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- Greece: Island Turtle Conservation with Rustic Pathways

Greece: Island Turtle Conservation with Rustic Pathways
by: Rustic Pathways
Protect endangered sea turtles while basking in the sun on the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia. Get an in-depth look at conservation efforts, both on land and water. Snorkel in crystal clear waters and explore white sand beaches as you learn how to save turtles amid growing manmade and natural threats. Our Greek Island Turtle Conservation takes students to a part of Kefalonia Island, where endangered loggerhead turtles migrate every spring for food, mating, and nesting. You’ll work with survey teams that regularly walk along the beaches to protect nests while monitoring vulnerable seagrass meadows and dunes that are important for the turtles. It’s a unique opportunity for students interested in environmental science and nature. Combine the popular Northern Italy Adventure and Greece Island Turtle Conservation programs for one epic experience! Start your journey exploring the highlights of Northern Italy: the sights, the foods, the history, and more. Then jump to the Greek Island of Kefalonia and dive into the life of a marine conservationist as you help protect endangered sea turtles.
Protect endangered sea turtles while basking in the sun on the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia. Get an in-depth look at conservation efforts, both on land and water. Snorkel in crystal clear waters and explore white sand beaches as you learn how to save turtles amid growing manmade and natural threats. Our Greek Island Turtle Conservation takes students to a part of Kefalonia Island, where endangered loggerhead turtles migrate every spring for food, mating, and nesting. You’ll work with survey teams that regularly walk along the beaches to protect nests while monitoring vulnerable seagrass meadows and dunes that are important for the turtles. It’s a unique opportunity for students interested in environmental science and nature. Combine the popular Northern Italy Adventure and Greece Island Turtle Conservation programs for one epic experience! Start your journey exploring the highlights of Northern Italy: the sights, the foods, the history, and more. Then jump to the Greek Island of Kefalonia and dive into the life of a marine conservationist as you help protect endangered sea turtles.
Program Highlights
Go on beach walks to spot new turtle nests and then work to protect them from predators and people.
Track and observe sea turtles from land and sea.
Explore the turtle’s habitat while snorkeling.
Enjoy the Greek beaches, hike the mountains, and relax at the pool.
Try fresh Greek cuisine and specialties, such as salads or skewed meat souvlaki.
Media Gallery
Quick Details
- Greece
- 1-2 Weeks
- Summer
- Hiking
- Nature Tours
- Snorkeling
- Student Tours
- Summer Camp
- Tours
- Community Service & Volunteering
- Experiential Learning
- Outdoor Education
- Animal Welfare
- Conservation
- Environment
- Wildlife
- All Nationalities
Awards








