La Aventura

You would be surprised to know that even though my birthday story is a three part series, all of these activities and adventures took place in just 48-hours. I did not have much PTO to spare around my birthday, but we made sure to maximize our time in Puerto Escondido and hit all the hot spots!

After spending my actual birthday being spoiled rotten, we still had another day to enjoy all that Puerto Escondido had to offer. We started our next day bright and early with a trip to Playa Carrizalillo. This small but popular beach is a local favorite, as it is one of the few beaches in Puerto Escondido that is safe enough to swim at. Unfortunately, many beaches in the area have waves and currents that are too strong for swimming.

Playa Carrizalillo is really a bay surrounded by rocky cliffs. In order to access the beach you must trek down ~100 steps – which doesn’t sound so bad until it is time to come back up! The beach is speckled with lawn chairs and umbrellas, which you can rent for $400 pesos ($20 USD), as well as a series of casual restaurants and pop up shops, where you can grab some simple bites such as: ceviche, tacos, and cocktails.

We made our way down to the beach, grabbed a bite to eat, and were lucky enough to snag a pair of chairs from a couple that was leaving out. We ordered a round of shots and cocktails and had some down time before taking a dip in the water. We rounded out our beach day with some more drinks, sunbathing, and a short nap – there is nothing like napping on the beach!

Now came time for the climb back up from the beach…

After a few (many) stops for water/to catch our breath, we made it! The trek was not bad at all, but with the sun blazing on your back and a full beach back on your shoulder, it is not for the faint of heart. Once at the top, we caught an Uber and headed home to the hotel to freshen up before our excursion.

The one thing (excursion) I was determined to do on my birthday trip was a baby sea turtle release. The west coast of Mexico is one of the best places to do this activity, but in all my past trips to Mexico, I was never there during the right season, but now I was! We booked a small group baby sea turtle release excursion for $80 USD as the final activity of the birthday trip!

We were picked up from our hotel and began our journey to the Boca Barra turtle camp at Playa de Navidad. Once there, we received a crash course about sea turtles. The guide educated us on the catching, hatching, and release process.

Did you know that…

• You should never touch baby sea turtles . Our skin contains oils that can harm them or their food sacs which nourish them.
• Although female sea turtles lay many eggs, only a few babies actually survive the journey from the sea shore to the ocean.
• Female sea turtles will often return to the same beach every year to lay eggs.
• The sex of a baby sea turtle is determined by the temperature in which the eggs are incubated (warmed).

After our baby sea turtle 101 course, we each received a small wooden bowl with two baby turtles inside. We followed our guide to the beach where he showed us the release area and instructed us on how to dump the turtles out, cheer them on, and watch for predators – like crabs and birds. My turtles made their way slowly but surely to the ocean. Vanessa’s ….well her’s were a special kind. They went every which way but toward the ocean. Eventually, she scooped them up and dropped them closer to the water.

We waved goodbye to our turtles as they crawled toward the ocean waves by the light of the sunset. Just like the turtles were headed toward their new life with eagerness, so was I toward my next decade. Cheers to 30!

Sunset at Playa Navidad – April 2025