Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica

What will I do at the Turtle Conservation project in Costa Rica?

You will help the local team by monitoring the beach, relocating turtle eggs to a safe hatchery, releasing hatchlings into the sea and collecting data.

Olive Ridley turtles, the species most frequently found in the area, are categorised as ‘vulnerable’ accordingly to the IUCN Red List, so their protection is vitally important. With your help there are more night patrols to occur, which has led to a drop of around 80% in the number of nests that have been eaten by animals or poached in the area.

You will help to monitor and maintain the hatcheries where the eggs are located and assist with the collection of data about nesting turtles which is used to gain an understanding of sea turtle reproductive behaviour and improve their conservation strategies in the future.

There is a tropical garden which runs down to the edge of the beach, a nice place to rest in a hammock during the day after a busy night's work.

There is a fun and friendly surf school right next door so a great opportunity to learn to surf or develop your skills on the waves of the Pacific.

Melissa joined the project:
“My experience at the turtle conservation programme in Costa Rica was unforgettable. The beach was amazing and the scenery was very beautiful. It was very exciting to be working closely with the turtles and it felt very rewarding to release the hatchlings into the sea.

The locals and volunteers were friendly and the staff working at the project were helpful and supportive. I would definitely recommend this programme to anyone who wants to volunteer. It has been the best decision I have made as it has been worthwhile and I learnt a lot about the Costa Rican culture!”