Picture a quiet beach at night.
Then a single turtle emerges from the surf. Then ten. Then hundreds, then thousands.
That's an Ostional turtle arribada, and it happens right here on the Guanacaste coast, near Nosara.
And while it can occur throughout the year, green season is when Ostional puts on one of the most remarkable wildlife shows on the planet.
What Is an Arribada?
Arribada is Spanish for "arrival," and the name fits.
Olive ridley sea turtles come ashore together to nest, tens of thousands of them and sometimes hundreds of thousands, over the course of several days. Scientists are still not sure why, but offshore winds, the lunar cycle and chemical signals between females may all play a role.
Only five countries in the world experience arribadas. Costa Rica is one of them.
Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, Near Nosara
Just south of Nosara, Ostional National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983 to protect this natural phenomenon. Three species of sea turtle nest along its 15 kilometers of coast: olive ridley, Pacific green and leatherback. The local community, through the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional (ADIO), has been part of caring for the beach for decades.
When to See an Arribada in Ostional
Arribadas can occur almost any month of the year, but the largest tend to arrive in September and October, right in the middle of green season. During the rainy months, hundreds of thousands of turtles can nest in a single event, compared with tens of thousands in the dry season, and each one lasts around four days on average. There is no fixed arribada schedule: they usually follow the waning moon, though nature keeps its own calendar and no one can promise the exact night.
How to Visit an Arribada Responsibly
Seeing an arribada is possible, with a few rules that exist for good reason.
The best way to see the turtles is a guided turtle tour with an authorized local guide, with groups kept small at a maximum of nine people per guide. Flash photography is not allowed because it can disorient nesting turtles, white flashlights are off limits, and touching the turtles is a firm no.
Since arribadas can't be scheduled, check with a local guide before heading out, and expect rougher roads in green season.
Turtle Season Beyond Ostional
Nesting season doesn't end at Ostional. Near Tamarindo, Playa Grande's Las Baulas National Park hosts leatherback turtles, roughly from October through February.
Nature Still Sets the Pace
Standing on a beach at dusk, surrounded by turtles following an instinct older than any of us, has a way of putting things in perspective.
This is what makes Guanacaste different. The rhythm here isn't set by a calendar or a schedule, but by tides, moons and seasons.
For those who call this coast home, moments like this aren't just something to see. They're part of the place.
When was the last time nature made you stop and simply watch?
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