Our beach declared a sanctuary

Big news here in Playa Las Tortugas! Our entire beach has been declared a “Santuario” by the Mexican government. The control of development, protection of native species and use of automobiles on the beach will now be within the oversight of CONANP.

What this exactly means for Playa Las Tortugas has not yet been communicated to us. But, it appears to provide the entire 5 miles of beach plus the sand dunes with protections that will prevent aggressive development of structures on the beach or dunes, driving of vehicles on the beach, and the taking of turtles eggs, among other things.

One thing to note is the government is calling it Playa Platanitos, which isn’t correct. Platanitos is a developed beach that’s on the other side of Punta Custodio. To get there requires walking to the end of Playa Las Tortugas, wading across the estuary (at low tide), and then climbing over the hill. It takes about 30 minutes in total to get there. Once you finally get there there are several simple restaurants set right on the sand. A great place for fresh fish!

It is our hope that this new protection will ensure our already amazing beach is better protected for the years to come!