Leatherback Turtle Ambassador

Agency
·
founded in 2012
Luis
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Coordinator | Luis
Coordinator | Luis
Prenota con l'opzione Flex! Scegliete nuove date di partenza o passate a un altro programma di volontariato senza costi aggiuntivi.

Punti Salienti

Volunteer by protecting endangered sea turtles!
Participate in patrol beaches in the evening and night-walks to locate female turtles and their at-risk nests. Relocate their eggs in a save place to protect them from poachers and predators!
Take care of turtle eggs and make sure that they are prepared for their journey back to the sea!
Enjoy your weekends by visiting stunning beaches and immerse yourself in the Costa Rican culture.
Meet like-minded volunteers from all over the world and build life-long friendships.
Get in direct contact with turtles and help us conserve the biggest turtle in the sea! Here you will have the chance to meet and work with awesome animals! This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Age 18+
Singoli
Coppie
Famiglie
Gruppi
Our main mission at Tortugas de Pacuare is to protect endangered sea turtles such as the Leatherback sea turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle and the Green sea turtle. With the support of the local community and of the the international volunteers, we aim at conserving the environment. By working with sea turtles, locals and environmental education programs, we will be able to educate people on the importance of caring about and protecting the valuable maritime ecosystem.

Turtle seasons: 
  • Leatherback turtle season: from the last week of February to the end of June 
  • Green turtle season: from July to September 
  • Hawksbill turtle season: from April to August 

One important thing when we work in animal protection is: wildlife isn't predictable, so we cannot exactly say how your experience will be. We are only sure one thing: mother nature is awesome and always surprise us. That's why we love to work saving turtles.

Working with Turtles
Working with the turtles means that you will be doing night patrols on the beach. With local guides and a group of people you will patrol on the beach to collect turtle eggs and relocate them to a turtle hatchery where they will be safe from poachers. Furthermore, you will be working at the hatchery, take care of the turtle eggs and the freshly hatched turtles and make sure that they are well prepared for their dangerous journey back into the sea.

The Leatherback Turtle - Leatherbacks are the largest turtles on Earth, growing up to seven feet (two meters) long and exceeding 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). These reptilian relics are the only remaining representatives of a family of turtles that traces its evolutionary roots back more than 100 million years. Once prevalent in every ocean, except the Arctic and Antarctic, the leatherback population has rapidly declined in many parts of the world. This is partly because of their shell. While all other sea turtles have hard, bony shells, the inky-blue carapace of the leatherback is somewhat flexible and almost rubbery to the touch. This makes it more vulnerable to predators and poachers. Furthermore, their eggs are often taken by humans from nests to be consumed for subsistence or as aphrodisiacs. 

The Green Sea Turtle - The green turtle is a large, weighty sea turtle with a wide, smooth carapace, or shell. It is named not for the color of its shell (which is normally brown or olive depending on its habitat), but for the greenish color of its skin. Weighing up to 700 pounds (317.5 kilograms) green turtles are among the largest sea turtles in the world. While most sea turtles warm themselves by swimming close to the surface of shallow waters, the Eastern Pacific green turtle will reach the land to bask in the sun. This habit makes them extremely vulnerable to predators and poachers, looking for their meat and eggs.

Communal Work
But there is communal work as well. You, the volunteers, will work in the maintenance of the camp or in our recycling program. We spend our time doing community service work and helping to maintain community facilities, local schools, sports fields, and execute beach cleanups in conjunction with the Blue Flag committee. In addition, we help the local population with construction of gardens.

Our program is a communal initiative and we work closely with the people from Barra de Pacuare. You will learn lots about our culture. It is especially important for us to promote contact with locals. In return, they will be offering you the opportunity to do fishing tours, kayaking, or tours by boat to Tortuguero National Park. 

Location
The project is located 40 km south of Tortuguero in a small town called Barra de Pacuare, in the middle of the Caribbean. This makes us one of the most strategic destinations for the arrival of leatherback turtles, green turtles, and hawksbill turtles. These are the most threatened species and are in a serious danger of extinction.

Our main goal is to save turtles. This is the reason why we keep the participation fee of the program very low. It helps us to maintain the station and to save one of the most amazing animals of the ocean.

Typical day

Your schedule as a volunteer can vary each day, but mostly it will look like this one:

Meals
  • 8:30 am: breakfast 
  • 12:30 am: lunch 
Communal work
  • 9:30 am: communal work
  • 2:30 pm: communal work
The total communal work during the day is approx. 2 hours 

Turtle hatchery
The turtle hatchery has to be protected 24/7. These are the timetables that have to be respected. Of course, you won't work the whole day there.
  • 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
  • 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
  • 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
  • 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
  • 10:00 pm to 4:00 am
  • 4:00 am to 8:00 am
Beach patrolling 
The most important time to patrol on the beaches is at night. This is when the turtles usually come ashore to lay their eggs and thus, the most dangerous moment for them. 
  • 8:00 pm to 12:00 am
  • 12:00 am to 4:00 am

Free-time activities

Our volunteers will have the chance to spend their time enjoying the wild life and meeting many different animals.

