Watch as giant leatherback sea turtles climb out of the ocean to lay their eggs under the moonlight, the culmination of their months-long journey. As you witness this incredible natural moment, learn about the fascinating migration and egg-laying process from local turtle experts.
Get picked up from your hotel and depart Port of Spain in the early evening. Head east through several villages before you reach Matura Beach on Trinidad's eastern coast. Here, you meet a small group of villagers, experts on the egg-laying season, who guide you down the beach to view the turtles nesting under the ethereal light of the moon.
The leatherback sea turtles can weigh up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg) and measure nearly 10 feet (3 m) across. Here on the sand, you witness the end of a journey that has taken them across the Atlantic Ocean, as the female turtle returns to the beach she was born on to spend over 2 hours laying her eggs. Biologists believe that these creatures, and this migratory process, have seen relatively little change in almost 150 million years.
If you're lucky, you may see a baby turtle hatch and crawl its way into the ocean, and often there are multiple turtles laying eggs at the same time. Each nest contains almost 80 eggs, but typically only 2–3 turtles survive per nest. At the end of the evening, make your way back to Port of Spain, arriving around midnight.