Did you know that Mexico is often called “The Land of the Turtles”? Each year, seven of the eight species of sea turtles in the world return to the shores of Mexico. There, sea turtles return to the exact place they were born to lay their own eggs.

Typically, sea turtles are known for laying their eggs along the Pacific Coast in numerous coastal towns including Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Oaxaca. On the Baja California Sur, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are the best spots to see sea turtles and even participate in baby sea turtle releases once hatched.

If you want to participate in releasing baby sea turtles, a few of the most popular places where sea turtles lay eggs include Banderas Bay where Puerto Vallarta is located and Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur.  Meanwhile, keep reading below about baby sea turtles in Mexico.

Baby Sea Turtles in Mexico

For starters, female sea turtles start to arrive on the coast of Mexico during the month of July. Sea turtles lay eggs from July to November, with August and September being the most active months. When they arrive, each turtle can lay up to 100 eggs in each nest.

Once eggs are laid, the incubation of sea turtle eggs can take anywhere between 40 to 60 days depending on what type of species of sea turtle. When the hatching of a nest begins, it can take between 1 to 4 days before all the baby turtles hatch and are ready to be released.

On average, sea turtle eggs take around 45 days to hatch. Also, the sand temperature determines the genders of baby sea turtles, with cooler sand producing more males and warmer sand producing more females. 

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What Types of Sea Turtles Come to Mexico?

Are you wondering what kind of sea turtles visit the shores of Mexico each year? The most common sea turtle species that come to Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta are the olive ridley turtle, the leatherback turtle, the Prieta turtle, and the hawksbill turtle.

In Cabo San Lucas, the sea turtle species that visit the shores there include the Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Green and Olive Ridley turtles that swim to and lay eggs on the shores of Baja California Sur every year.

Also, the only species of sea turtle that does not come to Mexico is the “flatback” sea turtle (natator depressus), which has a very small range and is only found in waters near Australia.

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Baby Sea Turtle Release

If you want to see sea turtles in person, there are local conservationist groups in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas that work to collect and protect sea turtle eggs until they hatch. This helps increase the chances of survival by protecting the eggs from predators or people who try to steal the eggs to sell them on the black market.

If you want to witness this amazing nesting and hatching season in person the best time to visit Mexico is in late August, September, and early October. In terms of what time of day, dusk is usually the best moment for turtles hatching but it can also happen anytime throughout the day.

In addition, the season for releasing baby sea turtles in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit occurs between the months of August and December, although it occurs frequently outside this period of time as well.

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As you can see, seeing sea turtles and participating in a baby sea turtle release is a special and memorable event to enjoy during a vacation to Mexico. Right now, special deals are on sale to visit Villa La Estancia which has two locations in Nuevo Nayarit in Banderas Bay and Cabo San Lucas.

Both locations are great places to see sea turtles and participate in a baby sea turtle release by local conservationist groups that help protect turtle eggs from predators. If you’d like to own a vacation home at the beach, Villa La Estancia also has a limited number of beachfront residences for purchase, too.

Contact us today to see if you can participate in our Try and Buy Program designed for prospective homeowners to enjoy a wonderful vacation and see if they would like to buy a vacation home at Villa La Estancia.