Visit Pedasi & Tonosi, Home of Sea Turtles

Arribadas

Arribadas are massive arrivals of olive ridley sea turtles to the same place.

Thousands of mother turtles cross the ocean to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were born, hundreds of years ago. There are very few nights of the year, but up to 9,000 turtles may arrive in a single day, an experience that you will definitely not forget.

Sea turtles hold fascinating secrets that science has not yet been able to explain. One of them is the natural call to its place of origin. And it does not matter how much they have sailed during their migrations, when they enter the breeding season they return to the beach where they were born, slowly dig their nest and, after leaving hundreds of eggs, get lost in the sea again. And so on, until the next cycle.

Come See Them

The repetitive behavior of sea turtles, which has not changed in hundreds of years, gives us the incredible opportunity to wait for them, from July to early October, to see the exact moment of their return to dry land.

In addition, depending on the temperature and species, from October to December, we can see the birth of their young and their first flaps towards the sea. 

To live this experience you must go out, under the moonlight, in search of the turtles that come out between the waves. When they start their journey through the sand you can accompany them, keeping a distance, to the point where they decide to dig. There you will see how, little by little, they use their fins to make the perfect hole to lay their eggs. Then they cover the hole and you can escort them back to the sea. Just be sure to go with a specialized guide who shows you the best way to accompany the turtles so as not to disturb them and ensure their maximum safety.

La Marinera Beach Reserve Zone

This beach, declared a reserve area in 2010, is one of the few places in the world where arribadas take place.

In Panamá, it is the largest nesting site in the Pacific. Here up to 9,416 turtles have been seen in a single day!

If you visit this beach in search of nesting turtles you will see large amounts of olive ridley turtles; Although in recent seasons two green turtles (endangered species) were reported. 

Thanks to the efforts to preserve the species, the protection of mothers when nesting and the care of the nests, in the 2022-2023 season 645,724 young were counted entering the sea safe and sound. 

The beach is 30 minutes from Guanico Abajo, in Tonosi. In Guanico, you will find hostels and surf clubs where you can also enjoy other beach attractions.

Isla Cañas

Isla Cañas Wildlife Refuge National Park is a small island teeming with life. Here there is also the phenomenon of arribadas two nights a year with records of up to 2,500 turtles in a single night. 

When there is no arribada but there is a full moon, you will surely find, on its beach, some of the “Solitary”, olive ridley turtles that nest between June and December.

This refuge also has a very large mangrove ecosystem, where you can do bird watching and find many more marine species. 

To visit Isla Cañas from Pedasi or Tonosi, you must arrive in Puerto Cañas and take a boat for 10 minutes through a beautiful mangrove landscape.

Playa Venao

On this huge beach, known for its perfect waves for surfing, is Tortugas Playa Venao, or Save The Turtles Playa Venao, an organization that is dedicated to joining efforts to increase the survival and conservation rate of sea turtles.

When Tortugas Venao was founded, 3 nurseries were built to move the eggs and monitor them closely. Each season, about 300 nests are moved. When the turtles are born, volunteers return them to the beach to walk the path to the sea by themselves. This route is of vital importance to create an interior map that will allow them in their adulthood to return to the same beach to leave their own eggs.

If you want to go to Playa Venao to do turtle watching, you can contact the foundation and participate in their campaigns. You can take care of the moms while they spawn, take care of the eggs while they are transplanted, or take care of the baby turtles on their way to the sea. 

Playa Venao is about 40 minutes between Pedasi and Tonosi, by car.

Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge

Another very special destination for turtle watching is the more than 15 hectares (37 acres) of the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge, which protects the marine-coastal area in front of Isla Iguana and has beaches, mangroves, dunes and swamps.

Here you will find the organization Tortugas Pedasi, dedicated to the study and conservation of the area's marine-coastal ecosystems. The organization emerged from a course held by the Water and Land Foundation, to understand the importance of protecting sea turtles and their environment. Among their efforts, they patrol the beaches, hold educational days and carry out all kinds of initiatives to fulfill their protection mission. 

Now in Playa Lagarto they have their first sea turtle nursery, where more than 7,000 turtles have already been released. If you want to visit Playa Lagarto and get to know the foundation's mission, you must register as a volunteer, because the outings are done as a moment of education and contribution to the survival of the species rather than as a tourist event. 

From Pedasi, the refuge can be reached after a 30-minute walk. From Tonosi, you will have to drive just over an hour to reach the edge of the beach. 

In short, the beaches between Pedasi and Tonosi are the perfect place to live a night you will never forget. Take a good nap, put on comfortable black clothes, take out your red light flashlight, and walk under the moonlight to watch these powerful mothers nest. If not, wait and accompany the tiny babies during the sunset in their first hours of life. What are you waiting for?