Our Hatchery

Our Turtle Hatchery

Explore how we protect them

Visiting our turtle hatchery might not sound as exciting as snorkelling with turtles underwater, but it is still a favourite among many of the tourists that visit Sri Lanka. If you time your visit right, you will get to combine an educational tour with releasing hatchlings into the ocean.

First, let us explain how our turtle hatchery works.

Both endangered and with low rates of survival in the wild, sea turtles face an ever-present threat of becoming extinct. To combat this, the workers in turtle hatcheries are tasked with gathering and relocating the eggs laid by female sea turtles to a safer environment away from predators and poachers. The hatchlings are then kept in large tanks until they are old enough to survive in the wild.

The educational tours offered at the hatchery are the perfect opportunity to learn more about these amazing creatures. You are also likely to see all five of the endangered marine turtle species known to Sri Lanka at the hatchery.

One highlight of visiting a turtle hatchery is their practice of releasing hatchlings into the wild. If you show up by 6.00pm, you will get to see that magical moment when the baby turtles make their way home.

You will even get to release one of these hatchlings yourself. We can assure you that this is a fun activity to look forward to!
Even if you did not stay in any of these places during your holiday in Sri Lanka, you can still visit the turtle hatchery as a day tour and experience time in a southern coastal region.

Keep in mind that there is a small entrance fee to be paid before you visit a turtle hatchery.

You will be assigned a guide, who will fill you in the conservation efforts taken by the sanctuary, and explain more about the turtle species they are housing. You can wind down the tour by heading to the back of the establishment, of the hatcheries, where you can take in securely fenced off area. Here turtle eggs are buried until they hatch. Signs have been installed by each nest to advise visitors on the species of turtles buried in the sand.