Turtle and Wildlife Conservation - Family Volunteering
Costa Rica

Your family will be volunteering at a non-profit biological research and education centre formed by community members and Costa Rican scientists. Depending on what time of year you join, you'll get involved in sea turtle conservation and / or wildlife conservation - birds, monkeys, bats, mammals, crocodilians, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians!

During turtle season, volunteers undertake a mix of turtle and wildlife conservation activities.

Sea Turtle Conservation (July - January)

On the South Pacific (west coast) beaches of Costa Rica there are three species of sea turtles which can be seen nesting at different times of the year: Olive Ridley, Green and Leatherback. They are all in danger of extinction.

You will learn about the biology of these incredible sea turtles and the threats they are facing. The beaches nearby have Olive Ridley and Green turtle nests. July is the start of the nesting season, through to December. Baby turtles normally hatch from around mid-August until late January. 

Volunteer activities for your family include:

• Nest surveys - walking along the beaches to find new turtle nests (from June to mid-December)
• Assisting with tagging new adult turtles who are nesting
• Relocating eggs to the hatchery 
• Monitoring the hatchery (from August to January)
• Releasing hatchlings to the sea
• Data collection on turtles and nests
• Beach cleans and maintenance

Due to the threats of poaching, predators and erosion, all nests are moved to the reserve’s protected hatchery. Important data about the turtle nests is gathered, including the incubation period and nest temperature.

Nest surveys in June and early July take place in the early morning. From mid-July to mid-December, nest surveys are carried out at night and volunteers join one 3-4 hour shift between 7pm and 4am. You may walk up to 10km, with rest stops on the beach. 

Children must be 9 or older to participate in the night surveys. To ensure that children aged 9-12 yrs old are ok to join a night survey they do a morning survey first, which is assessed by the local team.

Hatchery shifts take place from August to January between 5am and 9pm. Volunteers walk to the nearby hatchery to check if any new hatchlings have emerged from the nest. You will collect data and help release the baby turtles them back into the sea!

Your family will work with experienced staff members, who will show you the scientific methods for working with sea turtles and data collection.

Wildlife Conservation (all year round)

The centre is involved in an exciting mix of different wildlife conservation projects. Some of these are carried out daily whereas others take place 1-2 times a week. 

Monkeys – surveys are carried out in the reserve forest, looking for the resident troops of Capuchin monkey and Howler monkeys. 

Butterfly garden – the onsite butterfly garden is used to teach schools and local groups about ecology. You will help collect eggs, prepare butterfly food and help maintain the garden.

Birds – bird watching survey walks in the early morning and late afternoon to identify and record birds in the forest, river and beaches, including the resident population of Scarlet Macaw parrots.

Bats – the team monitor the use of habitat and activity of bats within the forest, surveying bat houses and the bat population.

Mammals – the reserve has over 15 species of mammals, including pumas, ocelots, coatis, jaguarundis, raccoons and tayras. Many of these are very elusive so the team research the mammals by looking for evidence of their activity (e.g. foot prints) and using camera traps which are checked weekly. 

Snakes, amphibians, crocodiles – survey night walks along the reserve's jungle trails and waterways are carried out, looking for reptiles, snakes, amphibians, caimans and crocodiles. These take 2-4 hours starting in the early evening. 

Outreach and education - the team engage the local community through outreach activities such as beach clean ups and summer camps. Volunteers can help create educational resources. 

Typical day

In your first few days you will receive an induction to the centre, training about the research activities, how to use the equipment, and the work you will be doing. 

From February to June, you will take part in wildlife conservation activities, including some early mornings and evening work. From July to January, you will be involved in turtle work, including night shifts from mid-July to mid-December, as well as wildlife conservation activities. 

Family volunteers normally work 6 days per week (with either Saturday or Sunday off). The volunteering daily schedule is designed to give rest time after late night shifts or early morning shifts. 

In your free time you can explore the local area and beaches or get involved in one of the many family-friendly tours and activities nearby such as zip lining, whale-watching, surfing and snorkelling.

Other volunteers

There are usually 6-12 volunteers (with a maximum of 18-20), numbers vary throughout the year. Most volunteers will be over 17 years old and participating in the adult volunteer programme.

Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) award

This placement has been approved by the DofE as meeting the requirements for the Residential section of the Gold Award.

Local support

You will be working alongside the local team which is made up of local and international staff and scientists. You will be overseen by the project director and supported by a volunteer co-ordinator.

“Your support is vital to implementing, maintaining and growing our programmes of research and education to help conserve Costa Rica’s natural resources.” Oscar, Director

Accommodation is within the research centre, and you will have your own room(s). Most are single rooms and there is also one double room (for 2 persons), one bunk bed room (for 2 persons) and one family room (for up to 4 persons - pictured below). Each room has a fan, simple storage and mosquito screens on the windows. Bathrooms are shared and have hot water showers.

