Leatherback Turtle National Park

Giant leatherback turtles, the largest of all sea turtles, use this beach as a nocturnal breeding ground. The park was created in 1991 in response to the near extinction of these majestic creatures. Being daytime, we did not see any turtles, but this was perhaps the nicest beach we saw in all of Costa Rica. It made me want to stay and linger and swim and become a sea turtle.

Mature giant leatherbacks can exceed six feet in length and weigh over 1500 pounds. Their diet consists exclusively of jellyfish, and their lifespan in the wild is up to 45 years. If that is not amazing enough... they can swim over 3700 miles from their nesting ground, dive to depths of 4200 feet, and stay underwater for as long as 85 minutes. (These interesting facts courtesy Caravan.com).