Costa Rica – The Sea Turtle Initiative

The Nicoya Peninsula on Costa Rica’s tropical Pacific coast is one of the most breathtaking parts of the country. Home to sea turtles, ocelots, monkeys and many other animals, the region boasts an eclectic mix of wildlife alongside some of the country’s most stunning natural landscapes.

Unfortunately, Costa Rica’s sea turtle population has declined by a devastating 90 percent over the past 35 years due to a host of factors, including climate change, increased boat traffic, predators on the beaches, and growth in the amounts of trash clogging up their habitats. To achieve our purpose, dig up hatched nests to determine hatching success rates, and depending on the time of year, either look for nesting females and collect eggs and move them to the hatchery, or release hatchlings into the ocean. Discover Corps traveler participation plays a part in a larger satellite tracking project for a variety of sea turtles across Costa Rica, which you can learn more about here.

(Volunteer Time = 12 hours, or 4 night patrols)

The population of Costa Rican sea turtles has declined by 90% since 1980. Sea turtles face myriad threats such as boat traffic, domestic animals, climate change, accidental catch by industrial fisheries, and increased trash in oceans and beaches (which they mistake for food). We’ll spend three days volunteering on a turtle conservation campaign. Given the declining population of turtles, every bit of help is welcome and each turtle is precious.

Over the course of the time we spend on the coast, we’ll dig up hatched nests to determine the hatch success rate, do a beach cleanup, and release baby turtles back into the ocean.  We’ll also participate in night patrols to gather eggs and collect scientific data, so be prepared for long nights and lots of walking!

Besides three days of volunteering, during your Costa Rica volunteer vacation you’ll experience the full spectrum of natural wonders of the region.  Ride a boat through unspoiled rivers and mangroves where you might catch a glimpse of crocodiles and other small mammals rummaging around. Visit an animal sanctuary that takes in injured monkeys, pumas, ocelots, and other animals. Explore the beaches that hug both coasts and be on the lookout for the wildlife Costa Rica is famous for.

After our volunteer project with the sea turtles, stay in a eco-resort  where you’ll experience Costa Rica’s tropical terrain riding a zip-line and also on a river tube.

Spend the first evening at a lodge outside the northern city of Liberia before heading down to the tropical coastline for the next four nights. Your coastal home-away-from-home is an oceanfront yoga & wellness resort. The elegantly designed luxury bungalows all have ocean views and were meticulously designed to fit into the natural environment. Continue into the mountains for the final two nights where you’ll stay in a mountainside retreat that puts you at the doorstep of Rincon de la Vieja National Park where you’ll raft, zipline & explore the rainforest canopy.