Visit the Sea Turtle Protection Program in Praia do Forte, Brazil

Feb 15, 2011
Karin-Marijke Vis

Sea turtle aquarium in Praia do Forte, northeast Brazil - Coen Wubbels

Projeto Tamar-Ibama is the Brazilian conservation and research program for endangered sea turtles. Visit Bahia's sea turtle museum and hatchery.

An excellent trip from Salvador da Bahia, in northeast Brazil, is a visit to the sea turtle protection program in Praia do Forte, where the Tamar-Ibama Project has its national headquarters. Especially interesting to visit with children is the open-air museum with aquariums that house various species of endangered sea turtles, as well as tropical fish.

Tourist attractions in and around Praia da Forte

The visit to the sea turtles can be combined with a swim in the adjacent, emerald ocean (showers available at the Tamar-Ibama museum), or with a side trip to nearby Castelo do García d'Avila, Brazil's only castle. Praia do Forte itself is a tourist town with all facilities in terms of guesthouses, restaurants, souvenir shops and shops selling bathing suits.

Endangered sea turtle project in Brazil

Of the seven sea turtles that exist in the world, which are all threatened with extinction, five are found in Brazil:

Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Every two to three years female turtles swim up to 6000 kilometres to lay their eggs on one of Brazil's many beaches. This happens between September and March, and Tamar-Ibama has 22 stations along the coast to protect the nests and to do research.

Tamar-Ibama's endangered sea turtle project in Praia da Forte

On this particular beach the largest number of eggs of the hawksbill turtle are hatched, which is one of the most threatened sea turtle species. Furthermore, the loggerhead turtle often lays its eggs at Praia do Forte's beach.

Through explanatory panels [Portuguese and English] at the Praia do Forte's aquariums, Tamar-Ibama explains their project. You can see the feeding of the turtles and it is possible to organise a guided visit to the hatchery and nests.

The entrance fee is 12 reais per person and the museum is open daily 9am-6pm.

Other sea turtle stations in Brazil

Along the Brazilian coast, as well as on the island of Fernando de Noronha, there is a total of 22 stations. The majority of the stations can be visited by tourists. Other Tamar-Ibama sea turtle stations in Bahia are:

Arembepe
Costa do Saupí
Sítio do Conde
Mangue Seco

For a detailed overview of all stations and the possibility to visit them, check out Tamar-Ibama's website, which is currently only in Portuguese but they are working on the English version.

Castelo do García d'Avila – Brazil's only castle

Although it's not worth a trip in itself from Salvador da Bahia, a visit to the castle of Garcia d'Avilla may be fun when one is in the neighbourhood, such as during a daytrip to Praia do Forte. It is the only castle in Brazil, dates from 1552 and once belonged to the Portuguese family of Garcia d'Avilla. The land had been given to him, a simple cattle farmer, by the Portuguese king who colonised the land by giving it to merchants, soldiers and aristocrats. The reason for his having given this piece of land to a cattle farmer remains a mystery.

Nowadays the castle is a ruin, great for children to run around and play hide and seek in, and it houses a museum that gives insight into the history of the castle. You can climb the ruin and admire the view of the Atlantic Ocean behind a forest of palm trees.

The entrance fee is 6 reais and opening hours are daily 8:30am-6pm. The castle can be reached by private vehicle, or by taxi from Praia do Forte.

Salvador da Bahia is a good base from where to explore various beaches and sights in the area. Praia do Forte is popular with families because of its open-air museum that houses sea turtles that are threatened with extinction.

Travellers to northeast Brazil may also be interested in: