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Costa Rica Turtles - Africa and Asia Venture

Costa Rica Turtles

Gap Year Experience with turtles in Costa Rica 

Fact:  Leatherback turtles are under serious threat of extinction, as their numbers diminish due to egg poaching and drowning in fishing nets. 

Only one in 1000 hatchlings survive to adulthood.  

Experience in Brief:

(Costa Rica Map>>)  Conservation volunteering with AV in partnership with Rainforest Concern and Endangered Wildlife Trust.  Three weeks of Spanish/home stay followed by two weeks of turtle conservation volunteering on the Caribbean, a five day adventure.  Then the choice to go wherever you like - Panama, perhaps? - during 18 days of independent travel.   

Costa Rica Turtle Conservation Dates & Costs  

Intensive Spanish - 3 Weeks

We've found a Spanish language school in a lovely, quiet suburb of San Jose.  It is the Centro Panamericano de Idiomas in San Joaquin de Flores and is quite close to the international airport.  It will arrange individual home stays with local families.  Dynamic and intensive Spanish lessons are arranged to suit individual ability levels and run from between four to seven hours each week day. There is no better way to improve your Spanish so quickly!  We will also take you to spend a weekend in the stunning Manuel Antonio Beach National Park, where you can see some wildlife along its beautiful trails or just chill out.

Q.  What is the price of a turtle egg on the streets of San Jose?

A.  US$2.

Turtle Conservation (Costa Rica) - 2 Weeks

Induction Course. After the Spanish School, we will take you to the Pacuare turtle conservation site for some induction training.  It will also be a chance for the whole group to get to know each other in quite different surroundings, and to learn a bit about Costa Rica, before starting your volunteering project.

AV is working in partnership with Rainforest Concern and Endangered Wildlife Trust, two highly respected charities working closely for the benefit of the world's environment in South America.  During your Gap Year project you will be guaranteed to have some very personal contact with the great leatherback and/or green turtles, as you will join us in the laying season on the Caribbean coast at Pacuare - the most important turtle beach in the country.  Up to 16 of you, working under the direction of biologists, will keep overnight vigil, collect data, monitor birth sites and, perhaps, even help deliver the eggs.   

Did you know the leatherback is nearly as big as a Beetle - a VolksWagon Beetle! - and isn't known to be the world's greatest parent?  She simply crawls up the beach (perhaps with 20-30 other mums-to-be), digs a 3ft hole in the sand, lays 80-100 eggs, covers them up, crawls back to the surf and swims away - parenting duties complete!  She will probably do this between 8eight to ten times a season - that could be as many as 1500 eggs!  As for the dads...they're not even as interested as that - nowhere to be seen!  The process ends 60 days after the eggs are laid - when the baby turtles are hatched and crawl down to the surf and continue the battle for life! 

 A Thought: These mums are quite likely to be crawling up the beach, to lay more eggs, as one of their previous batches of newly-hatched babies are crawling down to the water in the opposite direction.  Wonder if there's any recognition - an extraordinary thought!

Fact:  Whilst hatchlings are only about 2 inches long, the largest leatherback on record was a male stranded on the West Coast of Wales in 1988. He weighed 916 kg!  

'Pura Vida' Adventure - 5 Days

After completing your volunteering project at Pacuare you may be thinking midwifery is a tough job, and we reckon you'll really appreciate the opportunity to unwind and have an adventure at this stage.  So, we'll pick you up at the jetty and take you on a long drive north to see the world-famous Arenal Volcano.  You will spend two nights in Fortuna, at Luigi's Lodge, and also see the beautiful Rio Celeste - the most tuquoise-coloured river in Latin America - in the Tenorio Volcano National Park. 

On the way south again, you will spend a whole day white-water-rafting the Rio Pacuare.  Breakfast, 38 white-water-rapids on the most beautiful stretch of tree-lined, vertical banks in Costa Rica, and lunch will give you a day to remember. 

That evening, you will be dropped off in the stunning seaside resort of Puerto Viejo, just because we reckon you will want a day on a beach on which you don't have to work!  It's a surfer's paradise and many young people stop over there for the beach, the restaurants and the vibey atmosphere. 

On the final morning , you will be free to travel independently anywhere you want.  

Independent Travel - 18 Days

As your Pura Vida adventure draws to a close you will be thinking about the opportunity to travel to some of Costa Rica's ‘must see' spots and be a tourist for a couple of weeks.  Pacific or Caribbean?  Wild rivers, fiery volcanoes or rainforests?  Oh... animals?  Costa Rica has more biodiversity than all of North America or Europe.  What else is there....?  Birds, frogs, mammals, butterflies - we reckon you won't be stuck for things to do.   Of course, you will also have time to pop over to Panama and see what's on offer there.  They also have two oceans, turtles and gorgeous, golden beaches to lie on, too! 

Home or Continue?

The scheme will end after your independent travel and we will put you up back in San Jose for a final night before your flight home....or independent onward travels! 

And Afterwards...

If you're like 99% of those who have been before you, you'll agree that it will have been the best four months of your life so far. You'll find leaving difficult...and returning easy!  We say that "Once an AV, always an AV!" What this means is that you will be joining an exclusive club that will be there for you to help out if you ever get into difficulties and will always be pleased to see you again in Costs Rica. As an AV, we hope your relationship with us will continue long after your initial time in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Wildlife Conservation Itinerary 

Costa Rica Wildlife Conservation Dates and Costs

Costa Rica Wildlife Conservation Facts

Useful Stuff to know about volunteering in Costa Rica

If you need some help and want to talk about your plans to volunteer, please Make an enquiry