Cabo San Lucas: Turtle Release Sunset Activity & Marine Biologist

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.92 (124 reviews) 96% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration3h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

Release baby turtles at sunset with marine biologists in Cabo

You’ll ride from Cabo San Lucas with a small group, meet a marine biologist on the beach at sunset, and gently release Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings into the Pacific. Learn about conservation efforts while feeling sand between your toes—and maybe catch yourself rooting for every tiny turtle as they make their way home.

Step-by-step itinerary

Turtle release and sunset experience

Learn about Olive Ridley turtles
Help release hatchlings into wild
Enjoy sunset on Pacific Ocean
Ask marine biologist questions

The Experience

I almost missed the meeting spot because I thought “Plaza Gali” would be a big sign or something—turns out it’s just a little shaded corner where everyone gathers, half awake and clutching water bottles. Our guide, Sofia, waved us over with this easy smile and introduced herself as a marine biologist. She had that kind of calm voice you want on a day like this—especially when you’re about to help tiny creatures find the ocean for the first time. I was nervous I’d do something wrong, honestly.

The drive out of Cabo San Lucas was quick but felt longer because everyone kept glancing at the sky—sunset comes fast here. When we got to the beach, Sofia handed us these little coconut-shell containers with squirmy Olive Ridley hatchlings inside. She explained how they come back to Baja California Sur every year to nest (I tried to pronounce “Lepidochelys olivacea” and totally butchered it; she laughed and said most people do). The sand was still warm under my feet, but there was this salty breeze that made everything feel softer somehow.

There’s this moment when you set your turtle down and it just… pauses. Like it’s listening for something in the waves before it starts its wobbly dash. Everyone went quiet except for one little kid who whispered “Go, go!”—and I swear I got goosebumps. Sofia told us not to touch them once they started moving, so we just watched in this weird mix of hope and worry until each one disappeared into the foam. It wasn’t dramatic or anything—just honest work, hands sandy, knees damp from crouching too long.

We hung around after, talking about conservation efforts and how only a few of these hatchlings will make it back someday. Someone passed around cold water bottles (included in the tour), and nobody seemed in a rush to leave even after the sun dipped behind the horizon. There’s something about watching life begin like that—I still think about those tiny tracks in the sand sometimes.

What’s included

Your afternoon includes pickup from a central meeting point in Cabo San Lucas, roundtrip transport out to a local nesting beach with all water provided along the way, guidance from an experienced marine biologist throughout your hands-on turtle release experience—and plenty of time to soak up sunset by the Pacific before heading back into town together.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableNot for heart conditions

Operated by Cabo Trek