DETAILS

Turtle Trips in Mexico

GETTING THERE: Numerous U.S. carriers, including United, American and Continental, offer service from Washington airports to Puerto Vallarta. Round-trip airfares start at about $530. Playa Las Tortugas is about 90 miles from the airport. Roads are well marked but curve through the mountains, so allow about two hours and drive in daylight. Local buses are for the patient and intrepid only; it's a five-mile hike from the bus stop to the turtle station.

WHERE TO STAY: You can stay in the spacious, upscale villas of Playa Las Tortugas (13 Las Palmeras, Otates, 800-320-7769, http://www.playalastortugas.com/ ) and volunteer in turtle-saving activities as little or as much as you want. Two-, three- and four-bedroom villas range in price from $145 to $475 per night, depending on size, number of people and dates, with holiday rates the highest.

Alternatively, volunteers willing to work long hours and rough it may stay for free in a small dorm room, not air-conditioned, filled with about a dozen bunks. Volunteers arrange their own transportation and food.

Turtles nest from about July to November at this beach and hatch from August through December.

WHERE TO EAT: Walk or kayak to a series of small open-air restaurants with sandy floors run by locals in the tiny village of Platanitos. Fresh fish platters cooked over an open fire begin at under $10.

The upscale Club De Playa Etc. (Matanchen Beach, about 10 miles from Playa Las Tortugas) has excellent seafood and sandwiches, and dining there entitles you to use the pool and beach chairs along a wide, empty beach. Entrees begin at about $10.

Hotel Casa Mañana (Playa Los Cocos, a few miles closer to Playa Las Tortugas) has a pleasant, open-air restaurant run by the German owner and his Mexican wife, with mostly Mexican food. Entrees begin at about $10.

It's worth a half-hour drive to the village of San Blas for seafood, steak and chicken entrees, which begin at about $12, in the attractive restaurant of the Hotel Garza Carnela (Paredes 106 Sur).

Or, cook up your own meals. Roadside stands offer a plethora of fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood. If you want meat, buy it in a supermarket in Puerto Vallarta and ice it down before heading to the hinterlands.

OTHER TURTLE-RESCUE TRIPS:

· The Florida-based, nonprofit Caribbean Conservation Corp. organizes trips to Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park . Trips begin at $1,399 per person for nine days, not including airfare to San Jose. Accommodations are in a dormitory-style field station. Trips are held from mid-March to early June for leatherback turtles, and late June through October for green turtles. Info: 800-678-7853, http://www.cccturtle.org/ .

· The Earthwatch Institute has trips to Trinidad , St. Croix , Costa Rica or Milman Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef . Trips operate at various times during the turtle nesting season, generally between March and July. They include food, accommodations and field costs but not airfares, and range from $2,300 to $2,500 per person. Info: 800-776-0188, http://www.earthwatch.org/ .

· Adventure Life has trips to Costa Rica's Pacuare Nature Reserve or Tortuguero National Park in spring and summer. From San Jose, Costa Rica, eight-day trips begin at $1,345 and include working with turtles, white-water rafting and visiting a rain forest. Info: 800-344-6118, http://www.adventure-life.com/ .

TURTLE WALKS: Various species of turtles nest during the spring and summer in southeast Florida. Even the best-intentioned humans can inadvertently disrupt the nesting process, so please go with an expert if you are in search of turtles. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ( http://www.myfwc.com/seaturtle ) has a list of 19 organizations that sponsor turtle walks. Some walks are free, others require a modest fee. Also find lists of walks from the nonprofit Caribbean Conservation Corp. (see above).

DETAILS: Mexico Tourism Board, 800-446-3942, http://www.visitmexico.com/ . Ask for information about the state of Nayarit and the area around San Blas.

-- Cindy Loose