Volunteer with Turtles in Costa Rica | Oyster Worldwide

I had the greatest time in costa rica volunteering with turtles. They provided everything i needed and looked after me thoroughly while i was with them. Incredible experience and would definitely recommend.

Our son, Billy is having an incredible time in Costa Rica, working with a team involved in turtle conservation. Oyster were extremely helpful in managing the expectation and anxieties of both Billy and ourselves. His safety, welfare and overall care was never in doubt, despite his last minute, lackadaisical teenage admin. Oyster kept us informed throughout the process. Our other son will be going to Namibia with Oyster next year.

Thank you so much for reaching out! The days here are flying by & I can’t believe it will already be time to say goodbye on Saturday. So many beautiful memories & new experiences, I don’t even know where to start! The project is amazing for volunteers like me. A lot of different volunteer activities with the turtles but enough personal space as well. The team is amazing and my local ‘coach’ Josué has been absolutely incredible in showing & explaining me everything! Anna from the main office has been super helpful in rescheduling my transportation & accommodation when my flight was delayed & has also had great input for local excursions. The last two days it has been raining non stop (Hurricane Melissa) so unfortunately I could not join the Corazolito team in visiting a local school since the streets were muddy rivers and there was no way of getting there. But ,Pura Vida’ as the locals say!

Thank you, it was one of the best experiences in our lives! We felt so close to the nature and met many wonderful and enthusiastic people. Everything went smoothly due to your organisation, thank you for this. I'm now thinking to come back there in a couple of years with my friend, her son (he will be doing gold DofE) and my younger daughter.

I will never forget this special experience. I will never forget this special experience, especially the first time I collected the eggs from a mother turtle. The area is absolutely gorgeous, I could live there forever. The volunteers and locals were so generous, and communicated clearly months leading up to the trip. I felt very welcomed and proud of the difference I made for the turtles. From building a hatchery to surfing, painting and improving Spanish, there was so much I learned! Thanks to Kate, Anna, Josue, Melissa, Camilla and everyone else :)

I've been in CR 5 days and am well settled in. 1st Patrol last night in a largish group,. 4.30am tomorrow, just me & local staff. We released 98 hatchlings when I got here on Tuesday afternoon! A sublime, mesmerising experience watching a turtle digging a nest then catching the eggs as she laid them, in my hand(!) b4 transferring them to a safer spot. Couldn't put them in the hatchery as it has to be dismantled by 15th Dec when project closes for the season. Releasing hatchlings at dusk on the first and last evenings was also magical.

The turtle experience was beyond Miles's wildest dreams. He was involved in releasing more than 400 hatchlings (I think?) and was able to catch the eggs coming from two different nesting turtles in his (gloved) hand. They were relocated to above the high tide line and away from the raccoons. I am so grateful we had this experience-- this combination of hard work and spectacular reward (in the form of turtles) is hard to find! Our lodging was great and the cook did her very best to accommodate Miles-- not an easy task!

Volunteering with turtles in Costa Rica The transfer packages and were super efficient and smooth. Communication before and after the trip was always reliable. The actual experience itself was also brilliant. Can’t fault it!

My time in Costa Rica with my granddaughter Nieve, was wonderful. It was spectacular learning opportunity and a really special way for the two of us to build a bond: working shoulder to shoulder with a very dedicated team of researchers working with amazing animals in a beautiful place. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a meaningful way to get away from it all, and spend some time in the tropics. The team were warm, outgoing and very generous. I could go on and on. You have connected with an excellent team on the ground. They were all very responsive and good problem-solvers. My granddaughter is diabetic, so that posed some challenges for us (mostly anxiety on my part) but nonetheless, we were very grateful to have accommodation in the main station house at the site where there was reliable WIFI and also a swimming pool. WIFI allowed her to check in with her mom by WhatsApp most evenings. And it also meant that her mom was able to keep an eye on her sugar levels from afar. It meant that HAD there been a problem, we would have had instant decision-making backup. The pool was great for morale and our comfort. The group of volunteers and researchers was seamless, cooperative and very friendly. We enjoyed the local people we met.

It truly was a brilliant experience I will never forget and I have been telling people about it during my travels. Thanks again for all the help and a very well organised trip. When I do another project you will be the first people I will contact :)

Getting involved with actual conservation work (night patrols, hatchery work, hatchling releases etc) was a great learning experience and so much fun. San Miguel beach was absolutely stunning. So tranquil and we definitely enjoyed the simple life of doing long walks by the beach every day and every night. The moonlight and the stars were so beautiful. The local food was so delicious and nutritious. Loved every aspect of this trip. It really is a trip of a lifetime. My tips would be to bring quick drying clothes, water shoes and mosquito repellant are a must. It is very hot and humid and you will be hand washing your laundry almost every day! The sun is great for drying clothes but be mindful of the downpours! I definitely felt that my holiday supported conservation. The project employed local staff to cook for us and they arranged for the transfers too. I hope our participation helped with their conservation efforts. I would highly recommend this project for people of all ages. Project staff were wonderful and very well organised.

The first week has gone well and only got a few more days to go. It’s been amazing working with the conservation team and the turtles! Unforgettable experience! As far as feedback goes… never expected the project to be so intense and be so sleep deprived as much as I love this project! I am here with another solo traveller and we are getting along nicely. The Conservation Researchers are very nice and have integrated us into the station house with chores etc! All fun!

