Family Education Trip - Turtle and Marine Conservation
Greece

Your family will have exciting conservation activities every day, including turtle nesting beach surveys (early morning starts), harbour surveys of the turtle population, a night turtle nest monitoring shift, snorkelling surveys of sea grass meadows and a coastal clean-up. These activities will be accompanied a series of engaging and interactive presentations throughout the week. Families provide essential resource to support the ongoing conservation work.

The family programme runs from Thursday morning to the following Tuesday evening (6 days). You will meet the team in Argostoli town each day and transport is provided for activities that are not within walking distance.

Here is a typical rota, with the team split into two sub-groups where indicated (each family unit will stay together).

Turtle nesting season normally runs from the end of May to around mid-August; and hatching season from around mid-August to October, although the seasons vary year on year. The family trip dates are in the transition between nesting and hatching seasons.

During your free time, you can explore the many attractions of Kefalonia. We recommend having a few extra days before or after the project to fully enjoy the island!

What will we be doing?

Harbour survey of adult turtles

Over 300 adult and sub-adult sea turtles swim in the bay of Argostoli throughout the summer. Every morning, many turtles visit the town harbour, where fishing boats return with the morning's catch.

During harbour surveys, you will observe these turtles and record information about their foraging and social behaviours.

Turtle nesting beach surveys and nest checks

Every year loggerhead sea turtles migrate to Kefalonia to feed and reproduce, with female turtles laying their eggs on the sandy beaches of the island. Unfortunately, the turtle population is now under great pressure from both human and natural threats.

Your family will help survey the beaches of Kefalonia to monitor hatching sea turtle nests. Starting early in the morning, teams walk along the beach to check turtle nests.

Nighttime nest monitoring and protection

You will spend one night helping to protect the turtle nests against light pollution. Light pollution from beach bars, hotels etc. confuses and disorients the turtles, which are normally guided by the light of the moon and stars. If hatching occurs (due to nature being unpredictable this can't be guaranteed), you will help the hatchlings and release them at a darker part of the beach so they can crawl to the sea on their own. The later in August, the more likely there are to be hatchlings.

You will be accompanied by 1-2 members of staff and families may be placed on different beaches if there are multiple beaches to cover. Younger children can complete part of the shift if it's too late for them.

Snorkel surveys of seagrass meadows

Seagrass meadows are a larger carbon sink than the rainforest and play a critical role in combating climate change. They form an important ecosystem, providing habitats for many species including turtles, monk seals and several types of fish.

Leaders will guide you snorkelling on the surface of the sea in marine zones near Argostoli. You will wear a life jacket (you don’t need to dive down) and you will be accompanied by two safety supervisors, on the land and sea (on a paddleboard). Seagrass research involves recording location, depths and other sea properties as well as getting to explore the local marine life! Snorkel shifts will only take place in suitable sea and weather conditions.

Coastal clean-ups

The island of Kefalonia is susceptible to plastic pollution and waste which affects turtles, sea birds and many other marine and terrestrial species. The team carry out regular beach and coastal clean-ups which you will help with.

Presentations

You will receive family orientated presentations to help you all learn about turtles and marine life, the work you will doing and wider conservation issues like climate change.

Requirements

You and your children should be able to do beach walks of up to 2km and should be confident swimmers who have snorkelled before. One adult is required for up to 2 children and children must be aged 7 or over.

Other participants

There are up to 14-20 participants on the family trip.

Local support

You will be working alongside the local team, including field leaders and assistants. You will have a leader that guides you on each shift.

Accommodation is not included and you have the freedom to choose accommodation that suits your family - there are many fantastic choices, from hotels to apartments and villas, covering a wide range of budgets from the simple to the luxurious!

The meeting point for all activities is in Argostoli and on some days the sessions are spread out with gaps in between, so the most convenient place to stay is in Argostoli town. You can come back to your accommodation to rest and relax between sessions.

