Santuario La Escobilla
Santuario La Escobilla
4.5
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Duration: < 1 hour
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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4.5
22 reviews
Excellent
15
Very good
5
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
2
Andreas K
Orangeville, Canada35 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Teresa was an absolute gem, we came on our own and had such a beautiful experience.
The guides only speak Spanish, they are volunteers from the local community who used to make their living selling turtle eggs. They have switched to turtle conservation and are doing amazing work.
This was an absolute highlight of our trip. Kids loved it! All in all it took probably less than an hour. Such a special experience do not miss it!
By booking directly and using our own transportation we only paid $150 pesos each.
The guides only speak Spanish, they are volunteers from the local community who used to make their living selling turtle eggs. They have switched to turtle conservation and are doing amazing work.
This was an absolute highlight of our trip. Kids loved it! All in all it took probably less than an hour. Such a special experience do not miss it!
By booking directly and using our own transportation we only paid $150 pesos each.
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stringsbysarah
Hudson, WI191 contributions
Feb 2020
This is not an action-packed attraction but WOW - if your timing is good, you can witness baby turtles being born right before your eyes, crawling out of their sandy nests & scrambling to get to the sea! It would be amazing to see the huge adult Ridley Sea Turtles haul themselves onto the beach to lay the eggs. It’s all about what time you & the turtles happen to be there. The area is under armed military guards (finally, a good use of military might!) and it is quite high security to protect the turtles & eggs. The workers here are deeply committed to their work and are more than happy to answer questions & tell you everything you could possibly want to know about sea turtles & other forms of local conservation. This is the kind of place I want to support with my tourism dollars! The trip was a lot farther from our hotel than we were originally told, but it was entirely worth it! If you love nature/animals, this is a must-do!
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
susanlynnk2017
Nanaimo, Canada205 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Amazing experience. To be a little part in turtle conservation was a great experience. The beach goes for miles, the circle of life you get to experience is worth it.
Written 11 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kai
4 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
IF YOU LIKE ANIMALS DON'T COME HERE!
We checked this beach out during Mid-August 2022. It was time for the seaturtles to lay eggs.
At the main entrance you will be charged 200$ per person. Down the road on all the other streets towards the beach staff is waiting to cash in. We could drop the price to 100$. Little did we know what so-called "ecotourism" we would finance...
We were allowed to the beach. What we saw was shocking. Instead of the beach being closed and only to be watched from afar, people would run around and between the turtles, some kids played by blocking either the way to the beach or back to the water. They went to the eggs-laying animals and touched them. Some even held the turtles by their shells and stopped their movement while the frightened animals hid in their shells.
There was staff with red shirts around that, far to little for the crowd, and just let all happen. Only once, because of our concerned looks, one of the women actually told a boy to stop molesting a turtle. To our questions we only got answered: "The animals are not frightened and don't mind." Well, I don't know if she would like to have strangers see and touch her and making photos with her while giving birth...
We left rattled and in disbelief. Don't finance this behaviour. Also only the white tourists have to pay. The Mexicans all just went past the gate, without wearing the bracelet which we were required. To our question why we got replied: "They do wear them." It was an obvious lie, we literally saw the people and their arms.
A disgrace to nature. A failure in humanity.
We checked this beach out during Mid-August 2022. It was time for the seaturtles to lay eggs.
At the main entrance you will be charged 200$ per person. Down the road on all the other streets towards the beach staff is waiting to cash in. We could drop the price to 100$. Little did we know what so-called "ecotourism" we would finance...
We were allowed to the beach. What we saw was shocking. Instead of the beach being closed and only to be watched from afar, people would run around and between the turtles, some kids played by blocking either the way to the beach or back to the water. They went to the eggs-laying animals and touched them. Some even held the turtles by their shells and stopped their movement while the frightened animals hid in their shells.
There was staff with red shirts around that, far to little for the crowd, and just let all happen. Only once, because of our concerned looks, one of the women actually told a boy to stop molesting a turtle. To our questions we only got answered: "The animals are not frightened and don't mind." Well, I don't know if she would like to have strangers see and touch her and making photos with her while giving birth...
We left rattled and in disbelief. Don't finance this behaviour. Also only the white tourists have to pay. The Mexicans all just went past the gate, without wearing the bracelet which we were required. To our question why we got replied: "They do wear them." It was an obvious lie, we literally saw the people and their arms.
A disgrace to nature. A failure in humanity.
Written 22 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GenoMichiganYooper
Escanaba, MI255 contributions
Dec 2019
We booked online via credit card.
They picked us up at our resort, and drove us to the sanctuary, which was a little over an hour from our resort. Note that although the description lists tour with drinks, they are actually just providing a small cooler with chilled water bottles.
A drive down a long winding road, up/down through the hillsides to the sanctuary on the ocean, was a little long for small children, and old bones in adults, but bearable.
The van had comfortable seats, air conditioning, and a guide that provided a running dialogue on the local area.
The sanctuary building was nice, took credit cards, the personnel were very nice, and they had restrooms just outside the main building.
