A Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles

Dedicated to Archie Carr, who started the sea turtle conservation movement; to Jairo Mora, who gave his very life to save sea turtles; and for the hardworking, passionate people who walk beaches every night for very little pay and lots of hardship. May our children and their children’s children one day know sea turtles simply as part of the natural world and not as endangered species.

Sea turtle populations around the world are endangered, and in recent years tourism has been a critical element in worldwide efforts to save them. More travelers seek meaningful experiences that bring them close to nature and wildlife, and opportunities to interact with and help sea turtles now exist at locations around the globe, from remote beaches to urban labs.

In A Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles, a scientist, a conservationist, and a journalist have come together to provide a guide to the places where people can view sea turtles and participate in authentic conservation projects. In accounts that cover five continents and include the South Pacific and Caribbean, the authors direct readers to the parks, reserves, and research sites where they can responsibly observe turtles in the wild, especially nesting beaches where people can see female sea turtles lay eggs and hatchlings make their harrowing journey from nest to sea. Options for on-site lodging and other amenities are included, if available, as well as details of other nearby attractions that travelers may wish to include in their itineraries.

By supporting local outfitters, hotels, restaurants, and guides, travelers can  actively participate in efforts to save sea turtles, boost local economies, and make sea turtles more valuable alive than dead. With its helpful maps and color images and enlivened with first-person experiences and anecdotes about turtle encounters, A Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles shows why these charismatic and photogenic animals are becoming stars of world ecotourism.