La Flor Turtle Arribada Dates 2026-2027: A Running Log from MARENA

In this guide

In the 2026 season the La Flor Wildlife Refuge in San Juan del Sur has three arribadas reported by MARENA, Nicaragua's environment ministry: a first one in early August, 30,388 females in September and 32,949 females from October 1. As of November 5, 2026, there is no official note about a November arribada. This page is a log: it records each arribada with its figure and its source, plus what earlier years say about the rest of the season.

The background, what an arribada is, why no one can promise one and how the night visit works, is in our pillar guide to the La Flor turtle season. Here we only keep count.

The 2026-2027 season log

Date reported	What happened	Figure	Source
August 1 to 3, 2026	First arribadas of the season at La Flor and Chacocente	3,785 turtles across both refuges, no breakdown	MARENA, August 6, 2026
Note of September 8, 2026	Second arribada at La Flor, eight days long	30,388 females; 16,561 nests protected on the beach and 85 in the hatchery	MARENA, September 8, 2026
From October 1, 2026	Third arribada at La Flor, the sixth in the country in 2026	32,949 females; 108 nests and 10,333 eggs in the hatchery	MARENA, October 9, 2026; La Prensa, October 13, 2026
November 2026	No MARENA note as of November 5	pending
December 2026	pending
January 2027	pending

One note on the counting. MARENA titles its October note "III Arribada de tortugas en La Flor", but the body speaks of "the sixth mass arribada of sea turtles of 2026", because that number also includes Chacocente, in Carazo. La Prensa repeated "sixth". In this log we count La Flor only.

MARENA's August note also sets the frame for the season: arribadas "take place between July and January of the following year, with an approximate duration of six days". The September one lasted eight, according to the ministry itself.

What earlier seasons say about November, December and January

This is not a forecast. It is the record of what MARENA and the press published, with dates, in the same months of earlier years.

Season	Month	What was reported	Source
2024-2025	From November 23, 2024	Second arribada of that season, 8,349 females	El 19 Digital, November 25, 2024
2024-2025	From January 1, 2025	Third arribada, 3,495 females	MARENA, January 5, 2025
2025-2026	December 2025	36,647 females over seven days	MARENA, December 11, 2025

Two careful readings. First, in each of the last two seasons there was at least one arribada between late November and early January. Second, the size ranges from a few thousand to more than thirty thousand, and the December 2025 note does not say on which exact days it happened. If you travel in December you have precedent on your side; you do not have a date.

Between arribadas, solitary females keep coming ashore on most nights of the season. A visit without an arribada can mean a handful of turtles, or none.

Hours, fee and a new ban

Fee. On April 15, 2025 MARENA published an entry fee of 100 córdobas for Nicaraguans and 200 córdobas for other nationalities, children at half price, and a refuge area of 7,349 hectares. We found no fee published in 2026; if it changes, we update it here.
Daytime hours. In its notices for special dates, MARENA has published La Flor hours of 8:30 to 16:30 (December 24, 25 and 31, 2025 and January 1, 2026) and 8:30 to 17:00 (September 14 to 20, 2026). Night visits during arribadas are coordinated with the rangers; the notices do not detail them.
Ban. La Prensa reported on August 7, 2026 that Ministerial Resolution 016-2026 set an indefinite ban on sea turtles across the country, and that MARENA warned of a high rate of salmonella in turtle eggs. Do not buy eggs.

Rules on the beach, 2026 version

Divergentes published on September 16, 2026 the list of measures applied on observation walks. We summarize them; our guide repeats them before anyone steps on the sand.

No flash photography and no white-light flashlights. Technical staff use red light.
Enter only authorized spots and only with an authorized guide.
Do not touch turtles or eggs. Do not walk over incubation zones.
No noise. Do not block a turtle's path between the sea and the nest.
No pets, no fires, no litter, no vehicles or horses on the beach.

Breaking these rules can end the visit for the whole group.

How Monkeys uses this log

The La Flor sea turtle night tour leaves at sunset from San Juan del Sur or Rivas, from US$45 per person in groups of 4 to 6; US$80 solo, with the entry fee included. Before every departure we call the rangers and ask whether there are turtles on the beach that night. If they say no, we tell you before you leave the hotel and you decide: go for the solitary nesters, move the date, or cancel at no cost up to 48 hours before.

When MARENA publishes a new arribada, we add the row to the table above and change this page's updated date. If the La Flor beach is closed or empty, we suggest the Chacocente night tour, from US$50 per person in groups of 4 to 6.

What to bring: closed shoes or strapped sandals, long sleeves for the wind from November to January, repellent and patience. The flash stays at the hotel. More in what to pack for Nicaragua.

Questions we get every week

When was the last arribada at La Flor?

The last one reported by MARENA began on October 1, 2026, with 32,949 females, according to its note of October 9, 2026. As of November 5, 2026, MARENA had not published any November arribada. We update this log when a new note appears.

Will there be an arribada at La Flor in December 2026?

No one can promise it. What exists are precedents: in December 2025 MARENA reported 36,647 females over seven days, and the official season runs from July to January. Before every departure we ask the rangers whether there are turtles on the beach that night and tell you what they said.

How much is the entry fee at La Flor?

MARENA published a fee of 100 córdobas for Nicaraguans and 200 córdobas for other nationalities in April 2025, with children at half price. We found no fee published in 2026. On the Monkeys tour the entry fee is included.

What are the rules for watching turtles at La Flor?

No flash and no white light, only red light in the hands of staff; go with an authorized guide and only to permitted spots; do not touch turtles, eggs or hatchlings; keep quiet; do not block a turtle's path; no pets, fires or litter. The rangers set them and Divergentes reproduced them in its September 16, 2026 article.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages, checked on the date shown above.