This is pretty far out in the countryside, so the parking lot is sand, right off the two-lane road bringing us here. If you are expecting a marble, air conditioned lobby, remember, you are not in a resort.
We took the short walk down to the shelters by the beach, and then had a small presentation on how they collect the eggs.
After they are laid by adult turtles, then there is a short window, something like two hours, to move the eggs up into a sheltered area, protected from birds/animals/humans.
For our visit, there were some young turtles that had just hatched that day, they were put into small bowls to transport down to the beach. Then a short 10 minute walk down to the ocean shore.
Then they explained that prior to release into the ocean, the sanctuary personnel dig a shallow, 2 foot wide hole in the sand/beach, deposit the baby turtles, cover them with 3-4 inches of sand, and then wait....
It is amazing to see the small turtles dig their way out of the hole in the sand, and head immediately towards the ocean.
The personnel at the sanctuary stated that scientists believe that digging their way out of the holes helps them return to the beach when they are older, possibly remembering some part of the sand at that beach.
After a lot of photos of the young turtles heading toward the ocean, we hiked back up to the sanctuary building.
While waiting for everyone to board the van, and use the restrooms, we tried some of the some local food being served in the parking lot. The homemade ice cream was good, and some type of corn dish, that I still have not found the name for.
Ironically, on our ride home to the resort, we came upon a group of cars/trucks, along the road, and 6 or 8 young girls holding a rope across the road, blocking our path.
Yes, the hair on my neck stood up....but after a few quick words with the driver of our bus, we found out the young girls were collecting donations for a new school.
We dug out a few hundred pesos, dropped it into their donation coffee can, and headed on our way back to the resort.
It was a great trip, our grand-daughter and grand-son absolutely loved it, and that was all we were looking for.
Have a great time, if you have little ones with you, you will love it, if you are looking for some shopping, this is the wrong bus route.
Vaya Con Dios
They picked us up at our resort, and drove us to the sanctuary, which was a little over an hour from our resort. Note that although the description lists tour with drinks, they are actually just providing a small cooler with chilled water bottles.
A drive down a long winding road, up/down through the hillsides to the sanctuary on the ocean, was a little long for small children, and old bones in adults, but bearable.
The van had comfortable seats, air conditioning, and a guide that provided a running dialogue on the local area.
The sanctuary building was nice, took credit cards, the personnel were very nice, and they had restrooms just outside the main building.
This is pretty far out in the countryside, so the parking lot is sand, right off the two-lane road bringing us here. If you are expecting a marble, air conditioned lobby, remember, you are not in a resort.
We took the short walk down to the shelters by the beach, and then had a small presentation on how they collect the eggs.
After they are laid by adult turtles, then there is a short window, something like two hours, to move the eggs up into a sheltered area, protected from birds/animals/humans.
For our visit, there were some young turtles that had just hatched that day, they were put into small bowls to transport down to the beach. Then a short 10 minute walk down to the ocean shore.
Then they explained that prior to release into the ocean, the sanctuary personnel dig a shallow, 2 foot wide hole in the sand/beach, deposit the baby turtles, cover them with 3-4 inches of sand, and then wait....
It is amazing to see the small turtles dig their way out of the hole in the sand, and head immediately towards the ocean.
The personnel at the sanctuary stated that scientists believe that digging their way out of the holes helps them return to the beach when they are older, possibly remembering some part of the sand at that beach.
After a lot of photos of the young turtles heading toward the ocean, we hiked back up to the sanctuary building.
While waiting for everyone to board the van, and use the restrooms, we tried some of the some local food being served in the parking lot. The homemade ice cream was good, and some type of corn dish, that I still have not found the name for.
Ironically, on our ride home to the resort, we came upon a group of cars/trucks, along the road, and 6 or 8 young girls holding a rope across the road, blocking our path.
Yes, the hair on my neck stood up....but after a few quick words with the driver of our bus, we found out the young girls were collecting donations for a new school.
We dug out a few hundred pesos, dropped it into their donation coffee can, and headed on our way back to the resort.
It was a great trip, our grand-daughter and grand-son absolutely loved it, and that was all we were looking for.
Have a great time, if you have little ones with you, you will love it, if you are looking for some shopping, this is the wrong bus route.
Vaya Con Dios
Written 17 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
product-of-canada
Toronto, Canada2,484 contributions
Mar 2022
I was dead-set on having a baby turtle release, while staying in the resort area of Huatulco.
Rather than pay for a 'tour,' we just hired a cab. Cannot remember how much we paid, but it was way less than the tours that were quoted at the time.
So if you are staying in the Huatulco resort area, you have to really want to do this as it is a long drive. For us, it was over 1 hour each way (I think 1 hour and 20 minutes).
Mazunte is supposed to have a turtle release area, but it was closed while we were there (March 2022). After we arrived at Mazunte, only to realize it was closed, we drove further West to Santuario La Escobilla.
The great thing about Santuario La Escobilla is that when we arrived, we were the only ones there. So we got to go through the 'turtle release' process with no one else around. I cannot remember how much we paid to release the turtles, but it was nominal.
After you pay, you have to drive up the road a bit to the release area, with your guide. It was a fun, personalized experience.
