From Huatulco : Crocodile and Turtle Eco Tour

This eco-tour departs from Huatulco and heads to Ventanilla, about an hour and thirty minutes away, to visit a community engaged in protecting its local ecosystem — mangroves, crocodiles, birds, iguanas, and white-tailed deer. The roughly six-hour outing combines a boat ride through the lagoon with a stop at a sea turtle sanctuary.

A local expert guides your eco-friendly boat into the mangrove channels of the Ventanilla lagoon, where you'll look for crocodiles in their natural habitat, iguanas sunning themselves among the branches, white-tailed deer in protected areas, and both endemic and migratory birds that live in the lagoon. Along the way, the guide explains how the community works to protect this ecosystem, including through a UMA (a wildlife management unit).

From the lagoon, the tour continues to the Escobilla Beach Sanctuary, one of the world's most important nesting sites for the olive ridley sea turtle. Guided by sanctuary experts, you'll learn about the turtles' life cycle and the conservation work underway to protect them, then take part in releasing baby turtles into the Pacific — a hands-on, closely guided moment shared with the local team responsible for the program.

This tour is aimed at nature and wildlife lovers who want a conservation-focused outing that combines a lagoon boat ride with a turtle release rather than a beach or shopping day — it's described as ideal for families and travelers looking for a meaningful, hands-on encounter with local conservation work.

A certified bilingual guide and an air-conditioned vehicle are included; meals are not. Entrance to the Ventanilla lagoon and to the turtle release are both paid in cash on site and aren't included in the tour price, and a tip for your guide is welcome, though not required, if you're happy with the service. The tour isn't recommended for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health, though it's otherwise suitable for all physical fitness levels.

The operator will meet you in your hotel lobby, calling out your name. If you're traveling on a cruise ship instead, your guide will be waiting at the end of the cruise ship pier with a sign bearing your name to bring you aboard the tour.