The Caretta-Caretta

They were here first

Every summer the Caretta-Caretta come back to Mavrovouni to lay their eggs in the sand. We share the beach with them, and we plan our nights around them.

A summer on this beach

She comes back
A female returns to nest on the shores where she was born, often after decades at sea. On a quiet summer night she hauls herself up the sand.
Two months in the sand
She digs a nest, lays her eggs, covers them and goes back to the water. The warm sand does the rest. Volunteers mark every nest, and nobody steps inside the fence.
The run for the sea
Late in the summer the hatchlings dig out together and head for the brightest horizon, which should be the sea. That is why every light facing the beach stays low and warm.
Out into the blue
Few of them make it, and those that do are gone for years. One day, some of them will come back to this same sand.

The Caretta-Caretta

About the Caretta-Caretta

An old traveller of the sea

Sea turtles have crossed the oceans for more than a hundred million years. The Caretta-Caretta is known for its large head and strong jaws, which crack the shells of crabs and sea urchins. Adults can weigh more than a hundred kilos and live for many decades.

Greece and the Laconian Gulf

Greece is the most important country in the Mediterranean for Caretta-Caretta nests. Alongside Zakynthos and Kyparissia, the sandy beaches of the Laconian Gulf, Mavrovouni among them, receive nests every summer.

A summer on the sand

From late May to August, females come ashore at night, dig a nest and lay around a hundred eggs. The warm sand incubates them for about two months, and from July to October the hatchlings dig out, mostly after dark, and run for the sea.

How they are protected

The Caretta-Caretta is protected by Greek and European law, and its nesting beaches are part of the Natura 2000 network. Every season, conservation volunteers walk the beaches at dawn, mark each nest and protect it.

What we do, and what you can do

At Thalata the lights facing the beach stay low and warm, and nobody drives on the sand. On the beach, keep away from marked nests, fill in holes and flatten sandcastles before dark, take your litter with you, and never touch a turtle or a hatchling. If you see one, tell reception.

Thalata Junior Rangers

Six quests and a diploma

Under the big tamarisk, children learn about the turtles with real conservation volunteers. One passport, six quests, one stamp for each.

I
Hatchling
The first stamp. Meet the Caretta and find out how a turtle begins.
II
Beach Clean-up
Clear the sand of anything that could get in a hatchling's way.
III
Nest Spotter
By day, with a volunteer, finding the marked nests and learning why nobody steps inside the fence.
IV
Lights Out
At bedtime, switching off every light that reaches the beach, so the hatchlings find the sea.
V
Sea Explorer
A look at who else lives in the shallows of the Laconian Gulf.
VI
Tamarisk Scholar
The last stamp. Tell a grown-up everything they got wrong about turtles.