Botanical Gardens & Sea Turtle Conservation

Palm trees, turtles & mangroves

Exotic plants, sea turtles, mangrove wildlife, and a volcanic beach: our day tour to Manzanillo and Cuyutlán takes you to two incredible centres on the costalegre. Ola Brisa Gardens was created by expat Tommy Clarkson and his late wife Patty, and since 2006, they nurtured and developed their tropical haven into what it is today.

The Cuyutlán Sea Turtle Conservation Centre does important research on the various sea turtle species that nest on this coast, as well as promoting conservation of the marine environment and those animals under threat.

We start with an early departure from Melaque for this jam-packed day trip and head straight to the Ola Brisa Gardens to meet Tommy Clarkson: a self-taught tropical plant expert who travelled the globe extensively before settling in Mexico. Over coffee, you’ll hear all about Tommy’s story and how the gardens came to be what they are today, before getting a detailed and fascinating tour of the grounds and plant species grown here.

We’ll then head about 30 minutes past Manzanillo to the small beach town of Cuyutlán. We’ll have lunch near by volcanic beach (not included in price) and then stop by the local salt museum for a quick tour and chat about salt farming in the area.

Next, and finally, we head to the Cuyutlán Sea Turtle Conservation Centre to meet the scientists and conservationists who work here and do important research on the sea turtle species that nest along our coastline. You’ll also get the opportunity to take a gentle boat tour through the mangroves where we’ll see, hopefully, various exotic birds and maybe even a small crocodile or two.