She encouraged us to name the turtles (we only had 4 to release) before releasing them. I only named one of them, Tuco, as this one made an impression - it was slower than the rest, and much darker in colour. I had to help Tuco get to the water, as s/he was too slow, and kept getting washed up the beach. Eventually Tuco made it to the open water - only to be scooped up by a bird for lunch. It was traumatic to see. The bird dropped Tuco while in flight, which was a relief. However, the bird quickly retrieved Tuco mid-flight, and then that was the end for Tuco. What an emotional roller coaster!
Rather than pay for a 'tour,' we just hired a cab. Cannot remember how much we paid, but it was way less than the tours that were quoted at the time.
So if you are staying in the Huatulco resort area, you have to really want to do this as it is a long drive. For us, it was over 1 hour each way (I think 1 hour and 20 minutes).
Mazunte is supposed to have a turtle release area, but it was closed while we were there (March 2022). After we arrived at Mazunte, only to realize it was closed, we drove further West to Santuario La Escobilla.
The great thing about Santuario La Escobilla is that when we arrived, we were the only ones there. So we got to go through the 'turtle release' process with no one else around. I cannot remember how much we paid to release the turtles, but it was nominal.
After you pay, you have to drive up the road a bit to the release area, with your guide. It was a fun, personalized experience.
She encouraged us to name the turtles (we only had 4 to release) before releasing them. I only named one of them, Tuco, as this one made an impression - it was slower than the rest, and much darker in colour. I had to help Tuco get to the water, as s/he was too slow, and kept getting washed up the beach. Eventually Tuco made it to the open water - only to be scooped up by a bird for lunch. It was traumatic to see. The bird dropped Tuco while in flight, which was a relief. However, the bird quickly retrieved Tuco mid-flight, and then that was the end for Tuco. What an emotional roller coaster!
Written 10 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
diedorisw
Vienna, Austria16 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
We came here to witness the famous arrival of thousands of sea turtles breeding, because we read that the beach is strictly protected (even by the military) – and that's something we want to support. First of all, it's very easy to reach the place, also by public transport, and everyone there was really friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any English speaking guides, so we only understood parts of what our guide told us. But he was obviously very knowledgeable and motivated in what he was doing.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the beach, we very rather surprised. While there are hundreds of sea turtles coming ashore to breed, there are also hundreds of locals bathing and playing in the sand there. We thought, this place was protected?! And there was a surprisingly high number of tourists/local tourists on the beach, almost stumbling over the turtles, taking selfies with them, petting them, ... It was hard to watch. These turtle mums are already having a hard time making their way out of the water and laying over a hundred eggs. And people don't even keep a little distance. We would have loved to see the guides being stricter, having minimum distances and everyone showing some respect for this vulnerable species.
Apart from that, we're still thankful for the work the community is doing for the protection of the turtles!
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the beach, we very rather surprised. While there are hundreds of sea turtles coming ashore to breed, there are also hundreds of locals bathing and playing in the sand there. We thought, this place was protected?! And there was a surprisingly high number of tourists/local tourists on the beach, almost stumbling over the turtles, taking selfies with them, petting them, ... It was hard to watch. These turtle mums are already having a hard time making their way out of the water and laying over a hundred eggs. And people don't even keep a little distance. We would have loved to see the guides being stricter, having minimum distances and everyone showing some respect for this vulnerable species.
Apart from that, we're still thankful for the work the community is doing for the protection of the turtles!
Written 13 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cecilia
San Carlos, Mexico20 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
We had the opportunity to participate in a community based co-operative that helps turtle eggs hatch and release them. This project prevents eggs being eaten by animals or robbed by smugglers before they are hatched.
This project has been successful in increasing the population of golfina turtle.
It is a fun and rewarding activity, which by doing it we support this poor community in its efforts to reestablish the turtle population.
This project has been successful in increasing the population of golfina turtle.
It is a fun and rewarding activity, which by doing it we support this poor community in its efforts to reestablish the turtle population.
Written 17 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike S
Winnipeg, Canada130 contributions
Feb 2020
At first I was not sold on this excursion. After it was over I was glad I went! The ride to and from our resort took longer than the actual release. This didn't matter after holding baby turtles and releasing them into the ocean. This gave me a new perspective on wildlife conservation and a greater appreciation for sea turtles. The information provided by our guide was very insightful. The ocean view at sunset was amazing as well. If you do not have a new or renewed appreciation for wildlife conservation after this there may be something wrong with you!
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Life as a Puffer Fish
Alberta, Canada148 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
Our family loved this experience. Our tour guide, Arturo, took us out for this wonderful experience. The turtles were born at 3 pm and we released them into the ocean around 5 pm. The walk on the the Escobillia beach is beautiful.
Written 7 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hola me podrían dar un teléfono para contactarles! Gracias
Written 16 July 2020
Buenos días cuando se puede visitar este santuario??? Y que costo tiene??
Written 31 October 2019
Todo el año, sobre todo de octubre a febrero, el costo era en mayo de $130 por persona, pagando directamente en el lugar, si se contrata un tour los precios can de los $700 a $2500
Written 1 November 2019
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