Costa Rica: Turtle and Wildlife Conservation

Dive into a Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ (‘pure life’, a national slogan!) by joining a team of Leap volunteers on projects that will take you to the heart of this amazingly diverse country.

Your time will be split between the Pacific Coast with it’s palm fringed beaches, world renowned surf and rich Latino culture and the Caribbean Coast, a region of lush tropical rainforest, turtle nesting sites and African influenced heritage.

Highlights

• Experience both the Caribbean & Pacific coast
• Live in a local community teaching kids English and sport
• Care for rescued monkeys & turtles

Overview of a 10 week placement:

Pacific Coast
For 4 weeks you’ll live with families of El Silencio, a village carved out of pristine Rainforest with views all the way down to the Ocean. With your help, the community aims to become totally self sufficient and provide a good standard of living for all of it’s members.  Help look after it's many adopted monkeys and wildlife in the animal rescue centre. Your donation and volunteering will help towards improving schools, education, water supplies and farming initiatives to ensure the development of this unique community.

The second Pacific Coast phase is at Matapalo, a 10km stretch of sandy beach famous for it’s incredible sunsets and proximity to Rainforest. For 3 weeks you’ll live in a comfortable team house just off the beach working alongside local conservation professionals to protect female sea turtles, their nests and hatchlings laid at Matapalo. You can also can help with a conservation club for local children, teach English at the nearby primary school and also collaborate with Matapalo high school English Club.

Caribbean Coast
The last 3 weeks of the placement you will be based at Quelonios del Caribe conservation station, close to Tortuguero on the mouth of the famous Pacuare River (which boasts the best white water rafting in Central America!). This area is one of the most bio-diverse locations on earth, home to over 400 species of tree and 2000 species of plant, where you can encounter jaguars, tapirs, river otters, ocelots, manatees, sloths and monkeys.

Turtles abound in this region, and among those found nesting here are the Leatherback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Green turtles, which are threatened with extinction.

Here you will help protect these turtles and help improve the quality of life for the local communities who live alongside them. You'll work alongside conservation experts monitoring the beach for nests, collecting and measuring eggs as well as nurturing baby turtles before they are released back into the wild.

You'll also help at the community butterfly gardens, aiding in the research of butterfly development and species preservation, assist in self-sustainable organic vegetable gardens, as well as the construction of community trails.

Accommodation and Meals

Whilst on the Caribbean phase you will live alongside your team mates in Quelonios del Caribe Station, a large building with good-sized bedrooms and bunk beds. It has a power generator that is switched on for two hours per day, thus, cameras, phones and even laptops (!) can be recharged in your rooms.
In El Silencio you will stay with a family in the community, (one volunteer per house).

The rooms and houses are basic but comfortable with a simple bed & wardrobe. You will have to share a bathroom with other family members and although hot water is available in some houses, it cannot be guaranteed. Most houses have electricity.

In Matapalo the whole team will stay in a big house, located 200m from the beach in an area of mangroves, just in front of a large lagoon. There will be shared bedrooms with plenty of bunk beds, running water and electricity. There is a common room, kitchen and eating area and all meals will be provided Monday - Friday.
The cuisine is typical Costa Rican food.You will be well fed throughout your placement. A typical breakfast might be rice & beans, or scrambled eggs, cheese, tortillas with a hot drink. Lunch and dinners would typically comprise of rice, beans, vegetables with beef, chicken or fish. Spaghetti, chicken with vegetables, guacamole, different types of salads, tortillas, sweet plaintains and local food made of tubers. Drinks typically include tropical fruit juices, water and hot drinks such as coffee, tea or chocolate.