There is a communal area for eating and socialising in and lots of hammocks to relax in! WIFI is available.

Meals

From Monday to Friday lunch is provided for volunteers by the centre’s cook. Volunteers make their own breakfasts and dinners from Monday to Friday and all meals at weekends, using groceries supplied by the project. 

Food / groceries may include rice and beans, tortillas, pasta, vegetables, salads, sandwiches, soups, chicken, fish, beef, eggs, cheese and fresh tropical juices. There are cereals, fruit, toast, eggs and yoghurt available for breakfast. 

Vegetarian and vegan options can be provided.

The tap water in Costa Rica is safe to drink. 

You will need to fly into San Jose (SJO). You may need to stay overnight in San Jose depending on flight arrival time. We can arrange a private transfer to the project, which takes about 4 hours.

Location and free time

The reserve is located near Uvita in the Puntarenas Province on the Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It’s an unspoilt and beautiful region, famous for its incredible biodiversity.

The research centre is located by the coast and there are rivers and waterfalls to visit nearby as well as other beaches and national parks to explore. There is a village within walking distance with a few cafes / restaurants, a supermarket, shops, spa and sports centre to enjoy.

On your day off there are many tours and activities to choose from, such as surf lessons, horseback riding, zip lining tours, dance lessons, photography lessons, hiking, snorkelling and diving.

The centre is also ideally positioned to explore some of Costa Rica’s best national parks, with Marino Ballena National Park and Terraba-Sierpe wetland Mangrove tours close by.

Climate 

The Puntarenas province has a tropical climate. Temperatures are warm throughout the year and average between 20-30˚C but due to the humidity (80%+) it can feel much warmer. There can be tropical rain showers at any time of year but the main rainy season is from August to December and the heaviest rainfall is usually from September to November. 

Travelling in Costa Rica before or after your placement

Popular activities in Costa Rica that you might like to combine with your project are:

• Exploring and looking out for wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park 
• Visit the spectacular Arenal Volcano and relax in a hot spring
• See incredible biodiversity and birdlife in Monteverde Cloud Forest

For more information on Costa Rica and some of the things we loved when we visited there please see our Costa Rica country page. 

Isla - 2026

“An absolutely incredible experience! It was so interesting to gain an insight into sea turtle conservation and play an active role in their protection. It was amazing to witness animals in their natural habitat and it was so lovely at the accommodation-it really felt like a community. I would definitely go back!”

Jenny – 2025

“My 13 year old daughter and I had an incredible experience in Costa Rica over Christmas break. The planning process leading up to our trip was smooth and straightforward. The trip itself was even more incredible than we could have imagined! We learned so much and had a lot of new experiences. Highly recommend!”

Johanna – 2025

"We had an amazing time at the reserve. So many memories made and stories to tell. The team were very friendly and informative. "

Bethany - 2025

"Our family has learnt so much and the work that you do is incredible. We’ve all felt so sad since leaving, the kids are already asking to come back again. There were so many highlights but releasing baby turtles into the sea has to be at the top, closely followed by night-time snake hunts, monkey walks, work in the butterfly garden, spotting a coati and meeting a red-eyed tree frog! It’s a true community and we feel privileged to have been a part of it."

Samantha - 2025

"We did turtle and wildlife conservation in Costa Rica. Communication was great and had help every step of the way. The actual experience was amazing and a week I will never forget. U do a lot and learn a lot but u also get quite a bit of free time to go explore the surrounding area. Would absolutely recommend ."

Jenny 

"My 13 year old daughter and I had an incredible experience in Costa Rica over Christmas break. The planning process leading up to our trip was smooth and straightforward. The trip itself was even more incredible than we could have imagined! We learned so much and had a lot of new experiences. Highly recommend! "

Eddie - 2025

"I did Pod Volunteer’s Turtle and Wildlife Conservation project in Costa Rica, and it was absolutely amazing. Along with working with the wildlife, you learn so much about the local ecosystems. The team was very knowledgeable and so supportive. 

Outside of volunteering hours we were also able to visit beautiful beaches, slide down a waterfall, go snorkelling, explore the mountains on ATVs and visit a coffee farm. It was a truly unforgettable experience. I can’t recommend it enough! 

Pod volunteer made organising the trip extremely easy and were very helpful with any questions or concerns you have both before you go and while you’re there."

August - 2025

“I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica, working to ensure that turtle eggs were collected so that the hatchlings could be safely released into the ocean. We also did some data collection work in the jungle, spotting different species of monkeys and bats. All questions and queries that I had were swiftly answered by POD Volunteer, often within half an hour, even when I was in Costa Rica, which ensured that my time there was as comfortable as possible.”

