Volunteering in Costa Rica: environmental project with turtles

THE ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEER PROJECT IN COSTA RICA

The goal of the volunteer project in Costa Rica is to balance human development and the conservation of natural resources, in particular by supporting the study of Ostional sea turtles and the protection of the rare phenomenon of the Arribadas.

As a volunteer you will be able to take part in programs focused in the following areas:

Protection of the environment and animal species

Volunteer activities in Costa Rica are focused on the study and conservation of the turtles in Ostional, whose beaches are affected by the phenomenon of “arribadas”. You will patrol the beaches at night to assist the turtles during egg-laying. The beach patrol shifts do not require specific skills; it will be enough to rely on the local staff and be willing to walk for kilometers, illuminated only by the moon. You will also protect smaller turtles: depending on the season, you can locate nests by assisting the staff in marking and identification operations. You will witness the hatching of eggs, ensuring that the newly born hatchlings reach the ocean. Your contribution will also be crucial in cleaning Ostional beach by removing plastic and generally protecting the Costa Rican ecosystem.

PROJECT SHEET

LOCATION

The project takes place in Ostional, on the vast beach (Playa Ostional) in front of the volunteers’ house. Playa Ostional is the beach chosen by Costa Rican turtles for laying their eggs, here nature has remained intact and turtles manage to find a safe haven to lay.

Costa Rica cares particularly about its natural resources and the animal species that inhabit it, and in addition to being known as one of the countries with the highest happiness rate in the world, it is also the first country in Latin America to use more than 90% of energy produced from renewable resources.

ARRIVAL AND TRAINING

You will arrive at Liberia’s Daniel Oduber International Airport.
It is advisable to arrive on the weekend to receive the right on-site training and be up and running at the beginning of the week. It is also necessary to book a flight that lands in the morning, by 2 pm.

BOARD AND LODGING

The volunteers are staying in the Estación, the volunteers’ house overlooking the beach, surrounded by tropical forest. The three daily meals will be carefully prepared by Jami, the cook of Esatción.

A TYPICAL DAY

Below is the prospect of a typical day of a volunteer.

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Free activities, beach cleaning, maintenance

12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Lunch break and free time

15:00 – 17:00 | Briefing or data collection

24:00 – 4:00 | Patrolling and assistance during the arribada

REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE

Be at least 18 years old and have a good knowledge of English or Spanish.

MINIMUM LENGTH OF STAY

The minimum stay is 2 weeks. Volunteers can leave throughout the year and freely decide how much time to dedicate to the volunteering experience.

DONATION

The donation varies according to the number of weeks of stay and the project chosen.

Your donation includes: food, accommodation, transport costs for the project during the volunteering period, 24-hour assistance from local staff, financing of the materials necessary for the activities.
The transfer to/from the airport has an additional cost to be shared with other volunteers traveling with you.

For more details about the donation, see the page DONATION.

FREE TIME

Costa Rica has set aside more than 25% of its territory for national parks and protected reserves. Costa Rica’s parks and reserves are home to at least 500,000 animal species, or about 4.5% of the total number of living species on the globe. With these numbers, Costa Rica is one of the countries with the richest biodiversity in the world! In your free time, you can explore the area and see places like the Arenal Volcano and Playa Conchal, one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. The name comes from the billions of conchas that spill onto the beach and are gradually shattered, turning into sand.