Turtle Beach

Between the month of August and March large turtles make the long journey from out in the deep blue sea all the way to a tiny section of sand on the aptly named Turtle Beach as they have been for millennia.

The government has made a concerted effort to protect these creatures from poachers, who prize the meat and eggs, by establishing a conservation area about five kilometres north of Ujung Genteng. The purpose of the conservation programme is to harvest eggs which are laid nightly by the returning turtles, incubate them and then release them two months later so that the cycle continues.

Tourists are able to see all of these conservation activities by visiting the conservation office and paying a guide 5,000 rupiah for the privilege. Hatchlings are released nightly, usually as the sun sets and mother turtles turn up on a whim between the hours of 19:00 and 03:00. This schedule is highly dependent on nature, however, and sometimes turtles simply don't arrive with months between August and March seemingly more popular for the turtles than others.

Most visitors hire an ojek for 40,000 rupiah from in town to take them along the five kilometre long bumpy goat track to the conservation centre. However, it is possible to use your own motorbike to make the journey, but it is better to make sure you scope the way in the daylight hours beforehand as the track is difficult to navigate during nighttime hours. The best advice is to simply follow the shoreline for five kilometres to the north of Ujung Genteng until you reach the well-signed conservation centre.