I’ve been having such an incredible time! I’m thoroughly enjoying everything and really enjoy getting to know the people in the house, learn more Spanish and about the wildlife and turtles ? I’m really loving the whole experience and being able to volunteer/help with a lovely bunch of people! :)

It was a great experience – really well organised. Kate answered every query so promptly before the trip. Friendly people at the Casa and the night patrols were fun and interesting – I learnt a lot. Brilliant trip all round!

The information provided before the trip was informative and accurate, so I knew what to expect and it all happened as described. The transfers and pickups at all stages of the journey went smoothly - everyone involved turned up when they said they would and took me to the next stage of my journey. So, I felt safe and well taken care of. The magic of seeing baby turtles hatch and come out of the ground from their nest never left me - it was simply a delight. The privilege of seeing adult turtles come out of the sea and lay eggs also stayed with me for the whole month I was there and still gives me a warm feel now I am back. It was lovely walking along a sandy beach in the lovely Costa Rican climate. The people were great and the food cooked by two local women was good and they catered for all needs. If you wanted to go on trips or change you travel arrangements that would be organised for you. The gentle pace of things on the station was restorative and therapeutic. There was lots of down time when there was nothing specific to do so I was glad I had taken various activities with me to do. I did a lot of drawing and painting, reading, practicing my ukulele and trying to learn to juggle. The lack of internet access and phone contact I found a delight - it enabled me the escape from the world for a month. Once a week we went to the CREMA office where we could get internet access, however I was more interested in the lovely ice cream that could be bought from the nearby bakery - I usually had two during our 1+ hour visit along with buying a few snacks from one of the two tiny supermarkets there. I would definitely go back again if I can fit it in round all the other places I want to go to ….I will use Oyster again as the quality of there organisation was great and kept me feeling safe and well looked after

The Costa Rica trip was one of the most relaxing and rewarding experiences I have ever had. I grew as a person, learned a lot, and connected with people from around the world which was extremely touching. I handled hundreds of baby sea turtles, had eggs laid right into my hand by a mother sea turtle, played soccer with locals, and best of all, had plenty of time to lay on the beach and feel the warmth of the sun and the cool sea breeze. Costa Rica is an absolutely beautiful country with genuine and hardworking people. You will not regret spending your time there and you will not regret using Oyster to do so. They prepare you for every step of your journey; making you feel safe and taken care of.

From start to finish nothing was too much of a problem, there was no such thing as a silly question. I haven't travelled in years and it was the first time I had done it by myself. Oyster's UK office were superb at answering any question, inquiry or problem I had. They were exceedingly helpful and very easy to get in contact with. When I was out there I was looked after incredibly well and had the time of my life! Just wish it had lasted longer!

Flying half-way around the world by yourself can at first seem daunting. Yet after reaching San Jose, the chilled tico way of life already began to make me realise that it shouldn't be. The hostel was fine for staying in and clean, but I was distracted by looking forward to reaching the beach and fears about the people I would meet, whom I knew nothing about and had to spend a week with. However, once I got on the minibus I realised that we were all in the same boat, even those of us who had flown out as pairs or were already friends/family. It's surprising how quickly you can bond so closely, so suffice it to say that by the time we had reached our destination (following a deviation by ferry as the bus had broken down before reaching us) we were all more than comfortable with the idea of spending a week in the beautiful, tropical paradise of San Miguel together. The days were relaxed although there were activities like volleyball or helping local children, and often the coordinators came up with their own activities for the day like fitness. The food was incredible and Locos Cocos was definitely worth a visit, but the most worthwhile part of the trip was undoubtedly the night shifts. The interminable excitement at possible finding a turtle meant that you didn't care how long you were out in the night or when, really. The two hours flew by, especially when you did find the tracks to a turtle or their nest. I remember it felt like a massive privilege to be able to see such an intimate moment as when a turtle laid her eggs, the embodiment of a dinosaur, almost unchanged for millennia. Whilst it first seemed like the eggs might break you soon learned how strong they were and I felt nothing more satisfying than seeing the work we had done in the hatchery as it rapidly filled. Now that I'm back in the UK I've been lucky enough to receive some photos from my friends who stayed out their longer of the baby turtles making their journey to the ocean. TO know that we made a difference, no matter how small, makes me immensely prideful. Yet, I feel no regrets about not seeing the babies. To be able to see an animal older than I am, to be able to collect her eggs and to witness something that almost nobody else can all while relaxing in such a beautiful location was fulfilling enough. Whilst everything may have been permanently damp with the ocean breeze and the wildlife more than exotic, I could not say that I was put off for a minute from the idea of travelling. So, I thank the incredible work of Oyster Worldwide and the Turtle Trax team for making my stay so enjoyable, as I look further afield to my next journey now with the self-confidence of a true person of the world.

Despite only spending 1 week in Costa Rica volunteering with turtles, it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable weeks of my 3 month travels in Central America. The ability to not only see turtles make the journey up the beach and lay their nests but be able to do hands on work to relay the eggs to provide them a better chance at surviving was incredible. Although it was extremely hard work building the hatchery, it was extremely rewarding knowing that we were helping to give the best chance to the turtles nests lain this year that we discovered and we really bonded with locals with their help to meet our time target for construction. I can't wait to join another project!!

Didn’t really do a lot of research before signing up for this programme but oyster made it a very seemless journey. Definitely an experience I won’t forget. Interacting and helping the locals was the best thing and seeing how our help out there actually made a difference. Can’t wait to go back