Alternatively, if you rent a car, then you may also want to look at accommodation in Lassi, which is a 5-10 minute drive away from Argostoli. There are more accommodation options with swimming pools in Lassi.

Booking.com is a good place to find hotels and apartments in Argostoli and Lassi. Some families also book accommodation & flights as a package through a travel agency such as Tui or Jet2holidays.

There are many beautiful beaches along the coast from Lassi to Argostoli which you can visit to swim, sunbathe, and relax. Argostoli town itself has a bustling town square, supermarkets, tourist shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.

Meals

Meals are not included. There are lots of cafes and restaurants nearby, giving you a great choice of Greek and international food, including vegetarian and vegan options. Depending on your accommodation choice and if you want to self-cater there are good supermarkets in Argostoli town and smaller mini-markets near the beaches.

The water on Kefalonia is safe to drink or you can buy bottled water.

You will need to fly into Kefalonia (EFL).

Location and free time

Kefalonia is an island in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece.

Argostoli is the daily meeting point and is the main town and harbour on the island. It's a perfect base to explore from, heading along the coast by road and you can also take a ferry over to Lixouri (which takes about 30 minutes) and explore that side of the island.

Volunteers have 2 days off per week to relax and explore the island. Popular activities for families in Kefalonia include:

• Beach heaven – beautiful beaches all around the island for swimming, sunbathing and relaxing during your free time. Many beaches have pedalos, always popular with the kids!
• Caves, lakes and mountains – there are ancient caves to visit with stalactites, azure blue waters and underground chambers. Mount Ainos is the highest point on the island and a national park with lots of biodiversity and stunning views
• Sea kayaking, snorkelling and scuba diving. Enjoy crystal clear and warm, see the abundant local marine life or go deeper and dive the sunken wrecks of submarines and landing craft from WWII
• Island hopping – the islands of Ithaca, Lefkas and Zante are a ferry ride away or can be visited via day trips on tourist boats

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

Climate 

Kefalonia has a Mediterranean climate with dry, hot summers with long sunny days. In August, temperatures are usually around 30°C+.

Emily 

“A phone call with Alex was all we needed to cement our decision to book the family turtle conservation week in Greece. We were provided with lots of information before our departure, which proved useful for our time there. The week was incredible, words just aren't able to convey how special a time we had.”

Tiffany

"We’re home after an amazing holiday and a great time with the wonderful team in Argostoli. We loved every moment, learnt so much and have had some amazing experiences. We’ll certainly recommend Pod Volunteer to others (in fact, I already have!), plan to do talks to our local cub and scout groups on turtle conservation, and look into other projects for future trips. Go for it! You'll have an amazing time, learn so much, feel you are making a difference, meet great people, love Kefalonia, help make a difference to the conservation of turtles and make memories for life!"

Emily

"We were staggered by the intense hard work the volunteers placed there were doing, what an incredible team. Thank you for being part of that and promoting this opportunity so we could work alongside them. It was a powerful experience, my daughter wants to return next year!"

Ella

"Wow! What an amazing holiday that was! Thank you so much for helping us with the booking, organisation and communication for it.The experiences that we took part in completely brought to life the turtle life-cycle, and the effects that humans are having on them, from staying out on the beach overnight to watch hatchlings make their first journey down to sea – magical! – to helping in a mission to free an adult turtle caught in a fishing line – awe-inspiring! We went as a family of 2 adults and 2 teenage boys, and all of us loved it. I would absolutely recommend this holiday to anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of sea turtles but also get hands-on with conservation work."

Carol

"We have really enjoyed everything, it is very special to be helping out the team here. They have all been welcome and informative. Thank you"

Roz

"Hi! It has been hard work for the children but very rewarding! We were so lucky to see adults, hatchlings and a newly laid nest. Children are exhausted but I don't want to leave!!!!! The team have been fantastic and it is an excellent family holiday!"