I toiught this place was supposed to be about preservation/education but was more like a tourist trap. 30 pesos to enter(about $ 2) and there are 4 tanks inside crammed with turtles and another with crabs, lobster, and a conch — a guy would yank them out, obviously stressing them, so that people could take pictures and then tip him. Even though there were signs saying not to touch the turtles, people were still pulling them out of the water. This was not a happy place :(
Angel F.
Place rating: 4 Cancún, Mexico
Its a nice place to be in touch With nature, learn about those incredible creatures and by the same time taking a good look over the little aquarium where you be able to touch some sea like, such as: starfish, conchshell, baby stingray, good place at the island.
Alex K.
Place rating: 5 Downers Grove, IL
A definite must stop if you are Isla Mujeres. The turtle farm is so amazing, with tons of sea turtles that they save and hatch. They also have a nurse shark in captivity that you can view from the pier. Price per visit is a little steep, but it helps to save sea turtles from extinction!
Kim p.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
What a fun place to visit! The turtles were absolutely adorable. The outdoor pen with the largest turtles was the best area. They were fenced in with some assorted rays and a shark. It was cool to see these animals up close. It’s a great cause, and only costs 30 pesos. For another 20 pesos you can get a bag of turtle«kibble» to feed them. It was fun to watch them gobble it up. Kind of reminds me of a slow motion version of Hungry Hungry Hippo. There’s no excuse to miss this experience when you’re already on the island.
Benjamin B.
Place rating: 2 Dauchingen, Germany
It’s all about the turtles but in the end you can just see like 6 pools inside which contain turtles of all ages beginning with recently born ones(honestly speaking I would rather but them somewhere else because the sign«Don’t touch the turtles» doesn’t seem to have the same meaning for all people). Outside there are another 4 pools with bigger turtles and an even bigger area in the sea which has even more turtles and some sand sharks. I think it’s good for the turtles what they are doing here and if they take entrance fee for the good of the turtles it’s more then welcome but please take care that the turtles are not bothered by small kids or grown ups who dip them under water or lift them out for taking pictures and think it’s funny.
Philippine W.
Place rating: 4 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
I share the same feelings as Greg described in his review, although I talked to one of the employees and she told me what they’re doing there — so I’d like to give the place an extra star. Yes the bassins look pretty small, but Turtle Farm is actually a project by the government & funded by donations in order to protect the sea turtles. There are hundreds of sea turtles that have survived because of the love and commitment of the people involved in this project and the people of Isla Mujeres! That made me pretty happy to pay the small fee and even a bit more when leaving :). Don’t expect to be here for hours; we stayed for about 30 minutes and was more than enough. You see some beautiful sea creatures and they have a bassin for you to hold a giant starfish or conch. Personally, I’m not a big fan of this, as I’m not sure if it could harm the animals. Nevertheless, the children seem to find it super amusing and entertaining. Just go, have a look, pay the fee, feel better about yourself that you gave money so they can go and help more sea turtles, and then go enjoy the rest of your holiday.
Greg H.
Place rating: 2 Chicago, IL
Came in here for 20 minutes to see the turtles. The entry fee was 30 pesos. The farm was a little sad… there were 6 indoor pens for turtles 6 indoor Aquariums for fish, and 3 large outdoor tanks. I also didn’t see any staff apart from the front desk associate collecting the entry fee. I’m not sure how humanely they treat these animals(a few of the tanks were very dirty and some turtles were swimming suspiciously slow)… Tortugranja is supposed to be scientific station run by the Mexican government in partnership with private funding but I couldn’t find much online about their work. It was an okay time but I felt like I was hurting more than helping the animals by being there. If I could find out more info on Tortugranja I’d feel better about recommending it was a spot worth visiting.