Program Reviews
Hear what past participants have to say about the programs
Overall Rating
Total Reviews
Best trip
November 01, 2024by: Lauren Walker - United StatesI had an unforgettable time with sea turtles! Met the best people and the staff was great. It was so hands-on and so rewarding. Met my new friend Katie which was great. My only knock was that sometimes it could feel a little clicky between different groups.
Hey Lauren! Thanks so much for traveling with us. We're so happy that you made a lifelong friend! And thanks for the feedback. We'll report it back to our team to see how we can improve on our group dynamics. And we hope you travel with us again soon!
Amazing program
November 01, 2024by: Evelyn Robinson - United StatesThis was an amazing program start to finish. I learned so much about marine life in Greece while helping out. The views were amazing and I loved Darren and Gem, the leaders. Great experience all around.
Hey Evelyn! We're so glad you were able to explore Greece with us. We know Darren and Gem enjoyed their time with your group too. We hope you join us again on another trip soon!
loved the hands-on approach
October 31, 2024by: Kaylie Scott - Guam (USA)My brief two weeks in Italy and Greece has been the most humbling and overwhelming experience. Got so close to wildlife and learned tons but also realized the gaps in my own knowledge. I loved the hands-on approach which made it feel exciting.
Hi Kaylie! Thanks so much for traveling with us. We're happy to hear you learned so much and had an unforgettable experience! See you next year?
Life-Changing Experience!
October 31, 2024by: Natalie Wright - Hawaii (USA)It was such a rush helping turtles and exploring the area. I loved the hands-on work and checking out local spots and I met the best people too. Life-Changing Experience! Truly loved every second of it
Hey Natalie! We're so glad you were able to join us in Greece. Being a part of our turtle conservation efforts is truly a rush! Thank you for all your hard work, and we hope you join us again soon!
Great for wild life adventures
October 31, 2024by: Samuel Gonzales - Guam (USA)This was my dream come true working with sea turtles! I felt like I was part of something bigger. If you love wildlife and want an adventure, go for it! You won't regret it! ------------ - - - - - - - - - ------------------
Hi Samuel! Thanks so much for going on an epic adventure with us. We're happy that you got such great hands on experience with turtle conservation. You DEFINITELY were a part of something bigger! We hope you join us on another trip soon!
A paradise for animal lovers!
October 31, 2024by: Alice King - Hawaii (USA)Greece is paradise for animal lovers! Helping sea turtles in such a beautiful place was unreal. I learned so much from Kris and Vin as the leaders and it really changed me. Loved the experience overall
Hey Alice! We're so happy that you joined us in Greece, and the turtle conservation work you did was so impactful. Thanks for being a part of it, and we hope to see you next year!
Amazing time with the turtles
October 28, 2024by: Jack Wilson - United StatesI loved the hands-on working with sea turtles. It was really incredible. I made great friends at the camp and all of the camp counselours were great. Nik was awesome. Just do it - it'll change your life!
Hey Jack! We're thrilled to hear you had a great time in Greece. And thank you for the glowing review! The conservation work you did in Kefalonia had a real impact, and we're so proud of the group's efforts. We hope to see you next year on another one of our programs! PS. Nick says hi!
New Memories from Greece
August 13, 2024by: Nooria Khan - United StatesSuper fun trip, operations people and team was amazing and supportive, the best part was getting to make so many new friends. The food was the best part. I cant wait to come back and try everything I left this time.
Hi Nooria! We're so glad you had a great time in Greece. The photos our team saw of your group's adventures were amazing! We hope you join us next summer too!
In love with Sea Life
August 13, 2024by: Anum Hamid - United StatesI had an amazing time in Cefalonia with the turtle conservation program! Getting up close with the turtles and helping protect them was exciting. The island is awesome, and I enjoyed exploring it. Plus, I made good friends and wonderful memories!
Hi Anum! We're happy you were able to join us in Greece, and glad you enjoyed the turtle conservation efforts. We hope to see you next summer!
Great Learning Experience
August 13, 2024by: Tauseef Ahmad - United StatesThe Greek Island Turtle Conservation program was incredible! I learned so much about marine life and got hands-on experience. Snorkeling and spotting turtles in their natural habitat was thrilling. The food and views were fantastic too!
Hi Tauseef! Our team loved seeing photos of your adventures in Greece! We're so glad you enjoyed yourself, and happy you spotted some turtles too! We hope to see you next summer!
Great experience!
August 13, 2024by: Gabriella Ray - United StatesIf you travel with Rustic you will receive an unforgettable, immersive experience with the community you are working with and the culture you are learning about. It was overall an amazing experience. Quite happy with the management.
Hi Gabriella! We're so happy you had an amazing experience! Thank you for being part of the group in Greece. We hope to see you next summer!
Awesome and peaceful
August 13, 2024by: Mishaal Jalal - United StatesThis is a good program for nature lovers and animal lovers. I got to spend time on the sandy beaches, and work with endangered Sea Turtles. The PLs were super nice, and interacting with other kids was cool as well
Hi Mishaal! Thank you so much for joining us in Greece. We're glad to hear you enjoyed the beautiful beaches and getting to meet the other students. We hope to see you next summer too!
Had the time of my life!
August 02, 2024by: Hussain Aziz - JapanI loved loved loved my time in Greece! One of the best decisions was to go on this program. It was like having a sort of vacation while doing something meaningful. I had the opportunity to make some amazing lifelong friends and realize my passion for conservation. Can't wait to go back!
Hussain! We are THRILLED you had a meaningful experience, and we're so happy to hear you made lifelong friendships. We can't wait to see you again!
Amazing Experience Saving the Turtles
August 02, 2024by: Amani Seemap - United KingdomI am so glad I chose this program and got to work with turtles, it was truly a memorable experience! The program management specially Stefano was amazing, they made the trip amazing. I got to meet many new people and made so many new friends. I would definitely recoomed this program, its an amazing opportunity to make lifelong memories while making an impact!
Hi Amani! We're happy to hear you had such a memorable experience. We know the work you and your group did with turtle conservation is so important. And we'll say hi to Stefano for you :) Hopefully we'll see you next summer!
Awesome trip
August 01, 2024by: Janet Peet - South KoreaHad a good time taking care of the turtles. Thanks to stefano and all the team there I liked it a lot. Food was good and service was good too. Best part was probably the castle and the other kids there. See you next year.
Hey Janet! Thanks for sharing your experience! We couldn't agree more. The castle was pretty amazing and Stefano and the team in Greece are pretty great too! Looking forward to seeing you next summer.
I had a great time making friends
July 31, 2024by: AdrianaI had a great time making friends with not only the other students there but also the program leaders. They were excellent with the supervision and atmosphere. It was a very well organised experience.
Once in a life time experience
July 24, 2024by: Andre Freccia - United StatesThe Rustic Pathways program in Greece was something that I will never forget. From the amazing beach and getting to spend lots of time in the crystal clear water to tons of amazing friends that I met along the way. Through this experience I got to see and experience Greece, a new country for me in a whole other way while also being able to make a meaningful impact on the turtle population of the island. Through early morning walks to find and save turtle nests or snorkeling surveys to monitor sea turtles primary food, see grass I got to learn and contribute a lot to helping this species. I know that I will stay in contact with my amazing program leaders and my new best friends from the program for the rest of my life and will probably spend the rest of the summer dreaming of going back. This program was so much fun and as I looking through my thousands of photos I know it was a one in a million opportunity for me. I would 100% recommend doing a rustic pathways program if you are considering it, especially the one in Greece because there is truly nothing else like it!
Hey there Andre! We're so happy that you got to join our Greece program because you had such a meaningful impact on turtle conservation efforts there. Plus we're happy to hear you made tons of new besties! Hopefully we get to see you next year...

