Las Baulas National Marine Park

The Las Baulas National Marine Park, in Spanish Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas is a National Park of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, and covers approximately 43.243 acres (175 km²) marine just north of the town of Tamarindo. It supports the largest nesting colony of leatherback sea turtles on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Female leatherbacks often come ashore at Playa Grande (Great Beach) between October and May to lay their eggs.

More than half the park is underwater and protected but allows recreation such as scuba diving. The park has white-sand beaches and forests. The forests are home to approximately 174 species of birds and many other animals. Mangroves and estuaries are also plentiful.[citation...