Baby Turtle Release Centre — Local services in Oaxaca

What an experience this was! We arrived around 4:50pm and there was already a bit of a line, however, it went relatively quickly and there were enough turtles for everyone to release.

You pay 150MXP per person for the coconut bowl to hold and release one turtle. If you want to release two turtles then the cost is doubled.

Once everyone had their bowls we were split into English or Spanish speaking groups where we were given a brief explanation about their project and what they do there. They all seemed really passionate about the work that they do there and it was cool to hear about it.

We were pre-warned by our guide that the seagulls would attack the turtles once they were released but he also explained to us that this is the circle of life and natural selection. Despite this warning, it was still pretty heartbreaking seeing most of the turtles being swooped up by sea gulls. There are people (working for the center) who were trying to prevent the seagulls from grabbing the turtles by throwing sand at them, but it’s not super effective method.

It was definitely a once in a life time experience being able to release a baby turtle, I would recommend it to people if you’re okay with the high probability of watching your turtle being taken away by a sea gull and not making it...

Located on Bacocho beach close to a car park which you can reach by taxi. The price suprisingly was 200 MXN per person (entering the site). Expecting 100 MXN p.p., our initial information revealed to be outdated (check prices before you go as they might again double over a short period of time). As we were told, for 200 MXN you'll be granted access to a fenced area where a bunch of people will be lined up to take pictures of the baby turtles- the place appeared a bit overflown by tourists. Since we expected a lower price and I left my wallet in the hotel, I only had 300 pesos in hand- not sufficient for the two of us. I explained our situation to staff with a good command of English: that we miscalculated, that we had a long walk behind us getting there, that we'd be glad to experience the thing together. I have the feeling that a non-profit organization, for which every donation counts, could have well made an exception. Instead, one of us would have needed to wait outside which is not what we came here for. After my requests had been rejected the rude way, we skipped the whole thing. Apparently, this place has long become part of the tourist industry, expect to be treated...

You go to the Beach and at 17pm where you Can buy a bowl for 150p to have the turtle in and then release it. We (me and my friend) only bought 1 bowl/turtle and then I wasnt allowed into the release area because I didnt have my own(!!), Which we werent informed about beforehand! Really a disappointing experience (for me at least). Also, they’re very strict that if you drop the turtle, you’re not allowed to release it, Which I Think is fair, but they dont really tell you how to avoid the turtles from crawling out of the tiny Bowl, so be careful! They also let small children who can’t handle them release them…. They should just really organize it a bit more and give more information on how to properly handle the turtles, and they should prohibit the use of phones when Holding the turtle (and then let friends/family with phones accompany Them for photographs) as Well as banning children from releasing them, only allowing the parents to. That being Said, it was a Nice and cheap experience supporting important marine...