Ostional Wildlife Reserve 

Size: 587 hectares Distance from San José: 371 Kilometers Trails: Along the beach Dry Season: January through March.
Ostional Wildlife Refuge contains the second most important nesting site for the olive Ridley sea turtle in Costa Rica. The turtles sometimes come in huge numbers, called “arribadas”, during the months from July though November (wet season). Leatherback and Pacific Green turtles also nest here.

Ostional is a site of an innovative but controversial program, in which people from the village of Ostional, who once plundered nests for commercial purposes now have the right to collect 200 eggs per family per season.

The vegetation of this reserve is sparse, consisting of the white-flowered sweet-smelling frangipani tree, cacti, and other succulent, drought-resistant vegetation.

Most of the coastline is sandy beach, but Punta India at the north end of the reserve is an interesting rocky headland containing some great tide pools.