Around Nosara, the region forms the Ostional wildlife reserve, named after the magnificent beach, refuge of the Olive Ridley turtles that come to lay their eggs during the rainy season, especially between July and November. On this black sand beach, and on the one of Nancite more to the north (Santa Rosa Park), the turtles come permanently, but at certain periods they are thousands to be stranded there.These landings are called arribadas and take place mainly between September and December. On the occasion of these arribadas, it is the festival in the village. The first eggs laid on the beach are traditionally collected by the inhabitants grouped in cooperatives and sold to be tasted in the markets of San José. This gesture is not criminal and in any case is supervised (it is the only beach in Costa Rica that allows these collections); moreover, these eggs would be crushed by the second arrival of the future mothers. The benefits are shared and destined for the development of the community. If you are in Costa Rica at the time of an arribada (keep up to date a few days before a new moon), do not miss this tide of turtles. It is very impressive and moving to watch them, exhausted from the thousands of miles they have traveled, haul themselves up onto the beach and dig their nests with their back legs. During this time, the children run between the shells, the men detect the nests with their toes and the women extract the eggs. For several days, this is all they will eat, gobbled up on the beach (it is said to be an excellent pick-me-up and an honorable aphrodisiac) or fried in omelets. This may seem shocking, of course, at first glance, but the facts and figures are nevertheless surprising: these villagers live at the pace of a rare animal that is less likely to disappear, thanks to the education and good sense of a few scientists. Observers say that more and more (marked) turtles are coming back, which is a really good sign. A few leatherback and Pacific green turtles are also coming, but they are less numerous. However, due to the growth of tourism on the beach, the rules of conduct are not always respected: normally only local guides have access, but many visitors have chosen to access the beach on their own which has created a real chaos. Fortunately, in 2016, the Costa Rican government passed a law to strengthen the protection of these reptiles and prevent the illegal trade of eggs. From now on, when the turtles pass, it is strictly mandatory to go to the beach supervised by an accredited guide, in groups of no more than 10 people and this for only 40 minutes.On the north side of the beach, you can observe adorable little things like sea anemones, starfish or transparent crabs in small pools filled by the tide. In the immediate vicinity of the beach, armadillos, jaguarundis, howler monkeys, toucans or parrots love this protected green area.

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