It is high tide and a full moon hangs high in the heavens, casting a brilliant light that reflects in the Atlantic Ocean along French Guiana's coast of Awala-Yalimpo. We have the best conditions to watch leatherback and green sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs.
Green turtles at Awala-Yalimpo beach in French Guiana
We follow deep, crescent-shaped tracks in the sand, made by the turtle's legs and flippers as she moved her body to the soft sand of the low dunes. In a deep hole, partly hidden by vegetation, we look down on the shell of a green turtle and automatically back up not to disturb her. The turtle is motionless, the only betrayal of her being alive are the sudden sounds of breath that escape from her throat.
At last, after what must have been at least an hour, the green turtle is done with her job. She closes her nest and steadily moves to her safe haven, the ocean. She is exhausted and rests every few seconds, putting down her head and panting. At last she reaches the surf. Her head disappears first, the next wave swallows the rest of her body and she is gone.
Where and when to spot leatherbacks, green turtles and olive ridley turtles
In French Guiana, there are two easily accessible areas to watch sea turtles:
- The beaches near Cayenne, French Guiana's capital. Here you may see the olive ridley turtle and the leatherbacks.
- The beach of Awala-Yalimapo (La Plage des Hattes) in the far northwest corner of French Guiana, along the Maroni River that marks the border with Suriname. This beach is mostly frequented by green turtles and leatherbacks (see photos below).
Tips on watching marine turtles
The above-mentioned beaches are open to visitors and no entrance fee is charged. The best chance of spotting turtles is during the two hours around high tide. The green turtle and olive ridley turtle are extremely shy of human beings and will turn around and return to the sea at the slightest disturbance. They only come to the beach at night.
For reasons unknown, the beach in French Guiana is one of the few in the world where leatherbacks also come ashore during the day (around high tide, that is). When these prehistoric animals come ashore and are digging their nest, they are easily disturbed and will turn around to head back to the ocean. However, once spawning has started you can approach them more closely (but don't touch them) as they are in some sort of trance.
High season for turtles to come ashore is March-August and hatching (see photo below) mainly occurs in July-August. Watching sea turtles is an awe-inspiring experience, but please be well aware of all do’s and don’ts when watching sea turtles.
How to reach the marine turtle beaches of French Guiana
The beaches are easiest reached by private vehicle, as public transportation is generally scarce in French Guiana. Cars can be rented at car rental agencies downtown Cayenne as well as at the international airport of Rochambeau. Rental companies in French Guiana are, among others, Budget Car Rental, Hertz and Europcar.
To reach the beaches around Cayenne, you could take the local bus that runs infrequently between Cayenne and Remire-Montjoly. Ask the driver to stop near one of the entrance roads to the beach (e.g. near Novotel). Hitchhiking is also a common means of transportation in French Guiana – free of charge but time-consuming.
Awala-Yalimapo lies about 230 kilometres west of Cayenne. There are local mini vans going up to Mana, and the last 20 kilometres can only be covered by hitch-hiking. Easiest way to get there is by (rented) car. The lodgings in Yalimapo are right along the beach, those in Awala are about 3.5 kilometres from the beach.
Volunteer work and guided tours to watch sea turtles
If you are interested in doing volunteer work to protect the endangered sea turtles, visit KWATA on 16 Avenue Pasteur in Cayenne. They work in cooperation with WWF and are in need of volunteers to patrol the beach. Your main job will be to instruct visitors on how to behave around a sea turtle, about which you will receive proper instruction yourself, of course.
KWATA charges a 20 euro sign-up fee per year for insurance and you can fit yourself into the schedule for as many hours/days/weeks as you like. The season is May-July.
The beaches can be visited independently, but you can also visit them with a guide. In that case contact:
- For Awala-Yalimapo: l'Association Luth et Nature in Yalimapo (tel: 0694 274911; ask at Maison de la Reserve for Christina Paul; or check at lodging Chez Judith&Denis in Yalimapo). Two-hour tours cost €15 for adults and €5 for a child, irrespective of the number of participants.
- For Cayenne: KWATA.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
Join the Conversation