Campamento Tortuguero Barra de Zacapulco

Located about 200 meters (600 feet) south of Barra de Zacapulco’s town beach [1], Campamento Tortuguero de Barra de Zacapulco is the southernmost of the four state-sponsored sea turtle protection and preservation programs (others are in Puerto Arista [2], Costa Azul [3], and Boca del Cielo [4]). Two marine biologists live and work on-site, often patrolling the beach at night in search of sea turtle nests, typically of olive Ridley turtles; the eggs are relocated to a large protected coral on the beach for their incubation period, and once hatched are released into the sea.

Travelers are very welcome to volunteer with either task; both take place year-round, with the most number of eggs found between July and December, and the highest release of hatchlings between September and November.

Even if there are no night patrols when you visit, the Campamento Tortuguero is still an interesting place to stop by, with turtle and crocodile tanks, incubation corals, and even a small outdoor museum featuring turtle shells, whale bones, and dolphin skeletons, most found on these shores.