Volunteers are a real part of that work. In 2025 we saved 31,000 eggs from poachers and environmental risks and released around 4,500 hatchlings safely into the ocean.

Your Project

You work four days a week and receive a detailed weekly plan with your tasks. The work splits between the turtle camp and the recycling and awareness side of the project.

Your typical tasks include:

• Night patrols, nest care, and relocations at the turtle camp, securing the beach between 8 pm and 3 am and moving nests to safety (1 to 2 times per week)
• Beach clean-ups (twice a week), including sorting and cleaning the collected materials and transporting them to the recycling centre (once a week)
• Workshops for children on sea turtles and marine conservation
• Tourist awareness station (twice a week), where you talk to visitors and locals about why the turtles matter and how to protect them
• Recycling workshops (twice a week), turning collected plastic bags into "plastic leather" in a thermofusion machine, which is then made into purses, bags, and similar products
• A monthly visit to the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga

Seasons matter here. The low season runs from March to September: the turtles do not come ashore to nest, so contact with them is limited and your tasks shift towards recycling and awareness work. The high season runs from October to February, with nesting, nest care, and hatchling releases, and a high probability of seeing turtles up close.

Location: The project takes place in the region around Puerto Escondido and Puerto Ángel, directly by the sea. The daily transfer to the project is not included in the programme.

Your Spanish course. Before your project starts, you complete a Spanish course of at least one week, already included in the price. Classes run Monday to Friday in the mornings, and no project takes place during that week so you can focus on one thing at a time.

Who You Will Be Working With

You work alongside the local project team at the turtle camp and the recycling workshop, who guide your work day to day, and with other wayers volunteers who share your shifts.

Our team in Mexico supports you throughout: Vanessa accompanies your start in Mexico, Susy looks after bookings and accommodation, and Fernando is our volunteer coordinator on site. In 2024 the Mexico team won our internal Happiness Award as the best team across all our destinations.

What We Expect From You

You should be willing to work at different times of day, including evenings, early mornings, and nights, since that is when the turtles come ashore. Respectful handling of the animals goes without saying, and our animal welfare guidelines apply throughout.

Basic English is enough for your first days, and after the included Spanish course you will be able to talk to the local team and the community in Spanish. Bring initiative and a willingness to get stuck into the less glamorous jobs too, sorting rubbish is as much a part of turtle protection as a hatchling release. The minimum age is 18 and the minimum stay is three weeks.

What You Can Expect From Us

Before you leave, we prepare you with an online seminar, access to the wayers Lounge, our digital wayers Workbook, and the chance to connect with other participants before departure.

On site you get the airport transfer in Puerto Escondido, an introduction event, your Spanish course with textbook, contact persons at the project, personal support from our team, and a 24 hour emergency line staffed in Germany and in Mexico. After your return you receive a certificate of participation.