Research has shown that the mother returns to the same beach and that eggs are laid within metres of where the mother emerged as a hatchling years previously. Guests can view the turtles as they are laying and every precaution is taken to ensure the turtles are not disturbed.
Turtle tracking is offered from November to end February in the evenings. These magnificent creatures return to the Maputuland coastline every year, having swum the length of the African continent, and return to the beach where they hatched.
The loggerhead’s limbs each have two claws, which it uses to hunt for crabs, mussels, shrimps and a variety of fish. Nesting takes place at night from the end of October through to January. The round, white, leathery eggs – as many as 120 in a clutch – are laid in the sand and then covered with packed sand.
The leatherback is an endangered marine reptile. It is the largest living turtle and can reach a total length of 2,1 metres with a weight of up to 365kg. Unlike other turtles, the leatherback has no visible shell. Instead, it has a carapace made up of hundreds of irregular bony plates, covered with a leathery skin.
