Volunteer with turtles in Costa Rica

The project

Turtles have been around on the earth since the age of the dinosaurs. Their numbers are severely threatened by the disruptive industrial fishing industry, which causes hundreds of turtle casualties each year. Additionally, turtles are threatened by disappearing nesting grounds, egg poaching and pollution in our oceans.

This volunteer project aims to address these issues in two ways:

• Conservation: volunteers protect the nesting turtles, move the eggs to the hatchery and release the baby turtles to the sea once they have hatched. This process increases the survival rate of baby turtles dramatically.
• Research: the nesting mother turtles are measured, tagged and recorded. This information is then used to form the background of the campaigns against industrial fishing and supporting a protected marine area in the region.

Since 2007, these measures have dramatically improved the turtle population in the area and have resulted in a protection zone around the remote turtle nesting beaches. There is still more to do, and we need help from volunteers to achieve that!

Volunteer role
The main role of the volunteer is to patrol the beach looking for nesting mother turtles. When the mother turtle is located, data is collected and the eggs are taken to a protected beach hatchery. The beach patrols for nesting turtles take place at night time, under the glittering blanket of the Milky Way. The nesting season is from July to December, with the babies usually hatching from early August onwards. Volunteers will enjoy releasing babies from September onwards!

During the daytime volunteers work to improve the hatchery, engage with local kids about conservation (building sand turtles!) and even helping to teach English in the local school.

Free time
There is plenty of free time during the day to enjoy the beautiful beach, located a mere 20 metres from the accommodation, as well as the rainforests, lagoons and waterfalls. Volunteers have enjoyed horse riding, learning to surf and visiting a local butterfly farm.

Accommodation and food

The accommodation is basic yet comfortable. Set just off the beach, it is in an ideal setting for seeing beautiful sunsets over the sea. Expect to share a small dorm room with en suite bathroom facilities. Three delicious meals per day are provided by the local community, including fresh fruit and vegetables, rice, beans, meat and fish.