Encountering sea turtles in their natural habitat is an experience that really will thrill you. It is indescribably impressive to see these huge creatures in real life and to contribute to their protection.
The Placement
With this volunteer project you will help protect sea turtles on the picturesque Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. The project was founded in 1984 and serves to protect the sensitive ecosystem on land and in the sea, in particular the habitat and breeding grounds of sea turtles. The project site includes an area of over 500 hectares made up of a marine and land reserve. The dreamlike landscape is characterized by mountains, small bays, beautiful beaches, mangrove forests and countless small islands. Local communities support and benefit from this project through sustainability work such as ecotourism, environmental education, beach cleaning and similar efforts. The reserve is located on the coast where the so-called "arribada" takes place. This is a natural phenomenon and describes the natural synchronized mass nesting of the olive ridged turtle. In the main season, an average of 200,000 turtles come to the beaches, making the region the second largest sea turtle breeding site in the world. In addition to the olive ridged turtle, there are two other species of turtles that nest in this region. The leatherback turtle and the green sea turtle are also among the 7 turtle species worldwide that can be found on this part of the coast of Costa Rica. In this Sea Turtle protection project you will learn a lot about the habitat and threats of these wonderful animals.
Location
The turtle protection project is located on the Nicoya Peninsula, in the Guanacaste Province in the north-west of the country. The capital San José is about 5 hours away by car. The beautiful seaside resort of Nosara is close by. Especially in the last 10 years, Nosara has turned out to be a very popular holiday destination for tourists from Costa Rica and abroad. Samara is the next larger town and is about 45 minutes away by car/taxi. Samara is a laid-back sunny town with beautiful beaches as far as the eye can see and a variety of outdoor sports, mainly water sports. The Sea Turtle Project and its surroundings offer the ideal place to relax and enjoy. Species-rich flora and fauna, impressive coral reefs near the coast, evergreen landscape in the hinterland, great national parks and a wide range of outdoor sports await you here.
