At the beginning of the voluntary work in the nature reserve, the newcomers are welcomed with an orientation session. During your volunteer work in Costa Rica, you are involved in a project that protects and monitors the population of the sea turtles in the south of the province of Guanacaste. You will be taking exciting night patrols along the Pacific beaches to observe rare turtle species and monitor their habits and behaviors. The tours are never undertaken alone, but always in teamwork with other volunteers and / or with local project staff. The sea turtles come to the beach all year round for oviposition in the region, however, the period from July to December is considered high season. At this time, up to 30 nests per night can be secured! In the months of January to June, with an average of five turtles per night significantly fewer animals come to the beach, but still enough to observe them closely and to cooperate in the protection project.

It is important to collect and analyze the data collected in order to control the populations of sea turtles. The feeling of being able to see these mystical but endangered creatures up close is incredibly exciting! In this region also the so-called leatherback turtle lays its eggs. It is the largest turtle species in the world, reaching a length of up to 2.5 meters and a weight of up to 700 kg. This turtle species prefers oviposition in the region from October to February. After successful breeding season of 45-60 days the hatchlings search their way to the sea which is a dangerous mission. The aim of this project is to protect sea turtle eggs from predators and illegal abduction (turtle eggs are traded as delicacies).

During the day, volunteers sometimes also take environmental education lessons in the surrounding schools to make the children aware of the sensitive ecosystem, in particular the specificity of sea turtles, and to ensure a more conscious approach to the environment and its fauna. Likewise, the volunteers work during the day in the breeding station on the evaluation of the data that they could capture during the nightly inspection.

Note: The tasks may vary. They depend on factors such as number of volunteers, weather, season, current needs of the project, as well as self-motivation. Not every volunteer may be fully involved in all these tasks.