we can in the dark but the turtle is covering its eggs when we get there. We had seen turtles earlier in the day, basking in the sun on logs, each about 30cm long. This one, however, is huge, at least 2m in length! She
is flapping all of her legs to brush the sand over the eggs. The guide then finds another one building its nest hole, the ranger goes over to check on it and we wait out of the way. The turtles can be disturbed by humans when in this process and when climbing the beach, we have to stay still at these times, they can´t hear us but they can feel our movements in the sand. After about 45minutes the turtle is ready to lay eggs so the ranger flashes a red light at us. The turtle is now is a trance so does not notice us. The ranger has helped her by digging the hole deeper, this will prevent some predators. We then watch the turtle lay squidgy, ping pong ball like eggs. Sometimes 2 at a time. It is best to be the first group as the turtles usually lay 100 eggs at a time and return about 6 times in a season, but on their last visits to the beach they can lay only 5 so the later groups would see nothing. This time everyone is lucky as she lays over 50 eggs. Absolutely amazing!! the eggs are
soft and the shell never hardens. The babies hatch after about 40+ days, once the first hatches and finds the surface all the others follow. If any get lost they just stay there are die! The survival rate is about 2% as they also get eaten on their long trek to the sea and then when they get into the sea! They then grow up on their own, so I am distrught to find out that Finding Nemo is wrong and squirt doesn´t grow up surfing with his dad...While waiting for all groups to get a look at the laying, 2 more turtles start the climb up the beach, we can´t disturb them so have to stay put until they start digging a hole, we can then pass behind them, near the water.We are about to leave when our guide calls us over to another ranger, we look at our feet and we are surrounded by babies! The ranger saw a nest hatching so helped them out, they then all have to run to the sea and instinctively know the direction. I follow one all the way to the sea, abosolutely brilliant, it gets stuck on many dips in the
sand which are hard for him as he´s only 5cm long! We go home pleased as we saw everything possible.I have heard that you can sometimes see babies hatching in the early morning, and cameras are allowed when it´s light so I get up at 5 and trek the beach. It´s not likely to see any on the beach near the town as the town dogs often raid the nests early. I am about to turn back when I see one, it must be one of the last from its nest as I can see lots of other small tracks. I watch is sturggle out of the nest, it gets stuck on its back a few times but I didn´t help, wanted it to be a fighter. I then filmed it, and protected it from numerous birds all the way to the sea. Very moving! (I will try an upload the video here when I get time)I am now late, I had to run all the way back for the 5.45 tour. We get a canoe around the Tortuguero rivers. The guide is excellent and spots all kinds of animals and birds. Also because we are in a canoe and
earlier than the motor boats, we can drift quietly and see animals that haven´t noiced us yet. We also sign a petition to stop the motor boats doing tours, they cause lots of pollution to the river and through noise.We get back at 9 so have time for a shower and breakfast before getting the 11.30 water taxi to, what I thought would be Caliari. This is the San Jóse route so there is no stopping to see wildlife, this is transport only. We get to a dirt track and have to lug our bags for 15minutes, I then think we are at Caliari, so I ask the Israeli guy from my trip. He says no, it´s 45minutes away by car! He then offers a life though as he is taking 2 other from the tour is his hire car. We start on a very rough road and go through 2 banana crossings! The banana plantations transport the bunches around on hanging conveyor belt type pulleys. these cross the road so if there are moving bananas, you have to stop!!! Finally the road becomes tarmac and we are finally at Caliari in time for the 2hr bus to San Jóse.
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