Watching Sea Turtles Hatch in the Island of Sal, Cape Verde

If you’re looking for an amazing, truly once in a lifetime experience, we highly recommend spending a few days on the Island of Sal in Cape Verde watching sea turtles hatch. We were lucky enough to be there when dozens of turtles were hatching and it was truly incredible to see.

The island of Sal

Sal is a small island off the west coast of Africa, and it’s one of the top tourist destinations in Cape Verde. The island is best known for its beautiful beaches and turquoise water, but it’s also the breeding ground of a large number of sea turtles. It’s no secret that sea turtles are sensitive creatures being threatened by humans around the world but luckily there are people trying to protect them.

We stayed at a hotel right on the beach close to the town of Santa Maria on the south coast of Sal in October hoping to get close to some hatching turtles. And we were not disappointed! Every morning when we went to the beach we could see tiny fresh turtle tracks in the sand. So we knew for sure that they were there…

Project Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, and it’s vital to the health of our planet. Unfortunately, human activity is causing biodiversity to decline at an alarming rate. One of the most effective ways to combat this problem is to preserve habitats that are home to a diversity of plant and animal species. The Cape Verde Islands are home to a wide variety of marine life, making them an ideal location for conservation efforts.

Every year, thousands of sea turtles come to the shores of Cape Verde to lay their eggs. However, these turtles are facing a number of threats, including habitat loss, fishing operations, and pollution – even light pollution. In order to protect these turtles and ensure the future of their population, a number of conservation groups have come together to form Project Biodiversity.

The project works to educate the local community about the importance of sea turtles and to create a safe environment for them to nest. They localize and guard the turtle nests from egg poachers until they hatch. The project volunteers even move some of the eggs to a safe location where they can be guarded around the clock close to Santa Maria. Additionally, Project Biodiversity monitors the turtle population and works to rescue injured or stranded turtles. By working to conserve these turtles, Project Biodiversity is helping to ensure the future of the species.

At the location where they move eggs to from the most risky beaches, you can come as a tourist and watch the turtles hatch every night at sunset during the fall season. You can watch how they have moved each nest to a systematic grid that can be monitered and if you are lucky you will see some of the nests hatching. If not, there’s plenty of opportunities to see newly hatched turtles as the volunteers dig out nests that hatched on the previous night to make sure that all viable turtles come out of the ground. This is otherwise not the case.

If you would like to care for our planet and its small and large amazing creatures, check out our ideas for how to travel more sustainably and for living more sustainably in general.

We went to see the newly hatched turtles on several nights during our stay in Sal and the kids loved it every time. We even ‘adopted’ a couple of turtles to support the project – you get an adoption certificate and a nice email when the nest of your choice hatches!

One lucky morning…

On our last morning on the island, we decided to take a walk on the beach. As we walked, we noticed something moving in the sand. It was a baby turtle! We watched as it dug its way out of the sand and then made its way into the water. Others came after it. We must have seen close to a dozen turtles hatching that morning. It was an unforgettable experience!

Final words

If you’re looking for an amazing nature experience, we highly recommend spending a some time on the Island of Sal in Cape Verde during the fall and following and supporting the work of Project Biodiversity. By working to preserve their habitat and the turtles themselves, Project Biodiversity is helping to ensure that future generations can enjoy the wonders of Cape Verde’s marine life and that our planet will continue to thrive for generations to come.

And if you are lucky, you will have the opportunity to watch sea turtles hatch like us. It truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you won’t want to miss!