Furthermore, they can do sports on the beach or simply tan and relax while enjoying a good book. 

Also they can spend time together with the locals and enjoy getting to know a new culture. This is always a great opportunity to make new friends as well.

Water Sports
Swimming
Hiking
Sports

Requisiti

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.
Language Skills
You need to speak English (basic level)
Nationality Restrictions
No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.
Time Commitment
Your helping hand will be required on lunedì, martedì, mercoledì, giovedì, venerdì and sabato

Servizi inclusi

Services by Tortugas de Pacuare

Fees include accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner, transportation it's not includes, if you request private transportation from the airport we are pleased to arrage for you for an extra cost 

Accommodation

Our camp is a house with 5 dorms for 6 persons each room other house with 2 dorms for 8 persons each room, men's and women's sleep separate 

You will wake up every morning with the ocean in front of your door and thousands of different bird songs, monkeys and many other animals, the camp it's surrounded by wildlife.

Dorm Room
Food & Beverages

We offer vegetarian and vegan food.

  • Breakfast: pancakes, omelet, Gallo pinto, empanadas, tortillas con huevo, and many different tropical fruits.
  • Lunch and dinner: different kinds of picadillos with rice and beans, tortilla de papa, spaghetti with coconut milk sauce, focaccia, pizza, bread, patacones with beans paste, and many variable and Caribbean food.

Internet Access
Good access at the project site
What's NOT included?
Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees. An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.
Flight Tickets
The nearest airport is Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose. We assist you to find cheap flights to Costa Rica.
Travel Insurance
Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Costa Rica provides security and is a plus to have.
Vaccines
If you are intending to volunteer in Costa Rica you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Costa Rica.

Date e Prezzi

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Details on arrival

Your arrival could be any days except for Sunday.

How arrive to Pacuare:

  1. On San Jose take bus in gran terminal del caribe (parada de buses de los Caribeños)
  2. Here take bus at 2 pm to Batan
  3. Get off the bus in Batan at this point: Soda y Heladería las Brisas
  4. Batán Centro: Here is the place where the bus stops on Batan. Wait for the taxi here. Adrián, the taxi driver, will pick up you to the dock place.
  5. There don Luis Gutiérrez will bring you to the camp
  • Cost of the taxi $18 one way
  • Cost of the boat $40 per person round trip
  • If you request private transportation just let us know and we will arrange for you with pleasure, cost for the service $100 one way 

Availability
gen feb mar apr maggio giu lug ago set ott nov dic
Duration
1 - 35 weeks

Program fees

Costs: Prices in USD
1 week (min. stay)
$275
2 weeks
$550
3 weeks
$825
4 weeks
$1.100
5 weeks
$1.250
9 weeks
$2.150
17 weeks
$4.000
30 weeks
$7.000
35 weeks (max. stay)
$7.800
Average fees
$249 /week

Si prega di notare che le tariffe sopra indicate sono stimate. Tortugas de Pacuare vi informerà sul prezzo finale durante il processo di candidatura.
Deposit (15%)
The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.
Final Payment (85%)
Your final payment will be agreed with Tortugas de Pacuare during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Perché prenotare con Volunteer World

Extra security layer by Volunteer World
Volunteer World è la piattaforma di confronto leader mondiale per le opportunità di volontariato internazionale. Vi guidiamo attraverso un processo di candidatura facile e sicuro - inclusi tutti i pagamenti necessari. Pianificare il vostro prossimo viaggio significativo con Volunteer World vi dà accesso gratuito al nostro:
Garanzia di qualità
Elevati standard etici & impatto sociale trasparente
Opzione Flex
Cambia la tua prenotazione senza costi aggiuntivi
Garanzia di Rimborso
Vi rimborsiamo le spese se Tortugas de Pacuare annulla il vostro viaggio
Supporto & Mediazione
Ti copriamo le spalle, qualunque cosa accada
I nostri servizi sono gratuiti!
Tutti i costi del programma sono addebitati direttamente da Tortugas de Pacuare.

What are people saying about Volunteer World?

Leatherback Turtle Ambassador

Get in direct contact with turtles and help us conserve the biggest turtle in the sea! Here you will have the chance to meet and work with awesome animals!

$249/week

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