Not Tour de France but Tour de Turtles!
With large stretch of turquoise blue water and spotless white sand beaches, Mexico remains a top destination for spring break. But the ever evolving Mexico is beyond just sand, sea and fun as vast jungles have paved the perfect hiking routes for the adventurous soul and the more curious minds can find answers in the ancient Mayan relics. The water, beaches or the relics maybe the permanent features of this magnificent country, but every year some visitors of this land make it even more enriching by leaving behind their mark.
Nature has its own way of amazing the humankind and its grandeur is beyond our imagination. But you can certainly witness a part of it in Mexico’s Pacific coast when every year during May to October Olive Ridley sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. In the light of the moon, the baby hatchlings hurry to the sea, remembering forever their birthplace to which they will one day return to continue the cycle of life. The beaches are the nesting grounds for two species of sea turtles: the Loggerhead and the Green sea turtle.
But this amusement also comes with strict rules as a little intervention from the human race can interrupt the reproduction cycle for the turtles. Tourists are well informed about the dos and don’ts at this time of the season. The locals and volunteers join hands to minimize the damage that could harm the nature’s creation. As a part of this initiative, Florida-based Sea Turtle Conservancy is hosting the Tour de Turtles Migration Marathon. The Tour de Turtles tracks sea turtles from important nesting sites in the Western Hemisphere to identify migration patterns for the different species.
Several Riviera Maya hotels are also participating in the event by running extensive programs that send specially trained staff out at night to protect the mother turtle until she returns to the ocean. Then the eggs are collected for research in the nursery. When the hatchlings emerge, staff and volunteers take them back to their nesting sites on the beach and release them to find their way to the sea. Guests at these resorts are also invited to participate in these programs. The Ritz-Carlton Cancún is one of the longest-running and best-known programs.
This year The Grande Luxxe Riviera Maya will host the conservation event from June 21 till 24. It is that time of the year when mature turtles lay the eggs. Sea Turtle Conservancy workers will attach a satellite tracking device to one of the mature turtles to track its movements from their nesting beaches to their foraging grounds during the following three months. The turtle that travels the farthest will be the “winner.”
Visit Playa del Carmen and join the sea turtle in its race to victory.
To know more about Playa del Carmen and its natural wonders check out our blog http://www.playadelcarmen-real-estate.com/blog/ who wrote this guest article.