
The volcanic black sand beaches of Monterrico, located 116.5km away from La Antigua Guatemala, serve as a solitary nesting spot for olive ridley turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea. Known locally as “parlamas”, they crawl out of the open ocean at night to lay their eggs amid quad bikes and beach goers. Despite being the most abundant of marine turtles, their numbers have been dwindling and they are considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.