very fun
July 24, 2024by: jossi johns - United StatesI enjoyed getting to see a new place with a new culture and just meeting new friends. it’s a lot of fun hanging with the turtle and going on morning beach walks and seeing a new place for the first time ever!
Hi Jossi! We know those early AM beach walks are pretty magical. We're happy you enjoyed that and your experience in Greece. Same time next year??
Program Details
Learn all the nitty gritty details you need to know
Locations
- Greece
Types and Subjects
- Adventure Types
- Hiking
- Nature Tours
- Snorkeling
- Student Tours
- Summer Camp
- Tours
- Focus Areas
- Community Service & Volunteering
- Experiential Learning
- Outdoor Education
- Causes
- Animal Welfare
- Conservation
- Environment
- Wildlife
Availability
Years Offered: 2026, 2027
- 1-2 Weeks
- Summer
Age Requirement
14-20
Guidelines
All Nationalities
This Program is also open to Solo, Group
Starts At
Program Cost Includes
- Accommodation / Housing for Program Duration
- All Program Activity Costs
- Weekday Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Weekend Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- In-Country Transportation To & From Project
- Guide / Chaperone
- On-Site / In-Country Staff Support
- Assistance Booking Travel
- Alumni / Networking Membership
- Certificate of Completion
Accommodation Options
- Group living
- Guest House
Qualifications & Experience
- High School Freshman (1st Year)
- High School Sophomore (2nd Year)
- High School Junior (3rd Year)
- High School Senior (4th Year)
- High School 5th Year or More
Accepted Education Levels
Application Procedures
- Online Application
Ready to Learn More?
Protect endangered sea turtles while basking in the sun on the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia. Get an in-depth look at conservation efforts, both on land and water. Snorkel in crystal clear waters and explore white sand beaches as you learn how to save turtles amid growing manmade and natural threats. Our Greek Island Turtle Conservation takes students to a part of Kefalonia Island, where endangered loggerhead turtles migrate every spring for food, mating, and nesting. You’ll work with survey teams that regularly walk along the beaches to protect nests while monitoring vulnerable seagrass meadows and dunes that are important for the turtles. It’s a unique opportunity for students interested in environmental science and nature. Combine the popular Northern Italy Adventure and Greece...

Rustic Pathways

Rustic Pathways
Ready to Learn More?
Protect endangered sea turtles while basking in the sun on the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia. Get an in-depth look at conservation efforts, both on land and water. Snorkel in crystal clear waters and explore white sand beaches as you learn how to save turtles amid growing manmade and natural threats. Our Greek Island Turtle Conservation takes students to a part of Kefalonia Island, where endangered loggerhead turtles migrate every spring for food, mating, and nesting. You’ll work with survey teams that regularly walk along the beaches to protect nests while monitoring vulnerable seagrass meadows and dunes that are important for the turtles. It’s a unique opportunity for students interested in environmental science and nature. Combine the popular Northern Italy Adventure and Greece...
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