PARK MARINO LAS BAULAS

Leatherback turtles are the largest turtles on the planet, they measure up to 2 m long and weigh nearly 500 kg as adults. Their particularity is not to have a carapace like their congeners, but a thick cartilaginous skin looking like leather (from where its English name, leatherback). For thousands of years, they have gathered from December to March on the beaches of the Marino Las Baulas National Park, which includes the entire area around Playa Grande, freely accessible during the day and with a guide at night. The first settlers used their meat and eggs for food, but this had no real impact on the turtle population. Today they are threatened, and even critically endangered in some areas, by poaching (including egg theft), pollution, industrial fishing and tourism. Even if visits are restricted, the presence of visitors, and in particular white lights on the shore, disorient the turtles. Since the 1990's, the park has been fighting for their conservation and has converted many poachers into tourist guides, and egg harvesting is no longer tolerated, but the number of turtles continues to decrease... the cause of this ecological disaster is at sea: caught and captured by fishing nets or poisoned by pollution (turtles confuse plastic bags with the jellyfish they feed on). So make sure you opt for a responsible visit.