Turtle Conservation and Education Center

The basics

The Turtle Conservation and Education Center runs on donations and adoption fees. Visiting the site is free. Adoption programs operate during the dry season (April to September) when volunteers collect eggs from the beaches where they were laid and bring them to the center to hatch. This is also the best time to visit, with many different turtles in the tanks, although rehabilitating sea turtles can be seen all year round.

Things to know before you go

• The Turtle Conservation and Education Center is a good choice for wildlife lovers and families.

• The displays and information are basic, so you’ll need only a few minutes to tour the education center. Releasing a turtle involves going to a separate beach and catching a boat. Allow at least an hour for this.

• There are many different turtle centers in Bali, with wildly varying conditions. Be sure you’re visiting the right one.

• The Turtle Conservation and Education Center is not wheelchair accessible.

How to get there

The Turtle Conservation and Education Center is on Serangan Island, now a peninsula, south of Sanur on Bali’s east coast. There’s no public transit, and local taxis won’t allow Grab or Gojek rideshares to pick up, so you may find booking a private driver preferable to taxis.

When to get there

The Turtle Conservation and Education Center is open Monday to Saturday but closed on Sundays. It’s best to visit during the hatching season, between April and September, when you can see baby turtles and adopt and release them.

Is it ethical to release sea turtles in Bali?

Bali has a wide range of turtle attractions, some grossly unethical. The Turtle Conservation and Education Center’s release program funds important work, including rehabilitating sick, injured, and rescued sea turtles, educating locals on conservation, and raising turtles for use in Balinese ceremonies so they don’t have to be taken from the wild. However, hatchlings stand a greater chance of survival when released en masse on a quiet beach in the dark than when released individually from a boat and do better when not handled.