Sea Turtles in Panama

Witnessing these marine creatures first hand

Countries
Panama

Zones
South

Themes
Ecotourism, Nature

Most of the world’s sea turtle species call Panama home. In fact, five of the seven species worldwide live here. This has inspired important conservation efforts led by local communities and groups like Panama Wildlife Conservation and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. As a result, more than 200 of our beaches serve as protective nesting sites for these turtles.

During your visit to Panama, you can witness firsthand these sea creatures, the conservation efforts made to protect these species and watch the babies take their first steps into the water. Although sea turtles can be found on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Panama, the majority of the population resides on the Pacific side. You can watch and learn about them in the following places:

In Los Santos, along the Pacific coast, are some of the best nesting sites in the country, such as Isla Cañas and Playa La Marinera.
In the province of Veraguas is Coiba National Park in the Gulf of Chiriqui. This marine reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to a wide variety of birds, fish, iguanas and sea turtles, especially the hawksbill turtle, which forage for food there.
Also in Veraguas, the Mata Oscura Community, where they have developed the Eco Ruta de la Tortuga, an initiative for the conservation of turtles in Panama and internationally.
In the Caribbean Sea, the province of Bocas del Toro is the nesting site of thousands of hawksbill and leatherback turtles. Two of the main nesting sites are Bluff Beach on Colon Island and in the Marine National Park of Bastimentos Island.

Sea turtle nesting season occurs in Panama between the months of July and January. You can see them nesting at night, when the tide is low and the beach is calm. And at dawn, between 45 and 60 days later, the little turtles will make their way to the sea for the first time. A spectacle of nature worth witnessing.”