● Helping a baby turtle return to the ocean
● Sit and watch the beautiful sunset
● Learning more about turtles and other regional wildlife
● Taking stunning photos on the beach
● Having fun with the whole family
Tour Options
Group Tour
Shared: Select this option for a group tour
Pickup included
Private Tour
Private: Select this option for a private tour
Pickup included
Itinerary
Santuario La Escobilla
Admission not included120 min
In this beautiful turtle sanctuary we carry out the release of newborn turtles
What's included
Included
Guided tour of Huatulco and surroundings
Roundtrip transportation to and from your Huatulco hotel
Live commentary in English or Spanish
Not included
Food and beverages not listed as inclusions
Conservation fees
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup is available from most centrally located hotels in Huatulco and surroundings, Vacation rentals and almost all points of interest. If your location is not inside of the pickup area we can arrange a meeting point. Please provide your accommodation details as soon as possible.
Traveller Ratings
4.5
24 reviews
5
19
4
2
3
1
2
0
1
2
Important Information
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children 2 and younger are complimentary.
You must be able to walk on unpaved or uneven terrain.
This activity is not wheelchair accessible.
You must wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes.
Gratuity is not included and is left to individual discretion.
You should bring spending cash.
Roundtrip transportation is available from most centrally located Huatulco Hotels.
Please be ready and waiting in your hotel lobby 15 minutes prior to your scheduled pick-up time.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Unique Turtle Sanctuary & Sunset Experience take?
Unique Turtle Sanctuary & Sunset Experience lasts about 7 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
How much does Unique Turtle Sanctuary & Sunset Experience cost?
Prices start at $62 per person for this Huatulco experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Can I cancel Unique Turtle Sanctuary & Sunset Experience for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, pickup is offered. Pickup is available from most centrally located hotels in Huatulco and surroundings, Vacation rentals and almost all points of interest. If your location is not inside of the pickup area we can arrange a meeting point. Please provide your accommodation details as soon as possible. Pickup points include Hotel Plaza Tangolunda, Princess Mayev Hotel.
What languages is Unique Turtle Sanctuary & Sunset Experience offered in?
The experience is available in EN, FR, ES.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 48 participants.
Is the tour suitable for children?
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap Children 2 and younger are complimentary.
Is the tour wheelchair accessible?
This activity is not wheelchair accessible.
Reviews(24)
L
Luisanatalia S
May 6, 2026
Experience amazing turtles, HORRIBLE transport without air conditioning
Experience incredible release but transportation from Huatulco horrible. The road is under construction and access is dangerous. Nobody told us about this. We were given a horrible car sedan that sounded a lot and that broke down the air then 😤 then we were practically the whole trip with 30C degrees without air conditioning. Dismal communication and forecast from TripAdvisor and its local suppliers. I wrote to complain. The one who should answer is TripAdvisor because I hired my service there. When complaining I'm told to see the local supplier which I never had direct contact with. The guide/driver handled very well and was very friendly too. The problem was the vehicle.
Operator response
Estimada Luisa Natalia,
Muchas gracias por compartirnos sus comentarios, antes que nada, lamentamos que el trayecto no haya sido tan cómodo como esperaban.
Nos da gusto saber que el guía les brindó una buena atención y una conducción adecuada durante todo el recorrido.
Respecto a las condiciones de la carretera, actualmente existen algunos tramos en construcción fuera de Huatulco que desafortunadamente están fuera de nuestro control y pueden cambiar de un día a otro dependiendo de los trabajos realizados por las autoridades correspondientes.
Aun así, entendemos perfectamente su punto y tomamos muy en cuenta su comentario sobre informar este tipo de situaciones con mayor anticipación.
Sobre el vehículo, lamentamos sinceramente los inconvenientes presentados con el aire acondicionado y los ruidos durante el trayecto. Revisaremos esta situación internamente con nuestro equipo operativo para asegurarnos de que las unidades utilizadas se encuentren siempre en las mejores condiciones posibles para este tipo de rutas.
Agradecemos mucho sus observaciones, ya que nos ayudan a mejorar continuamente nuestro servicio y la experiencia de nuestros visitantes.
Saludos cordiales!
G
GrandTour58636693037
May 3, 2026
Lovely experience
Professional guide, safe driver, and an amazing experience. It exceeded our expectations and became one of our favorite tours. Highly recommend!
