Tortugas de Pacuare
Get in contact to the authentic wildlife and save turtles with us
Join our family of wildlife conservation lovers and come save turtles with us 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.
Our work
Get in contact with us
Volunteer by protecting endangered sea turtles! Patrol beaches on evening and night-walks to locate female turtles and their at-risk nests to 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 to conserve the biggest turtle in the sea, here you will have the chance to meet and work saving this awesome animals this volunteer program is especially suitable for
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 and communal and environmental education programs, we will be able to educate people on the importance of caring about and protecting such a valuable part of the maritime ecosystem.
Turtle seasons: Leatherback season from the last week of February to the end of June. Green turtle from July to September Hawksbill from April to August, one important thing when we work in animal protection is: wildlife isn't predictable so we cannot say exactly how your experience will be, we are only sure one thing, mom nature it's awesome and always surprise us, is 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.
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, taking 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 becaus 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 extremley 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 dayYour schedule as a volunteer can vary each day, but mostly it will look like this one:
Meals8:30 am: breakfast 12:30 am: lunch Communal work9:30 am: communal work2:30 pm: communal work The total communal work during the day is approx. 2 hours
Turtle hatcheryThe 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 pm12:00 pm to 4:00 pm4:00 pm to 8:00 pm8:00 pm to 10:00 pm10:00 pm to 4:00 am4:00 am to 8:00 amBeach 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 am12:00 am to 4:00 amFree-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.
Contacto
300 Metros Este De La Estación De Guarda Costas Pacuare, Matina, 70501, Costa Rica
+506 8522 8449
Sobre mí
Explorador(a) apasionado(a)
Tortugas de Pacuare is a non-profit organization created to protect the most endangered turtles in the world, supported 100% by volunteers.
Why coming as a volunteer to save sea turtles in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has many of the most important beaches in the world for turtle nesting. The government protects some areas, especially national parks, but many important beaches for turtles are unprotected. For this reason we started our project Tortugas de Pacuare and with the help of volunteers around the world. We have been working and saving turtles for more than 12 years now! Without the help of the volunteers, protecting these wonderful animals wouldn't be possible.
The protection of the turtles and the biodiversity of this area is our goal. In order to achieve it, we need the help of international volunteers. You, as a volunteer, should have the willingness to help with tasks that require a close attention. To support our diligent helpers, we create an atmosphere at the Tortugas de Pacuare project that makes them feel like at home. You should have a desire of leaving a mark in a humble village as well as the desire to succeed in the fight for a good cause. Our project Tortugas de Pacuare is located 40 km South of Tortuguero in a small town called Barra de Pacuare, an island in the middle of the Caribbean. This makes us one of the most strategic destinations for leatherback turtles, green turtles, and hawksbill turtles, which are some of the most threatened species and are in serious danger of extinction. On the island are living a few people, there are several bars; the closest one is called "Las Machas". There, the volunteers can also buy what they need like shampoo, gel shower etc. or biscuits, cookies, cigarettes, beers etc.
Our vision is to save these turtles by hard work and making a change, not only for the animals, but also for the people, starting with the education of the children of our community.We want to make your stay with us as enjoyable as possible, excited to share with you. Your help is necessary to maintain the preservation of sea turtles. Without our patrols, the beach will be vulnerable. We want you to enjoy your experience with us as much as possible.