The thrill of watching a huge turtle haul itself onto the beach and lay its eggs, trance-like under a full moon or dozens of baby turtles hatching under a starry sky and fleeing to their uncertain future in the ocean is simply unforgettable. Five of the world's seven species of marine turtle, the green, leatherback, loggerhead, olive ridley and hawksbill frequent Sri Lankan shores to lay their eggs. All are highly endangered and in desperate need of conservation.

Visit the deserted alien landscape of the Kalpitiya Peninsular, a sliver of land that separates the Puttalam lagoon from the Indian Ocean. A marine sanctuary on the north west coast, Kalpitiya is an area of breathtaking beauty completely undisturbed, unspoilt and untouched though alive with nature. It is on the vast sand dune beaches of this otherworldly landscape that you will have the chance to search for marine turtles on a starlit adventure in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

meat into incentives so that they became nest protectors. Through incorporating, educating and empowering the local community, these endangered turtles are now being conserved in their own habitat. Nightly 'turtle watches' are the feature here where you'll wait on the sandy beach in anticipation of viewing what is undoubtedly an unforgettable feat of nature.

While we cannot guarantee that you will see either a laying mother or hatchlings, you will certainly find the exciting experience of waiting on these unspoilt beaches for theseamazing creatures to appear, one to remember. If you are visiting between the months of November and March, the chances of a turtle sighting is at its highest.

This looks like something so interest to be behold. Do they ever have any kinds of predators that try to get to the eggs, such as raccoons? I would love to witness something like this, it must be something of a miracle.