C
Colleen P
April 10, 2026
Amazing turtles
It was so spectacular to let the baby turtles go into the water! They were absolutely priceless’
L
Liisa O
February 9, 2026
A lesson in the reality of nature
The excursion was very interesting. My main issue is that I wish more could have been done to prevent the birds from killing the turtles as they were released into the ocean. Perhaps the tour could have been done later at sunset when the birds are less active, or else there could have been more guidance with participants on the best way to release to increase the chances of a successful release. I do realize nature is harsh and most of these turtles will not survive anyway; however, the mental imagery of the turtles being plucked out of the sea left me feeling down, and was not what I expected to experience. Having said this, I believe I was the only one of our group of 6 to have this experience. Just good to be prepared that things will not always go the way you envision.
F
F3624YIemilyj
January 1, 2026
Amazing way to celebrate New Year
We booked this tour for New Year's Eve and it did not disappoint. Our family was all excited to release baby turtles and it was an awesome way to end the year. Our guide Nestor was 10/10, fantastic guy and tour guide. We are very glad we booked the tour so transportation was taken care of and we had a guide who could translate for us as well.
Admission fee was 200 pesos per person to support the team's conservation efforts. For length of visit in total spent just over an hour on the beach, 2 hour drive to get there from Huatulco.
M
Michael_D
December 31, 2025
Guillermo my guide was...
Guillermo my guide was great, very knowledgeable and friendly, once in a lifetime experience. We definitely do this again when in the area.
J
JoseLudwig_S
June 5, 2025
Hands off this ecological crime
the company organising the tour wrote to us saying they will be late.. they came 45 later than expected. The driver took us to the "sanctuary", they brought those turtles in a bucket, one was already dead, they put 5 in a bowl for each person, we waited for the right wave, the little turtles were gone, and then we were back on the road... that was it and nothing else. As the driver told us, it was his day off and he was called to jump in to do the guided tour of Huatulco and thus the delay; it seems this last minute change was to make sure the money stays in. The guided tour of Huatulco and the surroundings was: "this road goes to Santa Cruz, this road goes to Somewhere... " the driver gave us a few intetesting facts about the area, but this was not a guided tour.
At the sanctuary there was no clarity of how much was the entrances fee, which gave us the impression we were somewhere else. There were no explanations of any kind, besides the obvious things..."the wave comes, the wave goes."
This is certainly something that causes more damage to the ecosystem and has nothing to do with any kind of eco tourism. Who knows how long those poor little turtles are kept in that bucket, waiting for tourists to pay 200 or 250 pesos to be freed. This was not an experience with an expert who would have an idea of how to really handle sea turtles.
I won't recommend this tour to anyone.
Operator response
Dear Jose,
We appreciate the favor you're doing us by leaving your comment on our product.
However, we think it's a bit confusing considering that the comment form you filled out in your own handwriting states the exact opposite.
S
Susan_W
February 27, 2025
A wonderful small group experience learning about turtles native to the Huatulco region.
This tour promised an education in turtle conservation topped off with a release of baby turtles into the ocean. It was all that was promised and more. We were picked up at our hotel, which was nice, and were with only 3 other clients, making it a wonderful small group experience. The driver/guide spoke fluent, almost unaccented English which was very helpful to our tour companions. He was very knowledgeable about the ecology of the area and of turtle conservation. It was about a 1.5 hour drive each way to the turtle sanctuary. I was happy to contribute a fee to the management of the turtle sanctuary (for us, 200 pesos per person), and we were very lucky to have a member of the cooperative that manages the area accompany us to the beach. Our driver translated for us her very informative comments on the area and their work conserving turtles by gathering their eggs and hatching them in a protected area. We were each given 2 baby turtles to release into the ocean.
C
Cheryl_A
January 21, 2025
Amazing turtle conservation experience
An amazing opportunity to learn about sea turtles while supporting community run conservation. We each released 5 Olive Ridley hatchlings and saw a wild nest hatch. Armando our tour guide was attentive, knowledgeable, and very very funny.
M
Martin_C
December 30, 2024
Amazing!
This is an amazing experience, great for the whole family. The tour providers all speak English, the ride to excursion is in a large air conditioned van. The road can get a bit windy but not too bad.
Compare similar tours in Huatulco
Lowest price: Full Day Tour of the Bays of Huatulco — $40
Best rated: Tour to Copalitilla Magical Waterfalls from Huatulco with admission included — 4.8 (410 reviews)
Shortest: Private tour to release turtles with tickets included — 4 hours