Sophie - 2025

"Volunteering with the turtle conservation was honestly one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. The project gave me the chance to be surrounded by nature and contribute to protecting endangered sea turtles. One of the most enjoyable moments for me was releasing some of the baby turtles into the ocean for the first time. Watching these tiny baby’s make their way to the sea was both emotional and rewarding. Night patrols along the beach to protect nesting mothers and helped relocate their eggs to the safety of the hatchery, was one of the best experiences as it was so satisfactory The work was physical and sometimes tiring, but it felt incredibly meaningful. 

Aside from turtle work, I helped with wildlife monitoring, including birds, butterflies, and crocodilians. I also got to explore the nearby beaches, whale watching and waterfalls on my day off, which made the experience even more special. 

The team at Pod was super supportive from the start, both before and during the trip. The accommodation was simple but comfortable, and I really enjoyed the sense of community with other volunteers — we cooked, ate, and worked together, and I made some great friends. If you’re looking for something a little different and want to make a real impact while being surrounded by nature, I can’t recommend this experience enough. It challenged me, inspired me, and gave me memories I’ll have forever."

Holly - 2025

"Pod volunteer have been so amazing, helpful and thorough when answering all my questions and gave me all the details and guidance so that my trip would run smoothly. As for the trip itself- just WOW!!!!!!! Everyone was ever so friendly, kind and welcoming- special mention to Sara for always being so enthusiastic. One of my highlights of my stay has to be releasing the baby turtles onto the beach, it was honestly so beautiful to see! Also, I loved the night patrols along the beach looking for turtle nests as the beach was so magical at night. 

There were often atmospheric thunderstorms, bright stars and even bioluminescence whe we were lucky. I honestly couldn't recommend this enough, and 10 days certainly didn't feel like enough time. It was my first solo travel experience and I'll definitely be back again!!! Thank you so much to everyone who made this such a memorable time 😊"

Megan - 2025

"Such an amazing experience. The staff are so kind and helpful. They're always looking to share their knowledge with the volunteers as well."

Leo 

“The center was amazing, all I did was amazing this is definitely the best travel experience of my life. You really work with the team, it is not too much and you get the opportunity to meet amazing people from all over the world. I saw and did things that i only saw in documentaries.

You do many things apart from turtles like bats birds, macaw monkeys, crocodiles etc The most rewarding thing is freeing baby turtles and the most challenging are the night walks on the beach and sand flies!! Just don't wait and go you will never get bored and you will come back with memories for all your life.

Pod Volunteer really helped me to try this kind of project i will do it again for sure. I just found your website and it was clear easy and the Pod Volunteer team is really helpful”

Jean-loup

“Amazing team, incredible landscapes, very interesting activities. I truly recommend Pod Volunteer for a safe, rewarding and unforgettable life changing experience!”

Samantha

"I had an amazing experience at the reserve. I was nervous at first as I had never done anything like this before but everyone made me feel so welcome. We got stuck into the amazing activities right away, within an hour of being there we had met our first baby turtle. It was unreal. On top of the amazing activities with turtles, butterflies, crocodiles and birds we had the daily experiences with lizards and howler monkeys! The community feel at the reserve was what really made with experience, cooking and eating together discussing the days findings."

Michael

“I got the opportunity to be involved in bird observation walks, shark surveys, late night beach patrols looking for nesting turtles, releasing newly hatched baby turtles, snakes walks, maintaining a butterfly garden, crocodile / caiman searches, and more. I will never forget the humbling experience of watching a female turtle come up the beach and lay her eggs.”

Bethany

"Our family has learnt so much and the work that you do is incredible. We’ve all felt so sad since leaving, the kids are already asking to come back again. There were so many highlights but releasing baby turtles into the sea has to be at the top, closely followed by night-time snake hunts, monkey walks, work in the butterfly garden, spotting a coati and meeting a red-eyed tree frog! It’s a true community and we feel privileged to have been a part of it."

Anne

“My volunteering placement with the turtle project in Costa Rica was all I had hoped for and more. From the beginning, Pod gave me excellent support in answering the questions I had about the placement and how to prepare for it. They contacted me at the strategic points in the planning process to check that all was well and ask if I had any further questions and were always responsive and helpful when I did. A truly once-in-a-lifetime experience!”

Brandy

“I had an absolutely delightful experience at the Turtle Conservation project. A gorgeous beach, nice accommodations, good food, and great group of people. I've worked as a research assistant at a loggerhead turtle nesting site, so I've had a similar experience. But the joy of seeing these tiny Olive Ridley hatchlings make their way to the ocean, overcoming the surf and fighting for survival is something I could experience many times over with equal emotional impact.”