Midnight Turtle Walk – Witness the Olive Ridley Nesting

Once every year, along the shores of Chennai, something extraordinary happens.

Under the quiet cover of night, Olive Ridley sea turtles emerge from the ocean and slowly make their way onto the beach. With careful movements, the mother turtle digs a nest in the sand and lays around 80–120 eggs, covering them before returning to the sea.

Weeks later, tiny hatchlings will break through the sand and instinctively crawl toward the ocean — beginning a journey that may one day bring them back to the very same beach to nest.

The Turtle Walk🐢, an initiative of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department with conservation advocacy by SAVEaTURTLE, offers a rare chance to witness this incredible natural phenomenon while learning about the efforts taken to protect these endangered turtles.

During the walk, forest department teams monitor the beach for nesting turtles. Once eggs are laid, they are carefully collected and moved to protected hatcheries to keep them safe from predators. When the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are later released back into the sea.

Participants will gather at midnight for a short briefing by a forest officer before beginning the walk along the beach in search of nesting turtles.

This experience is not just a walk — it’s a moment to witness one of nature’s most beautiful life cycles and understand the importance of protecting marine wildlife.

Turtle Walk Schedule

Season: 20 January – 28 February
12:00 AM – Assemble at Pattinambakkam
12:15 AM – Briefing by Forest Officer
12:30 AM – Turtle Walk begins
4:00 AM – Walk concludes

Baby Turtle Farewell (Hatchling Release)

     Season: 1 March – 30 April
     5:00 PM – Beach Cleanup
     5:30 PM – Assemble at Hatchery, Besant Nagar
     5:45 PM – Briefing by Forest Officer
     6:00 PM – Baby Turtle Release
     6:30 PM – Departure

Join a midnight walk into one of nature’s rarest moments!🐢

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