Sea Turtle Volunteering in Costa Rica

Sea turtle conservation projects in Costa Rica are looking for volunteers to help with their efforts to preserve breeding habitat and provide support for these amazing animals. Volunteers help with beach patrols to discourage poaching and they assist with various tasks around the hatchery. These placements are a fantastic way to spend time up close with these creatures while lending a hand to organizations working hard to protect their habitat and their future.

Placements in Costa Rica working with sea turtles take place in very remote areas. As such, after orientation in San Jose, volunteers will transfer from the city to the park in which they will be working. In most cases, the approach is over land. However, some placements are only accessible by boat. Details of the location are included in each of the placement descriptions found below.

The point of emphasizing this is to ensure that volunteers understand that working on a sea turtle volunteer project in Costa Rica is a rugged experience. Volunteers live in volunteer lodges within the parks. These are dormitory-style accommodation sometimes gender separated and sometimes not. (Again, you can find out details on each placement in the descriptions below or by sending us an email). The conditions are often very basic and some volunteers will certainly not be comfortable. Others absolutely love the experience of living a rugged life on the beach in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The work itself can be somewhat physically and emotionally challenging. Night patrols, working on the beach and dealing with the bugs can be hard for some volunteers to take. However, the hands-on experience volunteers gain and the feeling of being part of an organization working on the front-lines of sea turtle conservation are difficult to match.

If you are still reading and think that a sea turtle placement might be right for you, have a look through the placement descriptions listed below. If you have any questions feel free to give us a call or send us an email and we will put you in touch with our team in Costa Rica so that you can ask any placement-specific questions that you may have.